Omeprazole and Diarrhea: What Users Say

• Asi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 10, 2020

For GERD "My acid reflux came back recently, so I went to see a doctor. She prescribed me to take 20mg omeprazole every morning. Three days had passed, and I noticed dizziness, inability to focus, my eyes couldn’t focus on one thing...they always dilated, diarrhea, fatigue, paranoia, anxiety spiked! I took it for exactly six days. My dad told me not to take it anymore, and we’ll soon be headed to the doctor. It works for some, but the reviews that I have been reading are exactly how I feel...if you experience any one of these symptoms, stop taking them immediately! I read that someone had seizures! I wish you all well and will be taking the natural way suggested...baking soda + water, apple cider vinegar, and ginger tea!"

• ANX...
• March 3, 2021

For Gastritis/Duodenitis "This medication will drag you to a place where you really don't want to be. What I'm feeling is chest heaviness, dizziness, severe anxiety, panic episodes, shakiness, sweating, diarrhea shortness of breath. It is nothing to worry about, my symptoms got better after a few weeks. However, the doctor made me start it again and I now know that everything that just randomly started going wrong with me is all linked to this medication. And when I say anxiety, I mean severe amplified anxiety. Like the kind where you can't sleep at night because you panic thinking tonight is the night. Do not take this medication. Ever. You don't know anxiety until you take this. I'm not sure why this is even a med to begin with. Keep your head up and read my review. I promise you'll be okay after a few weeks. You're not dying. Just going through a bad side effect that will subside."

• Anonymous
• November 7, 2020

For GERD "I went to the ENT doctor because I was having trouble swallowing my saliva. So, she stuck a tube up my nose. After she was done and told me the back of my throat was red, and I have severe acid reflux. Before coming to the ENT doctor, I suffer from anxiety & depression already. Not knowing the drugs she prescribed me would make that worse, I took omeprazole for 6 days. The side effects I couldn't deal with - my anxiety got worse, I got more depressed, my eyes felt dilated, I got a headache, diarrhea, woke up and my arms were slightly aching without me doing anything. Also, having to clear my throat with nothing in my throat to be cleared and loss of appetite. I will never take omeprazole again. I'm going to try the natural way to hopefully leave my system soon."

• Jai...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 11, 2020

For GERD "I've been on Omeprazole going on 10 years. No one ever mentioned anemia or any of the other problems that can come from this medication. I've been trying to get off this med for close to a year. Went down from 40mg to 20 mg, not too bad. Now trying to get off 20mg. For the last week, I've had chills, headaches, diarrhea, extreme heartburn, anxiety, body aches, exhaustion, and depression. This is awful. It helped reflux but at quite a price. B12, MAGNESIUM, FERRETIN SHOULD ALL BE MONITORED WHILE ON THIS MED. I had a hysterectomy and gallbladder removed in the last 5 years and wonder if those surgeries could have been avoided."

• Ell...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 28, 2018

Omeprazole for GERD "I took this to help control acid reflux, and it seemed to help that, but it gave me IBS-D (irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea) that took me years to control, where I couldn't work or leave the house. Still to this day, I deal with it - 6 years later, but improved. I never made the connection until I went back on Prilosec a few months ago, and it flared up like crazy again. I never had problems like this before Prilosec."

• Anonymous
• January 22, 2012

Omeprazole "I took this medicine for an acidity problem, especially overnight. After 10 days, acidity feels less, but I had an adverse drug reaction: fever, joint pain in my hips, lower back pain, duodenal discomfort, diarrhea, fatigue, and some side effects: headache and nausea."

• Lad...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 23, 2021

For GERD "Wow. I have felt horrible for the past week. Just unwell feeling, anxiety, tiredness even after restful sleep, diarrhea, shakiness, brain zapped, no appetite. I couldn’t for the life of me figure it out, but then I remembered I started taking omeprazole for my indigestion issues about 10 days ago. Looked on here, and it seems every commenter has my same exact issues. Yep, it’s decided, and I’m not taking this horrible medication anymore. Too steep of a price to pay for acid reflux relief. Rather just take Pepcid. Gah, I hope I feel better soon. This feeling is truly horrid."

