Life Before and After Nexium

Lake Placid, NY“Before taking Nexium I was in top athletic form,” says Alan, “but Nexium side affects have diminished my quality of life tremendously. I blame the drugmaker and my doctor’s negligence: how could they not warn people about Nexium fractures?”

Alan says his life is divided in two: before and after Nexium. And he is still reeling from the permanent damage he claims was caused by this acid-reflux medication.

“My typical day before taking Nexium included running about five miles and weight training for one hour,” he says. “On top of that I took several dance and body-conditioning classes a week. Needless to say I was in great shape and I continued my training after college. My biggest mistake was complaining to my doctor about heartburn.”

About a year after Alan started taking Nexium, he began to have muscle pains all over his body, but he chalked them up to working out so much. Until one night he turned over in bed and felt a sharp pain in his rib. An x-ray showed two cracked ribs. Not long after that, Alan was playing basketball and hurt his wrist. Back to the hospital and another x-ray revealed a fractured wrist. “What the heck was going on - I began to feel like an old man,” he says.

“These bone fractures were the most puzzling. They appeared suddenly and without any cause. I went online and Googled Nexium. At first glance the side effects were common and could be applied to just about any drug, such as headache and diarrhea. Next up I searched “Nexium side effects” and bingo! Included in a very long list was muscle pain, muscle weakness and broken bone.

“At that point I realized that the problems were being caused by Nexium. I stopped taking it, and within a few months, some of my muscle pains began to disappear. Thankfully, I am young enough that broken bones can heal. What happens to elderly people taking this drug?

“Even though I only took Nexium for just over a year, my health problems may never get better because there is likely permanent damage to my muscular-skeletal system. By stopping Nexium I stopped further deterioration and some of the pain. But shame on AstraZeneca for not taking this medication off the shelves. How could any drug company market a product with this staggering number of reported side effects?”

Nexium Fractures Lawsuits

On December 31, 2012, more than 500 plaintiffs filed a Nexium lawsuit in California Southern District Court (case no. 3:2012cv03083), claiming that they suffered bone problems from their use of the proton pump inhibitor (PPI) prescribed for the treatment of heartburn, acid-reflux and inflammation of the esophagus. The product liability suit alleges that the plaintiffs suffered various bone problems, including osteoporosis, bone deterioration and fractures after taking Nexium.

Earlier that same month, 39 bone injury lawsuits were consolidated in the Multidistrict Litigation MDL 2404 (Central District of California) by the U.S. Judicial Panel (In re. Nexium (Esomerprazole) Products Liability Litigation, MDL Docket No. 2404). Plaintiffs allege that AstraZeneca, the Nexium manufacturer, knew about the risks of broken bones but did not disclose the risks to the consumers so that they could continue selling more Nexium. The plaintiffs claim the drug caused osteoporosis, loss of bone density and/or Nexium bone fractures.

Increasingly, people who have suffered fractures are becoming aware that Nexium could be to blame. Attorneys are currently filing claims against AstraZeneca.