Neksium 20 mg Tablet

Neksium 20 Tablet – Esomeprazole Tablets IP 20 mg by Pfizer

Neksium 20 from Pfizer is an enteric-coated tablet of Esomeprazole Magnesium Trihydrate IP equivalent to Esomeprazole 20 mg. Esomeprazole has an odd history that explains why it exists at all. Omeprazole is a fifty-fifty mixture of two mirror-image forms of the same molecule; when its patent was running out, its makers isolated the slower-cleared half and developed it as a separate drug. That could easily have been a marketing exercise, but the pharmacology turned out to be genuinely different: the S-isomer is cleared more slowly and depends far less on the CYP2C19 enzyme, so blood levels are higher, steadier, and vary much less from patient to patient. The 20 mg is the maintenance and step-down strength – the dose you move to once an initial course has healed the oesophagus or ulcer. Manufactured by Hetero Labs, Baddi. Swallow whole. Strip of 15 tablets.

Key Features

• Esomeprazole Magnesium Trihydrate IP equivalent to Esomeprazole 20 mg, enteric-coated
• The maintenance and step-down strength of the esomeprazole range
• Higher and steadier blood levels than plain omeprazole, with less patient-to-patient variation
• Approved colours: Ferric Oxide USP-NF (Red) and Titanium Dioxide IP
• Strip of 15 tablets. Marketed by Pfizer Limited; made by Hetero Labs, Baddi

Composition

• Esomeprazole Magnesium Trihydrate IP – equivalent to Esomeprazole 20 mg
• Excipients q.s. Approved colours: Ferric Oxide USP-NF (Red) and Titanium Dioxide IP. As printed on the blister

Uses & Benefits

• Treats GERD, heartburn, acid regurgitation and reflux oesophagitis
• Heals gastric and duodenal ulcers and helps prevent them returning
• Used with antibiotics to eradicate H. pylori
• Prevents NSAID-associated gastric ulcers in people at risk
• Used in Zollinger-Ellison syndrome and other acid hypersecretory states
• Once-daily dosing before breakfast for most people

Directions for Use

• Take it 30 to 60 minutes before a meal, usually before breakfast, or exactly as your doctor directs
• Swallow it whole with water. Do not chew, crush or break it – the enteric coating is what gets the drug past stomach acid intact
• Take it at the same time each day, and finish the full course even if the symptoms settle early
• If you miss a dose, take it when you remember unless the next is nearly due. Never take two together
• Avoid or limit alcohol, smoking and trigger foods while you are being treated

Precautions

• Take it 30 to 60 minutes before food. A proton pump inhibitor can only disable acid pumps that are already switched on, and eating is what switches them on
• Long-term use is not harmless – low magnesium, low vitamin B12, reduced calcium absorption, higher fracture risk and gut infections are all associated with prolonged acid suppression
• Do not stop a long course abruptly; acid can rebound above where it started
• Tell your doctor about difficulty swallowing, vomiting blood, black stools or unintended weight loss – acid suppression can mask a serious problem
• Tell your doctor about liver disease, low magnesium, and every other medicine you take – especially clopidogrel, methotrexate, digoxin, antifungals, HIV medicines and warfarin
• Headache, diarrhoea, nausea, wind and stomach pain can occur and are usually mild

Storage

• Store below 25°C. Protect from moisture, as printed on the blister
• Tablet should be swallowed whole and not chewed or crushed
• Keep out of reach of children

Disclaimer

Schedule H prescription drug – to be sold by retail on the prescription of a Registered Medical Practitioner only. Acid-suppressing medicines are meant for a defined course, not indefinite self-treatment. This information is for general awareness and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.