Everyone gets heartburn now and again. It's an uncomfortable burning feeling that starts below your breastbone and rises into your throat. But if you have heartburn often you may have what doctors call GORD. This stands for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. There are some good treatments for GORD.

Your GP may talk about some of the treatments that are listed below.

Key points about treating GORD

• If you have symptoms, such as heartburn, several times a week, you probably won't get better without treatment.

• Drug treatment won't cure GORD but it can make you feel better and may help your oesophagus to heal. (Your oesophagus is the tube that carries food from your mouth to your stomach.)

• If you have drug treatment, proton pump inhibitors work best. They are usually prescribed if your symptoms are very bad.

• Drugs called H2 blockers also work. But they don't work as well or as fast as proton pump inhibitors. They may be better if your symptoms are mild.

• Antacids are medicines that you can buy over the counter. They seem to help some people with mild symptoms.

• If you stop taking medicine, your symptoms will probably come back.

• Surgery can be used to cure GORD. It works but it does have risks.

• Self-help remedies such as cutting down on fatty foods and giving up smoking are good for your health but we don't know if they relieve symptoms of GORD. More research is needed.

Which treatments work best? We've looked at the research and given a rating for each treatment according to how well it works.

For help in deciding which treatment is best for you, see How to use research to support your treatment decisions.

Treatments for GORD

• Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs): These drugs lower the amount of acid your stomach makes. Some common names (and brand names) are omeprazole (Losec), lansoprazole (Zoton), rabeprazole (Pariet), pantoprazole (Protium, Pantoloc Control), and esomeprazole (Nexium). More...

• H2 blockers: These drugs also reduce the amount of acid your stomach makes. Some common names (and brand names) are ranitidine (Zantac), nizatidine (Axid), famotidine (Pepcid), and cimetidine (Tagamet). You can buy some of these medicines from a pharmacist. More...

• Antacids: These are drugs that you can buy over the counter at a pharmacy. More...

• Fundoplication (surgery): The aim of fundoplication is to strengthen the ring of muscle that sits at the lower end of the oesophagus. The operation keeps stomach acid from flowing into the oesophagus. More...

• Changes to your diet and lifestyle: Your GP may suggest you do some things that can improve your health generally, such as giving up smoking or eating fewer fatty foods. More...

• Motility stimulants: These are drugs that affect the muscle at the top of your stomach so that food and acid can't flow into your oesophagus. They are sometimes used for GORD. The most common ones are domperidone (Motilium) and metoclopramide (Maxolon). More...

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