(Sorry for asking again, i put the last question in the wrong section lol).

I was wondering, what are some of the causes of stomach ulcers? Ive heard that taking too many advils or over the counter pills can cause it, my dad had an ulcer years ago from taking too many advils for his back, and was throwing up blood for days..
Also, do acidic drinks, like soda or energy drinks, cause ulcers?
How would you know if you had one/what the symptoms be?

Thankyou

Yes too many over the counter pills can be the cause especially ones with Ibuprofen. also ive heared that chewing gum can cause them as chewing makes your stomach produce the acid to break down food adn there is nothing going into your stomach.

According to this website mamashealth.com/stomach.asp
Smoking can also cause them.

The major symptom of an ulcer is a burning or gnawing feeling in the stomach area that lasts between 30 minutes and 3 hours. This pain is often interpreted as heartburn, indigestion or hunger. The pain usually occurs in the upper abdomen, but sometimes it may occur below the breastbone. in some individuals the pain occurs immediately after eating. in other individuals, the pain may not occur until hours after eating. The pain frequently awakens the person at night. Weeks of pain may be followed by weeks of not having pain. Pain can be relieved by drinking milk, eating, resting, or taking antacids.

Appetite and weight loss are other symptoms. Persons with duodenal ulcers may experience weight gain because the persons eats more to ease discomfort. Recurrent vomiting, black stool, blood in the stool and anemia are other symptoms.

Meals should be at an interval of 4 hours. Missed that time leads to Hydrochloric Acid (HCL)accumulation in the stomach.This acid, when not receiving food, starts to look for something to chew and therefore starts eroding the stomach layers , causing ulceration. These can be aggravated when taking acidic food before the main meal, when taking pain killers e.g Ibuprofen on an empty stomach, and so on. but if you stick to the right food timing, you are on the right pathway.

If you feel terribly hungry after 3 hours of your last meal and the pain disappears after even taking water, it is one sign of ulcer. but there are lots

Lots of things can cause stomach ulcers but the main one is stress or anxiety. You really should make an appointment with your doctor to be on the safe side as you are clearly worried now and that might just make matters worse. Hope you get sorted.