Abdominal pain

Infection with Helicobacter pylori can cause chronic gastritis and lead to peptic ulcer disease. The infection is usually acquired during childhood and, if eradicated, is believed to rarely recur during adult life. Therefore, adequate therapy for patients with H. pylori is important in the treatment and prevention of peptic ulcers.

Antibiotics
Your doctor will most likely prescribe a 14-day regimen of two antibiotics to eradicate H. pylori bacteria. Common combinations are:

Clarithromycin (Biaxin) and amoxicillin (Amoxil, Trimox)
Metronidazole (Flagyl) and amoxicillin (Amoxil, Trimox)
Metronidazole (Flagyl) and tetracycline (Sumycin)
It's important to complete the full course of prescribed antibiotics as directed by your physician, even when you're feeling better. Failure to follow the treatment guidelines may not completely eradicate the infection and increases your risk of antibiotic-resistant strains of H. pylori.

Your doctor may use either a breath test or stool antigen test to determine whether the antibiotic treatment has eliminated the H. pylori infection.

While the antibiotic treatment can completely eradicate H. pylori bacteria, an infection can recur later.

Other treatments
If you're taking a double-antibiotic course for an ulcer or gastritis, your doctor will also prescribe one or more medications to alleviate symptoms and promote healing. The most commonly prescribed drugs include:

Proton pump inhibitors. These prescription medications suppress acids by shutting down "pumps" in acid-producing cells. Examples include omeprazole (Prilosec), lansoprazole (Prevacid), rabeprazole (Aciphex) and esomeprazole (Nexium).
Histamine-2 (H-2) blockers. These reduce the amount of hydrochloric acid released into your digestive tract. Available by prescription or over-the-counter (OTC), H-2 blockers include ranitidine (Zantac), famotidine (Pepcid), cimetidine (Tagamet) and nizatidine (Axid).
Bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol). This protects the lining of your stomach and duodenum.