Side effects with omeprazole/Prilosec use

Posted by blueorca @blueorca, May 5, 2018

i am an 18-year user of daily OTC Prilosec. It does a perfect job of controlling my GERD but I am constantly battling side effects of nutritional deficiencies in iron, B-12, magnesium, etc. For example, my hair is extremely thin and loss of energy is a constant problem. I am looking for specific help in knowing which supplements to take for this and in what doses and formats and on what schedule. All the nutritionists I've found locally are not well-versed in Prilosec use. Is there a medical provider out there who specializes in this? And would they be willing to work with me long distance?

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Profile picture for t98 @t98

You might need to take Pepcid/famotidine before bedtime. Successfully weaning just means not having rebound i.e. higher than average acid, but if you have reflux on a regular basis without the omeprazole then you need to address it. If Gaviscon advance/tums is not enough then take Pepcid/famotidine before bed. good luck

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Much thanks to t98 reply. Will purchase and try the Pepsin tonight to see if it provides any relief for me.

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Profile picture for t98 @t98

You might need to take Pepcid/famotidine before bedtime. Successfully weaning just means not having rebound i.e. higher than average acid, but if you have reflux on a regular basis without the omeprazole then you need to address it. If Gaviscon advance/tums is not enough then take Pepcid/famotidine before bed. good luck

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Thanks for ur info. Tried famotidine get a really weird allergic reaction like tingling,itchiness in face/chin .I can’t take ppis because have osteoporosis. Always something.

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Profile picture for t98 @t98

What is "carmel flavor gel"? Is that the correct name of it?
I sometimes drink pomegranate juice and that helps symptoms too.

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Oh, sorry I thought my previous info was posted. It’s reflux gourmet, Carmel flavor. Pepsin is what is activated to give us reflux.from Dr. Jaime Kaufman and Dr. Jonathan Aviv. I try to research as much as I can because I can’t take meds. Try drinking the alkaline water all day. Thank you very much to all from ur help and advice. Much appreciated. 🤸‍♂️💕💪

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Profile picture for t98 @t98

You might need to take Pepcid/famotidine before bedtime. Successfully weaning just means not having rebound i.e. higher than average acid, but if you have reflux on a regular basis without the omeprazole then you need to address it. If Gaviscon advance/tums is not enough then take Pepcid/famotidine before bed. good luck

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Sorry, I meant to say to take Pepcid (the H2 blocker) not Pepsin!
(Pepsin you want to reduce in your throat.)

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Profile picture for cj16 @cj16

Thanks for ur info. Tried famotidine get a really weird allergic reaction like tingling,itchiness in face/chin .I can’t take ppis because have osteoporosis. Always something.

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Sorry, I meant to say to take Pepcid (the H2 blocker) not Pepsin!
(Pepsin you want to reduce in your throat.)
Maybe try a different H2 blocker that isn't famotidine

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Profile picture for ppratt7 @ppratt7

Much thanks to t98 reply. Will purchase and try the Pepsin tonight to see if it provides any relief for me.

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Sorry, I meant to say take Pepcid (the H2 blocker) not Pepsin!

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Profile picture for jazzgirl @jazzgirl

Has anyone weaned off of 80mg ? I take 40mg in the morning and 40mg with dinner. My doctor wants me to stop taking the evening 40mg every other day and use pepcid instead on those days . and then stop evening dose completely after two weeks. I'm concerned that's too fast I stoped cold turkey with only 20mg and had severe acid reflux that's why My gi doctor put me on 80mg.

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Will do t98; much thanks, again!

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Profile picture for t98 @t98

Sorry, I meant to say to take Pepcid (the H2 blocker) not Pepsin!
(Pepsin you want to reduce in your throat.)
Maybe try a different H2 blocker that isn't famotidine

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Thanks so much.

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Profile picture for jazzgirl @jazzgirl

Has anyone weaned off of 80mg ? I take 40mg in the morning and 40mg with dinner. My doctor wants me to stop taking the evening 40mg every other day and use pepcid instead on those days . and then stop evening dose completely after two weeks. I'm concerned that's too fast I stoped cold turkey with only 20mg and had severe acid reflux that's why My gi doctor put me on 80mg.

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I was taking 20 mg omeprazole for 15 years. I lost 30 pounds over that time. I became anemic the last few years. Tried cold turkey using prepaid for 20 days. Thought I was dying. Doctors are no help. My brother in law said he was taking a med for heartburn. Said it was pantoprazole. He was taking 40 mg every other day. He gave me a bunch of them. Through research I learned 40 mg is equivalent to 20 mg omeprazole. I switched to pantoprazole 40 a day. I then cut back to every other day. Worked perfect. I got a script for 20mg pantoprazole and was taking one a day. Then I cut back to one 20mg every other day. I am digesting my food now and gaining weight. So happy to be off of omeprazole! Not anemic anymore. 20 mg a day for 30 days cost $100.00. Every other day $50.00 a month. My Medicare pays for it. It's a godsend! I hope this helps you!

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Profile picture for Bonnie @nightngale1998

Hi there: Has anyone had success in weaning off of Omeprazole? I take it for GERD. Thank you in advance!

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I did NOT have success getting off of Omeprazole and feel like I am trapped in a loop of a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation. Background is I am asthmatic and suffer from EOE and Gerd which apparently asthma and EOE go hand in hand. I have had an endoscope which also pointed out Barretts Esophagus. I have been taking Omeprazole for almost 4 years- started with taking 20MG evening and morning. Eventually I started taking just 1- 20mg in the morning and everything was going along fine for the past few years- was seeing slight improvement in my swallowing from the EOE but last year came across some articles about the risks of taking omeprazole long term (lack of b12 absorption causing weak bones, kidney issues, stomach cancer and dementia) so obviously concerned about that. I read a lot about getting off of omeprazole and the first two weeks to expect hyper secretion of stomach acid and then it should go back to normal function. The reasoning I thought I could get away from omeprazole was prior to being put on & having EOE I was drinking orange juice if I woke in the middle of the night thinking it was healthy and I also did not monitor how close to bed time I was eating so once I discovered this I have not done those habits in years. I was thinking I was only taking 20mg a day so I stopped and for about 2-3 days was normal, Three weeks ago was when I attempted to get off of omeprazole and these were the results: I guess the drug was still leaving my system as then what I read was true, extreme secretion of stomach acid for two weeks then it slowed up but at night it was active to where after two weeks my throat felt burnt and constricted so I gave it couple of nights taking tums thinking it would get better and finally made the decision to get back on omeprazole and it is starting to help but it's only been two days of back on omeprazole so hoping my throat and esophagus can continue to heal & I'll get back to where I was prior to my attempt. The other issue I experienced after a couple of weeks was I did seem to have lung/ issues as possibly the acid was affecting my lungs to where they were constricting to block the acid. Ultimately, I am trying to avoid esophageal cancer in the future and hope my EOE symptoms will continue to improve and I'll to gamble that the omeprazole side effects are just something I read about and not experienced. I will say this for the 2 weeks off of omeprazole and did not have any headaches. I am going to try and drink some aloe vera juice as well to see if that helps bring down the inflammation in my throat. I'm regretting even attempting to stop omeprazole at this point and after things heal again will speak with GI Dr. to see if any other alternatives. I wish everyone that is in the position of eliminating Omeprazole the best of luck & success!

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