Treatments. Sometimes duodenal ulcers can be healed through lifestyle changes. The doctor will tell the the person to stop taking NSAIDs and substitute other pain relievers. The patient should also quit smoking if they do and either decrease or stop their consumption of alcohol. Doctors also prescribe antacids to lower the levels of stomach acid and antibiotics to combat the bacterial infection. H-2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors also lower acid levels, and other drugs protectively coat the lining of the stomach and duodenum.
People who are losing blood from their ulcers may need to be hospitalized. Hospitalization is also needed for people whose ulcers have eroded their intestinal wall lining to the point where they are bleeding into the abdominal cavity. They should also be hospitalized if the ulcer has formed scar tissue that makes it difficult for food to pass into the small intestine.
