Long term effects of taking Nexium?

[marygold]

Hi, I am a 19yrs old, and have had GERD for 7yrs now, but was only properly diagnosed at 16yrs old, and I have been taking Nexium for 10 months now. My last doctor told me I'd be taking Nexium for the rest of my life, and gave me a 6 month prescription before I moved (2 months ago). Is Nexium safe to use long term or not? Have there been any tests? I can't see a doctor until a month or 2 yet because I am not eligible for a medical plan here until then. Has Nexium been shown to suppress your immune system? I have a cold, and I nearly passed out in class this morning. I always seem to get way sicker than normal people do. Is there anything I can do to help my body cope? My GERD is severe, and I sleep in a hospital bed, stick to a strict diet, and do everything I'm supposed to, and it's not getting any better. I'm barely breaking even with Nexium. Can anyone relate?

[moozie]

Thanks you guys,

How long does this medication (losec)take to work? I'm still in pain.

Please help!!! My anxiety about this is so severe, it still feels like I'm having a heart attack, and I'm really scared.

Moozie

[JackieG]

I'm not a doctor, and I only have the information you have put in several posts here, but my guess is:

1) you're not going crazy.
2) You don't have esophageal cancer, and
3) You're not having a heart attack.

You may want to do a WEB search on Losec (in the US it is marketed under the name Prilosec, so I'd search that term as well). You should get good information on potential side effects and how long it takes to begin to have full effect. I suspect that you may want to give it 2 or 3 weeks to see if it helps. If not, tell your GP and ask for an endoscopy. That will be the first test they should do to see if reflux has irritated your esophageal lining. Reflux can cause a sharp chest pain that people sometimes confuse with a possible heart atttack (I did in the late 1980's). If your GP is treating you with Zantac, Nexium, and Losec, she/he must have good reason to believe that your discomfort is the result of reflux and not a heart problem.

I understand your anxiety, but sometimes it takes a while for the medicine to really kick in. It also would be helpful to follow the GERD diet and lifestyle suggestions in "Dr. Tomasello's" post that I referred to above (if you are not already doing so). In any event, I would ask for an endoscopy the next timne you see your GP.

Good luck,
Chicken Soup

[JackieG]

I can understand why you are anxious if you are beginning to suspect that you have esophageal cancer ("EC"). From what you describe in the post above, you probably don't have EC. The most common initial symptom of EC is difficulty swallowing. Unfortunately, that is the result of the tumor having grown large enough to cause the difficulty swallowing, and by then the tumor has usually penetrated the esophageal wall. This means that diagnosis of EC usually occurs after the spread of the cancer to other organs, which accounts for the very low 5 year survival rates for this disease.

By all means, continue to ask your GP to order additional tests, such as an endoscopy of the esophagus with biopsies of any suspicious areas, an esophageal motility test, and a ph test. You want to find out what is causing the problem so you can deal directly with the problem, rather than the symptoms.

I suspect Marygold is going to email you some very helpful tips on dietary and lifestyle changes to try to stop the reflux.

Good luck,
Chicken Soup

[JackieG]

See the response by "Dr. Tomasello" to the post dated 11/12/02 and entitled "chest pain on exertion". I don't know if "Dr Tomasello" is an MD/GP, and her/his posts are relatively new, but the tips on lifestyle and dietary changes in "Dr. Tomasello's" response are comprehensive and textbook for GERD/Reflux, so you would do well to try them.

Again, good luck,
Chicken Soup

[marygold]

Hey, Moozie!

You've come to the right place. I'm Marygold, (ta-da!) formerly of BC, recently moved to Edmonton, Alberta and still adjusting to the snow. (Sometimes climate will worsen GERD, as I found out from moving.) I have had GERD since I was 12, and have self educated myself as much as I can, including reading medical textbooks. Smoking does make the LES slack, so, you may not want to hear this, but cutting down should help some. I have all sorts of tips and tricks for you, so I'll try to email you in a day or 2, after I get some sleep. I am on 40mg Nexium once a day, and it works for me. I have been on it for about 10months now (except for yesterday, when I forgot), and the pain always returns when I don't take it, even for one day. My GERD is severe, and chronic, which I don't think I like. (I'm slightly hyper right now, sorry.) The earliest I remember the signs of GERD (although I didn't know what it was then, and was not properly diagnosed until 4 yrs later) was when I was always losing my voice when I was 12. I never felt anything in my esophagous, only in my throat, which led to my doc diagnosing me with tonsilitis for 4 years before I told him to just take them stupid things out! He did, and nothing got better. Turns out what made me lose my voice all the time was the acid coming up my throat and heading towards my lungs, and burning out my vocal cords. Now, 7 years later, I cannot raise my voice (at least not for more than one sentence) and speak very softly. I've taken so many different drugs, and Nexium was the only one that worked, so each drug depends on your own body. There is no set way each drug will work, so don't get discouraged when one doesn't work that you've heard works for so many other people. I have so much more I could say, but due to the length of this posting already (and the amount of sleep in my eyes) I think I'm going to sign off here.

Goodnight!

Marygold

[moozie]

Hello , I'm new here but I really need some help.  I have read all of the above information and I'm so glad that I found you guys, I was beginning to think I was going crazy. A few months ago a dentist gave me medication for a bad tooth.  One night I woke up and thought I was having a heart attack, I rushed to the ER and they gave me zantac and sent me home. The next morning I went to my own doctor and he gave me Nexium.  Well , it took a while but it worked.  Soooooo, I thought I was all better after a few weeks and stopped taking the meds for a couple of months. Well guess what? about 3 weeks ago I started taking Nexium again because the pain has come back. The pain radiates all through my esophagus and sometimes in my neck(throat). My doctor says it's reflux.  I am a smoker and I am very very worried that it is cancer. I suffer from severe anxiety as well and I'm really good of imagining all kinds of things. Nexium is not working so now today he has given me Losec.  I'm afraid of taking it. Are there any side effects ?

I read that there is someone from BC ( canada ) on this message board.  If that person or anyone else would like to email me I would really appreciate it. My email is ***@****.

I appreciate any comments on Losec, or if anyone can tell me when I will start feeling better. I've been taking Nexium now for one week and nothing has changed that's why my doctor is trying Losec. What I don't understand is why did it work before.

I feel like I'm going crazy...Please help!!

Thanks so much