Side effects with omeprazole/Prilosec use

@luvnursing52
I’ve had two Nissens as well (first a 360 and four years later a 270 bc the initial wrap was extremely tight and I could barely swallow liquids and had ((and still have awful esophageal spasms))). I also take reflux meds bc I still have reflux that somehow comes up and into my mouth. I was on dexilant which was very helpful but my insurance no longer covers it so I’m back on Protonix (in the morning) and famotidine (in the e evening but still have symptoms.
I also have vagus nerve damage from my first Nissen and was diagnosed with delayed gastric emptying (I forget the medical term).
In addition, I have chorionic SIBO infections that I used to take robaxin to help (4 weeks) and then a break and would start it again when my symptoms would come back. My insurance also no longer covers that medication - well, it covers a portion of the cost but the remainder is $1,250 for 2 weeks which I cannot afford so I’m kind of in stuck in an awful SIBO state which is only getting worse and as of right now no possible solutions.
Im sorry you’re going through this! I have a lot of sympathy and empathy for you!!!

Thank you so much for your support!!
My first Nissen was done incorrectly- too high & too tight. He also took my GB during that surgery and deformed my rib cage somehow, pushing my lower ribs out. I noticed it right after surgery. ( I think he did it because he had to wrap it twice- to get better visualization of what he was doing- still did it wrong.) It was a miserable 6 yrs. afterward, the bloating was unreal.
So I have not been tested of SIBO- yet. I do take a high end probiotic daily. I think it helps. The delayed gastric emptying is called gastroparesis. It's fairly common in diabetics. I manage by drinking hot liquids after eating to get my food down. I've had stretching done a few times, but I think because the scar is probably pretty tight because of 2 surgeries, so it doesn't work very well.
Try getting the Robaxin from a Canadian Pharmacy! It's a generic so don't know why your cost is so high. It's not a controlled drug. H2 blockers like Pepcid do nothing for me. Keep me posted!!

@nsainato
Today was my follow up appointment. First thing I asked her was to show me the image of the errosion. She did it just lukes like a reddish area. Like something aggrevated it. It was not pink like the rest but a little reddish. I took Omeprozole for very short time, since did not agree with me. I felt slight stomack pains and made my dry eye situation worse. Instead I did everything they preach to us: small fequent meals, no acid producing foods like tomatoes , lemons oranges chockolet etc. and I made all my meals instead of going out. The slight pain went away. She told me this will heal in two to three monts. To continue what I am doing. I asked her when can I ever have chocklet. She said give it another two months and by December it should be Ok. I am happy I don't blindly follow evrything they say. Hope this helps

Cj16 what is the Carmel flavor gel??

Might wanna clue people in that Omeperazole is a horrible drain on calcium, D3 and K, as well!
After eight years of continuous daily use of omeprazole and esomeprazole, I needed shoulder surgery at age 64 and my surgeon told me he felt my shoulder bone was too soft for somebody who exercises as much as I do.
My blood panel, calcium numbers were falling drastically as well, and one PC told me that I had a vitamin D3 deficiency!
It took a while, but I have concluded that omeprazole is the cause, and now I am weaning off of it, using it every other day with Pepcid in between; Mylanta and Gaviscon at the ready just in case. It has only been one week and so far so good. I’ve tried to just stop this and it was horrible.
What I found also was that I did not know you could take more than one Pepcid in a day and that’s what I was doing, just the one, and that’s why It didn’t work.
I’ll take a Pepcid about every eight or nine hours, 20 mg, on the alternating days I’m not using omeprazole until I am weaned off of it.
I am also taking a calcium citrate/carbonate mix with K2 and D3capsules, NEVER TABS) and my D3 egg with meals to replace the calcium D and K this horrible over-the-counter medicine has stolen
from me.

@vadan

I've been on Omeprazole for a year and am going to start weaning off. I learned that it is a real negative for bone health. Good luck to us both. Thanks for detailing your plan.

Hi @vadan, and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I am so glad you found this group to share and encourage others having PPI side effects. I particularly am encouraged that you have found a routine that you are comfortable with. Each individual has unique risks, of course and will need to have their own conversations with their providers.

I can relate to thinking about the bone health side of long-term PPI use. I’m taking a PPI myself and am also addressing osteoporosis, so it’s definitely been something I’ve learned more about over the past year. My takeaway has been that it’s important to have a conversation with your healthcare team about whether you still need a PPI, how long you should be on it, and whether you’re getting the right calcium and vitamin D if long-term treatment is needed.

For anyone considering stopping a PPI, I’d encourage working with your healthcare team. Rebound acid production after stopping can be surprisingly intense, so a gradual taper often makes the transition easier. For some people, the benefits of staying on a PPI still outweigh the risks, especially if they have conditions like severe GERD, erosive esophagitis, or Barrett’s esophagus.

It’s definitely a conversation worth having with your provider rather than assuming one approach fits everyone. For you, I see you state you concluded that PPIs are the cause of your soft shoulder bone. You do not mention the reason a provider initially prescribed PPIs and their thoughts about how to re-assess their initial concerns (given this new information). Is your provider comfortable there is not something else going on that may be affecting your bone? How are their initial concerns being addressed now that treatment has changed?

@vadan
After 30 years on PPIs my body said: ENOUGH! Every time I took one it came right back up.

My Mayo doctor was not happy about me discontinuing them. She wanted me to take a high dose of Famotidine (Pepcid). My body did not like that either.

I take Pepcid Complete .. store brand version. I don’t take it every day. If my stomach or esophagus feels irritated I will take one or two tablets after a meal (3 times a day) for a few days. I might also take store brand version of Maalox or Mylanta at night … just depends on how irritated my stomach or esophagus is.

Since doing this I have not had Barrett‘s Esophagus and only mild gastritis and esophagitis.

My husband just had an endoscopy and the floor of his stomach is covered in polyps .. from long term use of PPIs .. but doctors want him on PPIs. He eats enough fiber .. but eats too many fatty and processed foods. Like hot dogs and luncheon meats.