What Is The Purple Pill For Heartburn

Side Effects Of Nexium Withdrawal

People who have been using Nexium for a long time may suffer serious Nexium withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking it. Symptoms include heartburn, indigestion and regurgitation.

Nexium or PPI withdrawal is called rebound acid hypersecretion . RAH occurs after a person stops taking a PPI and the stomach secretes more acid than it used to before the patient began taking Nexium. People who suffer from RAH may start using PPIs again to avoid symptoms.

Gradually lowering the Nexium dose over time instead of suddenly stopping treatment may help avoid RAH, according to a 2019 article published by New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority. Using other non-PPI medicines, such as H2 blockers or antacids, may help manage symptoms.

Treating Heartburn And Gerd

Heartburn is a feeling of burning pain in your lower chest, behind the breastbone. It comes from acid backing up from your stomach to your throat. You may have seen ads for heartburn drugs, such as Nexium, Prilosec or Prevacid. These drugs are called PPIs . They keep the stomach from making too much acid. They have been shown to heal irritation of the tube between the throat and the stomach .

In most cases, you dont need a PPI for heartburn. You can get relief from a less powerful drug. And when you do need a PPI, you should take the lowest dose for as short a time as possible. Heres why:

Pfizer Launches The Purple Pill’ Otc For Heartburn In The Us

By Estel Grace Masangkay

Pfizer announced the introduction and launch of over-the-counter Nexium 24HR in the U.S. The Purple Pill is now available for the treatment of frequent heartburn in adult patients aged 18 years and above.

Fifteen million people in the U.S. suffer from heartburn everyday, while over 60 million men and women in the U.S. experience it at least once a month.

The company bought exclusive global OTC rights to Nexium from AstraZeneca in August 2012. Pfizer received approval for the drug from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last March along with three year marketing exclusivity.

Paul Sturman, President and General Manager of Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, said, Nexium 24HR creates a new option for treating frequent heartburn with the confidence of a brand that consumers and healthcare providers know and trust. The OTC availability of Nexium 24HR in the U.S. marks the first step in our efforts to build a strong, global position in digestive health with this powerful brand. Pfizer offers OTC drugs in other categories, including pain management and respiratory.

Nexium 24HR is an OTC acid-reducer treatment for frequent heartburn. The drug is to be used once a day every day for 14 days. The drug is a proton pump inhibitor that hinders acid production at its source. The two-week treatment course may be repeated every four months.

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No Cure Found In The Purple Pill

Hydrochloric acid is absolutely essential for life. Thus, reduced quantities foretell illness no matter what age.

HCl starts a disturbing decline after age 40, but it gets worse. Research has shown over and over that, on average, by age 50 there is only 15 percent of the amount of HCl present as at age 25.

And 35 percent of all individuals over age 65 do not secrete any hydrochloric acid at all. Therefore, a gastric acid deficiency is the most common condition after age 50. This is a serious health concern.

When the body is low on hydrochloric acid, we have symptoms of heartburn or acid indigestion when our bodies are simply low on hydrochloric acid.

The pharmaceuticals have no intention of curing this condition when they can treat it for huge profits at your expense. So they did what they usually do and invented a treatment. To cover over the symptoms of heartburn, the pharmaceuticals created all manner of antacids, culminating in the proton pump inhibitors like Nexium, Prevacid and Priolosec. Once again, the medical establishment tells you this practice of symptomology is the way to health. Nothing could be further from truth. Instead, we have a perfect crime of profits taking precedence over your health.

The FDA has not a word to say about this marketing fraud.

But the warning labels the ECAN is calling for would not suggest that the medications cause cancer, but that a consistent need for PPIs is precursor to cancer. But both are true.

Frequently Asked Questions About Omeprazole

When should omeprazole be taken?

Omeprazole should be taken first thing in the morning on an empty stomach before meals.

Is omeprazole safe to take every day?

Depending on what condition you’re using omeprazole for, the duration of treatment will vary. In most cases, omeprazole is not meant to be used for an indefinite period of time. Long-term use can increase your risk for side effects. It’s important to take omeprazole as instructed by your provider and only take it within the prescribed amount of time.

Who should not take omeprazole ?

You should not take omeprazole if you are allergic to omeprazole or any of the ingredients in omeprazole capsule, tablet, or suspension. You should also avoid taking this medication if you are allergic to any other proton pump inhibitors or if you take a medication that contains rilpivirine used to treat HIV-1 .

Is there an alternative to omeprazole ?

Other proton pump inhibitors include esomeprazole , pantoprazole , and lansoprazole . You should discuss with your healthcare provider or pharmacist to decide which is right for you.

What does omeprazole do to your body?

Omeprazole is a proton pump inhibitor that works to lower the amount of acid produced in your stomach which can help treat GERD symptoms and help heal certain stomach and intestinal ulcers.

