Nexium can you drink

Many things can affect the dose of a medication that a person needs, such as body weight, other medical conditions, and other medications. If your doctor has recommended a dose different from the ones listed here, do not change the way that you are taking the medication without consulting your doctor. Esomeprazole tablets can be taken with or without food. They should be swallowed whole - do not crush or chew them.

Alternatively, the tablet may be stirred into half a glass of noncarbonated water until it disintegrates. Drink the liquid containing the small pellets of medication immediately, or within 30 minutes. To ensure you get the full dose of the medication, rinse the glass with more water and drink it.

The sachets of esomeprazole contain granules for oral suspension. Pour all the granules of one sachet into a glass containing one tablespoon 15 mL of water, stir, and leave for a few minutes to allow the mixture to thicken. Stir again and drink it within 30 minutes. It is important to take this medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor. If you miss a dose, take it as soon as possible and continue with your regular schedule.

If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and continue with your regular dosing schedule. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one. If you are not sure what to do after missing a dose, contact your doctor or pharmacist for advice. Store this medication at room temperature, protect it from light and moisture, and keep it out of the reach of children. Do not dispose of medications in wastewater e.

Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of medications that are no longer needed or have expired. Many medications can cause side effects.

A side effect is an unwanted response to a medication when it is taken in normal doses. Side effects can be mild or severe, temporary or permanent. The side effects listed below are not experienced by everyone who takes this medication. If you are concerned about side effects, discuss the risks and benefits of this medication with your doctor. Many of these side effects can be managed, and some may go away on their own over time. Contact your doctor if you experience these side effects and they are severe or bothersome.

Your pharmacist may be able to advise you on managing side effects. Although most of these side effects listed below don't happen very often, they could lead to serious problems if you do not seek medical attention. Stop taking the medication and seek immediate medical attention if any of the following occur:. Some people may experience side effects other than those listed. Check with your doctor if you notice any symptom that worries you while you are taking this medication.

Before you begin using a medication, be sure to inform your doctor of any medical conditions or allergies you may have, any medications you are taking, whether you are pregnant or breast-feeding, and any other significant facts about your health. These factors may affect how you should use this medication. Bone health: Studies suggest that the use of esomeprazole, like other PPIs, may be related to an increase risk of fractures, particularly for people who take this medication for a year or longer.

The lowest dose of this medication to control the symptoms, taken for the shortest period of time, is less likely to cause these problems. Diarrhea: When gastric acid is decreased, the number of bacteria normally in the digestive system increases. Occasionally, this can cause serious infection in the digestive tract. If you experience watery, foul-smelling bowel movements after starting to take esomeprazole, contact your doctor as soon as possible.

Fluid and electrolyte balance: Esomeprazole may cause the levels of electrolytes such as potassium, magnesium, and calcium in the blood to change while taking this medication. If you experience symptoms of fluid and electrolyte imbalance such as muscle pains or cramps; dry mouth; numb hands, feet, or lips; or racing heartbeat, contact your doctor as soon as possible.

Liver function: The liver is partially responsible for removing esomeprazole from the body. Liver disease or reduced liver function may cause this medication to build up in the body, causing side effects.

If you have liver problems, discuss with your doctor how this medication may affect your medical condition, how your medical condition may affect the dosing and effectiveness of this medication, and whether any special monitoring is needed.

Your doctor may want to test your liver function regularly with blood tests while you are taking this medication. Methotrexate interaction: Esomeprazole, like other medications in this group, may interact with methotrexate when the two medications are used at the same time. This combination may lead to higher than expected amounts of methotrexate in the body and can cause serious side effects, including kidney damage, irregular heartbeat, anemia, or infection.

If you take esomeprazole and are also going to receive a dose of methotrexate, discuss with your doctor how this medication may affect your medical condition, how your medical condition may affect the dosing and effectiveness of this medication, and whether any special monitoring is needed. More serious conditions of the stomach and intestines: If you experience symptoms of a more serious condition of the stomach and intestines e. If you develop any skin lesions, especially in sun-exposed skin areas, and if accompanied by muscle aches or pains, contact your doctor immediately.

Vitamin B Long-term use of esomeprazole may lead to vitamin B12 deficiency. If you are a vegetarian or have low vitamin B12 levels, discuss with your doctor whether any special monitoring is required. Pregnancy: This medication should not be used during pregnancy unless the benefits outweigh the risks. If you become pregnant while taking this medication, contact your doctor immediately. Stir until the tablets start to break up, then drink straight away. If you have problems swallowing capsules, you can open up esomeprazole capsules and empty the contents into a glass.

Mix with some water and drink straight away. Fill the glass with water again, and drink that as well to make sure there's no medicine left at the bottom of the glass. If your child is under 12 years old, their doctor may prescribe esomeprazole granules which come in sachets. Empty the granules into a glass and mix with some water, then encourage them to drink it straight away. Sometimes your doctor will increase your dose if it isn't working well enough.

Depending on the reason you take esomeprazole, you may take a higher dose to begin with, usually for a month or two. After this, your doctor may recommend that you take a lower dose. If you have bought the medicine yourself from a pharmacy or supermarket, tell your doctor if you feel no better after taking esomeprazole for 2 weeks.

They may want to do tests to find out what's causing your symptoms or change you to a different medicine. If you take it on prescription, you may only take it for a few weeks or months, depending on your illness. Sometimes your doctor may advise you to take it for longer, even many years. Your doctor may suggest taking esomeprazole only when you have symptoms. This means you won't have to take it every day. Once you feel better, you can stop taking it - often after a few days or weeks.

