Feedback on Nexium Side Effects and Usage, page 22

Nexium Side Effects

If you’ve used Nexium, please help others by sharing your feedback. What would you tell your best friend about this product? Please remember that we do not give medical advice. That is for your local health care provider, who is familiar with your medical history.
Subj: Nexium 40mg
Date: 9/6/2008
Nexium 40mg: I am 41 years old and eat normally. In the past 2 years I have developed heartburn and acid problems. I was using Zantac 150mg a day for about 6months which works fine but I was curious about long term Zantac use so my doctor prescribed Nexium 40mg which I have been using for 1 month now. My question is that whenever I stop using Zantac the problem returns and as both products work well for me I wanted to know which one was best to continue and what was the long term effect; as I think I need to continue with one of them?

Patrick

AskDocWeb: Zantac (ranitidine) is over the counter and cheaper than Nexium but Nexium is a stronger treatment. No long-term side effects of Zantac have been noted.

Subj: Adverse reaction
Date: 9/10/2008
I was on Nexium for 10 days; woke up day 11 with curious hives on my abdomen. By evening, the hives had spread all over my body, and I ended up in the emergency room. Doctors said it was unlikely that it was the Nexium. Regardless, I stopped taking it for several months. I then began to take Nexium again. The third day I developed hives on my forearms, which again spread extremely quickly all over my body. My lips and tongue began to swell, and – again – I ended up in the ER. This time I was kept in overnight observation and put on an agressive treatment of Prednisone, Pepcid, and Benadryl. I am now seeing an immunologist, who said contributing factors to this reaction include my high sensitivity to the Penecillin family, and perhaps the fact that I’m perimenapausal. In any case, this was a very severe and life-threatening situation for me.

Susan

Subj: I was desperate
Date: 9/11/2008
I just took one Nexium pill from a friend because I was desparate at work. I am breastfeeding and curious as to how long this one pill is “in my system”. From what I can tell, one pill shouldn’t be too much of an issue, but it looks like it may not be the best for baby…Just trying to decide if I should dump expressed milk?

Jsinaz

AskDocWeb: Most of the drug is out of your system in just 3 hours but that doesn’t address your problem. Ask yourself what made you feel so desperate that you would use someone else’s prescription, which is illegal and considered to be drug abuse. Please make an appointment with your doctor to get an examination. The earlier you start treatment of a medical problem the better results you get.

Subj: Nexium symptoms
Date: 9/13/2008
I have been on nexium for 5 years and I am experiencing alot of these symptoms, I didn’t even realize it was from the nexium. Significant weight gain, chest pain, back pain, joint pain, bloated. heart flutters, nausea. I’m going to definitly quit taking nexium. Thanks for all this information.

Kristine

AskDocWeb: Please don’t stop taking Nexium before checking with your doctor first.

Subj: Weight gain and severe dry mouth
Date: 9/15/2008
I have been on Nexium for over 5 yrs for GERD, and experienced weight gain,(15 lbs),and severe dry mouth. Also, I developed osteoarthritis in both knees, and of course the weight gain made the pain worse!

I decided to take myself off the Nexium…and try the apple cider vinegar tx. instead…the theory is that GERD may be caused by a LACK of stomach acid, instead of TOO MUCH stomach acid…when there isn’t enough acid in the stomach, the muscle that controls the closing of the valve at the end of the esophogus doesn’t get the signal to close like it should…thus…the GERD begins. So, I started one month ago…taking 1 tablespoon of NATURAL ACV, with the Mother, which means the enzymes are still in the vinegar, and have not been distilled out of it, as a matter of fact, you will see what looks like some type of sediment in the vinegar, and will need to shake it up before pouring it in your glass. To this I add about a teaspoon of RAW honey, and some lite applejuice or water, to make about 8 oz. total. Drink it down first thing in the a.m.

The first day or so, it worked great…then came the rebound effect…but I stuck with it, and within a week…my reflux was so much better. I have started to loose some of the weight, and am no longer hungary all the time. I would recommend the ACV tx to anyone with GERD…if it doesn’t work for you…at least you have given it a try…but my results have been amazing! But remember, you must use the natural ACV, with the Mother…you can get it at any health food store…give it try!

Bev

Subj: Having heart palpitations
Date: 9/18/2008
Last night was the first I have ever taken Nexium 40 mg. I started having heart palpitations ever since, spaced out every 20 minutes or so. I do have panic disorder and can tell the difference between what I normally feel, but this feeling won’t go away. How long does it take for one pill to leave your system? Has anyone else experienced this feeling? And can I do anything to make it wear off faster?

Mary

AskDocWeb: Any irregular heartbeat should be reported to your doctor. The half-life of Nexium ranges from one to one and a half hours, that’s the amount of time for half of the drug to leave your system. Other than to stay well hydrated, there nothing you do that would get it out of your system any quicker.

Subj: Gained about 8 pounds
Date: 9/19/2008
I have been taking Nexium for 5 months and while it has helped with heartburn, reflux, etc…I have also gained about 8 pounds with no change in diet or exercise…I know this is normal, but if I discontinue use will I drop the weight? Furthermore, is it safe to just discontinue suddenly? I had bad symptoms before nexium, but could control it by zantac and the like…I just want to be able to continue fitting in my clothes!!!

