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!

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It looks like I have been able to switch from Nexium (a PPI) to Pepcid (famotidine, an H2 blocker) by gradually replacing. In other words, taking every 4th day a Pepcid instead of Nexium, and then reducing to 3rd, 2nd, every other, and then 2 days Pepcid, 1 day Nexium, etc...
And then if you also want to wean off the Pepcid, I think it's easier than weaning off the Nexium or Omeprazole.

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I took freeze dried breast milk for my SIBO, then added goat milk yogurt, seemed to help a ton...cut out the PPIs, but the docs want me to get back on the PPIs, so I'm struggling with the tossup, acid reflux, beat up esophogus, or laying in bed in pain with a hot pad. I too, "microdose" the psilium fiber, cause too much, is too much, and it's easy to get too much! actually little fiber gummies seem to be just about the right amount for me.

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@memissyb

Hi Jojo
I have had the same problem for years that you're having now. Ice get pain that starts at the rib cage and then now it radiates to the very back of my back and I spend a lot of time on the heating pad. I've been on Omeprazole, nexium, dexilant (which is extremely expensive in my insurance won't pay for it now) you name it all of them. Last year I did a lot of research on microbiomes and stomach issues and what I've learned seems to help me a lot. Like I said I take applesauce and sauerkraut everyday. To try and keep myself regular I take a powdered magnesium made by vitality extracts called calm. You can get it at any health food store or Costco it cost about $24 a year the bottle has lasted me 9 months and it's only halfway empty. I take a teaspoon of that everyday and mix it with a quarter teaspoon of psyllium fiber in a glass of 8 oz of water and I drink that down every day. It keeps me pretty regular so I'd miss out on the constipation I used to get. Everybody is different you might have to take a little more or a little less depending on how bad your stomach issues are. Too much magnesium will give you the runs and too much fiber will blow you and give you a stomach ache. For me I only need a quarter to a half a teaspoon of fiber every other day but the calm magnesium I take everyday. Also green leafy salads even if you go without onion and other things in it like tomatoes I can't do helps to move your system and keep you regular. I pretty much stay away from sugar but I do love my chocolate so I might have a little candy bar every other night. I also get diverticulitis pain on the left side when I feel like I'm starting to get constipated or bloated so I'm very careful. I switched my milk out to lactose-free and that helps. I've been to so many doctors for scleroderma and the only thing that really helps anything with my disease is sildenafil for my raynauds and hydroxychloroquine for my stiffness and puffiness in my fingers. But I would like to get off the hydroxychloroquine due to the fact that it can cause plaquenil toxicity and affects your eyes after about 5 years sometimes. The disease that I have affects everyone differently so I just try really hard to stay healthy but I have noticed a diet and exercise have helped me more than any medication they've given me at this point. I hardly ever get stomach pain now but when I do I curl up like a baby and cry myself to sleep on the heating pad. I wish you the best of luck we have to be our own advocate so fight for your life and your pain to go away research research research! Big hugs, Melissa

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tell me more about diverticuli pain on the left side, that sounds like maybe what I had and it was horrible; went to the ED, cause it hurt so bad and so long I wanted to die.

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@dragonfly123

tell me more about diverticuli pain on the left side, that sounds like maybe what I had and it was horrible; went to the ED, cause it hurt so bad and so long I wanted to die.

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I have it as well, but been watching what to eat. No nuts. If you want to eat nuts, turn it into powder. Because the seeds go into the Div cavities and start an infection. Try to prevent constipation. You might have had infection, and needed antibiotics. Otherwise, you will end up having surgery done which is a risky procedure. But, people got better by watching what they eat and having bowel movements.

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I've heard and read both about nuts, particularly popcorn, and fresh raw corn, doesn't do me well...but dunno
I was in the emergency for severe pain, they said it was gas, but when I read yours, left side, sigmoid colon, it made me wonder if the pain was from that, as I do have diverticulosis/and possibly itis...dunno
the GI is amazing, and very complicated

Lewis

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@dragonfly123

I've heard and read both about nuts, particularly popcorn, and fresh raw corn, doesn't do me well...but dunno
I was in the emergency for severe pain, they said it was gas, but when I read yours, left side, sigmoid colon, it made me wonder if the pain was from that, as I do have diverticulosis/and possibly itis...dunno
the GI is amazing, and very complicated

