Nexium is a drug that is heavily advertised in just about any medium found. I've always noticed that most of the time, they always say something about the purple pill but fail to even tell you what it treats (much less it's mechanism of action).
Nexium (esomeprazole magnesium) is indicated for the treatment of heartburn and acid reflux disease. This is when the acid in your stomach backs up into the lining of the esophagus. Nexium works by inhibiting the proton pumps in the stomach that make the acid to digest food. Protons are pumped in which drops the pH (as anybody with a fish tank, acidity breaks down proteins) and makes acid to degrade the food you eat. By acting specifically on the proton pump, esomeprazole blocks the final step in acid production, thus reducing gastric acidity. This effect is dose-related up to a daily dose of 20 to 40 mg and leads to inhibition of gastric acid secretion.
In certain cases, nexium is given in combination with an antibiotic such as amoxicillin to clear any persistent bacterial contaminants in the stomach.
Nexium is well tolerated and does not interact with many drugs, but does inhibit gastric acid secretion therefore may slow the absorption of other medications.
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