Esomeprazole and Diarrhea: What Users Say

• RJN...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 17, 2019

Esomeprazole for GERD "I developed terrible GERD and acid reflux where I had chest pressure and the feeling of a giant golf ball stuck in my throat. I was started on Omeprazole for about a week with no improvement. I was sleeping almost sitting down because laying down made the chest pressure so much worse. I was switched to Nexium 40 mg, which I took for 2 weeks. I had terrible nausea, diarrhea, sweating, and anxiety every day. I also developed a fear of suicidal ideations. Fear of dying and fear that something would make me jump from my balcony. I had to lock all my sliding doors and I currently moved to my mom's house. I also had moments where my mind would not stop racing and I would be in a daze. Everyone was talking around me and I would not be present. I stopped the Nexium for 1 day already. The nausea has stopped and so has the diarrhea. I also have not had any dazed our moments today and my thoughts of dying were much less today. I also developed crazy depression."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 28, 2018

Esomeprazole for GERD "Absolutely awful drug... I took it for 3 days. Yes, it worked by removing the incessant burning. However, the side effects were horrific and take quite some time to get rid of. Day 4 chest pain out of the blue lasting for several minutes ended up in the emergency room. ECG normal. Lethargy, anxiety, terrible stomach cramps, diarrhea, back pain, limb weakness, neck pain and cramps, swaying... This drug is SO toxic. It took a week or two for it all to subside."

• MEa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 15, 2020

Esomeprazole for GERD "I had been taking this medication, Nexium, for 4 months. I didn’t realize it at first, but it slowly sucked away my energy. Near the end of the 4 months, I began to feel nauseous and dizzy, with pain in my back. I had labs done and am borderline anemic, low potassium, and kidney function is no longer optimal. I stopped the drug immediately and started to feel better-aside from the return of my gastritis. Three days ago, I began taking it again: same symptoms, except this time with diarrhea, too. Make sure your vitamins and electrolytes are measured before and during use of this drug! It has been awful for me."

• Ash...
• January 18, 2016

Esomeprazole for GERD "I have never in my life felt so horrible than what I do now. I have taken this med for 4 days. I have been nauseous every day, diarrhea, and my stomach hurts, gas, etc. I cannot believe this med would make me feel this way when it is supposed to help. Maybe some people do well on it, but I cannot do this anymore. I feel worse than what I did when I started it. I will just go back to taking my generic Famotidine every day. It works and works right away. I do not even care at this point that Famotidine does not heal, it just masks the symptoms. I do not care! I just know no more Nexium for me. It can all burn!! Like the feeling I have in my stomach right now from taking it. Thanks for letting me give my honest review. G'Day"

• Gri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 15, 2018

Esomeprazole for GERD "I took Nexium for 14 days for GERD problems...first week noticed a difference in my GERD symptoms. The only side effect in my first week with Nexium was diarrhea. In the second week, my side effects got bad...every day headache day and night, feeling tired all day, muscle pain in my back, my shoulders, my neck, and my cheekbones, trouble falling asleep at night...hope all these bad side effects go away soon."

• Bet...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 24, 2013

Esomeprazole for GERD "I've been on Nexium off and on for about ten years now. Depending on how it was covered under my insurance, I had to go off it at times since it was not covered. I have tried Protonix, Prilosec, and Prevacid (30 mg daily and 30 mg 2x a day). Prevacid gave me horrible diarrhea. Nexium has been the best. My latest insurance company wanted me to try Dexilant for a month before covering Nexium. Basically, one 60 mg Dexilant is like taking two 30 mg Prevacids. It didn't do anything but give me a cold after a month, and lots of diarrhea. I always come back to the Nexium. When things improve, I wean off it, taking it once every other day for a while to get off of it. I have been getting my calcium and magnesium levels checked every 6 months, always normal."

• Lil...
• September 2, 2016

Esomeprazole for GERD "I was put on this for GERD and to heal my esophagus for an upper GI. I was only on it for a few weeks before I was hit out of nowhere with crippling stomach cramps and diarrhea that lasted for hours. My hands were shaky and would go numb, which they had never done before. This happened twice, each a week apart before we discovered the pill was behind it. Once I stopped taking it, every symptom stopped: the shakiness and numbness, cramping, and diarrhea all stopped. This pill had no effect on my GERD either, it just created misery for me. I still do not know why I got such a reaction from this pill."

• Max...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 15, 2021

Esomeprazole "I took Nexium 40 mg for 3 weeks. At the beginning, it was fine, my acid reflux was fixed, but side effects were terrible, such as depression, anxiety, tremor, diarrhea, back pain, and general feeling of sickness. Dizziness during the day. This is my 3rd day off from Nexium 40 mg, back pain is gone, but still feeling dizzy from time to time. Does anyone know how long these side effects last? Thank you."

