WHAT’S NEW?: This meta-analysis reduces doubt
The latest American College of Gastroenterology guidelines on the management of H pylori infection acknowledge that sequential therapy has shown promise in Europe, but the organization has not supported a change from the standard regimen to sequential therapy as first-line treatment. The standard triple-therapy regimen is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, and is the most commonly used H pylori treatment in the United States.1 This is the first meta-analysis based solely on RCTs, and it clearly demonstrates that sequential therapy increased eradication rates.
PATIENT HANDOUT: How to take your medicine for H pylori infection
Helicobacter pylori (called H pylori for short) is a type of bacteria that can cause an ulcer (sore) to develop within the lining of your stomach and intestines. Ulcers can cause pain and bleeding, so it is important to get rid of this bacteria. To do this, you will need to take 4 different medicines over the next 10 days. They must be taken in a certain order, exactly as your doctor has prescribed.
One of the drugs you will be taking (for the entire 10-day period) is a proton pump inhibitor (called a PPI), a medicine that helps reduce the amount of acid in your stomach. ______________ is the name of the PPI your doctor has ordered. Take it twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, for 10 days.
You will also take 3 different kinds of antibiotics to eliminate the H pylori bacteria. For the first 5 days, you will take amoxicillin twice a day (2 pills in the morning and 2 in the evening), along with the PPI.
After 5 days, all the amoxicillin pills should be gone, and you will switch to 2 other antibiotics: clarithromycin AND ______________. For the next 5 days, you will take 1 PPI plus 1 clarithromycin and 1 ______________ every morning AND every night.
These medications may cause nausea, diarrhea, and a bad taste in your mouth. These side effects are usually not serious, but if they bother you so much that you cannot continue to take the medicine, it is important to call our office right away.
To remember to take each of the medicines in the morning AND evening on the correct day, use this chart to follow along. Put a check mark in the morning box or the evening box every time you take your medicine.
