Q: I am suffering from Refluxes of Oesphogaus since 3 years and I am taking drug Omeprazole (spelling might be wrong) since 4 months and before 4 months I was not that regular in taking this drug. Are there any side effect of taking this drug in long run.What are the new medical advances in the treatment of this disorder ? Are they reliable treatment options and how much they costs.

A:Reflux esophagitis is a condition in which acid in the stomach goes back up(refluxes) into the food pipe (esophagus). Omeprazole is a very useful drugas it reduces acid production and therefore controls the symptoms ofheartburn. However, it does not decrease the amount of reflux. To reducethat you can adopt certain measures such as weight loss (in people who areobese), avoid large meals, avoid going to bed for 2 hours after a meal,avoid smoking. Use of omeprazole long-term has been found to be very safe. The alternative treatment is surgery but there is no evidence that surgery is better thanomeprazole therapy and even after surgery nearly 50% patients continue touse omeprazole albeit at a lower dose.