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I Found Purple Elliptical Pills In My Sons Room Stamped

They are an over the counter sleep aid, #wherehiphoplives is the hash tag, which is the malfunction of the valve that lies at the end of the esophagus , When something tries to be not too radical and just be as tolerant as possible towards the voices of all sides to find a rational scientific solution and hear all of the sides out,935 deaths in

The Purple Pill Problem: Ppis And Serious Side Effects

For the 28 percent of Americans who experience gastroesophageal reflux disease , acid reflux occurring two or more times per week, proton pump inhibitors like Nexium, Prilosec and Prevacid, reduce the secretion of acid in the stomach and relieve their symptoms of heartburn, chest pain and a hoarse throat. Increasingly, however, studies and clinicians are warning about the serious side effects of long-term use of PPIs, which can range from colon infections to pneumonia, an irregular heartbeat to muscle spasms, bone loss to seizures and kidney disease. Some patients also find that they quickly become dependent on these medications, using them for years rather than for the four- to eight-week period usually recommended for GERD.

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Dont Eat Close To Bedtime

Eating too close to bed can interfere with normal digestion, triggering reflux as you lie down, says Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDE, author of Belly Fat Diet For Dummies. Giving yourself an ample window between supper and sleep allows acid levels in your stomach to go down. When youre feeling hungry late at night, its often your body giving you a signal that youre tired. Hit the pillow instead, and youll likely wake up glad you did, without any late-night munchies regret.

Heartburn By Nightsimple Changes

THERES NO TIME LIKE NOW

Rest a little easier

DO raise the head of the bed. When you lie down, acid can move up into your esophagus more easily. To help avoid this, raise the head of your bed 6 to 8 inches. One way to do this is to place a foam wedge under your mattress.

DONT pile on the pillows. Using more pillows under your head doesn’t help prevent reflux.

DO allow time for digestion before bed. Most of the food in your stomach is digested within 3 hours. If you stop eating 3 hours before bed, your food should not back up into your esophagus when you lie down.

Remember, if you have any questions about your treatment with NEXIUM, talk with your doctor.

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Is That Little Purple Pill Doing More Harm Than Good

Dr. Kevin E. Ritzenthaler, DC, DCBCN

Burning in the chest and throat. Trouble swallowing. The feeling that food is stuck in your chest or throat. Chest pain . Chronic cough, sore throat and hoarse voice. Sound familiar? If youre suffering from these common symptoms of heartburn, acid reflux, or GERD, youre not alone. Its estimated that upwards of 25 million people suffer from these symptoms on a daily basis.

So, what do you do?

Take the little purple pill, of course.

The fact that you likely know what that little purple pill is without mention of a brand name is a tribute to the power of advertising. But in case youre drawing a blank, the little purple pill to which I am referring is Nexium. Or maybe youre like Larry the Cable Guy, and you reach for Prilosec.

Nexium , Prilosec , and Prevacid , are in a class of medications called proton pump inhibitors . PPIs reduce the amount of acid in your stomach, which can provide symptom relief for those suffering from acid reflux disease or GERD. There is another class of medications also used to treat these symptoms known as H2-antagonists or H2 blockers. Zantac , Pepcid , Tagamet , and Axid are H2 blockers which also reduce the amount of acid secreted by the stomach.

Okay, lets think this through. Stomach acid gets into your esophagus, causing some pretty unpleasant symptoms. So, you take a drug that reduces the amount of acid in your stomach. Symptoms go away, and life is good. Makes sense.

Or, does it?

Higher Doses And Prolonged Use Bring Problems

Robert Kuttner learned how easy it was to become dependent on a daily PPIs the hard way. After suffering frequent bouts of heartburn, he changed his diet and began taking Prilosec. But his symptoms worsened, so he followed his doctors advice and took increasingly higher doses of the drug for longer and longer periods. This cycle continued for seven years until he stopped taking Prilosec. He felt better within just a few weeks.

As I learned, this stuff can create a dependency, says Kuttner, co-editor of The American Prospect magazine. It creates a rebound effect, and then you need more and more of it.

In 2017 more than 102 million prescriptions were written for Prilosec , Nexium , Prevacid , Protonix and other brands of PPIs. Over-the-counter PPIs, also big sellers, include Nexium 24HR, Prevacid 24HR, Prilosec OTC and Zegerid OTC. But widespread use of PPIs doesnt mean they are risk-free. Kuttners experience underscores what more and more medical studies indicate and what clinicians are warning: PPIs can lead to worrisome health problems, especially if taken for a year or longer.

Andrew Chan, MD, vice chair of gastroenterology at Massachusetts General Hospital, says that in general, most of the harmful side effects of PPIs are linked to higher doses and prolonged use of the drugs.

Researchers call for more studies to confirm these and other serious side effects and to clarify the possible mechanisms involved in their occurrence.

