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 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'm doing the same as you. 1 every other day and then report if I have a problem.

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Profile picture for cmdw2600 @cmdw2600

Is the Pepcid working for you? I’d like to avoid PPI, but have chronic sore throat which I believe is an acid issue.

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Yes it is. There are too many side affects with PPI

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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 weaned myself off of omeprazole. I have a hiatal hernia. I did it very slowly. I was on it for two and a half + years. I eat in the morning and early afternoon. I don’t eat after 2:00 pm until the next morning. I have the head of my bed raised about 7 inches. I try to eat the foods that don’t bother me, but I do cheat once in awhile. I have been taking Pepcid about 15 minutes before bed. I’ve been doing this for about a month. I’m not sure how long I can do that. I feel good though. I use tums occasionally too. My throat gets sore off and on. I walk when the weather permits, and I go to a fitness center when it doesn’t.

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Profile picture for cland60 @cland60

I have GERD and H.H. too. I am seeing a Naturopathic Doctor. She will be testing for food sensitivities and H. Pylori. In the meantime, I am chewing 2 DGL tablets 20 mins before meals. I drink 1 cup of bone broth in the morn, on an empty stomach, and I do an exercise in the morn to get my h.h. down (easy to find on internet). I bought a water filter jug that makes my water more alkaline, and I am drinking low acid coffee now. I have gone from 4 to 2 cups a day so far. I drink marshmallow root, slippery elm (yuck), and chamomile tea and try to drink 8-9 cups of water per day. I don’t have dairy (except butter) and very little bread/wheat and def nothing acidic. I’m trying to heal my stomach so I can wean off PPI’s since I’ve been on them for years. Trying to alternate PPI’s one day and H2 blockers the next. I’m still doing some things I shouldn’t (snack at night) so I don’t know but I just want to enjoy my life without pain. If this doesn’t work, I’m wondering if surgery to fix a hiatal hernia would be the answer. I don’t know if it’s as easy as wanting it or if it has be a certain size and what is the success rate. I’ve also found some YouTube videos and do some exercises that are supposed to help. PPI’s do help but they are def not a miracle cure, they are less effective with time nor should we be on them indefinitely. Anyway, that’s what I’m doing.

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Say, I have added some good quality probiotics to my regime to improve my gut microbes… seems to be helping. Also have the cabbage juice you recommended every few days. Hope you are doing better.

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Profile picture for mrsbeard26 @mrsbeard26

I’ve been on Prevacid my entire adult life. 27 years. Slowly transitioning off. I’m scared.

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Update: it’s going well! I’m on famotidine (h2 blocker) only. I take 20 mg am/pm.
I also quit caffeinated coffee. I was on Prevacid for 27 years so I’m trying to be kind to myself.
Anyone else ?

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Profile picture for Father of sticky rice @fatherofstickyrice

10 years ago or so, I had severe symptoms of having food stuck in my esophagus and not being able to swallow or bring food back up. This put me in the hospital a few times until an endoscopy diagnosed me with a schatzki ring. My gastroenterologist nipped it in one or two places and prescribed omeprazole 20 mg once per day. This worked fine for years. My current primary care physician wants me to come off of this proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and use an H2 blocker instead. I agree. I tried about a 10-day transition alternating between the two medications and then went to the H2 blocker (Famotidine) for 3 months with no omeprazole. I had swallowing difficulty symptoms almost every meal. They were mild to severe ( inability to swallow or bring food back up for 20 minutes with a production of fluid [saliva?] which required spitting and some small amounts of food coming up). So, I went back on Omeprazole about a month ago. Now I have obtained a prescription both. I would like to try to wean myself off of the PPI and onto an H2 blocker again. Here is my plan:● Alternate omeprazole 20 mg /day early am with famotidine 20 mg before breakfast and dinner for 14 days. Then alternate with PPI every 3rd day for 14 days. Then alternate with PPI every 4th day for 14 days.Does anyone have any experience with this transition? Any suggestions.

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Great, to know that tranisitioning to H2 is possible. Probably going to use the weaning off approach that stickyrice mentions. The PPIs were apparently never studied for long term use and after what happended with Zantac its buyer beware. Also recent mendium term studies show an increased risk of Gastric Cancer, a chance I am not willing to take.

" Long-term use of PPIs was still associated with an increased GC (Gastric cancer) risk in subjects even after HP eradication therapy"
"The long-term use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), a class of drugs commonly used to treat acid reflux, is linked to a more than doubling in the risk of developing stomach cancer."
"After a median follow-up of 5.0 years, the use of PPIs was associated with a 45% increased risk of gastric cancer compared with the use of H2RAs"
You can google the quotes and see the links and articles

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Profile picture for gird66 @gird66

Great, to know that tranisitioning to H2 is possible. Probably going to use the weaning off approach that stickyrice mentions. The PPIs were apparently never studied for long term use and after what happended with Zantac its buyer beware. Also recent mendium term studies show an increased risk of Gastric Cancer, a chance I am not willing to take.

