Hello Dear. Esomeprazole is given to your child because she has gastritis. Esomeprazole is a proton pump inhibitor (PPI). It works by decreasing the amount of acid produced in the stomach. This medicine can be taken for a long term may be some years without any side effect. But it is always better to take some preventive measure for gastritis rather than taking medicines for long time. Some of the tips i would like to suggest to your daughter which she needs to follow on a long term basis are: 1. Do not eat spicy food 2. Take medications without fail as prescribed by your doctor 3. Take little food at frequent intervals. Breakfast around 8am, small snack at 11am, lunch at 1pm, small snack at 4pm and dinner at 8pm 4. Drink plenty of water 5. Do not take much of stress. Stress aggravates gastritis 6. Do regular exercise. Atleast half an hour per day 7. Learn meditation techniques 8. Do not take any intoxicants. (Even in future as an adult smoking, drinking etc shouldnt be done). 9. Follow this regularly for 21 days. It is said that anything you practice regularly for 21 days becomes a habit Hope i have answered your question. Feel free to contact me if you have any more questions. I ll be glad to help you. All the best With warm regards Dr Sanjay Kini