Esomeprazole
About Esomeprazole
Esomeprazole is used in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), stomach ulcers, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (overproduction of acid due to a pancreatic tumour), and gastric ulcers. It mainly helps reduce the amount of acid your stomach makes.
Esomeprazole contains esomeprazole, which helps reduce stomach acid by blocking the action of an enzyme (H+/K+ ATPase, also known as the gastric proton pump), thus prevents the release of stomach acid and relieving symptoms of heartburn.
Not everyone who is taking Esomeprazole will get these side effects. Esomeprazole may have common side effects, such as headache, diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, dizziness, and joint pain. These side effects are temporary and may resolve on their own over time. However, if these side effects persist, don't hesitate to contact your doctor.
Take Esomeprazole as advised. Your physician will decide the dosage based on your medical condition. You should take Esomeprazole 30 minutes before food. It is recommended not to exceed the recommended dose of Esomeprazole. Do not chew, crush, or break the medicine.
Inform your physician if you are allergic to Esomeprazole. Tell your doctor if you have stomach or intestinal cancer, liver problems, are allergic to Esomeprazole or will have an endoscopy in the future. Prolonged intake of Esomeprazole may cause a deficiency of Vitamin B12 and low levels of calcium, magnesium and Vitamin D, leading to osteoporosis. Esomeprazole is not recommended for children below 5 years of age. Consult the doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Uses of Esomeprazole
• Management of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): Esomeprazole effectively reduces symptoms of GERD, such as heartburn and acid regurgitation, by lowering stomach acid production.
• Healing of Erosive Esophagitis: Esomeprazole is often prescribed to promote the healing of inflamed esophageal tissue caused by prolonged exposure to stomach acid.
• Treatment of Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome: Esomeprazole is used to manage Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, a condition that leads to excessive stomach acid production.
• Prevention of Peptic Ulcers: Esomeprazole helps prevent peptic ulcer formation, particularly in individuals undergoing long-term NSAID treatment.
• Eradication of Helicobacter pylori: Esomeprazole is sometimes included in combination therapy to eliminate Helicobacter pylori infections, which are associated with peptic ulcers.
Medicinal Benefits
- Esomeprazole is effective in healing heartburn, hyperacidity conditions, duodenal ulcers, gastric ulcers, and Crohn’s disease-associated ulcers.
- Esomeprazole can be prescribed to all age groups, including special populations like the elderly, pregnant, lactating mothers, and patients with kidney and liver disease.
- Esomeprazole helps manage acidity-related conditions, promotes digestion, and provides relief from associated discomfort.
Directions for Use
- Esomeprazole should be taken on an empty stomach, at least 1 hour before a meal, to improve its effectiveness
- Follow your doctor's instructions on the dosage and timing of this medication.
- Swallow Esomeprazole as a whole with a glass of water.
- Do not crush, break, or chew it.
Storage
Side Effects of Esomeprazole
- Headache
- Diarrhoea
- Nausea
- Abdominal pain
- Vomiting
Drug Warnings
- Avoid taking Esomeprazole if you are allergic to it or have any history of gastric cancer, liver disease, low magnesium levels, or low vitamin B1.
- Prolonged intake of Esomeprazole may cause lupus erythematosus (an inflammatory condition in which the immune system attacks its own tissues), vitamin B12, and magnesium deficiency.
- Esomeprazole may interact with blood thinners, antifungals, anti-HIV drugs, iron supplements, and anti-cancer medications. Please inform your doctor if you are taking any of these medications.
- Although Esomeprazole is safe for use during pregnancy or breastfeeding, inform your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding before starting treatment with Esomeprazole.
- Intake of Esomeprazole may mask the symptoms of gastric cancer, so if you have any severe stomach pain or blood in stool, immediately consult the doctor.
- Esomeprazole is not recommended for use in children below 5 years of age.
- It is always important to check the expiry date of the medicine. Discard the medicine if it reaches the expiry date.
