OTC substitute for Nexium

 Hi all,

My insurance changed this month and I went to fill my Nexium prescription and it came out to $108.00.  Needless to say, I cannot afford to pay that.

Has anyone substituted an over-the-counter medication for their prescription one?  If so, which one did you find comparable?

I appreciate any and all responses.

Mahalo,

Lulu

I take Nexium and can't tell you about a substitute.

However, check out this site. There a discount program available with Nexium.
It may help you out.

http://www.purplepill.com/taking-nexium/purple-plus-savings- card.aspx

You should certainly run any med changes pas your doctor - surgeon or PCP, but that said, Nexium and Prilosec are close kissin' cousins. Nexium was created when Prilosec was going off patent by changing just enough of the drug molecule to make it patentable again, but they work in fundamentally the same way. In the vast majority of cases, there is no benefit to using Nexium over Prilosec (but there will always be a few....) It would not be far from the truth to say that the main functional difference between the two is the color of the pill.

Prilosec is available OTC under its own brand name or under the generic name Omeprazole in 20mg tablets (half the typical prescription dose). Omeprazole runs about $15 for 42 tablets at Costco.

I was never given a prescription for this class of drug, but simply instructed to buy the OTC Prilosec, or another acid reducer if Prilosec didn't work satisfactorily.

 Ask the pharmacist. Prilosec (omeprazole) does the same thing. 

Nexium is a PPI, a proton pump inhibitor...turns off the acid making pumps in the stomach.  OTC Prilosec or the generic equivalent, Omeprazole, is also a PPI.  There are several prescription PPI's (Aciphex, Protonix, Prevacid are 3 I can think of off the top of my head) and one of them should be on your insurance formulary.  Call your insurance company or have your pharmacy check which one is the better deal for you with your insurance, then tell your doctor which one you want...he/she should not have an issue with changing to a different one. 

There are five PPIs available in the US:
    omeprazole (Prilosec)
    lansoprazole (Prevacid)
    rabeprazole (Aciphex)
    pantoprazole (Protonix)
    esomeprazole (Nexium)
I have tried three of them, but the Nexium is the only one that really works for me. YMMV

A lot of those mentioned above wern't strong or didn't work for me. Have you ever heard of Pariet/Rabeprazole...It was a mircle drug for me....20mg-BID...Check it out, it may be covered for you on your insurance!

Edited..I guess it was mentioned!!!..But it rocks, so will keep the post!!!...Good luck

Hugs

Donna

Astra Zeneca (the drug manufacturer) has a patient assistance program for those without insurance or low income. Go to their website to see if you qualify. If you do, you get your meds free.

Protonix is available by RX, comes in Generic, as does Prilosec. My RX coverage is way cheaper than OTC drugs therefore I would recommend finding out if your doc can change your prescription to one of those drugs and get generic.

Also, check and see if your RX coverage offers a discount on mail order RX refills. My Nexium is 9 bucks for 30 days at my local pharmacy, $3 for a 90 day supply through the mail order, auto fill program.

I was on Prilose****il a case of gastriti**** me in Januray, and then I popped positive for the pregnancy and Prilosec is not approved during pregnancy.

I've taken OTC Prilosec when I forget to fill or authorize the refill, and it worked just fine.