• sna...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 11, 2019

For Gastritis/Duodenitis "Been on this medication, omeprazole, for two months and just went off two weeks ago. Started to get flu-like symptoms. Went to the doctor twice, one time he said that it was allergies, and he gave me a Kenalog 40 shot. Two days later, I went back, and he said now I have a viral sinus infection. I've been off work for a week and I finally went online and did some research, and I found out this is most likely withdrawal symptoms. I've been having heartburn, pain near my belly button, chills, stomach growling, fatigue, sweats, burning in my legs, jaw pain, headaches, diarrhea, and shakiness. My urine color is good, and I am not having bloody stools, so I know that I'm not having major issues. These PPIs are really bad since the side effects are worse than what is supposed to be treating."

• Bea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 18, 2021

For GERD "I was given omeprazole for minor heartburn. After two days, I had constant acid reflux, burning stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach inflammation. It took me three weeks for my stomach to settle down. I'm still battling with the acid reflux. Doctors give out these pills without knowing the cause of your problems. They still want me to try another brand of PPI, but I'm going to stick with diet and get better naturally."

• Han...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 27, 2020

For Laryngopharyngeal Reflux "I just started omeprazole about a week ago. I got prescribed it for my acid reflux. I’ve had the worst stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea, and depression. I’d honestly rather have acid reflux than what I am going through currently. I truly don’t recommend this. But then again, everybody is different, and I'm sure it works good for some."

• Isa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 7, 2021

For GERD "I was on this medicine for 3 weeks, ever since I missed my period, fatigue, depression, diarrhea, headaches, cough, extreme abdominal pain (feels like a constant dull food poisoning feeling), and definitely mood changes. I was diagnosed with silent acid reflux GERD. I’m really hoping there is another medicine I can take or a home remedy I can try. Side effects from this medicine are not fun to deal with."

• 2nd...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 12, 2016

For GERD "The VA prescribed this medication, have been using it for over a year. I found that excessive gas was experienced, also diarrhea, dizziness, bad headaches. When I stopped using this prescription, the bad side effects went away. Now to find something that works for the GERD without all the bad side effects."

• Kri...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 22, 2022

For GERD "I'm allergic to iodine, shellfish, and that's 2 separate allergies. My 31-year-old daughter is also, but she's also allergic to Betadine. I was diagnosed with these allergies 6 years ago, my daughter was born with them. I have developed such severe food allergies, and so has my daughter, to the point everything we eat, drink, or take causes reactions. To my horror, I found out only 1 week ago that these chemicals are in all acid reflux meds. No wonder we are always so sick: throwing up, diarrhea, nausea, stomach pain, asthma attacks, and throat swelling. Why is this not public information? We found this out through an ENT. BE VERY CAREFUL of these drugs."

• Reb...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 25, 2021

For Stomach Ulcer "I started taking 20 mg omeprazole every morning after my doctor suspected a stomach ulcer from aspirin overuse. I managed to take them for one week before being told to stop taking them. I had diarrhea all week, painful bloating, feeling really easily full but extremely hungry at the same time. Burping a lot, and it’s not listed as a side effect, but I had really bad weakness and tiredness all the time. Since stopping this med, I have been looking up all about omeprazole online, and this drug doesn’t seem good! Especially for long-term use. I’m so glad I’m coming off of this, and I hope my stomach starts to feel a little more normal in the coming days."

• Anonymous
• January 18, 2022

For Gastritis/Duodenitis "Been on this drug for 14 days now, it sure helped with my stomach acid. I felt relief after 3 days, but then I started having anxiety, headaches, diarrhea, brain fog, my eyesight was going out of focus. I literally have been calling off work because of this drug. Beware."

• Sys...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 13, 2022

For Gastritis/Duodenitis "Three years ago, I was suffering constant diarrhea, and the doctor thought I might have an ulcer. So while I waited on tests and had a scope, I was put on omeprazole. While taking it, I started having increasing abdominal pain, and while it did stop the diarrhea issue, by the end of the second week, the stomach pain was so bad I couldn’t keep taking it. I had severe cramps and bloating. Ever since then, literally everything makes me burp or have gas, even water. I never had a gas problem before. I was only taking omeprazole for two weeks, and my body has been messed up for over three years now. I almost always have cramping gas pains, which I have to push my belly with my hand to move the pain around when it gets too bad. The doctor didn’t seem interested or didn’t want to believe me that this all started from the drug and has never gone away. I’m looking for another doctor, but I fear that my digestion is messed up for life now. I wish I never took it."