Drug Interactions
Drug-Drug Interactions: Esomeprazole may interact with a blood thinner (clopidogrel, warfarin), antifungal (ketoconazole, voriconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole), anti-HIV drug (atazanavir, nelfinavir, rilpivirine), anti-viral drugs (nelfinavir), iron supplements, antibiotic (ampicillin, rifampicin), heart medicine (digoxin) and anti-cancer drug (methotrexate). Let your doctor know if you are taking these medicines.
Drug-Food Interactions: Esomeprazole interact with St John's wort plant that is used as an anti-depressant. This plant may affect the working of Esomeprazole. So avoid its intake with Esomeprazole.
Drug-Disease Interactions: Esomeprazole should be not given in patients with Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea, magnesium and Vitamin B-12 deficiency (increased risk of bone fracture), atrophic gastritis (inflammed lining of stomach), and acute interstitial nephritis (inflammed cells of kidney).
Drug-Drug Interactions Checker List:
Safety Advice
Alcohol
cautionDrinking alcohol with Esomeprazole may cause dehydration and elevate the level of stomach acid thereby decreasing its efficiency. So try to avoid, limit alcohol or contact doctor before intake of Esomeprazole.
Pregnancy
consult your doctorEsomeprazole is safe for use in pregnant women. However, please consult your physician before taking the medicine. Your doctor will weigh the benefits and potential risks before prescribing it.
Breast Feeding
consult your doctorEsomeprazole is safe for use in lactating mothers. However, please consult your physician before taking the medicine. Your doctor will weigh the benefits and potential risks before prescribing it.
Driving
cautionIn some cases, Esomeprazole may cause dizziness, sleepy, or blur vision. If you observe these symptoms do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you feel better.
Liver
consult your doctorEsomeprazole should be taken with precaution in patients with liver disease. Please consult your physician.
Kidney
consult your doctorPatients with kidney disease should consult a doctor before taking Esomeprazole.
Children
cautionEsomeprazole should not be prescribed for children under 5 years of age. Esomeprazole is generally prescribed from 5-16 years of children for the treatment of acid-related damage of the food pipe (erosive esophagitis).
Habit Forming
Diet & Lifestyle Advise
- Avoid intake of acid or heartburn triggering foods or drinks like onions, peppermint, chocolate, caffeinated beverages, citrus fruits or juices, tomatoes and high-fat and spicy foods.
- Before going to sleep try to raise your bedhead so that your head and chest are higher than your feet. Do not use piles of pillows, instead, one raised block is fine. This will not allow the stomach acid to backflow through your food pipe.
- Avoid taking alcohol and smoking cigarette. Alcohol can raise the level of production of stomach acid leading to heartburn and acid reflux. On the other hand, nicotine smoking damages the valve (sphincter) which prevents backflow of the stomach acid back into the food pipe.
- Include high fibre containing foods, berries, cherries, leafy green veggies (kale, spinach) and black peppers in your meal. These foods are full of antioxidant, calcium and vitamin B 12 that can help cope with the long term effects of the medicine. Fermented dairy products like miso, sauerkraut, and kimchi contain probiotics which help in the prevention of excess stomach acid production. Cranberry juice can be beneficial in the peptic ulcer and H Pyroli infection.
- Avoid regular sitting continuously, as it can increase stomach acid production. Try to take a break of 5 minutes in 1 hour by brisk walking or stretching.
Special Advise
Prolonged intake of Esomeprazole may be associated with increased risk of Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea, magnesium and Vitamin B-12 deficiency (increased risk of bone fracture), atrophic gastritis (inflammed lining of stomach), and acute interstitial nephritis (inflammed cells of kidney).
Patients Concern
Disease/Condition Glossary
Acidity: Normally, a thick layer of mucus protects the stomach against its own acid secretion. But, in the long run, it gets eroded by excessive stomach acid production, leading to complications like GERD, peptic ulcer, and Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a gastrointestinal disorder that occurs when stomach acid frequently flows back into the food pipe (oesophagus). This backflow (acid reflux) irritates the food pipe and causes heartburn.
Peptic ulcers: It is a condition in which sores or ulcers develop in the stomach lining or duodenum (the first part of the small intestine).