• Pin...
• September 13, 2019

Esomeprazole for GERD "In 2014, I was diagnosed with H. Pylori, which was eradicated successfully. In 2019, diagnosed with chronic gastritis, I was prescribed Nexium 40 mg for the first month and 20 mg for five months. It worked so well that I started eating things I was not able to eat before. I was so happy until I developed side effects that I never thought were from Nexium. They were stomach ache, diarrhea, constant nausea feeling, pain in my back and between shoulder blades, headache that would come on from little sound, like someone coughing, and extreme fatigue. When my periods started, I had nightmare cramping, I was vomiting, runny tummy all day, and excruciating pain. I couldn't sit, lie down, or walk. I was literally rolling on the floor with pain, and I never suffered from period pains before. I decided to go off it. I am on my first day. The stomach pain and the shoulder pain subsided, the fatigue almost completely gone. I had little diarrhea and tummy ache. I am hoping all this will be gone and will go back to normal. PPIs are a bittersweet pill."

• Bat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 12, 2019

Esomeprazole for GERD "After a couple of hours of taking Nexium, I began to feel nauseous, another hour or so later, I vomited. Then the diarrhea started. Watery and urgent, I couldn't leave the house. I have tried this medicine several times, and every time I have had the same reaction. It is the worst medicine I have ever been prescribed, and I am going to destroy the ones I have left. The dosage I was prescribed was 40 mg, and this may well be too much, but I will not try to take it again."

• Ber...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• January 8, 2020

Esomeprazole for GERD "I started taking Nexium in my teens (20 years ago) for persistent acid reflux. At the time, it relieved the nausea I was experiencing, and I used it on and off for about 7 years before stopping completely. One thing I did suffer with during those 7 years was chronic diarrhea, which at the time was diagnosed as IBS. After I stopped Nexium completely, the pattern of chronic diarrhea went away. That is until this past year when I was re-prescribed Nexium to deal with heartburn. When it works, Nexium is great, and I have no problem tolerating the side effects to gain what relief I can from reflux. However, I've noticed this time around it's working very slowly to alleviate my heartburn pain, if it alleviates it at all, and it's made dealing with any side effects increasingly frustrating."

• hpy...
• December 1, 2009

Esomeprazole for Helicobacter Pylori Infection "Being on this medicine for the first 5 days was hard, felt sicker than ever with symptoms of mild diarrhea, some hives, worst nausea, fatigue. This started to improve day 6. After being on it for a week, am almost back to normal. Felt like the drugs had to work on the H. Pylori, then the body had to work on getting the drug out of the body."

• Kle...
• March 27, 2016

Esomeprazole for Barrett's Esophagus "Used Nexium for over 14 years. You need to stop taking this medication or any acid reducer medication 3 days before the use of any antibiotics. If you do not, then you can get an infection that is quite dangerous called Clostridia Difficile, or C. Diff, which gives you diarrhea and a paralyzed colon! The bacteria eats away at the lining of the large intestine until you bleed out, have diarrhea, and colon cancer and/or polyps! Use only for 3 days and stay off until you start having symptoms again; then use it again for 3 days (72 hours) as that is how long your colon needs to regenerate! Stop! Then repeat! If you have trouble sleeping, use Benadryl intermittently!"

• Bom...
• July 27, 2021

Esomeprazole for GERD "I've been on over-the-counter Nexium 20 mg for 6 daily doses, as I hadn't been able to pick up my omeprazole prescription. My God, I thought I was dying! Massive panic attack yesterday, nausea, dizziness, and early morning insomnia, followed by crazy thoughts, diarrhea, and eye twitches. I still have waves of nausea, had no idea what it was until I visited these shared experiences. I'm off it now, and this review site has settled my nerves! This stuff is utterly toxic! Steer clear! Thank you all."

• Efo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 18, 2022

For Gastritis/Duodenitis "I'd taken this in the past but didn’t realize it could’ve been why I’d been having so many awful symptoms. This time I was feeling better when I started it, so I definitely noticed. I was having super bad fatigue, it was hard to get up in the morning or make it through the day, anxiety and racing thoughts, hair loss, diarrhea, generally just feeling super awful and unwell. I stopped taking it last night and actually felt like I could wake up today. I’d had to switch to caffeine pills, and those stopped working, I was worried I’d have to get back on Ritalin for fatigue before I put it together and realized it was this, and I’m glad I did."

