I was diagnosed a few weeks ago with a stomach "bug." My doctor gave me "Helibac" therapy, which requires me to take four pills every meal plus Zantac for two weeks. I'm really bad at taking medicine because it makes me want to vomit. I tried to start it, but didn't get past the first meal. My doctor said I had to finish this treatment or I could develop something more serious like an ulcer. Is there another form of medication I could take, such as a liquid or an injection?

T.

The "bug" that was found in your stomach is known as Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). While this bacterium does not cause symptoms or complications in most people who are infected, it has been associated with ulcers of both the stomach and upper intestine, or duodenum. H. pylori has also been associated with stomach cancer, although this disease is very rare in the United States.

The therapy for H. pylori is antibiotics. Unfortunately, no single antibiotic can eradicate this organism. Many studies have been done using various combinations of antibiotics with varying degrees of success.

One of the most potent and inexpensive regimens is also difficult to take because of the number of tablets. The regimen combines metronidazole (Flagyl), bismuth (Pepto-Bismol) and tetracycline, all given four times a day, along with a medication such as ranitidine (Zantac) to suppress acid formation. I suspect you got this combination. Normally, the medications are given for seven to 14 days.

A simpler combination, which is just as effective but costs more, features clarithromycin (Biaxin), amoxicillin and either omeprazole (Prilosec) or lansoprazole (Prevacid) to suppress acid. Each drug is taken twice a day for 10 to 14 days.

If taken properly, both of the combinations I've mentioned are more than 90 percent effective at eradicating H. pylori infection. At this time, no liquid or injection therapies are available to treat H. pylori.

Since you are having a hard time with the current pills, you should discuss other combinations available for treating H. pylori with your doctor.