Getting Off of Omeprazole: Share your success stories please.

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!

@harper7745 Was it difficult to switch from one PPI to another? I have been on Omeprazole for a number of years now due to Barrett's Esophagus. I never even realized until recently that these drugs are difficult to discontinue! At this point, I don't think I need to change, but it was almost recommended recently so I am curious, just in case.
JK

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.

@harper7745 Was it difficult to switch from one PPI to another? I have been on Omeprazole for a number of years now due to Barrett's Esophagus. I never even realized until recently that these drugs are difficult to discontinue! At this point, I don't think I need to change, but it was almost recommended recently so I am curious, just in case.
JK

It was not difficult for me to change between them. Prevacid always worked the best for me for the better part of 22yrs until my hiatal hernia started enlarging again and I needed a re-repair last Jan. Just be sure you are taking B12 in methylcabolamine form. When your on these proton pump inhibitors (PPI) your body will not absord any protein bound B12. Our bodies need a high pH in the the stomach to release B12 from protein so that it can be absorbed in the gut. PPIs prevent this high acidic environment. Our bodies will absorb 1% of non-protein bound B12 ie a sublingual tablet. Mega dosing is needed to come close to the daily amount of B12 required. Worse case scenario severe B12 deficiencies lead to dementia. There are articles out there that discuss this as well as an increase risk for C-diff. So it's important to take a probiotic as well. Good luck.

hi Harper. did you have any side effects when discontinuing the PPI for such a long time?

Thank you for responding, dand48, hopeful33250, Theresa, and destinanna. I still suffer from GERD from a hiatal hernia. I have taken Oemprazole a little over two years and want to get off of the medication because of the associated health issues of poor absorption of key nutrients (D, B12, and calcium are the ones I am familiar with).

My provider, a competent gentleman, has said "hmmmm." I am an RN so am used to doing the research and my own investigation. I have not found evidenced based information / articles on weaning off of Omeprazole. I have heard it can be done and tried to do so but was met with resistance and poor results when I attempted to do so. I switched over to Zantac and the first three days were reasonable and after that it was very uncomfortable).

The celery sounds hopeful and am trying to figure out the mechanism of action for its success. I have tried cider vinegar and it was met with severe cramping.

I am seeking successful scenario's by the valued participants on this board and will do a fair amount of research / experimentation on my own of what works for me. I take responsibility for my nutrition. I am also Lactose intolerant and have a few other sensitivities / intolerances in digestion.I thank you in advance for any additional feedback.

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