Nexium withdraws symtems

[Glor8211]

I have taken Nexium for many many years for many of them twice each day. I have also gained almost 40 pounds. I have talked to friends lately that have said they just started taking Nexium and in very short times have gained weight. One women gained 15 and on man gained 20 in less than two months. Weight is not the only reason I want to stop taking Nexium. I have read that it also causes bone loss, chest pain, liver problems and can effect the heat. So I have decided to go off of the Nexium to see if this helps the weight gain and the big belly as well.

I also take Effexor 75 and have decided to stop taking that as well. From what I have read this can make you gain weight as well.  I have been off both of them for 6 days now and I am feeling awful.  I am not sure which symptoms I am having are from which drug. I am nauseated, I am having awful hot flashes, of course acid reflux, insomnia, no appetite, and trouble with food feeling like it is getting stuck in my throat when I eat.  Also light headed, weak and weepy.  How long will this go on? I have an appointment with a new GI doc. in a few days, but I am sure he will tell me that the Nexium is safe an not causing my weight gain etc. I really believe most doctors listen more to the drug reps than the patients. I am feeling a little helpless today.

Has any one else tried to get off these drugs and had similar side effects?

[virburnum123]

I was on Nexium 40mg for 3 days, then reduced to 20mg, for tum inflamation & Hiatus Hernia, (as the one I was on was not doing too well  this was a flare up) after 5 weeks I got diarrhea, & had gained 4 lbs...had to stop owing to the Diarrhea..glad to be back on my Protium...The Nexium did work, it was terrific, but couldnt continue owing to Diarrhea...I am 72 yrs old...

[barb1954dog]

you are soooo wrong about no side effects...i have been on nexium for 10 years...i recently went to gastro dr. because nexium no longer working...esphogus fine! no ulcers! but....i have polyps all over my stomach..these are from the NEXIUM!! google it nexium polyps..would have been nice to know before i took this nasty drug..now im off it and im struggling with gerd but it will take a long time for me to heal im sure..so your comment on no side effects is not right at all
barb

[TT79]

My pain problem is where to start, see my problems extend from a variety of things. I think they are all related somehow but looking at each individually you would not think that. At the age of 24 I almost died because of was bleeding to death. Come to find out I had a fibroid tumor bigger than a grapefruit. I have not kids and am still a virgin. I had surgery to take it out but now suffer from the damage that was caused. I have very little of my uterus even left and I am in pain most of the time from that as well, they don't think it healed well but there is so much scar tissue there is no way to tell unless they go back in. After this surgery is when my gastric problems got much worse but they told me my esophagus had erosion was from throwing up much of life I had female problems for a long time and the pain caused me to be sick. Plus I had horrible asthma when I was little and would throw up 3 to 5 days a week. I have false teeth already, I got them when I was 27.My liver enzymes, iron count, b12 count, and blood count are always screwed up. They thought I had hepatitis once due to the the liver enzymes being off. I have been through a lot. I had major headaches all the time, allergic to everything but meds, most meds don't help. My tolerance level is so high for most pills they don't work. I could go on and on so what doctor do I begin with? I almost have given up on everything and just will learn to deal but I am to young. I do work to much most of the time 55 to 65 hours a week. Stress doesn't really bother me, the Valium is for anxiety. Honestly weed is one of the only thing that help me eat, deal with pain, and feel better.  

[Glor8211]

Your story sounds a lot like mine. I have also had my esophagus dilated twice and I have had surgery for a hiatal hernia. I am much older than 29, but I have had these problems since before they had any other name for it than indigestion. I have had lots of tests and seen several specialists. I have never had one of these meds prescribed by a GP. I have an appointment with a new GI doc in a few days because I think even a different local doctor might see me with new eyes. I am still going to try to remain drug free for now and see how it goes. Maybe a 2nd or 3rd opinion would be in order. Try a younger doctor or two and tell them if they won't look at you as a whole person and not just symptoms with a diagnosis you will find someone who will. That is what I am going to do.

As far as the Effexor I am not sure if I can stop taking something,  but I want to try. I am going to try acupuncture to see if that can help with the depression. I have been emotionally "flat" for so long as well as without enthusiasm for life in general. I want out of this fog I have been in for about 20 years. I know most of my symptoms are from the Effexor but it is going to take a while to get my body chemistry back to normal. If it even can be done after so long.

[TT79]

Personally I have never taken either drug for any long period of time because neither of them helped me.I take Prevacid and Valium but I have seen the affects of going cold turkey of Effexor and they are not good. It took a month for my friend to start feeling better and she had taken the drug for about 10 years. As far as only taking drugs like Nexuim for only 6 months, I don't believe in most cases as I will be taking Prevacid for the rest of my life. I have had my esophagus dilated/stretched twice and I am only 29. I have tried diet changes and everything under the sun but the docs are puzzled. The docs thought I had Crohns disease but the colonscopy or other tests shows nothing. So far they can tell me I have a hiatal hernia, horrible chronic gastritis, and now 2 erosions on my esophagus. I have taken all the meds for gerd and ibs and every other gastric problem but I still feel like **** most of the time. I have learned to deal but I am so young and it brothers me that my docs are telling me I have to get my esophagus dilated every year and if I go off of prevacid then it would be every couple of months. I know I have one of the best docs in OK but fear I will have to find one elsewhere to get anywhere with all of my problems as I keep missing work. Anyone know of any good docs in the OK, KS, or TX area for this type of problem. I have found that Bentyl helps but the side affects are messed up or at least with me they are. Plus Bentyl only helps with the pain not the diarrhea or the throwing up or the esophagus pain of food being tramped there. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[ozfi]

