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Indication
Nexium tablets 40mg are used to treat conditions caused by gastric reflux, which is when the acidic contents of the stomach flow back into the oesophagus (gullet), because the sphincter (muscle at the junction of the oesophagus and stomach) that normally acts as a one-way valve and prevents backflow of stomach contents, does not function properly or is damaged. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GORD), as this condition is known, causes symptoms like heartburn and dyspepsia (indigestion and abdominal pain), and can damage the oesophagus causing inflammation (oesophagitis). Nexium 40 is also used to treat and prevent peptic ulcers in the stomach (gastric ulcers or damage to the stomach lining) and duodenum (duodenal ulcers or damage to the lining of the upper intestine); and gastric ulcers caused by use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID); also as combination therapy to treat gastric ulcers that are caused by infection of the stomach with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, in conjunction with using antibiotics. Nexium tablets 40mg are also used to treat symptoms of acid-related dyspepsia that can be caused by eating high fat or acidic foods, or Zollinger-Ellison syndrome in which increased levels of the hormone gastrin causes an excessive production of gastric acid.

Side Effects
Constipation, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, wind (flatulence), abdominal pain,

Mechanism Of Action
Nexium tablets 40mg contain esomeprazole, a proton pump inhibitor that is used to treat conditions caused by excess gastric acid, by reducing the amount of gastric acid released into the stomach. Stomach acid is needed for digestion of proteins in the diet and is made by the parietal cells of the stomach wall. Gastric acid production is dependent on the action of the enzyme H+/K+-ATPase, which is the proton pump responsible for pumping positive hydrogen ions out of the cells into the stomach, which increases the acidity of the stomach contents. Esomeprazole in Nexium tablets 40mg inhibits the functioning of the H+/K+-ATPase, which prevents acid secretion by blocking the source of acid production. This action of esomeprazole in Nexium tablets 40mg reduces the acidity of the stomach contents, which reduces the acid damage that can be caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease (GORD) and oesophagitis and relieves symptoms caused by excess gastric acid like heartburn and dyspepsia. By inhibiting gastric acid secretion Nexium 40 also helps prevent the formation of gastric (stomach) and duodenal (upper intestine) peptic ulcers and also helps ulcers and damage caused by gastric reflux to heal.