I have been taking Nexium several years -- 40 mg. per day. The instructions say to take the medication 1 hour before or 2 - 3 hours after a meal. There have been times when I find it difficult to avoid eating for 2 - 3 hours before taking Nexium and allowing an hour before I eat again. How necessary is this? Would Nexium still work if unable to keep to those time structures? In other words, can there be some flexibility?
Q: How much time needs to elapse after eating to take Nexium?
Answers (2)
5/28/08 6:14pm
Nexium is a drug taken to suppress the acidity in the stomach and intestines, and should be taken on an empty stomach. The reason for this is that there have been shown to be differences in the amount of drug available to body if it was taken with food. What is interesting to note is that despite this, other studies do not really show a difference in the amount of acid suppression (the main reason the drug is taken in the first place) when it is taken with food.
5/10/08 2:17pm
Hi Sherry,
You can read about Nexium here in the quick facts. Dr Todd Eisner addressed the dosage time in this answer to a question. You can read the entire posting here, but Dr Eisner said:
"Question #4: If a patient forgets to take acid reflux medication one hour before a meal as prescribed, should the patient skip the dose?
Dr. Eisner: Depending on the medication, taking it at anytime still would be beneficial. You should check with your doctor's office to see what is recommended."
Hope this helps. Take care and stay in touch!
Vicki M
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