" Long-term use of PPIs was still associated with an increased GC (Gastric cancer) risk in subjects even after HP eradication therapy"
"The long-term use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), a class of drugs commonly used to treat acid reflux, is linked to a more than doubling in the risk of developing stomach cancer."
"After a median follow-up of 5.0 years, the use of PPIs was associated with a 45% increased risk of gastric cancer compared with the use of H2RAs"
You can google the quotes and see the links and articles

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Exactly. I’m terrified I’ll have it. I’m on keto also

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Profile picture for Father of sticky rice @fatherofstickyrice

I've transitioned fairly well. I have occasional mild to moderate swallowing problems.

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It's been about a year now and I feel successful. I do have an occasional mild to moderate swallowing problem. But very rarely.

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Profile picture for gird66 @gird66

Great, to know that tranisitioning to H2 is possible. Probably going to use the weaning off approach that stickyrice mentions. The PPIs were apparently never studied for long term use and after what happended with Zantac its buyer beware. Also recent mendium term studies show an increased risk of Gastric Cancer, a chance I am not willing to take.

" Long-term use of PPIs was still associated with an increased GC (Gastric cancer) risk in subjects even after HP eradication therapy"
"The long-term use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), a class of drugs commonly used to treat acid reflux, is linked to a more than doubling in the risk of developing stomach cancer."
"After a median follow-up of 5.0 years, the use of PPIs was associated with a 45% increased risk of gastric cancer compared with the use of H2RAs"
You can google the quotes and see the links and articles

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Welcome, @gird66. I noticed that you wish to post links to research articles with your message. You will be able to add URLs to your posts in a few days. There is a brief period where new members can't post links. We do this to deter spammers and keep the community safe. Clearly the links you wanted to post are not spam. Allow me to post them for you:
- Long-term proton pump inhibitors and risk of gastric cancer development after treatment for Helicobacter pylori: a population-based study https://gut.bmj.com/content/67/1/28
- Long-term use of PPIs linked to stomach cancer https://www.europeanpharmaceuticalreview.com/news/68840/ppis-stomach-cancer/
- Proton pump inhibitors and risk of gastric cancer: population-based cohort study https://gut.bmj.com/content/71/1/16

Have you talked to your doctor about weaning off PPIs?

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Profile picture for coquifoife @coquifoife

OK, here goes. I suspect this may be long. Omeprazole and Pepsid are the same thing. Reglan caused me to have involuntary movements of my tongue and feet. I’ve been off of it for over a year and the feet are in constant motion-the Doctors do not think it will resolve. I currently take 40 mg Omeprazole in the morning and 8 mg Ondansetron 2-3 times a day for nausea and vomiting. If I do not take them before my feet hit the floor, I will throw up. I had a hiatal for about 15 years before I had surgery to repair it (fundoplication). All was good for about 6 years. I had been told that that was about all I could expect. About 12 years ago, it was back and I started to vomit bright red blood, which resulted in esophagitis. Many tests and hospitalizations later, it was discovered that I also had gastritis and gastroparesis (delayed emptying of the stomach). The esophagitis and gastritis resolved with antibiotics and some minor diet changes. I am being followed at Emory University Hospital and have been for 33 years. I had a kidney transplant there 20 years ago as a result of untreated strep throat. My gastroenterologist has referred my to another Emory gastroenterologist who is specially trained in a procedure called G-POEM (look it up). Not many hospitals perform it as it is fairly new. They believe this should solve many of my problems caused by Gastroparesis. I expect to hear this week if I am a candidate. The procedure is 80-90% successful. The procedure is done through the mouth ((no external incision) and takes approximately 2 hours with 1 night in the hospital. The diet afterwards is gradual over a period of time -clear liquid, full liquid, soft then finally, regular. After extensive research, I feel that the possible reward outweighs the risk. I strongly suggest you contact the nearest teaching hospital for an evaluation. I wouldn’t consider going anywhere else for anything! Good luck and good health to all of you! Thank you for sticking with me through this epic journal.

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First, i am sorry you are habing to deal with these issues all these years. Hope you found a resolution. Do you have a gastro doc u recommend at Emory? I think I need to see someone more than just the local gastro doc. They seem more focused on just doing procedures and not maintaining relationships with patients. Did u receive a referral . I could go to either Mayo in Jax or Emory. Both are somewhat in driving distance

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