• Dus...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 22, 2018

Esomeprazole for GERD "I took Nexium for three days (20 mg) and stopped due to explosive coughing, which started day two. It intensified my asthma and caused diarrhea. I’m now five days out from stopping this drug, and I can’t get rid of these side effects. For me, this was a horrible drug."

• Sch...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 3, 2021

Esomeprazole for GERD "I have had GERD since the 1990s. I have been on all different medications for this problem. No other pill has given me such problems like Nexium. After using it for 2 weeks, I got such achy bones all over that I was in constant pain. I have osteoarthritis but not all over like this. My stools are really soft, and I go a lot. Sometimes 2x or 3x a day. If I pass gas, sometimes I shart myself. I take Nexium 3 to 4 times a week. My body can't handle 7 days a week. This by far has been the worst GERD medication that I have ever taken. It works for my GERD, but the side effects are terrible."

• Liz...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• June 25, 2019

Esomeprazole for GERD "I have been on Nexium many years, first 40 mg and for a long time 20 mg. It controls the reflux, but in spite of working on my diet, if I go off of it for a few days, I get very bad diarrhea and then might start to throw up stomach acid. Even tapering off might not work. I was originally diagnosed with a hiatal hernia."

• Anonymous
• June 1, 2009

Esomeprazole for GERD "After using Nexium for many years, I have abdominal pain and lots of wind and constant diarrhea. Loperamide did not control this. Now I am on a strict no carbohydrate, no dairy, and no caffeine diet. It is working at this time, June 2009."

• Kar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 9, 2021

Esomeprazole for Duodenal Ulcer Prophylaxis "I took just one capsule of Nexium 20 mg to protect my stomach while taking prednisone. This was before breakfast, as directed. About one hour later, I started to feel very ill: abdominal pain, the runs, and just feeling terrible. This lasted most of the day. I contacted the manufacturer for a refund."

• Gin...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 28, 2021

Esomeprazole for GERD "My cardiologist noticed that I had a cough and thought it might be acid reflux. I filled the script that day (40 mg). The next day my gut was tender, I was lightheaded, had diarrhea. Three days in, the pain was worse, my migraines had become daily and acutely painful, nausea persisted, I was flatulent, and even that caused severe gut pain. I felt nausea but thought it was a migraine-related problem. I reasoned all my symptoms could not have been from 10 capsules that were supposed to help my cough. After I looked online, I stopped the pills, thinking that would be the end of my pain, but six days later I am still dealing with some side effects, and the pain is just now easing up. Thanks to this site, I finally put it all together. Never take ESOMEPRAZOLE, the generic for Nexium. I have never had a side effect to anything that was this painful, this hard to pinpoint, and took this long to clear up."

• Cau...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 1, 2022

Esomeprazole for GERD "Was given Nexium 40 mg for GERD. First week was great. Felt relief after 3 days. Second week it stopped working as well and nasty side effects. The worst being anxiety (crying all day), painful muscle cramps, and it made my chronic pain (fibromyalgia) worse! But also insomnia, stomach pain, headaches, trembling, watery diarrhea, nausea, insomnia, weakness, and fatigue. I'm asking the doctor tomorrow for something else. Never taking this again."

• Jam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 16, 2021

For GERD "I have had a hiatus hernia for many years, but it hasn't caused that many problems until about two years ago. The doc prescribed me everything under the sun, including Omi, Panto, Lanso, and Esomeprazole. By far, the worst of these was Esomeprazole, I experienced all of the bad stuff that people have given reviews about. I stopped taking Esom for a while, but the heartburn kept coming back, so I went back on it yesterday. Big mistake! After two hours, I had delusions, lower right side back pain, bloating, shakes, headache, chest pain, diarrhea, dizziness, I felt like a heart attack was going to happen (anxiety). Believe me when I say this medicine is an absolute nightmare! It may be alright for a few people to cure their acid reflux, but you get a whole new set of problems with it, which is far worse. A lot of people are on this for more than 14 days via docs' prescriptions, that's like a death sentence! It is still being sold as a wonder drug online and in chemists and supermarkets as well! Steer clear!"

• Ecr...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 11, 2025

"Got prescribed 20 mg daily for inappropriate hunger, but I did not use it then. A few months later, I got the green light from another doctor to use it for stomach pain after eating. I took one every morning, and it reduced the heartburn and nausea following breakfast but stopped working after that. In fact, it worsened indigestion, stomach cramping, and diarrhea for the rest of the day. Stopped it after 10 days. I do not have H. pylori and was never diagnosed with GERD or other stomach conditions."

• Jes...
• September 24, 2015

Esomeprazole for GERD "I took one dose, and 30 minutes later, I was in real trouble! Rash, itching, tachycardia, abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chills, etc."