Used to treat heartburn, Nexium (esomeprazole) is one of the mostly commonly prescribed treatments for the irritating disorder also known as acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The drug treats symptoms of the disease and also helps reverse damage that may have been caused when stomach acid rose into the throat.

Heartburn occurs when acid from the stomach travels up the esophagus, the pipeline that brings food from the mouth down into the stomach. Over the long term, the presence of stomach acid in the esophagus can produce more serious diseases.

Marketed as the “healing purple pill,” Nexium has been prescribed more than 147 million times since it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2001. It is available in delayed-release capsule form and is usually taken once a day for 4 to 8 weeks to relieve persistent heartburn and to prevent or heal damage to the esophagus.

Esomeprazole, the active ingredient in Nexium, works by turning off the acid-producing pumps in the stomach. The drug may be prescribed (sometimes along with antibiotics) to prevent ulcer formation caused by infection with Helicobacter pylori bacteria or by the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Possible side effects include headache, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Confusion, drowsiness, fast heartbeat, seizures, and blurred vision may be signs of an overdose. Some medications, such as Reyataz (atazanavir), Valium (diazepam), blood thinners, and iron supplements, may interact with Nexium and may require a dosage adjustment or special tests during treatment.

Nexium is chemically very similar to Prilosec, a heartburn drug that became an over-the-counter medication in 2001 when its manufacturer’s exclusivity patent expired. Prilosec’s active ingredient, omeprazole, is a combination of esomeprazole and romeprazole molecules. Independent studies have shown that both molecules convert to the same ingredient in the stomach and that there is little difference between the two drugs, and critics have suggested that the maker of both medications, AstraZeneca, introduced Nexium solely to reap more profits following the expiration of Prilosec’s patent.

ADDITIONAL FACTS

  1. Nexium capsules can either be swallowed whole or broken open and mixed into food or consumed through a feeding tube.
  2. Esomeprazole is also used for long-term treatment of conditions (such as Zollinger-Ellison syndrome) in which the stomach makes too much acid.