I've been taking Omeprazole 4 months. Skip 1 day acid reflux returns.Is it safe to continue taking ?
Question posted by piccarmen on 29 April 2012
Last updated on 30 October 2016
5 Answers
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Hi. I was on prescription omeprazole for a year because of side effects from medications. My GI doc took a look and switched me to a better drug. Too long of use of omeprazole can cause organ problems. That is why the OTC package says to use only for a short time.
Please go see the doctor to get something that will work better. It will probably be cheaper, too. And, of course, be very careful with your diet. Fats are the biggest culprit for me. Love ribs, fried chicken. No can do except on occasion now. It helps to find your own triggers. Be sure not to eat before bed.
Hi endlessPred,
I was very interested in the comment you wrote regarding the GI doctor switching from Omeprazole due to it causing organ problems. May I please have the name of the better drug he prescribed for you as I have been on Omeprazole for 10 years and I have so many horrible side effects such as shortness of breath, bone pain, urinary tract infections, cough, sinus problem, anemia (interferes with red cells). So, as you can see I would love to change. I tried going off of it and the heartburn is so bad I was unable to eat at all... I am not a poor eater. Never eat fried foods, do not eat red meat, no carbonated drinks, etc. I do drink 1/2 cup coffee in morning and sometimes in the afternoon. Please let me know about the med you take?
Thank you,
Aquarius Anne
You bet. Can't say that the omeprazole is your culprit for all you are listing. I will assume you have been scoped for upper GI? The type and cause of reflux is important. Shortness of breath can come from the following: When you sleep at night there is reflux. It can be like a fine mist, even on the omeprazole. This gets breathed into the lungs and can damage them. Voile! Shortness of breath, pneumonias, all kinds of problems. My GI doc recently discussed this with me.
The organ damage, I think it was kidney, comes with other med you may be taking with this. Lower GI problems come from chronic reduction of stomach acid. malnutrition can even occur.
I am using ranitidine. 20 mg in the AM and 20 at night. It has been under control. I eat most anything when I feel like eating (which is a whole different thing with me). Careful diet is essential, but once in a while ya gotta have something special. So far I have been able to do this. Has been about a year now on this drug. The omeprazole never really did the job for me.
Hope this helps. Be sure you see a good GI doc. Primary physicians don't go into the same depth on this. Let me know what you find out. Karen
Hi Endless,
Do you mind telling me the name of the drug that your doctor switched you to? I have acid reflux from a hiatal hernia and yes, all those side effects come from Omeprazole as they go away after I stop taking... I had Urinary Tract Infections 4 times last year. Stopped the O medication and I did not have it anymore... same with other side effects. I really am interested in your other med you were switched to.
Thanks,
AquariusAnne
Hi again Endless,
Yes, I had colonscopy and Endoscopy and a Swallowing test done by my GI doctor. Also, I only take Triamterine, a diuretic for blood pressure and Propanolol#40 for familial trembling, each of these once a day and that is the only meds I take besides the Omeprazole. I have taken the others for 15 years and never had any side effects. Just wanted to answer your questions...
Thank you,
AquariusAnne
You definitely should switch off of the omeprazole for no other reason than what you stated. Get in touch with your GI doc or the nurse and let them know you have made that connection. It will be easy enough to get a new prescription. Hope this will help you. Karen
Hi Karen,
Please let me know what kind of medication you are on at the present time?
Thanks,
Anne
Sorry you didn't get my answer. Ranitidine . 20mg in AM and 20inPM. Much more effective than the omeprazole.
Remember not to lay down a lot. That does increase GERD and prop your head with a pillow at night. Sometimes raising the head of the bed by three inches will also help. Karen
Hi Endless,
The medication you speak of is Zantac and I have already tried that and it does not work for me... I took it twice a day #75Zantac so that was 150mg a day and I still kept getting the heartburn so bad. I talked to the doctor and he wants me to have the surgery where they tuck the hiatel hernia in the stomach but I am fearful of any surgery... I may have to choose that alternative if I continue with the side affects of the med Omeprazole cause that helps the heartburn but bad effects on me.
Thanks for your help,
Anne
I took pepcid ac for years because of heartburn and acid reflux. It got to where it didn't do the job so my Dr switched me to omeprazole. I've been taking it for a few years and have had a uti for 2 years and could never get rid of it. I finally told my Dr because I kept seeing commercials saying it could cause all kinds of kidney problems and law firms were suing them! For the last few months I've also been having shortness of breath which the Dr said it was because of uti. She switched me to ranitidine which is zantac. I take 2 pills a day and it has worked and I have a severe case of acid reflux and heartburn to the point of if I missed taking my omeprazole in the morning, by the afternoon I was hurting! Now I'm waiting to see if my uti goes away because Dr said the zantac doesn't have any ingredients in it that affects the kidneys like omeprazole. Has anyone else heard that omeprazole has been linked to kidney failure?
The only downside of taking omeprazole is if you are like me & have risk factors for osteoporosis as far as I know. It can increase the risk of femur fractures. I have very serious osteoporosis & take Forteo shots for it. I have to take omeprazole or I have way too much acid in my stomach which ofcourse becomes GERD. I have taken it or something like it for years. The gastro doc did a scope of my stomach, & said I produce way too much acid, & the omeprazole controls this as it is a proton pump inhibitor. If you take other meds, it is usually a good idea to wait two hours after taking the omeprazole before taking other meds. Good luck to you... Mary32009
I would say sure, why not. Unless you were told by a Dr not to take it, if not, go tak 1. Yes I agree that they work great, it is nasty to say, but sometimes, i get these awfull burps, I don't even want to kiss my Girlfriend. WWhat worked even better was Prevocid, although I think Omeprazole is the generic version of Prevacid.I Thought that Nexium worked great to, the little Purple Pill. DR doesn't seem to want to write those for me.
Well hope We Were Helpful.
Hi New YorkGuy44,
Omeprazole is the generic for Prilosec which is a Proton Pumper... that means it shuts off your body from producing acid which in turn stops the heartburn problem and other problems too. Other medications used for heartburn are acid neutralizers which don't stop the acid but neutralize it so that the acid does not burn as much. If you don't have a major problem with the esophagus or heartburn or hiatal hernia, a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar helps neutralize acids... it turns off heartburn immediately when I take it. Just a suggestion.
AquariusAnne
Hi Piccarmen,
Did your doctor prescribe the Omeprazole? If so, what was the reason he prescribed it? Why did you go off of it? I have been taking Omeprazole for 10 years and it is a miracle drug for acid reflux! I went off of it a few months ago due to some side affects but the acid reflux (heartburn) was so bad, I am back on it again. If your doctor prescribed it, stay on it since the heartburn can damage the esophagus... you should discuss this with your doctor.
Related topics
Further information
- Omeprazole uses and safety info
- Omeprazole prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Omeprazole (detailed)
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