Esomeprazole

Order Esomeprazole Online For Acid Reflux

Written by Clinical Pharmacist Hywel McGlinchy

Esomeprazole for acid reflux can be ordered from Simple Online Pharmacy, a UK registered online pharmacy and doctor service. As part of your order, you will need to complete an online medical assessment. This is reviewed by our GPs who will assess your suitability for the medicine. If approved, a prescription is sent to our pharmacy. From there, the medicine will be dispensed and dispatched to your chosen address.

What is Esomeprazole?

Esomeprazole is a medicine that reduces the amount of acid produced by your stomach. This makes it a useful medicine for a number of conditions such as heartburn, acid reflux, stomach ulcers and erosive esophagitis. It can also be used to treat a rare condition called Zollinger Ellison syndrome. 

Esomeprazole used to be a prescription-only medicine but recently small packs of the 20 mg strength have been made available over the counter. The over the counter products are known by the brand name Nexium Control.

Larger pack sizes of the 20 mg strength, and the higher strength of 40 mg, are only available on prescription. It is available in tablet form, delayed release capsules, and as a liquid.

Esomeprazole is a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and is in the same family of drugs as other acid reflux medicines such as omeprazole and lansoprazole.

Esomeprazole Summary

Esomeprazole Pricing

How does Esomeprazole work?

Acid reflux, heartburn and other symptoms can be caused by stomach acid travelling up towards the throat and mouth. This can produce other symptoms like an unpleasant taste in your mouth, hiccups, bad breath, and bloating. If acid reflux happens repeatedly, it is called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Esomeprazole is a proton pump inhibitor (PPI). PPIs work to reduce the acid in your stomach. In the stomach, proton pumps help to produce acid for the digestion of food. PPIs like esomeprazole stop the proton pumps in the stomach from producing acid. This helps to reduce the amount of acid produced by the stomach and improve the symptoms of acid reflux.

Esomeprazole dosage

You should take Esomeprazole exactly as your doctor has told you to. The usual dose is one 20mg tablet once a day. This may be increased to 40mg once a day. 

You can take Esomeprazole at any time of day and it can be taken with or without food. 

Treatment Comparison

Other conditions and Esomeprazole

Esomeprazole may not be suitable for everyone to take. You should not take Esomeprazole if you are allergic to any of the ingredients in the tablets. You should also not take it if you have had an allergic reaction to other PPIs (e.g. omeprazole, lansoprazole) in the past.

People with severe liver or kidney problems should speak to their doctor or healthcare professional before taking Esomeprazole.

Interactions with other medicines

Esomeprazole can interact with certain medicines. It should not be taken with some anti-HIV medicines such as nelfinavir. Other medicines that may interact with Esomeprazole include clopidogrel (a blood thinner), phenytoin (an anti-epileptic drug), and digoxin (used for heart problems).

If you are unsure whether the medication you take is suitable with Esomeprazole, call your doctor or pharmacist for medical advice. You can also find further information on interacting medicines in the patient information leaflet.

Esomeprazole Side Effects

There is a risk of side effects when taking any medicine. Some side effects are more common than others. Common side effects of Esomeprazole include:

• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Headache
• Stomach side effects like stomach pain and flatulence
• Constipation and/or diarrhoea
• Taking Esomeprazole long term can increase the risk of some side effects happening such as bone fractures and vitamin B12 deficiency.

Serious side effects are rarer. Read the patient information leaflet for information on serious side effects and less common side effects. Talk to your doctor if you have any concerns about side effects with this medicine.

Alternatives to Esomeprazole

There are a number of similar medicines that can be used to treat acid reflux and heartburn. Other proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are available such as omeprazole, lansoprazole and pantoprazole. These all work in a very similar way but a different PPI may be more or less effective for different people.

Other treatments include over the counter products such as Gaviscon Advance, Rennies and Peptac. These work in a different way from PPIs. Gaviscon and Peptac form a barrier above the stomach acid to stop it from travelling up towards the throat. Rennies helps to neutralise stomach acid.

Apart from taking medication for acid reflux, there are a number of lifestyle tips you can follow to improve your symptoms. These can be done without medication or alongside medication. Useful examples include:

• Eating smaller meals but more frequently
• Losing weight if you are overweight
• Do not eat within 4 hours of going to bed
• Do not drink too much alcohol
• Try to work out which foods trigger your symptoms and avoid those foods

What is Esomeprazole?

Esomeprazole is a medication used to reduce the amount of acid your stomach produces. It can be used to treat many conditions such as stomach ulcers and acid reflux. It belongs to a family of medicines called Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs). These act on the proton pumps in the stomach to reduce the amount of stomach acid produced.

What are the side effects of Esomeprazole?

There is a risk of side effects when taking any medicine. Some side effects are more common than others. Common side effects of Esomeprazole include:

• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Headache
• Stomach side effects like stomach pain and flatulence
• Constipation and/or diarrhoea

Serious side effects are rarer. Read the patient information leaflet for information on serious side effects and less common side effects.

Is Esomeprazole better than Omeprazole?

Both medicines are very similar and used to treat similar conditions. They generally work as well as each other but this can vary between patients. For some people, one might be more effective than the other. If you think Esomeprazole isn’t effective for you, discuss with your doctor about switching to a different PPI such as Omeprazole.

What is the best time to take Esomeprazole?

Usually, when you take one dose of Esomeprazole a day, you are advised to take it in the morning. However, you can take it at any time of the day and it should still be effective. Always take it as your doctor has told you to.
If you have been prescribed Esomeprazole twice a day, you should take one dose in the morning and one dose in the evening.

What can I take instead of Esomeprazole?

There are a number of other ways to improve acid reflux symptoms. Other treatments are available such as Gaviscon, Rennies, and Peptac. These are available over the counter and can be effective treatments. There are also a number of other medicines available on prescription such as Omeprazole and Lansoprazole.

Can you buy Esomeprazole over the counter in the UK?

Esomeprazole is available to buy over the counter under the brand name Nexium Control. This is available in packs of 7 or 14 tablets in 20 mg strength. Large pack sizes or higher strengths of Esomeprazole in the UK require a prescription.

You can request to order prescription-strength Esomeprazole using our online doctor service. Our doctors will review your medical assessment and prescribe it if safe and suitable to do so. Our pharmacy will then deliver the medicines to your chosen address.

• How common is acid reflux?

  Acid reflux occurs in about 1 in 5 of us, however, as we get older, the majority of us are likely to experience the symptoms of heartburn.

• What else can help with acid reflux?

  Acid reflux can become worse when eating fatty food, smoking, drinking caffeinated drinks and eating chocolate. Avoiding these may help reduce symptoms. Being overweight and stress have also been shown to make acid reflux more common.

• When do I need to see a doctor about heartburn?

  You should see your GP if you are having symptoms regularly, you have difficulty swallowing and if over the counter medications are not helping. If any of the following symptoms occur, seek medical advice: Persistent vomiting Vomiting blood Unexplained weight loss

Before taking Esomeprazole or any medication, it is important to read the Patient Information Leaflet.

• Esomeprazole Patient information leaflet