Zollinger-Ellison syndrome: It is a rare condition in which a gastrin-secreting tumour of the pancreas causes excessive acid production, leading to peptic ulcers.
FAQs
Esomeprazole is used to treat Hyperacidity, Heartburn, Stomach ulcer, and Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.
Esomeprazole is a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), which is a type of medication. Proton pumps are enzymes found in the stomach lining that aid in the production of acid needed for digestion. Esomeprazole impairs the function of proton pumps. This decreases the quantity of acid produced by the stomach.
No. Esomeprazole prevents excess production of stomach acid causing acid reflux and heartburn. If blood is coming in your stool or mucous immediately contact the doctor.
Yes. Esomeprazole can alter certain medical tests like neuroendocrine tumours (secretin stimulation test), and urine screening tests for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). So before undergoing such diagnostics test contact your doctor.
It is very unlikely that taking one or two extra doses by accident will cause any problems. However, you should check with your doctor if you have taken too much and have are feeling sweaty, have a fast heartbeat, are feeling sleepy.
There's no firm evidence to suggest that taking Esomeprazole will reduce fertility in either men or women. However, speak to your doctor if you're trying to get pregnant and do as advised.
You can eat and drink normally while taking Esomeprazole. However, you should avoid foods that seem to make your indigestion worse, such as rich, spicy and fatty foods. You should also cut down on caffeinated drinks, such as tea, coffee and cola, as well as alcohol.
No. Gas and acidity are two different common discomforts. Acidity is caused when improper functioning of the valve (sphincter) is located at the junction of the stomach and food pipe. As a result stomach acid backflows and enters the upper part of the food pipe causing heartburn. On the other hand, gas is the result of the digestion of the food and drinks eliminating gases like carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, methane, etc. from the body.
Prolonged intake of Esomeprazole may lead to atrophic gastritis (inflammation of stomach cells), Vitamin B12 deficiency and weakening of bones or osteoporosis (loss of calcium, magnesium and vitamin D). Your doctor may prescribe calcium, vitamin D or haemoglobin enhancing medications to cope with long term side effects.
Esomeprazole should be used in children only if prescribed by the doctor. Please consult the doctor before giving Esomeprazole to children.
Esomeprazole should be taken an hour before meals.
Esomeprazole is usually taken on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning. If you take Esomeprazole twice a day, take 1 dose in the morning and 1 dose in the evening.
Yes, Esomeprazole can be taken with domperidone if prescribed by the doctor.
Antacids can be taken along with Esomeprazole if prescribed by the doctor. However, it is advised to maintain a gap of 2 hours between Esomeprazole and antacid medicines.
It is advised to take Esomeprazole for the duration prescribed by the doctor. Esomeprazole is usually prescribed for a short term. However, it may be indicated for a long term use in cases like Zollinger-Ellison syndrome and ulcer disease.
Do not discontinue Esomeprazole without consulting your doctor. To treat your condition effectively, take Esomeprazole for the duration prescribed by the physician.
Esomeprazole may cause weight gain in rare cases. Maintain a proper weight by eating healthy food and exercising regularly.
Yes, Esomeprazole is safe to use if prescribed by the doctor.
Esomeprazole can be taken with ranitidine if prescribed by the doctor. No interactions were found between both the medicines.
Drinking alcohol with Esomeprazole may cause dehydration and elevate the level of stomach acid thereby decreasing its efficiency. So, try to avoid/limit alcohol consumption with Esomeprazole.
If you miss a dose of Esomeprazole take it as soon as you remember, However, if it is almost time for the scheduled dose, skip the missed dose and take the next dose at the scheduled time.
Esomeprazole might cause side effects like headache, diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal pain, and vomiting. Consult the doctor if the side effects persist or worsen.
Consult the doctor before taking other medicines while using Esomeprazole to prevent interactions. Let the doctor know if you are taking blood thinners, antifungal agents, anti-HIV drugs, anti-viral drugs, iron supplements, antibiotics, cardiac medicines and anti-cancer drugs.