Lewis

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Hi Lewis,
Yep sometimes they have told me not to eat popcorn or strawberries anything with seeds anything with peanuts, the pain on my left side of my abdomen is usually more towards the front and it just hurts and it does feel like gas. I don't get it very often since I started eating differently and popcorn doesn't bother me at all. It's all so very confusing because I've been diagnosed with ulcers,IBS, diverticulitis. Every time I go get a colonoscopy it's different but I've never had polyps I'm 63 so I've been about five times. I can't say that what they call diverticulitis is pain on my left side which does feel a lot like gas or bloating and all sometimes get constipation but it has happened a lot less since I changed my diet and I still eat popcorn just not as much in one sitting. But I also eat flax seeds and they're tiny so they're supposed to be able to get into the holes of your colon if you have diverticulitis and cause pain so everybody's just different. I am very interested in studying all research on microbiomes and stomach issues because I really believe that is where all our troubles start. Since I started taking care of my stomach issues more and eating the right things then I definitely feel better everywhere even with joint pain. Been diagnosed with SIBO too I need my research found that antibiotics are really not good for us and with sibo some people would scleroderma have to be on that constantly. That's when I changed applesauce and sauerkraut for my prebiotics and probiotics I can't believe how amazingly simple it's been.

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@dragonfly123

I took freeze dried breast milk for my SIBO, then added goat milk yogurt, seemed to help a ton...cut out the PPIs, but the docs want me to get back on the PPIs, so I'm struggling with the tossup, acid reflux, beat up esophogus, or laying in bed in pain with a hot pad. I too, "microdose" the psilium fiber, cause too much, is too much, and it's easy to get too much! actually little fiber gummies seem to be just about the right amount for me.

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If the doctor thinks you need medication to heal your esophagus then you should definitely take it, because you're exposing yourself to the danger of developing esophageal cancer. Try to see if you can take an H2 blocker. If that doesn't help you (you need to give it at least 2 weeks to see if you feel better), then take the PPI. It's better than getting cancer.

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@t98

If the doctor thinks you need medication to heal your esophagus then you should definitely take it, because you're exposing yourself to the danger of developing esophageal cancer. Try to see if you can take an H2 blocker. If that doesn't help you (you need to give it at least 2 weeks to see if you feel better), then take the PPI. It's better than getting cancer.

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I"d rather get cancer and die of it; that spend 12 hours laying in bed, clutching a heating pad, against my tummy, trying to get it to unlock, and hypersensitivity to methane gas, like pea gravel; inside my tummy, grinding along. From what I've seen, a lot of doctors, have their "go to" diagnosis and treatment, and don't listen to the patients, don't review the prior records, and don't have a clue about WTF is going on, with and inside their patient, I've had 15 ED/docs, three GI docs, and about five surgeons, deny, what I told them, over two years, and finally confirmed thanks to another surgeon, "very rare, spigelian hernia, you got to get that fixed, it can pinch your bowel" after two years of misery and telling docs that I have a hernia, and the all denied it, but one, that said that was a possibility. Inept idiots, a lot of doctors; don't know shit.

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@jord

May I ask you where in your stomach the pain is? I have pain in middle where ribs meet and under ribs get inflamed or bloated or feel so heavy. Used to have little pain, but now, no matter what I drink or eat it or walk or bend pick something up, it hurts and feels heavy and bloated. The only thing has helped is warm water and heat pad. I can't take any PPIs or H2 Blockers due to thrush and getting Sibo. As soon as bloating and gas is gone, SIBO shows up! Thanks.

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PPI’s treat symptoms, not the cause. I too took PPI’s and once off, symptoms returned. So what’s the point of taking them?
PPI’s can also harm you. After my 3rd endoscopy, the GI doctor came in and told me to never take a POI again as my intestinal cells were hypertrophic.
If you have SIBO, find a doctor who knows how to treat why you have SIBO. Find one that actually listens to you.

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I’m in the process of weaning myself off of Prilosec, I’ve been a user for over 15 years constantly daily of 20 mg. I’m going to 10 mg for two weeks and then 5 mg for 2 and in 4 weeks hope to be at zero. I’ve tried this before with no success as the acid production comes back with extreme vengeance. The reason I’m quitting is my new doctor has strongly suggested I do this as research is suggesting possible harmful side effects. It’s day three and I’m feeling discomfort and frantic nerves.

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