# Any problems with generic nexium?



## itsmebaby (Apr 15, 2010)

Hi all,
I'm one of those folks stuck on nexium because i get terrible acid hypersecretion when i try to dose down or go off of it.
Anyway, my prescription just changed to the generic form and two days later, i am having acid burps. I am afraid i am going to have another attack where my stomach is going to be in pain.
Has anyone else had trouble switching to the generic form of nexium and if so, did it take a while for your stomach to adjust?
Thank you to anyone who replies, even if the answer is no


----------



## vanessa6801 (Apr 12, 2014)

Sorry but I dont have an answer to your question.

However I would like to point out that I dont think there is such a thing as acid hysersecretion. Acid reflux is not caused by excessive stomach acid production, but the weakening of the lower esophagal sphincter, allowing acid to travel up the esophagus. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gerd/basics/causes/con-20025201

Long term use of PPIs like nexium can impair stomach acid secretion, and lead to other health consequences. http://www.health.harvard.edu/digestive-health/do-ppis-have-long-term-side-effects Long term use of PPIs can actually lead to IBS.

I just hope that you are aware of this so that you could perhaps explore other options with your doctor to deal with the GERD in the long term. I also suffer from constant reflux of food back up to my throat (though the content is not very acidic) and i know how frustrating it could be. Good luck.


----------



## itsmebaby (Apr 15, 2010)

Thanks for the reply.

Sadly, if you are on a PPI for too long, trying to go off of it (especially cold turkey) can cause acid hypersecretion - and I get it with a vengeance.

I verified this with my GI doctor.

I am still having trouble after switching to the generic for Nexium. My stomach pain is getting worse.

Trying to get my insurance to cover me going back to the brand :-(


----------



## Brenda Shaver (May 11, 2015)

I was just switched to the generic version of Nexium and I feel I like I am starting from all over again with the painful acid reflux and gerd. It's doing nothing at all for me...I am so miserable. I'm going to try and see if I can get the brand name Nexium approved my insurance. I hope you feel better!


----------



## Lonnie R Brooking (May 12, 2015)

I was just recently switched to the generic version of Nexium also and having the same acid reflux problems again and its have made me sick leading to me very weak. I stopped taking the generic and having to go see my doctor again today.


----------



## TVgirl (Sep 16, 2009)

I bought the generic stuff at costco usa. I live in canada and cant buy it without precription. The prescription is 40mg but generic at costco is 20mg. I have been able to wean myself down. I now take a nexium about once a week. As soon as i feel i need it, heartburn and reglux starts returning, i get what feels like breathing spasms like panic attacks and lots of burping. I take 1 20mg generic and i am good for 5-7 days now.


----------



## austinlover (Jun 7, 2017)

Yeah my daughter had the same problem. She went back to the brand name and it is not covered by our insurance. Even with the astrazaneca coupon it is $150 a month. You might try using the OTC nexium. If you are on the 40 mg prescription dosage you need to take two of the OTC pills. I was thinking of asking my daughter if she would take the generic 40 mg dose (since the insurance covers it) and adding an OTC 20 mg pill every day or two. The doctor says the dosage in the generic is typically lower than in the brand name drug and her symptoms are consistent with her not getting quite a large enough dose to eliminate her symptoms


----------



## smieling (Dec 28, 2016)

The generic nexium (esomeprazole) has always worked for me. The chemical ingredient is identical between generic and brand, the only difference is the binders (which is what keeps the pill together). I've seen majority of people switch from brand to generic (for countless medications) without any trouble. That being said, there are still the 5-10% that do notice different degrees of effect. I tell people to not think of brand being better than generic.. just think of them as two alternatives and you won't know 100% without trying.

That being said.. generics do tend to expire faster (faster half life) after the expiration date .... (according to what i learned in school)


----------



## CheshireCat1352 (Jun 27, 2018)

I agree. I have tried the generic and it got so bad I had to go back in for surgery as I have Barrett's esophagus disease. I do just take the OTC Nexium and I double the dose per my doctor, since my insurance will not cover the name brand and it's cheaper to buy OTC and double up then do the name brand at $263.00 for 30 days. There is something to be said for that, and since my doctor is a health care professional, I'm going to follow his advice and not try that again.


----------



## HalliHX50 (Sep 15, 2018)

Three years ago, I was forced by insurance to switch to generic Nexium. I got terribly sick (not reflux!), as if I had stopped the Nexium completely, but it happened just slowly enough that I figured it was my autoimmune illness destroying my gut. I thought nothing of the change to generic, took me six months of daily agony and the loss of 50 pounds before I finally hypothesized that it might have been the Nexium switchover. My MDs would not fight the insurance company (of course - insurance companies write their paychecks), and they did not really care about my suffering, so I could not get them to DAW the original drug. I tried Nexium 24 hr - no change, tried samples of other offerings, no change. Finally, I tried Prilosec OTC....bingo,

I hate being tethered to this drug, but a recent attempt at weaning off the Prilosec thoroughly convinced me that the generic Nexium change three years ago is indeed what made me almost suicidally sick back then. Last week, when I tried to just slightly roll back my Prilosec dose, it produced the very same whole-gut agony.

I hope that other folks who are forced off of the genuine Astra-Zeneca Nexium will find that Prilosec OTC is a working substitute. It worked for me. I have to pay for it myself, but for now, it is worth it. I will still try to reduce my dose, but very carefully. Been stuck on this stuff for many, many years, but have always held out hope that I can get my gut to function on its own again. I have gut immotility issues, but I am going to succeed, somehow.


----------

