Trying to come to terms w/ Nexium

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NYCman

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My GI just gave me a 14 day script for Nexium (once a day), and has given me 5 refills. I've heard so many bad things about Nexium, but I figure as I won't be on it for years, it won't really cause all the irreprable (sp.) damage that I see so many people complaining about.

My G.I. said on January 21, 2009 that I had

Esophagus: Mildly incompetent L.E.S.
Stomach: minimum gastritis in the Fundus and Body
Impression: Minimal Gastritis and Mild GERD

He had also found H.Pylori, but I've supposedly cured that.

I've been on Omeprazole for about a month. I want that "I was on Nexium for 2 months and was completely cured" story. I want to get back to eating Indian and Mexican food without having to worry about the consequences. This GERD issue just came about randomly in October 2008. It may be caused by another problem, but no one seems to want to treat the main problem, they only focus on the GERD.
 
Well, the underlying problem would be: Mildly incompetent L.E.S.

It doesn't seem that I've had a Mildly incompetent L.E.S. forever. This has all just happened to me within the last 6 months. How can this have happened so suddenly? How is this underlying cause fixed?
 
Typically it requires dietary and lifestyle changes - losing weight if you need to, minimizing the fooRAB that are triggers for reflux (alcohol, coffee, chocolate, etc.), eating 2-3 hours before bedtime, raising the head of your bed 4-6 inches.

You need to give your body time to heal from the reflux and then minimize the triggers, over time it can be managed but it takes time and effort.
 
I got GERD/LPR suddenly out of the blue too. I can pinpoint the day and hour when it all started. I have no idea why. I was 42 and had never had a problem with heartburn or any of the other symptoms before. The only med so far that has helped keep the symptoms bearable is Nexium. I've been taking it for more than a year. You have to weigh the pros and cons. For me, the pros outweigh suffering through the burping , sore throat, etc,and the damage done by acid eroding the esophagus. I have tried the natural route with Braggs ACV, aloe vera, DGL tablets, but none of it really worked for me.

Kassie
 
I'm on Nexium on & off now. I had taken it approx 3 months daily (even twice a day at some points). I haven't heard the bad things about it or about any irreparable damages. I do know many say it did nothing for them and prefer prilosec.

I guess I better start googling to see what you are referring too.....
 
Hello Kassie,

Do you think you will have to take Nexium for the rest of your life? How many times a day do you take it? Don't you worry about the long term side effects like when you reach your mid-50s?
 
The PPIs are quite safe really. They might, if you take them for a very long time, contribute to B12 deficiency. The #1 bad side effect of PPIs is the chronic wallet damage, which I find very painful.

Oh, yes, they also cause a form of physical dependency. It's not addiction, you can't be addicted to a drug that doesn't affect the mind, but if you've taken them for a period of time and AREN'T cured, quitting will cause your symptoms to return worse than ever until your body adjusts. (It only took me 2 weeks to become dependent.)
 
Hello,

I've been on Prilosec for about a month. I am about to switch to Nexium (I figure I'd give it a try). Should I just start taking it automatically, or ween my way off the Prilosec and then start taking Nexium. Also, I'd appeciate any worRAB of encouragement from those who claim to be "CURED" by Nexium. And by cured I mean that now you can eat whatever you'd like and not have to worry about ANY meRAB. Thanks. I'd appreciate it.
 
There's no need to wean yourself off of Prilosec - Nexium is a similar medication but is more effective than Prilosec so you can just make the switch.

Unfortunately, if you're looking for a "cure" you're likely to be disappointed. Acid reflux is the result of an incompetent Lower Esophageal Sphincter. Nexium (and other PPIs) are designed to give your body a chance to heal from the damage done by stomach acid but they do not fix the underlying problem.

Lifestyle and dietary changes can minimize the reflux but there really isn't anything that will "cure" reflux and allow you to eat whatever you want to without worrying about medication.
 
Yes, I think I may have to stay on PPI meRAB for the rest of my life. That's what my ENT told me. My GI doctor wanted me to do another 24 hr Ph test (my first one only showed mild reflux) because I told him without the medicine my symptoms are quite bad. I get the results of the second test at the end of April. I take two 20mg pills per day, once in the morning and once in the evening. I do worry a bit about the long term effects of the Nexium, but I worry a lot more about developing Barretts esophagus and then possibly esophageal cancer. My father got esophageal cancer after years of acid reflux. He was not on any meRAB. Although this cancer is not very common, it is not a cancer you want to get -- very bad mortality rate.

Kassie
 
As I see it, if my digestive problems (erosive gastritis) were mild and I could manage them with modest lifestyle changes, I would. But before I started taking the PPIs, my health was suffering because I was unable to eat a nutritionally adequate diet. I was all but living on white starch and still in pain. Now, I can eat most fooRAB and feel all right. Taking medicine every day is not the ideal solution, but it beats the alternative.
 
I too can pinpoint almost exactly when my reflux started in--I was laying bricks in the backyard and started belching every time I bent over. I was in my early 30's. I tried the diet, exercise, and homeopathic stuff first. Then I started in with once a day PPI's. That worked for several years. Then I went to taking the PPI's twice a day. Eventually, even that stopped things from being under control. I've been on every PPI on the market. Currently I am on the PPI that helps me the most. At one point, I fully expected to be able to eventually stop taking the medications. Now, I know it is necessary for my health unless something new is discovered that works for me.

I too had an extremely poor quality of life due to my reflux. I'm just now getting things back under "control". I'm a bit unusual in that my reflux symptom manifests itself in a chronic cough and breathing problems. When I started needing emergency medical care for reflux related breathing problems, I had no choice but to be aggressive in my self care. I eventually got to the point that I had a Nissen Fundoplication surgery. Although it was very effective, I'm still going to be on twice a day PPI's for life. If that is what it takes for me to be able to breathe well, I'll do it. I do have regular appointments with my GI doc, Pulmonologist, ENT and PCP though to monitor things.
 
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