Daily heart burn: Can omeprazole harm my kidneys?

Prilosec gave me headaches.
You best go see a gastroenterologist. He/she will probably do an endoscopy. Maybe later they may put an electrode where your esophagus connects to your stomach and leave it there for 24 hours. Sucks, but may be necessary. Might be a Nissen fundoplication or other procedure in your future.

I just quit a proton pump inhibitor after taking for 18 months. True, the side effects are terrible. It was a huge challenge because when you stop there is a rebound effect. I did a very slow taper over 4 months. In the process Esophageal Guardian by Life Extension was very helpful. I got from Walmart Online. It might be useful to get an endoscopy to confirm a diagnosis just to be sure. Kind regards, LL

I have just weaned myself off of Omeprizol. I had been prescribed Famotidine for interjection . GERD. I had a side effect of drying skin. So we changed to omeprizol. It didn’t help the dry skin . But I stayed on it for two years . It is a drug with known side effects . So I got back on Famotidine. I take 20 mg in the morning and 20 mg in the evening. It takes care of the indigestion and GERD. I still have to watch my diet. Not too much spicy food. But , it is a Pepsid it works a lot differently than omeprizal. Best to all of you . Crystalena

Hi,
Thirteen years of Omeprazole with kidneys hanging in there, GFR45. It doesn't appear to be hurting my kidney function which although declining through age it is mostly stable. I expect to be using Omeprazol until the end.
Cheers

Yes kidney damage is a listed possible side effect. If you are on omeprazole long-term my suggestion is to get tested regularly for kidney function, which I'm guessing you do anyway with your condition. My doctor didn't do that, and by happenstance one year she did test for kidney function and it showed I had chronic kidney disease stage 3a. I stopped omeprazole and my kidney function rebounded to just over the line to normal, which means I suffered an acute kidney injury from the drug. If I hadn't stopped when I did it would have stayed as CKD. Famotidine is a safer drug in that it doesn't stop acid production as much as a PPI. Have you tried diet and lifestyle changes to see if that keeps your reflux at bay? There are a lot of free tips at an ENT's web site, jamiekoufman.com. You can also google Dr. Jonathan Aviv, he seems to have advice scattered about social media. I am now in week three of eating a whole food diet, and that has helped immensely. I try to stick to low-acid foods. I sleep with my head elevated. Most people get relief at a 45 degree angle; I sleep sitting up for a few hours. Some people sleep in a recliner. Anyway, see the suggested changes, try them and see if they help. I don't know the effect of non-daily omeprazole. For me I am staying away from it altogether. That works for me.

I was prescribed omeprazole / Prilosec in 2005 when I had my pancreas transplant. (My pancreas transplant was not done at Mayo; it was at another university / teaching hospital.) I was never diagnosed with GERD. The prescription was because I had SO many medications prescribed at the time of transplant and it was considered a preventive to ward off any GI side effects from all the meds. At least that is what I was told. I took it for about 11 years.
In 2016 I was at Mayo Transplant Center being evaluated for kidney transplant. (My CKD was not attributed to having taken Omeprazole; but primarily to me being diabetic.) At that time I met with a specialist pharmacist to review all my medications, she suggested that I wean off of the Omeprazole and gave me a schedule to gradually wean off it. That is what I did.
I am on a carb counting diet to properly dose insulin and also adhere to a renal diet for the CKD. I use a continual glucose monitor (CGM) and an insulin pump. If I have any bouts of heartburn I use over the counter (OTC) Tums as needed (PRN) to treat it. My endocrinologist and my nephrologist have approved that.

@howardrlewis, I added your question to the CKD support group as well.
You may be interested in this Mayo Clinic article

- Heartburn Medicines Associated with Chronic Kidney Disease Risk https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/heartburn-medicines-associated-with-chronic-kidney-disease-risk/

Also see this discussion:
- Anyone take a PPI & your kidney function declined? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/anyone-take-a-ppi-your-kidney-function-declined-worried/

Have you talked to your nephrologist about other ways to manage heartburn?

I don't think that "occasionally taking" omeprazole makes sense. Does that mean you take it for a few weeks at a time and then stop for a while? If you're only taking a pill here and there, then that's not how it's meant to be taken. So taking it occasionally may not be giving you the full positive effect, but may still have negative long-term side effects? If you want relief occasionally, take famotidine (pepcid). And if you really need a PPI ,then find out the effect of taking it "occasionally".

At 77 you should be getting checked out twice a year with a Medicare wellness check and physical so if your kidneys are declining they would tell you from your bloodwork you’re having done at those appointments.