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Dont Quit Cold Turkey

If the information presented thus far in this article has you scared you might be tempted to stop taking PPIs and H2 blockers immediately . Quitting PPIs cold turkey can cause a serious rebound effect, making your symptoms worse than before you started taking the medication. In fact, this rebound effect is believed to be responsible for why so many people take these drugs for longer than the recommended term. Rather than quit cold turkey, it is better to enlist the help of a health care professional to wean yourself off of the drugs over time.

Study Leaves More Questions Than Answers

Beyond the elevated infection risk, this study didnt find a connection between PPIs and several other safety issues it examined that have been identified by earlier research. PPIs didnt appear to cause fractures, kidney disease, dementia, cancer, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease , hospitalizations, or premature death.

It is very reassuring that our trial was negative and suggests the risks of PPIs have at the very least been overstated, Dr. Moayyedi says.

Even though this study was the gold standard for drug safety research randomly assigning some patients to take a medicine and others to take a placebo the goal of the study was to test PPI safety only in people with damaged arteries who were prescribed aspirin or the blood-thinner Xarelto . Its possible results would be different in other groups of people.

Some side effects might also surface in a larger, longer study that didnt appear in this trial. We still cant exclude a very small risk of harms, Moayyedi says.

For now, safety concerns shouldnt deter doctors from prescribing PPIs to patients who need them, says Vandana Nehra, MD, associate professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Thats because most of the problems identified so far have been found in observational studies that cant prove PPIs directly caused specific side effects, and because the association usually wasnt a strong one, Dr. Nehra says.

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What Does The Purple Pill Do

The purple pill decreases stomach acid in an effort to reduce symptoms, but do not address the actual cause of reflux, which is the malfunction of the valve that lies at the end of the esophagus . The LES remains dysfunctional and the pills simply cover up the reflux which still continues. There are immediate and long-term side effects of the pills and they are expensive and inconvenient. Whats more, symptom relief is often incomplete and the suffering continues. The stomach is supposed to make acid and there are reasons for it. The pills disturb this which alters the natural digestive process.

How Should I Take Nexium

Prescription Nexium is available in delayed release capsules or oral suspension. Most people take prescription esomeprazole once a day at least one hour before eating. But if you have a severe condition, your medical provider may recommend you take it twice a day.

Make sure to follow your medical providers recommendations. Take the capsules whole and dont crush or split them. People who cannot swallow the capsule can mix the contents of one capsule into a tablespoon of applesauce. Make sure to eat all of the mixture immediately.

People taking esomeprazole granules for oral suspension need to mix it with water. Use one teaspoon of water if you are using the 2.5- or 5-mg packet and one tablespoon of water if you are using the 10-, 20- or 40-mg packet.

Mix the packet with the water, allow two to three minutes for the mixture to thicken and stir again. Consume all of the mixture within 30 minutes. Nexium may also be administered through an orogastric or nasogastric tube.

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Whats Inside A Proton Pump Inhibitor

There are multiple kinds of PPIs, each with different active ingredients. Lets look at a few of the most commonly prescribed PPIs:

• Omeprazole – along with Lansoprazole, this is one of the oldest PPIs on the market, and consequently one of the most familiar to patients and physicians alike. It is available over the counter.

• Lansoprazole – along with Omeprazole this is one of the oldest PPIs on the market, and consequently one of the most familiar to patients and physicians alike. It is available over the counter.

• Dexlansoprazole – this is a prescription medicine that was approved by the FDA in 2009. It works the same way as other PPIs and with about the same effect.

• Rabeprazole – this is a newer PPI and it has data to suggest a better suppression of stomach acid than older medications, however there is no proof that this difference is clinically important.

• Pantoprazole – like Rabeprazole, Protonix is a newer and increasingly popular PPI which boasts better acid suppression. However, like Rabeprazole, it is unknown if this suppression is clinically important.

• Esomeprazole – Esomeprazole is one of the more popular prescription drugs to treat GERD or acid reflux. It is a new drug and very potent, however, it is the most expensive of the Proton Pump Inhibitors.

What Are The Side Effects Of Omeprazole

With any medication, there are risks and benefits. Even if the medication is working, you may experience some unwanted side effects.

Contact your doctor immediately if you experience any of the following:

• Allergic reactions: Rash, hives, difficulty breathing, swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat
• Severe stomach pain, diarrhea that is watery or bloody
• Kidney problems: Blood in your urine, rapid weight gain, urinating more or less than usual
• Low magnesium: Irregular heart rate, muscle cramps, tremors
• New or worsening symptoms of lupus: Joint pain, skin rash on your arms or cheeks that gets worse in the sunlight

The following side effects may get better over time as your body gets used to the medication. Let your doctor know immediately if you continue to experience these symptoms or if they worsen over time.

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