Getting Off of Omeprazole: Share your success stories please.

Posted by Bonnie @nightngale1998, Jun 26, 2018

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

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Digestive Health Support Group.

@kanaazpereira

Welcome, @tk11 – Thanks so much for sharing your insight. Have you noticed a difference with the new dosage?

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yes, it seems to be working fine. thank you.

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@graceandpeace

@kozlo52 and @tigreyes2004, I apologize for jumping into the middle of this thread and maybe this question has already been addressed, but in regards to your friend being on gabapentin, that seems like a massive dosage she's taking - how long has she been taking it, and has she told either her prescribing Dr or another one of her Drs about the memory loss, and if so, what did they say? I'm definitely interested bc I have been on Gabapentin for a year now, but only 300 mg, twice a day, and 100-200 mg once a day (so that's 700-800 mg total each day). I take it for many diagnoses, including pelvic floor dysfunction, IBS-C&D, Interstitial cystitis, and fibromyalgia, as a nerve relaxer to help with chronic pain that stems from all of those. I have also been on other meds like Cyclobenzaprine 5 mg (flexoril) (muscle relaxer) daily, and Oxybutinin 5 mg as needed for bladder spasms from the Interstitial cystitis. So, I was also wondering if your friend is taking any other meds that could either be the culprit of her memory loss, or ganging up with the gabapentin to cause her memory loss. I just turned 45, but have always had memory problems; my Dr says it's probably caused by stress; however, I definitely (as well as my family) have also noticed my memory getting worse since being on these various meds, so I was just curious to find out more about your friend, and if she has found anything out about her memory loss. As far as the weight gain goes while taking Gabapentin, I've actually lost weight since being on it. Because of my IBS and IC, I've had to be on the Low FODMAP diet as well as an IC diet (low to no acid diet), and so thankfully, the gabapentin hasn't gotten me there! I went from weighing 123 (I'm only 4'8"), to weighing 92 lbs. My Dr actually has me trying to gain now, so I believe at my last appointment I had gained a whopping 3 pounds, ha! Anyway, thank you for any more information that you can give me.

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I only took Gabapentin for a couple of weeks & I was getting forgetful but I just thought it was from stress but I got off of it. I tapered off. I just felt confused & I was on 2 a day 200 mg.

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@tigreyes2004

I only took Gabapentin for a couple of weeks & I was getting forgetful but I just thought it was from stress but I got off of it. I tapered off. I just felt confused & I was on 2 a day 200 mg.

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Thank you @tigreyes2004 !

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@kanaazpereira

Hi @nightngale1998,

I found this interesting article about discontinuing PPIs, that you may wish to read: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3995199/

I'd really like to invite @kozlo52 @peck1944 @darlia @fourof5zs to this discussion, as they've shared some valuable insights about hiatal hernia and GERD in other discussions.

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@kanaazpereira I realize this is a very late response, but for anyone currently reading through this message board, it should be said that the article the moderator posted is a Q&A with a physician who is a speaker for AstraZeneca, the distributors of the leading PPI, Priolsec. I found his comments re: "rebound acid" to be completely downplayed and neglectful in mentioning any of the studies that reveal strong evidence that this is, in fact, a "significant clinical issue" for patient's experiencing it.

@kanaazpereira: you should be completely transparent in the information that you are posting, particularly as moderator of this forum.

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@kanaazpereira: a doctor unaffiliated with any Pharma companies and the founding editor of NEJM's Journal Watch - Gastroenterology, wrote a piece called "Why Are PPIs Used in the First Place" over at NEJM. I'm unable to post links as I'm not a moderator.

The New England Journal of Medicine has long been one of the most respected journals in the world. Please, do your research.

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Hello @eleanorm,
Thank you for calling attention to the physician-pharma association in the article I had cited in a previous post – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3995199/ – but first, I’d like to extend a warm welcome to you and sincerely look forward to getting to know you better, as and when you are able to share more about yourself.

