Gastritis Treatment

Medically reviewed by:

Dr Dan Bunstone -

Updated: Aug 18, 2021

Next review: Aug 18, 2022

There are several treatments for gastritis available, ranging from diet and lifestyle changes, to medication. Let’s take a more detailed look at how gastritis can be treated.

If you are suffering from indigestion and tummy pain, you may be able to treat this yourself at home. You can try:

Eating little and often.
Lowering your alcohol consumption or stopping drinking completely.
Limiting or avoiding hot and spicy, fried, fatty or acidic foods (or drinks, such as fruit juices).
Trying to reduce your stress levels.
Switching painkillers, if you think that is what is causing your symptoms - you can speak to a doctor for more guidance on this, and whether it is an option for you.

Antacids can be bought over-the-counter and can often provide the relief that you may need. They work by neutralising the acid that is in your stomach.

If these treatments don’t work, there are other options available, including:

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)
Histamine 2 (H2) blockers

Proton pump inhibitors and Histamine 2 blockers lower the amount of acid that your stomach produces. These can be more effective than other over the counter and the usual prescription medicines.

As we touched on earlier, if your gastritis is mild, changing your diet could be all you need to do to treat it.

Avoiding eating certain foods that are stomach irritants, such as those that are hot and spicy, fried, or acidic could prevent your symptoms. Eating little and often may also help.

This will need to be treated with a course of antibiotics. The antibiotics will be used in conjunction with a proton pump inhibitor medicine (PPI). You will need to speak to a doctor to get this treatment.

Ignoring gastritis can also lead to further health complications such as:

Trophic Gastritis
Stomach ulcers
Cancerous or non cancerous tumours in the stomach
Small growths (polyps) in the stomach

If you have, or suspect that you have gastritis, and you have tried treating it at home or with over-the-counter medication with no success, then speaking to a doctor is a good idea.

NHS, Gastritis: Treating gastritis, 26/06/2016.
nhs.uk/conditions/gastritis/#treating-gastritis
Dr Colin Tidy. Patient Info, 09/03/2018.
patient.info/health/dyspepsia-indigestion/gastritis#nav-3
Carmella Wint, Winnie Yu & Dr Daniel Murrell. Healthline, Gastritis, 09/03/2018.
healthline.com/health/gastritis#treatment

Dr Dan Bunstone -

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