# Withdrawal from Nexium



## MyOwnSavior

So I saw my GI doctor recently and talked to her about all the problems I'm still having with GERD (i.e. chest pains, burning sensations in the throat, etc.). Because I work nights (4- midnight or so) I haven't been eating breakfast, seeing as how I usually go to sleep around 1:30AM or so and don't get up until noon (or, more generally, lunch time). Well, it turns out that in order for nexium to "really work", you need to take it with breakfast, because that is when a lot of the acid in your stomach is generated (or so I'm told). Unfortunately, I'm totally unwilling to get up early and eat breakfast, because I'm too tired. So, my doctor put me on some other pills that apparently are better (i.e. I can get up and take one with a few crackers, instead of having to take a nexium and then wait half an hour and eat a larger breakfast).Anyway, all that aside: I've been off nexium for a few days and my reflux is ... different ... than it's ever been before. I still feel many of the symptoms that I've had in the past (i.e. the feeling of something being stuck in my throat and so on). However, now I almost feel like I have "constant" reflux. By that, I mean that I constantly feel as if my esophagus is - not quite burning - but I guess the best way to put it would be "irritated". It's as if I just consumed a lot of soda and need to burp - and I can feel irritation in my esophagus as you kind of can when you feel the need to burp. I'm not saying I feel like I'm going to vomit all the time; it's a more subtle feeling than that. But I just can't shake it, and thus I'm wondering how long it takes for these symptoms (obviously withdrawal from Nexium is causing this because it happened as soon as I went off of it and on to new medication) to go away. Any advice/help is appreciated!


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## Cherrie

Hi MyOwnSaviorSorry about your withdrawal symptom -- are you taking the other med now or are you waiting for nexium to get out of your system before you're able to take the other one?If there is no or little interaction between the two meds (you may need to call your dr or pharmacist to find out), maybe you could stop it a little more slowly? Like take it every two days and gradually reduce the amount until you're adjusted to doing without it? That's what my dr told me to do when I first tried to quit my antidep. If you're not sure whether you should do it, it's probably a good idea to call your dr and discuss your symptoms and this or other ways to quit it without causing too much trouble.Really hope you can get over these withdrawal symptoms soon.C


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## MyOwnSavior

Cherrie said:


> Hi MyOwnSaviorSorry about your withdrawal symptom -- are you taking the other med now or are you waiting for nexium to get out of your system before you're able to take the other one?If there is no or little interaction between the two meds (you may need to call your dr or pharmacist to find out), maybe you could stop it a little more slowly? Like take it every two days and gradually reduce the amount until you're adjusted to doing without it? That's what my dr told me to do when I first tried to quit my antidep. If you're not sure whether you should do it, it's probably a good idea to call your dr and discuss your symptoms and this or other ways to quit it without causing too much trouble.Really hope you can get over these withdrawal symptoms soon.C


I talked to my doctor's nurse today, and she assured me that people "go on and off of these drugs [i.e. PPI's] all the time, and there should be no withdrawal symptoms". And, yes, I was put on another drug (Zegerid or whatever it's called) right away. So, I was taking Nexium, and then the next day a new PPI. My basic question was just how long these things would last, since the symptoms are fairly annoying (i.e. stomach pains, D, more reflux symptoms than normal, etc.). I mean, I thought I was done with this annoying pain stuff - but now all of a sudden it's back. I don't care about it effecting my social life; see as how I don't have one. But, it does effect me at work, and that's what really concerns me. Oh, and I'll get to messaging you soon, I've just been in a fairly bad mood recently and I didn't want to message you while I was in that state of mind (for obvious reasons). Thanks for replying


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## Cherrie

MyOwnSavior ~I'm so, so sorry that you're not feeling well No rush or pressure to reply the PM at all -- everything can wait and you need to take care of your health first.Just replying your post 'cause I've found _wedge pillow _really really really helpful, so I'd really like to share with you (and everyone who may find this useful) -- I just bought one a couple days ago and it helps so much to keep the acid down at night. Remember the other time we talked about using 3 regular pillows? This is waaay better than that! It elevates/supports not only the head, but also the entire back/upper torso in a pretty erganomically (sp? I can never spell this word, sorry!) good way. No need to even use a regular pillow. It can either be found online or in a strore that sells bedroom accessories (sp?) and stuff. Do give it a try if you haven't gotten around to this yet -- and a very good thing about this is that I can still sleep on my side and keep the acid down Again, take all the time you need to recover both physically and emotionally and don't worry about writing. Sending good thoughts to you for you to feel better...Cherrie


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## madge

Cherrie, would you mind measuring your wedge pillow, the one you use at night? Since I have a Select Comfort (air) bed, I'd probably have to put it between the bottom and top (air) cushion, but it might work. I did borrow someone's last year and tried it on top, and I had a hard time sleeping on my side (which I have to do part of the time because of arthritis in my back and neck).I just saw a wedge pillow like the one you mentioned in a mail order catalog, but it's 7 1/2 inches high. I've read that 4 to 6 inches is high enough. Also, the one I saw is 23 inches long and 23 inches wide. Is that about like yours?Still having a sourish taste today and mild stomach ache. I ate small amounts of chocolate during the last few days...not much, but some. Also had some ham, and that, along with the chocolate...not so good. I'd better take some Mylanta after supper tonight. (I take a half-dose of Nexium each morning...that won't be enough today.)Let me know about how big your pillow is, okay? Thanks a bunch.


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## Cherrie

Hi MadgeMy pillow is 23 x 23 and the height is 6 inches. When I bought it, it was the highest in the store. My dr recommended 7-9 inches, but I wasn't able to find any of that height in the stores (haven't checked online, though). It did take me 3 nights to get used to the height, but i was able to get some decent sleep after that. I like to sleep on my side, too, so far I find wedge pillows much better than propping up regular pillows.I'm so sorry you're still feeling acidic. From yesterday and today's experience, I found out the hard way that for any meds and pillows to work, I have to stay strictly on my diet, otherwise nothing works and I'll just feel 100 times worse (long story short, I wasn't tough enough to stand up to peer pressure and ate a cake with alchohol and coffee in it and I'm being badly punished for it now in every way imaginable)...Cherrie


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## madge

I know what you mean about not sticking to the diet, Cherrie! I've been having small amounts of Christmas cookies, some with a little chocolate, and just eating more sugar in general. That's not helping at all! And I bought regular decaf tea by mistake instead of green decaf tea (which I can usually have every few days if it's weak). Well...I tried a weak concoction of regular decaf tea, and that didn't help either. I'm finding that I have a lot more phlegm and a tickly cough, along with more belching. Has to be reflux. I've got to get back to my safe diet.What really drives me nuts is that my son can take his Prilosec and eat just about anything. Not me. Even when I took larger amounts of Nexium, or Prevacid, or the others I tried, I had to avoid certain foods.


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## gamma60

Hello, I'm new here but just had to add my 2 cents since I got this information from my ENT's nurse this morning. My ENT put me on Nexium in October and the nurse called me because I submitted a refill for the Nexium. She said that I need to taper down to a lesser medicine. She said to go to Prilosec and when I asked her about why I can't just stop the Nexium she said that it causes stomach problems. I wish I could remember her exact words, sorry, it's just that not tapering off can wreak havoc with ones stomach. Sorry if this sounds confusing; glad if it helps.


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## guccidustin




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