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NEXIUM Indications

Several diseases affect the gastrointestinal tract and cause stomach acids to back up into the esophagus. You may experience just heartburn or a chronic cough that you mistake for asthma. However, stomach acid is corrosive and can seriously burn the esophagus if not treated. Over time these burns may become esophageal cancer, for which there is no cure. According to the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, NEXIUM relieves the symptoms of heartburn and other symptoms and helps heal damage caused by the stomach acids.

  1. Treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

    • NEXIUM treats the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This disease usually consists of persistent heartburn two or more days per week. Adults and children as young as 1 year old can use NEXIUM. To treat GERD, adults take a 20-mg or 40-mg capsule once each day, one hour before meals, for four to eight weeks. Children between 12 and 17 years can take a 20-mg or 40-mg capsule once per day for up to eight weeks. Children between the ages of 1 and 11 can take between 10 mg or 20 mg once per day for up to eight weeks.

      NEXIUM also helps heal erosive esophagitis. This is damage to the esophagus. The damage happens over time as stomach acid wears away the lining of the esophagus. It takes approximately four to eight weeks to heal most of the erosion by taking 20 mg or 40 mg of NEXIUM once each day. To maintain the healing process, take 20 mg of NEXIUM once per day for eight weeks.

      When the damage to the esophagus is too severe, which is the case with erosive esophagitis, NEXIUM I.V. for injection can be used as an alternative method. This is a short-term treatment that you can use only for up to 10 days.

    Risk Reduction of NSAID-associated Gastric Ulcer

    • NEXIUM reduces the occurrence of gastric ulcers associated with aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen. These are called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). To reduce the risk of gastric ulcers due to NSAIDs, adults can take a 20-mg or 40-mg capsule once per day for up to six months.

    H. pylori Eradication to Reduce the Risk of Duodenal Ulcer Recurrence

    • According the Mayo Clinic, Helicobacter pylori (called H. pylori), is a bacterium that infects the stomach or the first part of the intestines. H. pylori can cause duodenal ulcers and even stomach cancer. Taking 40 mg of NEXIUM once per day for 10 days is indicated as one of three medications in a triple therapy that includes clarithromycin and amoxicillin to treat H. pylori.

    Pathological Hypersecretory Conditions

    • According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC), Zollinger-Ellison syndrome is caused by one or more tumors in the pancreas, duodenum or both. The tumors cause the stomach to make too much acid, leading to peptic ulcers in the duodenum. The tumors are sometimes cancerous and can spread to other areas of the body. Taking 40 mg of NEXIUM twice per day is indicated in the treatment of Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.

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