Shelley

AskDocWeb: Discontinuing would make it easier to drop the weight but consult with your doctor before doing that. With your doctor’s help you may be able to come up with a plan to treat your reflux and lose weight at the same time.

Subj: Weight gain is a problem
Date: 9/24/2008
I have been on nexium for about 8 months. First 40mg, and now 20mg once a day. Have Barrets and GERD, Specialist says I will need it for the rest of my life. Controls the GERD very well, notice it coming back bad if I miss one day. Have gained about 20 pounds in that time, even though exercising more. Will go back to my specialist and see if there is an alternative, as the weight gain is a problem.

Daniel

Subj: Nose bleeds
Date: 9/28/2008
I have taken nexium 40 mg a little over a year. When I’m over 20 lbs over weight I have acid reflex. Up to taking Nexium I never had bloody noses. I have had probably ten over this year. The first about three months after I started taking it. I don’t take any other meds. I’m 65.

Frank

Subj: Put on nearly 40 pounds!
Date: 10/1/2008
Wow, I have been going crazy… I am a young man 39 yrs. of age and have been going nuts because over the last year and a half I have put on nearly 40 pounds and I work out 6-7 days a week for at least an hour a day and all of it is cardio.. I had a stent put in my heart and all of these doctors have given me so many meds that they put me on nexium to coat my stomach and I have been trying to trace back when the weight started and I figured around the introduction to the Nexium… I am grateful for this site… I believe if I stop the nexium, doctors approval of course possibly the weight will start coming off again…. Once again thank you for the information on this website. Any thoughts on this is greatly appreciated…

Norman

AskDocWeb: Weight gain seems to be one of the side effects of using any proton pump inhibitor (PPI). It may have something to do with inhibiting that “full feeling” that tells you it’s time to stop eating. Without that signal to stop there is a tendency to overeat. It may be encouraging to know that others have reported being able to loose weight once they discontinued Nexium. If you do that, be sure to share your results.

Subj: NO exit strategy
Date: 10/4/2008
I have been on Nexium for almost 8 years. My gastroenterologist prescribed it for IBS. Since starting Nexium, I have developed floaters in my eyes and osteoarthritis. My Dr. has wanted me to go off of Nexium for the last 1.5 years, but he offers NO exit strategy. I asked what I can do as every time I try to wean myself off of it I get very sick because my proton pumps are now working? My Dr. said, “Oh, that’s why they call it ‘Purple Crack!'” I couldn’t believe he was so flippant about it when this is such an important issue to me. Any suggestions for how to get off of Nexium?

Diana

AskDocWeb: If you can’t get help from your regular Dr. then go back to the gastroenterologist.

Subj: Heart sick & fatigue
Date: 10/6/2008
I’ve been using nexium for a couple of days now I have been getting heart sick & fatigue is this normal & will it pass after a week or so?

Steve

AskDocWeb: Please report this to your doctor as those are not listed as side effects of Nexium.

Subj: Tried quitting the purple pill
Date: 10/9/2008
I’ve been on Nexium close to 4 years. I have a hiatal hernia and GERD. I too have tried quitting the purple pill–but can only last about 3 days before I need to take something again. It was working great up until a couple months ago. I noticed that I was having odd shaped bowel movements, more than normal undigested food, diarhea, some bleeding and terrible gas. My doctor did the thing where he felt around my stomach and a digit exam and found nothing. He said he’d do a viral test but didn’t think that was the problem. I wonder if this could be from the medication. Over the last year I’ve had some other symptoms like jock itch that keeps recurring (though I can’t be sure if the 2 are related)–can you tell me if this is possible? Also, do my sysmptoms sound like they’re Nexium related? If I did stop taking Nexium, would this clear up within 2-3 days? And if that’s the case, would I then need to find another medication from my doctor?

Bill

AskDocWeb: The diarrhea and gas are possible side effects of Nexium but the bleeding is not. Rectal bleeding may indicate a problem that should be checked out. Remember that it’s possible to have multiple health problems at the same time. Jock itch has not been associated with the use of Nexium.

Subj: New surgery used for GERD
Date: 10/9/2008
On 11/2/2007 you mentioned something about a new surgery used for GERD. Has any headway been made on if it works?

Bill

AskDocWeb: The surgical procedures called fundoplication have become consistently less invasive. The oldest procedure, the Nissen fundoplication, was initially performed through a wide-open incision in the chest wall to tighten the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) to prevent reflux, and left a large scar. This procedure has largely been replaced by laparoscopic techniques which allow the tightening of the sphincter to be performed through small incisions by means of a tube (laparoscope) passed the chest wall. This leaves much smaller scars.

The new procedure, EsophyX, allows physicians to perform a similar procedure without leaving any external scars. The EsophyX device is placed at the end of an endoscope, which is then passed through the mouth, and used to tighten the LES. During the surgery, the upper part of the stomach is gathered, wrapped and sewn around the lower part of the esophagus. This allows the lower part of the esophagus to pass through a small tunnel made from the stomach muscle. This helps prevent acid reflux and strengthen the valve between the esophagus and stomach, which stops acid from backing up into the esophagus as easily.

ExsophyX requires general anesthesia but recovery for the surgery is very brief. Patients are usually in the hospital for 24 hours, and then they go home. About 85% of patients are able to cease taking their acid blocking medications. The only restriction is a special soft diet for about a month after surgery. After that you can go back to eating most anything you want. Read more feedback about Nexium.
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