Can
you still have heartburn while on
Nexium?
This
question occupies tens of millions of heartburn
sufferers who have been let
down by the conventional medical treatment.
Heartburn,
acid-related diseases and their complications have
presented researchers with a major therapeutic
challenge for over a century. An increasingly
effective series of pharmacological innovations
has emerged bringing about reduction in the pain
and suffering experienced by patients.
Proton
pump inhibitors or PPI class of drugs which
include Prilosec, Nexium and Prevacid are the
drugs of choice in achieving symptom relief,
improving the quality of life, healing, and
preventing mucosal injury in heartburn patients.
These drugs are considered quite
safe.
The
stomach produces hydrochloric acid which is
necessary to digest food, but an excess can cause
heartburn and damage the sensitive lining of the
esophagus. Nexium reduces the amount of acid
produced in the stomach so that the esophagus can
begin to heal. It is designed to be used for
short-term treatment (4 to 8 weeks). For some
patients who have not healed after 4 weeks,
another cycle for 4-8 weeks may be prescribed. Use
of Nexium is not recommended for longer than 6
months.
While
Nexium gives excellent results for acid control,
sometimes the dose needs to be adjusted by the
doctor if heartburn is not relieved on taking
Nexium. If not taken regularly or in the manner
prescribed by the physician, the heartburn may
still persist. Some patients may also be refluxing
bile causing heartburn despite being on Nexium.
The treatment of bile reflux typically involves
medication that either results in an increased
flow of bile through the digestive tract or that
binds the bile.
Other
possibilities for heartburn while on Nexium
include motility disorders of the stomach which
can cause regurgitation of liquid up the
esophagus. In gastroparesis, for example, the
muscles of the stomach do not contract normally,
and hence prevent the stomach from emptying. This
can result in regurgitation, nausea and even
vomiting. Nexium may also cause adverse effects in
some patients like headache, diarrhea, abdominal
pain, and nausea and constipation and bloating.
All these symptoms normally occur concurrently
with heartburn and the patient may not find relief
in spite of taking Nexium. That said the answer to
the question "can
you still have heartburn while on
Nexium?" is
positive.
Most
people ignore
heartburn at first. But it is a symptom of
something wrong with the digestive system. Nexium
will just cover
up the symptoms. Apart from covering up
the symptoms, Nexium has also been found to increase
the risk of contracting pneumonia
simply by reducing stomach acids that kill those
germs that cause it. Nexium also interferes with
the absorption of calcium increasing the risk of
hip fractures and osteoporosis. The only way to
deal with heartburn is through holistic medicine.
It deals with "Why heartburn happens?" instead of
merely acting as a band-aid. Once the cause is
removed, the heartburn will go away and there will
be an overall improvement in health
too.