Hi. I'm sorry to hear you're feeling so bad about yourself at the moment, but try not to be too down on yourself. The things is, absolutely drug reps and companies are out to make money. That's their job. But also, doctors are trained in 'the medical model' - that's why they are doctors, and they are going to look at things (problems) from a medical point of view - as possibly having a medical cause and as being treatable by medicine. Just like if you saw a naturopath for the same reason they would say it was the result of something else and could be treated naturally, and if you saw a counsellor they might say it was a result of stress and could be helped by stress reduction techniques. Also, generally if a dr prescribes one drug over another it's because they know more about it - it is well known, made by a large drug company who can afford more advertising, more research, so it becomes more widely prescribed. And when a newer drug becomes popular and more is known about that, then that's the drug that becomes the most widely prescribed. And the side-effects that can happen, well the companies are legally required to list absolutely all of the possible side effects than can potentially happen - the absolute worse case scenario, if you will. Also, always try to see a specialist rather than a general doctor - I don't know if you already do this or not, but I always think that if I want help or advice about a certain thing I'll go to someone who has made that their area of focus, not someone who knows some things about a lot of different things. Sounds like I'm all for doctors doesn't it???
Also, about the Effexor - please don't go off your antidepressants without consulting with your doctor first. That could be really dangerous. I know they say the new drugs don't have withdrawal effects but they do. The nausea, hot flashes, insomnia, no appetite, light-headedness, weakness and weepiness could all be from stopping the Effexor. Anti-depressants can cause weight-gain, but so can depression in general, and, more importantly, your mental health is more important that your weight. Depression is a serious thing and you don't want to fool around with your drugs. I don't want to tell you what to do, but I would go back on them straight away, and make an appointment to tlak to your doc about your concerns about them.

[Glor8211]

Thank you. Maybe you can tell me why doctors don't help in the beginning with advise on simple changes in diet that can cure GERD and heal the stomach lining. If diet can cure GERD than other changes could heal the stomach. Right?

Why do doctors continue to prescribe these meds if they should only be taken for 6 mo? I have to go in to the Dr's office each year to get my Rx refilled for the next, and I have taken it for much longer than 8 years. What I believe is that if drug companies want a drug to remain on the market it remains on the market no matter what effects it may have on the public. Considering the price of these drugs it is not in their best interest to warn the public to take them only for short times. There is much evidence to show that Nexium is responsible for bone density loss as well as many other problems. I am so happy you were able cure your GERD without Nexium and I am happy that you did not feel any withdrawal symptoms. I only wish that doctors, as well as you and I, knew that Nexium and similar medications should only be taken for 6 months or less. In the future I will only take prescription drugs of any kind for only a very short time if at all. I do not trust the information that the drug companies give out on any subject. Money is their highest agenda. It is know wonder we are becoming such a drug dependent people. When we mess with the bodies metabolism and the chemical make up what should we expect? One drug leads to side affects that require another drug and on and on it goes.

I think that the drug companies do not fully train the reps who call on the doctors so that they can not fully inform the doctors on all aspects of the drugs they want to have them prescribe have worked in doctors offices and there is where I saw this first hand. That is where I started feeling that I was skipping through life "picking daisies" where my health was concerned. As you can tell trust in drugs and MD's is a big issue with me now. Not too happy with myself right now because I feel like I have been a willing victim.

[ayri]

hi again, look when i mentioned lifestyle, it wasnt having a go at you, also there has never been concrete evidence to show that nexuim was responsible for bone density loss or liver damage, if it were the case then believe me they would have banned it, as for taking nexium, well i took it for eight years straight, finally i didnt need it anymore because i found that simple changes in my diet cured my gerd, in reality nexium and similar medication should only be taken for 6 months, by that time the stomach linning should be repaired, food combinations play a very fundamental part in the health of our digestive system and if more people chose to adopt it then there would no longer be a need for nexium and the like, cheers.

[Glor8211]

Over the years I have been a faithful exerciser and non-exerciser the weight came on no matter what I did. I have tried everything from Weight Watchers to Attkins along with the exercise. With little results in stopping the weight gain.  The women I sited in my first message is younger than I am by more than 10 years and went from exercising at her gym 3 days a week to 5 days and the weight continued to come on. The man is also younger than I am and has always been very thin. His job and his lifestyle is and has always been very active.  So I believe it is more than bad habits that is responsible and I resent being told it is my own fault. What about the bone loss and the liver damage that can come with using Nexium.  That is information that you can get off any medical website.  I am at an age where that is a major concern for me. Look it is your choice but my guess is you will come to the same conclusions as I have after you have taken Nexium as long as I have. Good luck and Cheers.

[ayri]

hi, yes nexium and other similar drugs do make you put on more weight for the simple reason that your metabolism slows down, when you take nexium ofcourse it reduces the amount of acid that your stomach produces, the less acid the slower the digestion of food, hence the weight gain. ive heard of many people who have taken nexium for many years and dont suffer the side-effects that you described, and also have not gained weight because they choose to excersise everyday and watch what they eat. look its your choice there is a sensible way of taking nexium and keeping fit and taking nexium and eating non-healthy, cheers.