I was diagnosed with GERD a year ago and have been on Nexium since then, 40mg's/day. I usually take the meds first thing in the morning 30-60 minutes before breakfast.
At first I thought the confusion and inability to focus was one of the symptoms of GERD in its advanced stages. But, I was having a hard time remembering things. Things got foggy for the first few hours after taking my meds in the morning. By late afternoon I was more focused, but felt tired. It's as if my body was severely dehydrated. It wasn't. I was keeping my self well hydrated and nourished.
After six months I tried taking a break from the meds. I suddenly had this sense of well being, not so much as before I had GERD, but definitely better than while taking Nexium. For two days I was waking up with positive feelings and a more positive frame of mind in the morning. I was more relaxed and could actually smile. Then after two days, the symptoms came back; I had abdominal pain and increased acidity. I went back on Nexium and haven't stopped taking it since.
During this past year there was another instance when I experienced the same level of well being that I had before GERD. I was again focused, relaxed, well aware of my surrounding, and confident. I'm on the GERD diet, but I haven't been able to figure out how I got that sense of well being for a few hours or what affected it.
I was on Nexium for about 2 1/2 years, and while I didn't experience side-effects like those you listed, I did have abdominal cramping & diarrhea. I'd suggest talking to your Dr. about your symptoms. Maybe he can prescribe a different medicine so that you can feel that clarity uninterrupted.
Hello Steve, I have been taking Prevacid for about 3 years now and I have been experiencing the same symtoms as you. I feel tired all the time no matter how much sleep I get and am usually very sluggish and lazy. I never even considered the fact that I could be feeling this way because of the Prevacid. I take two 30mg pills a day, so I'm even on a higher dose than you are. The weird thing is, I don't think that inability to focus and sleepiness is a documented side effects of these medications - but who's to say they don't affect different people in different ways?
You just made me realize that it could be the Prevacid that's making me feel this way or maybe it's just the acid reflux in general that gives me the blues.
Hi Steve, I started taking nexium about 3 weeks ago and am experiencing similar side affects. The medicine is working well, but about a week after beginning treatment, I started to feel kind of lathargic and groggy. I've found that it's more difficult to concentrate remember things while on the medicine.
I stopped taking nexium for a few days, and fortunately I'm starting to feel much better now, back to my normal self. Unfortunately, Prilosec and the other meds I've tried just don't work well enough anymore. But I didn't have the same negative side affects from Prilosec.
My only suspicion is, could this be due to a lack of iron? I do understand that these acid inhibitors can reduce your ability to absorb iron (Of course, too much iron is also harmful).
I am getting ready to go to a new gastro for a second opinion about my reflux. I have taken Nexium but I didn't think it did any good. Only took it for a month or so. Also, have taken Prilosec and it gave me stomach cramps and I felt lousy.
I've been trying some 'natural' remedies. I have started to take some digestive enzymes to see if they might help.
I hope you find better results with your new GE! I know your frustration, I've tried pretty much every medication out there for GERD. Right now I am taking Zegerid, a powder PPI, which is working fairly well.
Best of luck with your remedies .. sometimes we forget common cures! Please let me know what works and how your appt. goes! :)
I've been on Nexium 40mg once a day for about 3 months. The first 2 months I felt a little sluggish and maybe a little sad, but a month ago my doctor upped my does to 40mg 2 times a day. I've been much sadder lately and went to my doctor the other day when my heart wouldn't stop racing and I had an overall bad feeling and mental confusion. She switched me to Zantac and my prompting and put me on zoloft. On top of what I had been feeling I ended up with bad stomache problems and worse feelings of panic and dizziness. I ended up in the ER and they wrote it off to the flu and anixety. I stopped taking the zantac yesterday and today my heart stopped racing. I know one in a million experience these bad problems, I just hope its caused from the medicine and not "real". Im hoping someone else out there has some reassuring news or similar experience that can help.
Hi. I've been on Nexium also. I gave me abdominal pain and extreme diarrhea. They then switched me to Pariet which was more of the same as the symptoms continued but this time I could neither eat or sleep. I normally weigh about 120 and lost over 10 lbs so that wherever I went folks were asking me If I was sick, I looked so haggard. When I went back to the dr, he said how long have you been on these now, I said about 4 weeks. Well, he said, it takes about 6 weeks for it to work. Well, now if I was continually going downhill on these pills was 2 more weeks going to make me better. Not on your life or rather in this case-my life! So, I stopped taking them that day and started feeling better the next day. I still had the original problem I started with- burning throat- but the extreme fatigue, sleeplessness and overall down in the dumps disappeared. Within 2 weeks I was back to my old self. I started the spring water recommended by Northern Joe and it has worked really well for me. Good luck to you. CarolOsteoporosis Hiatus Hernia Herniated cervical disk Gerd
I have been on Pantaloc, Nexium, Randitidine and Prevacid. nothing has helped with my acid reflux and ulcer. I am running out of ideas. Having acid reflux has affected my work life to the point that I have quit my past job because of it. In my current job I've been there for one month and the burning symptoms have returned so strong that it wakes me up at night. I cannot go to work on little to no hours of sleep. and I can't keep relying on sleeping pills.
has anyone gone through this who might have suggestions?