Taking esomeprazole this way isn't suitable for everyone. Speak to your doctor about what's best for you. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose. If you often forget doses, it may help to set an alarm to remind you. You could also ask your pharmacist for advice on other ways to remember your medicine.

It is very unlikely that taking one or two extra doses by accident will cause any problems. However, check with your doctor if you have taken too much and have any of these symptoms:. Most people who take esomeprazole do not have any side effects. If you do get a side effect, it is usually mild and will go away when you stop taking esomeprazole. Common side effects may happen in more than 1 in people. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if these side effects bother you or don't go away:.

Serious side effects happen in less than 1 in 1, people. Call a doctor straight away if you have:. In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction anaphylaxis to esomeprazole.

These are not all the side effects of esomeprazole. For a full list see the leaflet inside your medicines packet. Esomeprazole isn't usually recommended during pregnancy as there's no firm evidence it's safe. A medicine called omeprazole , which is similar to esomeprazole, is safe in pregnancy. However, if you're pregnant, it's always better to try to treat your symptoms without taking a medicine. Your doctor or midwife may suggest eating smaller meals more often and avoiding fatty and spicy food.

They may also suggest raising the head of your bed 10 to 20cm by putting something under your bed or mattress, so that your chest and head are above your waist.

This helps stop stomach acid travelling up towards your throat. If these lifestyle changes don't work, you may be recommended omeprazole to help ease your symptoms. Esomeprazole may get into breast milk, but it's not known whether it harms the baby. A medicine called omeprazole , which is similar to esomeprazole, is safe to take while breastfeeding.

Speak to your doctor to discuss what is best for you and your baby. Some medicines can interfere with esomeprazole and make you more likely to have side effects.

Tell your doctor if you're taking these medicines before you start taking esomeprazole :. These are not all the medicines that may not mix well with esomeprazole. Do not take St John's wort, the herbal remedy for depression, while you're taking esomeprazole.

St John's wort may stop esomeprazole working as well as it should. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal medicines, vitamins or supplements. Proton pumps are tiny substances in the lining of the stomach which help it make acid to digest food. Esomeprazole prevents proton pumps from working properly.

This reduces the amount of acid the stomach makes. You should start to feel better within 2 to 3 days. It may take up to 4 weeks for esomeprazole to work properly so you may still have some acid symptoms during this time. If you bought esomeprazole without a prescription, and feel no better after 2 weeks, tell your doctor. They may want to do tests or change you to a different medicine.

If you take esomeprazole for more than 3 months, the levels of magnesium in your blood may fall. This can make you feel tired, confused, dizzy and cause muscle twitches, shakiness and an irregular heartbeat. If you get any of these symptoms, tell your doctor. Taking esomeprazole for more than a year may increase your chances of certain side effects, including:.

If you take esomeprazole for longer than 1 year, your doctor will regularly check your health to see if you should carry on taking it. It's not known if esomeprazole works less well the longer you take it. If you feel like it isn't working any more, talk to your doctor. A Hong Kong study published in suggested that people taking proton pump inhibitors PPIs like esomeprazole for at least 3 years have a very small increased chance of developing stomach cancer.

For every 10, people taking a PPI long term, it was thought an extra 4 people get stomach cancer. However, the study didn't prove that PPIs were causing stomach cancer and the results may not apply in the UK. People who take PPIs regularly shouldn't be particularly concerned by this study.

However, like most medicines, PPIs have side effects, so it's best to take them for the shortest time possible. Speak to your doctor or pharmacist if you are concerned. Usually, you can stop taking esomeprazole without reducing the dose first. If you've taken esomeprazole for a long time speak to your doctor before you stop taking it. Stopping suddenly could make your stomach produce a lot more acid, and make your symptoms come back.

Reducing the dose gradually before stopping completely will prevent this happening. Like esomeprazole, these medicines are proton pump inhibitors. They work in the same way as esomeprazole to reduce acid in your stomach. They generally work as well as esomeprazole and have similar side effects, but may be given in different doses. Sometimes, if esomeprazole isn't working or doesn't agree with you, your doctor may suggest that you try taking another proton pump inhibitor.

There are other pharmacy and prescription medicines for indigestion and heartburn. Antacids , like calcium carbonate Tums , sodium bicarbonate, Maalox and Milk of Magnesia, relieve indigestion and heartburn by neutralising the acid in your stomach.

They give quick relief that lasts for a few hours. They're ideal for occasional stomach acid symptoms. Some antacids, such as Gaviscon , have an extra ingredient called alginic acid. They work by lining your stomach so that juices from it don't splash up into your foodpipe. H2 blockers histamine antagonists reduce the amount of acid made in your stomach, but they do this in a different way to proton pump inhibitors.

They include famotidine Pepcid , ranitidine Zantac , cimetidine Tagamet and nizatidine Axid. In general, proton pump inhibitors like esomeprazole are used first because they are better than H2 blockers at reducing stomach acid.

However, if you don't get on with a proton pump inhibitor for example, because of side effects , your doctor may prescribe an H2 blocker. You can buy famotidine and ranitidine without a prescription from pharmacies. You can take esomeprazole with an antacid, for example Gaviscon. Take it 2 hours before or after your dose of esomeprazole.

Yes, it's safe to take painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen at the same time as esomeprazole. It's best to take ibuprofen with, or just after, a meal so it doesn't upset your stomach. There's no firm evidence to suggest that taking esomeprazole will reduce fertility in either men or women.

However, speak to a pharmacist or your doctor if you're trying to get pregnant. They may want to review your treatment. Esomeprazole doesn't affect any type of regular contraception including the combined pill.