Nexium is the brand-name of the prescription drug esomeprazole magnesium, used to treat symptoms of , or gastroesophageal reflux disease. Long-term side effects of Nexium are not completely known because the medication has only been used since 2001. The long-term effects that are known are generally true for several other prescription acid-reflux medications as well.
Time Frame
Produced by AstraZeneca, the heartburn medication Nexium is designed for short-term treatment of four to eight weeks, although a physician will likely issue a second prescription if the heartburn problems have not subsided. Its purpose is to reduce , and since acid reflux often causes damage to the esophagus, this reduction in acid allows healing to take place. Sometimes physicians will prescribe Nexium for up to six months if other health problems have been ruled out that can also cause symptoms similar to heartburn, such as cardiovascular disease.
Side Effects
Nexium can have several side effects, the most common of which are gastrointestinal. Diarrhea or constipation, gas, abdominal pain and nausea may occur. Nexium also can interfere with the absorption of other drugs.
Colitis
Long-term Nexium use increases the risk of colitis and diarrhea from Clostridium bacteria, because the lower levels of stomach acid allow bacteria to multiply in the digestive tract. Researchers are watching for indications that long-term usage leads to a higher rate of other gastrointestinal infections.
Nexium and Cardiovascular Medication
Nexium can the effectiveness of Digoxin, a common medication for high blood pressure and other cardiovascular issues. Additionally, a study of over 16,000 individuals by Medco Health Solutions indicated that people who take Nexium along with the clot-preventing drug Plavix have a 50 percent greater risk of heart attack or other cardiac episode than people taking Plavix by itself.
Hip Fracture
Nexium belongs to a category of drugs called proton pump inhibitors, which all reduce stomach-acid production. Treatment with PPIs lasting more than one year is linked to a 44 percent increased risk of hip fracture in people over 50, according to a study published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" in 2006.
Other Long-Term Side Effects
A small number of anemia cases are linked with long-term use of Nexium. This may be due to the drug's interference with absorption of iron, and because more stomach acid is necessary to absorb vitamin B12.
Tags: stomach acid, acid reflux, interfere with, problems have, with absorption