Feedback on Nexium Side Effects and Usage, page 26
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: I have narrowed down my problems
Date: 1/9/2009
I have been taking Nexium for several years. Although it does work great, I have narrowed down my problems to the drugs. I am on a very low fats diet. My gallbladder has been removed and diagnosed with a clean bill of health. I am having sever constipation, numbness in lower area down to feet, headaches and chest pain left side. I believe it is time to try getting of the drug after reading all your articles. Thanks it was very informative.
Julie
AskDocWeb: Don’t stop taking Nexium without checking with your health care provider first as they may be able to help.
Subj: Tinnitus is driving me crazy
Date: 1/10/2009
I was taking Nexium for 6 weeks – 40mg twice daily. I developed tinnitus in my left ear and a week later my right ear. It is now permanent and driving me crazy. I see that Vee had the same problem did anyone else have this problem with Nexium? I stopped the Nexium a month ago (right after getting tinnitus) and I still have very bad tinnitus.
Kevin
Subj: Still experiencing some heart burn
Date: 1/22/2009
I just started about two weeks ago, taking Nexium, and I am still experiencing some heart burn symptons. Is this normal?
Mark
AskDocWeb: It is not unusual to continue to have some symptoms of heartburn. Remember that it is okay to use antacids while taking Nexium because they do not interfere with the effectiveness of the drug.
Subj: I blew up like a balloon
Date: 1/26/2009
Well, after being a slim 65 kilos, and suffering scleroderma, my doc put me on nexium. I blew up like a balloon in the first month, and ended in hospital, to be drained from fluid. Dont know if it was the nexium that caused that, but over approx. ten years, I have taken one a day. my gosh, they were good with stopping my reflux, but they caused me to gain 22 kilos. I was never fat, so in December 2008, I mentioned to my GP that I googled, and he put me back on zantac. I have lost seven kilos in less than a month. Without dieting. Nexium makes you fat. It did stop my reflux, but if I missed a day it was back full force, so it wasnt curing my damaged oesophegus. I admit I take three to four zantacs a day, but the weight gain was making me miserable and it has nothing to do with me eating more when I was on nexium. I dont eat much, I have an address the chemist gave me to write to complain about this medication. I havent yet, but I will, just wanted to post my message out here in internet land.
Leanne
Subj: My experiences
Date: 1/26/2009
I’ve used prilosec for many years, then when nexium came out, switched to that. Twice a day nexium now. I began, w/prilosec, in 1998. Here’s my impression of my experiences, not advice, I’m not doctor, just my personal impression of my experiences. I’ve found *diet* is everything in regards to the side effects of nexium. If I accidentally eat wrong, I end up w/what feels like the beginning of ulcers, for instance, or some reflux, or gas, or constipation, or what have you, depending on what it was I ate. And what takes a day to cause you such pain takes many days to heal and go away. Nexium does what its supposed to for me, but makes my stomach/bowels way more sensitive to the food I eat.
I’ve had very slow weight gain, but I think that’s just me getting older. A little bit of a spare tire over 10 years isn’t something I can blame on nexium. I work a physical job, so I exercise every muscle group probably except the waist. He he. Probably gonna start swimming again for that, I’ll report how it goes. I’ve been told to avoid citric acid and carbonation, but soda actualy makes me feel better, so long as its a neutral flavor w/out much citric acid – such as diet pepsi (has some citric acid) or A&W rootbeer (doesn’t add citric acid unlike the other rootbeers). No more chocolate, I avoid it like the plague after I ended up w/what I thought was an ulcer after having some costco chocolate-chocolate chip muffins. Chocolate is insiduous, because it builds up as a problem slowly and you don’t realize it until you are suddenly in a lot of pain one day. I read that avoiding fruits is a myth but its not a myth for me. I can have some. Like an apple. A banana. Tomato in a pizza sauce. But only a little, and its better if I also eat a bunch of non-acidic food along w/it, like w/a pizza w/its crust, cheese, and other toppings. I tried apple juice for several days and all was great, until like the 3rd day, when bam, I could barely move I was in so much stomach pain. Stopped the apple juice, pain went away fairly quickly. A little bit mixed w/other things is fine, but too much and my stomach don’t like it. But its a threshold thing, there’s no warning some of these foods are gonna hurt you until it passes a threshold and suddenly you have a lot of pain, so you have to figure out yourself what your tolerances are, and realize they might shift from day to day.
Tea is fine, including w/creamer. Good source of caffeine that doesn’t bother reflux (at least for me). And not carbonated for those that want to avoid such. Once I had severe constipation after having a bunch of cheesy foods. Severe. I have a good amount of cheese in several of my foods, but this was just plain straight cheese w/nothing else. Never wanna go through that again. hehe. Watching and increasing my fiber intake fixed that, probably had nothing to do w/nexium. Lots of bready foods and some split pea soup now and again and I’m good on that front.
