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Ulcer Symptoms & Treatment

A peptic ulcer is a sore that forms on the lining of the stomach, small intestine or esophagus. The Mayo Clinic reports that 10 percent of all Americans develop an ulcer during the course of their lives.

  1. Quality of Pain

    • The most common symptom of peptic ulcers is pain experienced between your belly button and your breast bone. Patients describe the pain as a burning sensation.

    Timing of Pain

    • Peptic ulcer pain occurs at night and on an empty stomach, usually lasting anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. The pain of an ulcer is often intermittent, meaning that it occurs repeatedly for a set period of time and then disappears, only to begin again.

    Other Symptoms

    • Peptic ulcers occasionally cause other symptoms, such as vomiting blood, dark stools, unexplained weight loss, and appetite changes.

    Medications

    • Doctors often use antibiotics like Amoxil and Biaxin to treat the H. pylori bacteria that is a common cause of peptic ulcers. Other medications help eliminate or reduce stomach acid to allow the ulcers to heal, and include Tagamet and other acid blockers, Mylanta and other antacids, Aciphex and other proton-pump inhibitors, and Cytotec and other cytoprotective agents.

    Surgery

    • In rare instances where ulcers will not heal on their own, doctors surgically close the open sores.

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