Nexium tablets are classified by the instruction as a medicine used in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. Manufacturers produce the drug in the form of oblong biconvex tablets of a pink tint. They are coated, on which, as a rule, the manufacturer’s monogram is applied with the weight of the tablet - “40 mG”.
The main active ingredient of the drug is esomeprazole magnesium trihydrate. The medicine "Nexium" is multicomponent. In addition to the main substance, about twenty other compounds are included in its composition, among which glycerol, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, titanium dioxide, talc and others.
The drug recommends the use of the drug "Nexium" in the following cases:
- it is used for gastroesophageal reflux diseases, such as, for example, erosive reflux esophagitis, as well as a therapeutic agent for the healing of its manifestations and minimizing the risk of relapse;
- peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum (as part of combination therapy).
Nexium instruction recommends also for the treatment of duodenal ulcers and various relapses associated with this disease. The drug is especially effective as a healing agent for stomach ulcers and duodenal ulcers. As a prophylactic, it is used for these diseases in the regimen of long-term use.
The pharmacological effect of the drug "Nexium" is based on its ability to lower the level of secretion of hydrochloric acid. This is achieved thanks to the action of the S-isomer of omeprazole, which acts as a proton pump. The mechanism of this action is based on the fact that esomeprazole is a chemically weak base, and therefore it accumulates well and then acquires activity, during which inhibition of gastric secretion is achieved.
The activity of the drug develops approximately 1 hour after administration. In this case, the dose of the drug is 20-40 milligrams (1/2 -1 tablets). If you take it for five days at a regimen of - 20 mg once a day, then the maximum acid content decreases by 90%.
The therapeutic effect at the next dosage of Nexium 40 mg is achieved in approximately 78% of patients with monthly therapy and in 93% of patients with two months of therapeutic treatment .
When prescribing a drug in combination with antibiotics, in approximately 90% of cases, successful eradication of Helicobacter pylori occurs. Moreover, if the symptoms of the disease are not associated with ulcer complications, then they are eliminated after a week of therapy with the complete healing of ulcerative manifestations.
There are other positive effects associated with the ability of Nexium to inhibit the level of acid secretion. For example, while taking the drug, the level of gastrin in the blood rises, and in those patients who take the medicine for a long time, the number of enterochromaffin-like cells increases.
Compared to ranitidine, nexium has a higher level of effectiveness in the elimination of peptic ulcers.
To take the drug "Nexium", the instruction sets the following doses and modes of administration:
- in the treatment of gastroesophagitis, both adult patients and children aged at least 12 years of age, the drug is prescribed 1 time at 40 mg per day. The duration of treatment at this dosage is about 4 weeks. Continuation is recommended if the complete disappearance of the symptoms of the disease has not occurred. The duration of the additional treatment period is also 4 weeks;
- In the treatment of gastric ulcers and duodenum, adults are prescribed combination therapy. In its composition, nexium is taken once at a dose of 20 mg per day. The duration of admission is 7 days. In some cases, general weakness and negative symptoms from the gastrointestinal tract are noted.
The drug is contraindicated in patients with intolerance to fructose and its derivatives, as well as in the presence of sucrose-isomaltase deficiency in the patient.
You can not prescribe the drug to children under the age of twelve, people with hypersensitivity to esomeprazole.
It is forbidden to prescribe a drug together with Atazanavir.