Brief Answer: prilosec, prevacid, zegerid Detailed Answer: HI, thanks for using healthcare magic There are different classes of drugs that can be used for GERD. Nexium belongs a class of drug called proton pump inhibitors. Proton pump inhibitors are the most effective at treating GERD as compared to other classes of drugs. Other examples of proton pump inhibitors are prevacid, prilosec, aciphex, protonix, zegerid. Each of these is effective. It can take 5 to 7 days for a proton pump inhibitor to start exerting a significant effect in some persons because this is the amount of time it takes the drug to achieve a steady state level. Out of those mentioned- prilosec, prevacid and zegerid are available over the counter. Because they belong to the same family of drugs as the nexium they may be equally effective for you. I hope this helps, feel free to ask any additional questions

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