Getting Off of Omeprazole: Share your success stories please.

Just found this thread. I have suspected LPR, according to ent, and short barretts, visually on endoscopy but negative for barretts on pathology after 5 months on omeprazole.
My ent recommended a plant based diet but with animal protein in small portions 2 to 3 times a week. He also recommended reflux gourmet, which has sodium alginate, to create a reflux raft above stomach contents and keep acid in stomach. I found esophageal guardian by life extension which costs less and works better for me. I take it at bedtime.
Waiting to hear from GI that I can wean off omeprazole, which I already stated doing every other day. So far so good.

I hesitate to write this because i am absolutely not an expert and am an experiment of one. With that said I will tell you my experience.

i was on Prilosec (prescription) for years and then there were a series of events and I stopped taking it. Surprise. NO problem. Then I had an endoscopy (for other reasons) and asked the doctor if he thought I should be taking Prilosec and he said he saw no reason. So I have not gone back to it.

What I did do was adjust my diet and stop eating citrus, tomatoes, and other items - i actually forget now because it is all in the past. I DO eat yogurt, cottage cheese, other cheese (not cheddar) peanut butter, meat, cooked (and non cruciferous) vegetables, yams, berries, bananas, other stuff. . I have a whole list somewhere if you want it, just PM me. I created the list by trial and error - if something gave me GERD, out it went.

One take away I came to was the gastroenterologists do like to prescribe Prilosec. If you have something it will probably fix it. I have other problems but Prilosec is not fixing them, still the GI doctor wanted me to take the Prilosec. . All medicines have an affect on our kidneys and livers. I have a sense Prilosec is not a bad medicine any more than any other (I went back to the original research and found it not compelling) ..it is just that all medicines have problems.

BTW - that vinegar. Yikes. NEVER or as Jackie above called it - "acid"

Best to you and good luck-

Val

Omprazole is the generic of Prilosec and I have been taking one every morning for 3 years or more because of the severe GERD I had. I know it's long term but I don't get the severe pain as before since taking Omprazole every morning. Also, I have changed my diet and do not eat anything that will give me pain. I only eat fish or chicken, zucchini, broccoli well cooked. No pepper or chili or any other 'hot' spice. An occasional pizza, but I do believe that the Omprazole each morning has helped me considerably. No pain, No GERD. Tried Apple Cider Vinegar once and it made me want to vomit so never again.

It took me a year to wean myself off. My doctor recommended alternating between vitamin E with Prilosec, but never take them on the same day. I started with one day a week, vitamin E and no Prilosec. Did this two months or so. Once my acid reflux was tolerable on my off days, then I would add another day of vitamin E. It took a year and didn’t think I could do it, especially for being on it for 4+ years. I have occasional flare ups and will take Prilosec for a few days. Good luck!

It took me a year to wean myself off. My doctor recommended alternating between vitamin E with Prilosec, but never take them on the same day. I started with one day a week, vitamin E and no Prilosec. Did this two months or so. Once my acid reflux was tolerable on my off days, then I would add another day of vitamin E. It took a year and didn’t think I could do it, especially for being on it for 4+ years. I have occasional flare ups and will take Prilosec for a few days. Good luck!

Several questions. What dose of Vitamin E were you taking? Did your doctor explain why Vitamin E would help on the days you didn't take Prilosec? Eventually, were you taking Vitamin E every day when you completely got off Prilosec and do you continue taking Vitamin E daily now? Thanks.

Yikes, I didn't even realize Omeprazole was addictive!