Antacids are a group of medications that neutralizes stomach acid to treat conditions like ulcers and GERD. In this mnemonic video, we'll cover important facts about antacids so you'll be ready come test day. We're in a kitchen-turned-science lab with this little tyke who is conducting some in-home experiments. First up is using this bottle of antacids to neutralize a beaker full of acid. Antacids are pretty self-explanatory.
After all, the prefix ant means against or opposite, and then we have acid, so we get opposite of acid. Antacids are basic compounds used to neutralize stomach acid. There are a couple clinical uses where this would be useful, but first, let's talk about the drug names of the most common antacids.
The boy's previous experiment is still running in the background. He was using a robotic arm to make a root beer float with carbonated soda and calcium-filled ice cream. When you think of this root beer float, remember the drug name calcium carbonate, because this is calcium-branded ice cream full of calcium, and root beer floats are filled with carbonation, which sounds like carbonate.
Make sense? Calcium carbonate is one of the most common antacids. You probably know it better by its brand name, Tums.
There are a few other antacids you should know too, so let's move on. This guy is a little smarter than your average kid, which I guess you'd expect from a kid doing science experiments at home. Anyway, he's managed to create this hydraulic arm connected to a magnet to help him with his experiments. Here at Pixerize, we use magnets as our recurring symbol for magnesium. It's the magnesium magnet.
And we also use hydraulics to symbolize the word hydroxide. So, what do you think this magnet-holding hydraulic arm represents? That's right, magnesium hydroxide. Magnesium hydroxide is another antacid which is more colloquially known as milk of magnesia. Just use this magnet hydraulic arm to help you remember that magnesium hydroxide is an antacid.
Okay? It took a couple tries to get this magnetic hydraulic arm up and running. Check out the boy's previous version back by the root beer float.
It's another hydraulic arm, but instead of a magnet, this one is made out of aluminum foil. It looks like the boy has come a long way since this prototype. The aluminum hydraulic arm is our symbol for aluminum hydroxide.
Aluminum hydroxide is the best choice of antacid for patients in renal failure since aluminum is easier for the kidneys to excrete than magnesium or calcium-based antacids. As much as this boy wishes he has his own science lab, we are still in a kitchen and there are some classic kitchen essentials on the counter. Take a look at this box of baking soda. Baking soda is the common name for sodium bicarbonate.
But did you know sodium bicarbonate can also be used as an antacid? Now that we know the names of the most commonly used antacids, let's move on to their clinical uses. The acid the boy is using for his experiment is contained in this glass flask. The boy is hurrying to cap the flask before the acid bubbles out the top.
You know, this flask full of acid looks a little bit like the upper GI tract, don't you think? I mean, we have a long, narrow portion that looks like the esophagus, and then a bigger bottom portion full of acid like the stomach. So, this acid bubbling up the neck of this flask is our symbol for gastroesophageal reflux disease, abbreviated GERD. since GERD is just caused by stomach acid bubbling up into the esophagus. This creates an uncomfortable feeling that we often refer to as acid reflux or heartburn.
Now, the boy here is capping the bubbling flask of acid to prevent it from bubbling over, which should remind you that antacids can be used to treat GERD. This should make sense if you remember how antacids work to neutralize stomach acid. But the boy wasn't quite fast enough, and the acid managed to squirt onto his shirt, burning a hole straight through. But don't worry, the boy is used to this and keeps his sewing kit close by to fix these holes. Here at Pixerize, we use a hole in the shirt over the belly to symbolize GI ulcers, which are essentially holes in the lining of the gut tract.
The way that the boy is sewing up or fixing this hole can help you remember that antacids are used to treat GI ulcers. By neutralizing the stomach acid, antacids allow GI ulcers to heal. They may also be used to prevent ulcers from happening in the first place.
Finally, let's talk about some potential side effects of antacids. The boy tried to program his aluminum hydraulic arm to squeeze some chocolate into his root beer float. Not our typical dessert combination, but you're probably not surprised this boy is into experimenting with his food. However, the aluminum hydraulic arm is really struggling to squeeze out this chocolate.
Aluminum foil is some pretty weak stuff, after all. Use this blocked chocolate bottle as your symbol for constipation. Specifically, aluminum hydroxide and calcium carbonate cause constipation as a side effect.
It's important that you remember these two drug names are related to constipation because magnesium actually has the opposite effect. Turns out this new and improved magnetic hydraulic arm isn't quite foolproof either. It's leaking brown oil that is spraying directly onto the boy's pants. It kind of looks like he pooped his pants, but don't tell him I said that.
Instead, let's just use this brown stain on the boy's pants, caused by the magnesium hydraulic arm, to remember that magnesium hydroxide causes diarrhea. This is the opposite effect of the other antacids we talked about earlier. For context, magnesium hydroxide, or milk of magnesia, is also used as a laxative in the clinical setting. On the counter next to the baking soda, we have a couple other items you'd expect to find in a kitchen.
First off, we have a package of extra water bottles. The boy didn't need water in this particular experiment, but you can never have too much water just in case. Use these extra water bottles sitting next to the baking soda to remind you that sodium bicarbonate causes fluid retention. Why does it cause fluid retention?
Our next symbol can help you out with that. Salt is another big key ingredient in the kitchen, and trust me, you don't want to run out of salt while cooking. This big bag of salt next to the baking soda is our symbol for high sodium levels.
I mean, come on, sodium bicarbonate obviously contains sodium. And we all know that water follows sodium, so by increasing sodium in the body, the body will also retain more water, which can lead to edema. Therefore, sodium bicarbonate should not be used by patients with hypertension or fluid overload, because the accumulation of sodium and retention of fluid could worsen their condition.
Alright, that's all for this video on the antacids. Let's recap. Antacids are a class of drugs that include calcium carbonate, magnesium hydroxide, aluminum hydroxide, and sodium bicarbonate. These drugs work by neutralizing stomach acid, which is useful for treating GI ulcers as well as gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD. The side effects of antacids depend on the specific drug taken.
Aluminum hydroxide and calcium carbonate cause constipation, while magnesium hydroxide causes diarrhea. Sodium bicarbonate can increase sodium levels to cause fluid retention. And now we're actually done with the antacids. See you next time!