Nexium vs Prilosec. How to use purple pill for heartburn and acid reflux symptoms treatment. Nexium side effects

Acid reflux or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease is a problem that almost everyone experiences at sometime in his or her life. Acid reflux, also known as reflux esophagitis, is an inflammation of the esophagus caused by the regurgitation of the stomach contents. Acid reflux occurs when acid from the stomach backs up into the esophagus. Many people experience acid reflux frequently and severely. One out of ten adults experience acid reflux on a daily basis.

Treating acid reflux by medication causes the suppression of stomach acid. Acid reflux medications are promoted as miracle cures for millions of acid reflux sufferers. These drugs are huge moneymakers for the pharmaceutical companies. Prilosec is known as the original 'Purple Pill'. It became the top selling prescription drug for senior citizens in the world. Its manufacturer (AstraZeneca) earns six billion a year from sales of the 'Purple Pill'.

Once the patent on Prilosec expired, the Drug Company spent five hundred million dollars on a marketing campaign to move their customers to their next expensive 'Purple Pill', which is called Nexium. It is hard to watch television without seeing an ad for the the 'Purple Pill'.

There have been studies done and experts agree that Nexium was hardly more effective than the original drug, Prilosec. The pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca managed to transfer over forty percent of its Prilosec patients to Nexium.

People must be aware of when a drug is actually needed by your body and when it is just a marketing tool to increase a drug companies profits.

Drugs do not solve the problem of acid reflux they merely mask the problem. However, the drugs are effective. Otherwise, the drug companies would not be making huge profits. Drugs such as Prilosec and Prevacid are what they call "proton pump inhibitors". These drugs dramatically reduce the amount of hydrochloric acid in your stomach. This also reduces an important defense mechanism against food-borne infections and increases the likelihood of food poisoning. If you are not digesting your food properly, you also increase your risk for nearly every other chronic degenerative disease. At Howard Hughes Medical Institute, scientists performed two studies by reducing the amount of stomach acid in lab mice. These studies proved that reducing hydrochloric acid in your stomach could be the wrong thing to do.

In conclusion, if you are an acid reflux sufferer, please consider natural methods to cure your acid reflux symptoms. Methods such as a proper diet are a positive step towards a cure. Nexium and other like drugs are not cures for acid reflux they merely mask the problem. Please consult your Doctor if you feel you have the symptoms of acid reflux.

Q: Can nexium cause weight gain?

Opinion: "I am depressed because last time I went on a course of nexium was when my weight sky-rocketed practically overnight! In the span of just two months I gained 20-25 lbs. My doctors say that weight gain was because I could suddenly eat again without pain, and not a side effect. But I don't think I was eating all that much more, and I did my research and have learned that weight gain is a side effect, albeit not a common one."

Q: Are there any discounts and rebates available for Nexium. Where can I get cheap nexium?

Yes, just check an official nexium web site for them. They almost always have some deals with discounts or rebates going on there.

Q: What are long-term side effects of Nexium

In long term (2-year) studies in rats, omeprazole (e.g. prilosec) produced a dose related increase in gastric carcinoid tumors. While avaliable endoscopic evaluations and histologic examinations of human biopsies have not detected a risk from short term (8 week) use, further research and longer follow up is needed to find out the risk of developing that kind of complication in humans.

One other concern relates to a theoretical risk of atrophy of the stomach lining because of the long-term suppression of acid secretion by stomach cells, but this has not led to complications in patients so far.

That said it should be known that proton pump inhibitors (e.g. omeprazole) drugs have now been available for about 10 years and have been used even longer in clinical research studies. To date, no severe long-term side effects have been detected. Thus, it is considered safe to take PPI medications indefinitely at this time.

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