You are absolutely correct in saying, “...you should be completely transparent in the information that you are posting, particularly as moderator of this forum.”
As a moderator, I want to communicate in a clear and professional way each time I put something in public view – it is a reflection of myself, of the community, and of course, my employer. But, I would be remiss not to mention a few observations:

1) When manuscripts are accepted, disclosures of conflict of interest, relevant financial interests, activities, relationships, and affiliations, for each of the authors are published in the Acknowledgment section of the article, or the Biography section of the article...and thereby disclosed to readers.
**With regard to the author of the article in question – Dr. Pandolfino (Chief of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Professor of Medicine, Northwestern University) – the exact disclosure(s) is clearly stated under “Footnotes” in the Biography section of the article.
**I thought – and am still of the opinion – that the inclusion of such statement/footnote suffices for transparency. However, if I were citing an article authored/published by Mayo Clinic, I would be certain to specifically mention any external association in my post.

2) PubMed Central® (PMC – the ‘resource' for the article) is an archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature at the U.S. National Institutes of Health's National Library of Medicine (NIH/NLM). The presence of an article does not reflect an endorsement of, or concurrence with, the contents of the article.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/about/disclaimer/
**Gastroenterology and Hepatology journal publishes peer-reviewed original papers, metaanalyses, systematic reviews, and editorials concerned with clinical practice and research in the fields of hepatology, gastroenterology and endoscopy. It is one of several reliable and authoritative resources for GI-related interest groups – on par with the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), which includes variety of medical-interest groups.
https://www.gastroenterologyandhepatology.net/about/
3) As you correctly stated, M. Brian Fennerty, M.D. is "a doctor unaffiliated with any Pharma companies and the founding editor of NEJM's Journal Watch.” But might I request you to keep in mind that this standard applies solely to the ‘editors’; and not to ‘authors’.
"No NEJM editor is permitted to have any financial relationship with any biomedical company.” https://www.nejm.org/media-center/integrity-safeguards
**Here again, I thought you might wish to read about Dr. Fennerty’s disclosures and association with pharmaceutical companies, prior to his role as editor:

https://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/457393_3M Brian Fennerty, MD
M. Brian Fennerty, MD, Professor, Section Chief of Gastroenterology, Oregon Health Sciences University
Disclosure: Consultant/Speakers Bureau: AstraZeneca, TAP, Wyeth;
Research Grants: AstraZeneca, Eisai Inc, Janssen Pharmaceutica

https://projects.propublica.org/d4d-archive/search?utf8=✓&term=M.+Brian+Fennerty%2C+MD&state%5Bid%5D=&company%5Bid%5D=&period%5B%5D=&services%5B%5D=

@eleanorm, our community members should feel safe, which is why we monitor the conversations AND rely on community members like yourself to report if you felt anything was amiss – I hope this (very long) explanation is helpful.
You can also read more about why and how we moderate on Connect: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/about-our-moderators-and-mentors/ Please don’t hesitate to connect with me:) with any further questions or concerns; I do look forward to hearing from you.

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@shahnaz

I've also weaned myself off omeprazole and I'm now on zantac but is this safe in the long run? Please do let me know

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shahnaz. how long were you on the medication?

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@luiscastillo2020

shahnaz. how long were you on the medication?

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I was on Omeprazole for 16 years. Developed pancreatitis. Dr. wasn't sure if that was the cause. Switched me to Ranitidine, generic for Zantac. I am doing fine with it!

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@harper7745

I was on Omeprazole for 16 years. Developed pancreatitis. Dr. wasn't sure if that was the cause. Switched me to Ranitidine, generic for Zantac. I am doing fine with it!

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Are you aware of the NDMA controversy and lawsuits over Zantac/ranitidine causing various cancers. Research.

I am very worried because I took it for some time,

I also took omeprazol and now are having a problem with my pancreas.

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@drrobertsmsmft

Are you aware of the NDMA controversy and lawsuits over Zantac/ranitidine causing various cancers. Research.

I am very worried because I took it for some time,

I also took omeprazol and now are having a problem with my pancreas.

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CVS told me that Ranitidine was ok. Zantac is the bad one, and they took it off their shelves. Hope they are correct. I took Omeprazole for 16 years, and developed pancreatitis. Did a lot of research and found that Omeprazole can cause pancreatitis.

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