Esomeprazole is an acid reducer available in over-the-counter (OTC) medicines that treat frequent heartburn (i.e., symptoms occur two or more days a week). Esomeprazole is part of a group of acid reducers called proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs. It can be the only ingredient in heartburn medicines that provide long-lasting relief of symptoms, or it can be found in medicines that contain an additional active ingredient that helps with the absorption of esomeprazole. OTC medicines containing esomeprazole are not intended to provide immediate relief of heartburn symptoms. They should be taken every day for 14 days. While some people experience relief of symptoms within 24 hours, it may take one to four days for the medicine to take full effect.
Common Products
Dosing Information
OTC medicines containing esomeprazole are not intended to provide immediate relief of heartburn symptoms. They should be taken every day for 14 days. While some people experience relief of symptoms within 24 hours, it may take one to four days for the medicine to take full effect. It is always important to read and follow the Drug Facts label. Stop use and ask a doctor if symptoms persist.
A Note to Families:
1. Scientific and medical authorities around the world recognize acetaminophen as the only analgesic considered safe for use throughout an entire pregnancy when used according to the Drug Facts label.
2. There are no studies showing that acetaminophen use in children or during pregnancy causes autism.
3. Autism has many known risk factors, including genetics, but there is no clear, single cause.
4. Major health authorities like the FDA, CDC, and healthcare organizations such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) do not have warnings against acetaminophen use during pregnancy based on any known risk of autism and all recommend acetaminophen as the safest analgesic to use during pregnancy for short-term pain relief.
Frequently Asked Questions:
In fact, the Autism Science Foundation (ASF), a non-profit organization funding scientific autism research, specifically states that: it is disingenuous and misleading to boil autism's causes down to one simple thing," as there are hundreds of genes linked to autism in addition to other complex environmental factors.
Additionally, the most recent and rigorous research on this topic does not show a causal link to autism. The 2024 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) analyzed nearly 2.5 million children using the gold-standard sibling comparison method, which controls for shared genetics and family environment, and found no association between acetaminophen use during pregnancy or infancy and neurodevelopmental issues such as autism.
- CDC Yellow Book (Current as of April 23, 2025): “Acetaminophen remains the non-opioid analgesic of choice during pregnancy.”
- FDA’s Acetaminophen Page (Current as of August 14, 2025): “To date, FDA has not found clear evidence that appropriate use of acetaminophen during pregnancy causes adverse pregnancy, birth, neurobehavioral, or developmental outcomes.”
Additionally, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Health, a professional organization for obstetricians with subspecialty training in maternal-fetal medicine, stated on September 25, 2025 that it: "...continues to advise physicians and patients that acetaminophen is an appropriate medication to treat pain and fever during pregnancy…the weight of scientific evidence that acetaminophen use during pregnancy causes an increased risk for autism or ADHD is simply inconclusive…”
Safety Guide
Safety Guide
Esomeprazole is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is safe and effective when used according to the Drug Facts label.
Safe use tips:
- You should follow the recommended course of treatment for 14 days. You may repeat the 14-day course every four months, if necessary.
- You should never take more medicine or for a longer period of time than what the Drug Facts label says.
Ask a healthcare provider before use if:
- You are taking the blood-thinning drug warfarin.
- You are using an antifungal or anti-yeast medicine.
- You are taking the anxiety medicine diazepam.
- You are taking the heart medicine digoxin.
- You are taking the immune system medicine tacrolimus.
- You are taking the HIV infection medicine atazanavir.
- You have had heartburn for more than three months.
- Your heartburn is accompanied by lightheadedness, sweating, or dizziness.
- You are experiencing chest or shoulder pain with shortness of breath; sweating; pain spreading to your arms, neck, or shoulders; or lightheadedness.
- You have frequent chest pain, wheezing, unexplained weight loss, nausea or vomiting, or stomach pain.
- You are giving an OTC medicine containing esomeprazole to a child or adolescent under the age of 18.
- You are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Do not use if:
- You are allergic to esomeprazole.
- You have trouble or pain swallowing food, are vomiting with blood, or have bloody or black stools.
Stop use and ask a doctor if:
- Your heartburn continues or gets worse.
- You need to take the product for more than 14 days.
- You need to take more than one course of treatment every four months.
- You take too much. Immediately contact a healthcare provider or the poison control national helpline at 800.222.1222.
What are the possible side effects of esomeprazole?
- Headache
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal pain