Getting to sleep has always been the killer. Your muscles relax right as you are about to nod off, and bam, some reflux, and you snap out of your sleepful state to start all over trying to sleep again. If you are skating the edge w/your diet to feel well enough through the day, it may not be enough when trying to sleep. Sleep at an angle. Don’t sleep too soon after you eat, but also not on a completely empty stomach. Empty stomach is like 1/2 as bad for me as when I’m trying to sleep too soon after eating. If I wait 3 hours after I eat to sleep, like recommended, my stomach is already growling, and in that state, its just as hard to sleep. Hard balance. Have your smaller meal be your late night meal, and don’t be afraid to take a swig of maalox or whatever right before going to sleep.
Be most paranoid about what you are eating w/your dinner meal. I’ll have tea w/creamer late at night because it puts something on my stomach, enough to keep it from growling, but something that I digest very quickly. Milk, not a good substitute for maalox or what have you. Works fine right when you take it, but later, like an hour later, it rebounds. I switched to vanilla soy milk and have had no such problems anymore.
Keep a list of foods to avoid and foods that are absolutely prohibited, based on your own experience. Keep an actual list. When you are in a period where you are more sensitive, prohibit everything, even the things you normally just want to reduce until you are less sensitive. What I’m more curious about is the side effect listed (which I think was added to the list later after the drug had been out a while, I never noticed it at first): apathy. I was in law school when I found out I had acid reflux and started on a proton pump inhibitor (prilosec first). I continued on to graduate just fine, but soon lost all interest in practicing law and simply took some grunt job and have been at it ever since. I’m not depressed, unhappy, or any such thing, feel pretty good in fact and the job keeps me physically active even, but I have lost all sense of ambition I used to have, I simply stopped caring about things like career and such (beyond being able to pay my bills comfortably). I used to be very driven. I thought it was just me, but then years later I saw apathy appear in the list of side effects and began to wonder at how my change in attitude seemed to correspond to taking proton pump inhibitors.
Leo
Subj: False positive drug test
Date: 1/28/2009
I occasionly take 30mg of prevacid or 40mg of nexium for a stomach ulcer usally when I am stressed my stomach acts up so I only take it accourdingly. I recently submited a lab drug test that came back positive for THC. I was obviously blown away because I dont do any drugs at all. Could either of these be the culpret for the false positive. Note: the test came back positive however the confirmation was below 25mc/ or mg I’m not sure the scale? I could really use some help here!
BCT
AskDocWeb: Neither of those have been reported to show up on a drug test as THC.
Subj: Abdominal pain with bloating
Date: 1/31/2009
On nexium for about 10 days and experiencing abdominal pain with bloated feeling. Symptoms increase/decrease depending on when I take it, before or after a meal. Wondering if they will go away or if it’s something I should address immediately with my doc.
Cary
AskDocWeb: That bloated feeling and the abdominal pain are common side effects as are headache, diarrhea, nausea, flatulence (gas), constipation, and dry mouth. Remember that you can also ask your pharmacist about any side effect that may become a concern and typically there is no additional cost involved.
Subj: Lightheadedness, weakness and higher blood pressure
Date: 2/1/2009
I have been taking Nexium for almost 2 years. Had an edoscopy done in September. I have a large hiatal hernia and Gerd. I tried carafate for a couple of months along with Nexium (once a day). It was making me sick to my stomach. I also tried a prescripton medicine equal to pepcid or zantac. That didn’t help. I am now just taking Nexium 1 to 2 times a day. If needed, I take Maalox. Is it safe to take 2 Nexium a day for a long period of time? I am suffering from lightheadiness, weakness and my blood pressure has gotten higher. Just wanted to see if Nexium can cause any of these side effects. Thank you.
Ann
AskDocWeb: According to the 2008 Physician’s Desk Reference the use of Nexium is not recommended for longer than 6 months. The lightheadedness, weakness and higher blood pressure are not listed as side effects and should be reported to your doctor.
Subj: Broke out in hives
Date: 2/2/2009
I took one Nexium pill and broke out in hives and a rash within 45 minutes. I took my ventolin and also some Benadryl and went to see my doctor. He changed meds and it happened with the new med as well. I am now waiting to see an allergist for testing.
Heather
Subj: 4 years of Nexium
Date: 2/3/2009
My husband has been using Nexium (40mg) for about 4 years now. Is this length of time ok? He has seen a gastro doctor and there are no other symptoms other than GERD. He has, however, been experiencing periodic heart murmurs, is this a side effect? Thanks for your help!
Diane
AskDocWeb: Heart murmurs are not listed as a side effect of Nexium but tachycardia has been noted in less than one percent of users. That’s an abnormal condition where the heart beats regularly but at a rate greater than 100 beats per minute. The use of Nexium is not recommended for longer than 6 months (2008 DPR). Read more feedback about Nexium.
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