Sorry you're having such difficulties! If medicine is not helping, have you considered out-patient surgical procedures? There's several out there, that aren't quite as involved as fundoplication. One that my doctor has recommended is called Endocinch. It only takes a couple of hours and is reversible, if need be. Maybe that's the route for you. Best of luck in feeling better :) ToniYou can't say
My journey with acid reflux lasted over 10 years. I had severe acid reflux disease, in fact, it was so bad that I went to the ER thinking I was having a heart attack. I slept with the bed elevated (didn't help). I had a scope procedure down my esophagus to check for Barrett's esophagus. I had gone from Prevacid to Prilosec to Nexium. About 4 1/2 years ago I started a nutritional product which helped with my insomnia, low energy and depression. I had no idea it would alleviate all of my acid reflux symptoms. It has been over 4 1/2 years since I suffered from acid reflux. I haven't seen my internist in over 3 years. I don't take even a Tums and eat anything I want including Mexican food. I would have thought it was a fluke except that I have 3 friends whose husbands all suffered from acid reflux too and went to the same GI doctor that I was seeing for acid reflux. They all had the same results I did. Their acid reflux was worse than mine. One had already developed Barrett's esophagus which is a precursor to cancer. Since starting on this nutrition he has gone from seeing the doctor every 1 year for a checkup to every 3 years now. Another friend I recently met had already had surgery for acid reflux which did not help. He had only been on the product a couple of months when he noticed he no longer suffered from the symptoms. I am convinced that if we give our bodies what they need in the way of good nutrition the bodies can work miracles. This definitely is worth a try if you are really tired of suffering and taking drugs. E-mail me and I will share the information with you: sb4850@bellsouth.net. What you do with it is up to you.
I had similar problems with Pepcid (40mg) and continue to have the problems with Nexium. I read that both of these classes of drugs cause a reduced absorbtion of vitamin B (I don't remember which forms of B). My experience has been that when I remember to take my vitamin B (I take 2 doses of 100% RDA, 1 at breakfast and 1 at lunch), the side effects of depression/lack of energy are reduced. Hope it helps.
I seem to be having side effects from Nexium too. Fatigue, but also muscle pain; pretty intense in my calves, thigh muscle, even my biceps and triceps ache. I wondered if anyone else has been experiencing this side effect. I stopped taking the Nexium for a day but the heartburn is so bad I end up taking the Nexium again. I also experience shortness of breath if I don't take the Nexium because the reflux is so bad.
Have you been checked for Fibromylagia or hypothryodism? I also have GERD and cannot function with out my Nexium. I have pain in my hips, and pretty much ache all over. That is symptoms to these other diseases. I was having memory problems and confusion and dr said it was due to the hypothyrodism. You might want to get these blood tests done to check these out? I hate these diseases and it has made me become a homemaker and had to quit my job of 5 years being a insurance coder at a dr office could not sit long and could not concentrate!
Hope everyone has a pain free week and a good week
Vicki from ALabamaTrust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him. and he shall direct your path. Proverbs 3:5,6
My favorite verse!
Fibromyagia, IBS, Depression, carpal tunnel, hypothryoidism, ovarain cysts, kidney stones, neck and back pain, etc.
Thanks for your reply Vicky. Per my doctor I have the start of arthritis in my hip, which does hurt but my calf muscles, thigh muscles and biceps ache like crazy. I am supposed to have thyroid blood work done at the end of May before my next check up. I also am diabetic. My doctor did a blood test to check for muscle problems but it came back negative but that was before I started the Nexium. Yes these diseases are difficult to deal with at times. Hope you have a good week too. Again thank you.
I have found nexium to be quite dangerous, altho a friend who was also on it had no side effect's at all, The problem I had was I wasent aware of the problem till I took my wife on my motorbike and she said my riding was terrible and dangerous, I had wonderd why people were giving me strange look's while I was riding ! after she pointed this out I coulden't ride my bike at all, I began to realize it was affecting my sense of speed and time, I am now on prevacid, and at the moment I feel normal.
Pam, I've suffered from major depression for most my life and have been on and off meds--currently on. I started Nexium for GERD last month. about a week ago, I started feeling as if my meds stopped working. I cry, I'm sad, and I'm unhopeful. Interestingly, these depression symptoms returned just when the Nexium kicked in. I think we need to report the symptoms to the docs. Something is going on. Perhaps women are effected. Perhaps it's hormonal.
this message is for tyler. I have been taking all forms of gerd releif and i feal the very same things you do. I read online that prevacid and nexium deplete your body of b12 which in turn causes muscle pain and nerve damage. My legs also ache just like you described. I am not really sure what to tell you but i have suffered with neuropathy for a year now and it was brought on by a vitamin deficiency. I have been forgetful and confused and it was this site and all the testimonies that i have read to finally open my eyes. maybe if we just dont eat we will be alright. dont know what to do. Cant function without some sort of remedy.
I stopped the nexium but am using prilosec OTC - muscle pain seems better and have stopped crying for no apparant reason. I told my doctor I did this and she was OK with it for now. Perhaps it's the smaller dose that makes it seem like I'm doing better I'm not sure. Hope you all are feeling better too. Thanks for all your replies.