drug for peptic ulcer

A drug for peptic ulcer helps a raw sore in the stomach or first part of the small intestine heal, by tilting the balance back from attack toward defence. An ulcer forms when acid and digestive enzymes overwhelm the lining's protection; these drugs reduce the attack or shore up the defence so the tissue can mend.

Treatment usually combines strategies. Acid suppression with a proton-pump inhibitor (or an H2 antagonist) is the backbone, because lowering acid lets the ulcer heal. Crucially, most peptic ulcers are caused by infection with Helicobacter pylori or by NSAID use, so eradicating the bacterium with antibiotics plus a proton-pump inhibitor, and stopping or protecting against NSAIDs, treats the cause. Mucosal protectants such as sucralfate coat the ulcer, bismuth compounds have antibacterial and protective effects, and misoprostol, a prostaglandin analogue, restores mucosal defence against NSAID damage.

Because cause matters, simply suppressing acid without addressing H. pylori or NSAIDs often leads to relapse. Some of these drugs have important caveats — misoprostol stimulates uterine contractions and must be avoided in pregnancy — and any ulcer with alarm features needs investigation to exclude bleeding or malignancy.