Home Treatment

If you are being treated for a peptic ulcer, your doctor will likely prescribe medicines and encourage you to try some home treatment methods. To stop symptoms and help an ulcer heal, you can:

• Stop smoking.
• Try nonprescription medicines that reduce acid production. Make sure you tell your doctor about any medicines you are taking.
• Make changes to your diet, such as eating smaller, more frequent meals. These changes may improve your symptoms, but they will not help your ulcer heal.
• Drink alcohol only in moderation, or avoid drinking alcohol. Limit alcohol to 2 drinks a day for men and 1 drink a day for women. Drinking too much alcohol may make an ulcer heal more slowly and may make your symptoms worse.

Many people who have mild symptoms that could be caused by a peptic ulcer first try home treatment for a short time without seeing a doctor. But if you have ulcer symptoms that do not improve after 10 to 14 days of home treatment, or if you have other symptoms such as weight loss, nausea after eating, or consistent pain, it is important to see your doctor to make certain you have an ulcer and not some other more serious illness. This is even more important if you are middle-aged or older, because the risk of developing cancer or other illnesses that cause symptoms similar to peptic ulcer disease increases with age.

Medicines are usually a very effective treatment for ulcers. The bland diets that in the past were part of ulcer treatment are no longer required. This means people with peptic ulcers do not have to drink lots of milk or avoid spicy foods.