• Reb...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 7, 2022

For Stomach Ulcer "I was given omeprazole 20 mg for a suspected stomach ulcer. I had diarrhea within 2 hours of eating anything, along with mild nausea and painful bloating, cramps, and burping a lot. I also had occasional chills and tiredness. My doctor told me the side effects would subside, so I stayed on it, but after 10 days, I booked another doctor appointment and was taken straight off the medication as I wasn’t keeping any food in me (maybe the reason for my tiredness). It took my stomach around 6 weeks to feel back to normal. Sorry for the TMI, but my stools were white for quite some time after, and my boyfriend said they smelled like a rotting corpse. The nausea and stomach pain took the longest to disappear. If you’re going through similar, your stomach should go back to normal. I never thought mine would at one point, but after 2 months, I was okay. My stomach didn’t get on with omeprazole."

• Yuo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 24, 2019

For Gastritis/Duodenitis "I was prescribed omeprazole to help control my gastritis flare-up, although it was never specified if all my symptoms were due to gastritis in the first place. Anyway, I took omeprazole for about two days, and I felt better. Now I have been taking it for a week, and it seems all my symptoms, minus the diarrhea, came back in full force. If anything, I wake up normal, and as soon as I take the capsule, my stomach begins to go sour within half an hour, and I have to deal with that all day. I can’t eat anything because it threatens to come back up with my random bouts of nausea. I will stop taking it tomorrow to see if it really is the medicine causing these side effects."

• Roa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 6, 2020

For Gastritis/Duodenitis "Second day of taking this medicine, I felt chest pains and diarrhea a few minutes after taking. It helped with my acid reflux and ulcer, but the chest pain and stomach cramps are mild compared to what was happening to me before I was prescribed this medication. I take two pills every morning, once a day. I think I'll reduce the dosage to one pill and will see how it goes. Yes, there are side effects, but what I went through before taking this, I couldn't live a normal life. Try changing your diet. Eat solid, non-spicy food for some time, no alcohol and acid soft drinks."

• RLa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 16, 2019

For Stomach Ulcer "This medicine was absolutely no good for me at all. Doctor suspected an ulcer due to some ongoing pain in a specific area. Within days of starting this, my brain was completely foggy, I had constant severe stomach pain, both diarrhea and constipation, nausea, horrible gas pains, and a serious headache that Advil couldn't even touch. I honestly felt so sick for so many days that I thought about going to the ER more than once, and it didn't make the original pain subside at all. I didn't immediately suspect the omeprazole, but then realized that starting it was the only recent change. Sure enough, within one day of stopping it, I'm much better. Still not myself at all, but I'm hoping everything will subside with a few days."

• KaR...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 13, 2021

For Gastritis/Duodenitis "I was prescribed this drug by an NP to treat gastritis, at 20 mg daily for 30 days. I had been diagnosed with gastritis before and was told to take Pepcid daily, and I had no issues with that. The NP told me the only side effect I might experience taking omeprazole was diarrhea. In reality, what I experienced was a massive increase in anxiety, depression, and nightly panic attacks. My resting heart rate has gone up about 20 bpm after taking omeprazole for just 20 days. I am unable to fall asleep until well into the morning, so only 3-5 hours per night. I have had anxiety and depression for years, but never as intensely as it is now. I did not consider that the omeprazole was the cause of it! I started a new anxiety medication a little over a month ago and blamed it on my body adjusting to that. After reading these reviews, I am almost certain the mood and sleep disturbances I am experiencing are due to taking omeprazole. The acid in my stomach is reduced, but that could be my change in diet."

• Lyn...
• August 15, 2021

For GERD "Pros: no acid reflux. Cons: headaches, body/joint aches, increased anxiety. Daily diarrhea, bloating. I get to about day 10 and have to stop. I take citalopram for anxiety (long before reflux issues). I find I can't keep my anxiety symptoms in check while on this medication."

• Ger...
• December 18, 2020

For GERD "Omeprazole helped my reflux but gave me terrible diarrhea. Loose burning stools, pale color."

• Ger...
• December 18, 2020

For GERD "Omeprazole helped my reflux but gave me terrible diarrhea. Loose burning stools, pale color."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 22, 2020

For Gastritis/Duodenitis "I can't convince my GI doctor that this medicine has way too many side effects. Terrible headaches, insomnia, diarrhea, stomach pain, irritability, pounding heartbeat when moving around/ bending."