Getting Off of Omeprazole: Share your success stories please.

If you already have an acid surge/discomfort, then I suggest doing it more slowly. In other words, take 10 mg every other day or even every third day. I'm trying to switch from a PPI to an H2 blocker and I started once a week to take an H2 instead of PPI, and then once every 4 days, 3 days, and building up. I don't know yet if I'll succeed but it's so far working to do it slowly.

After 10 years on a ppi and h2 blocker (worsened after gall bladder surgery), I 'm finally on an h2 blocker only, 40 mg of Famotadine twice a day. But, it's only because my Crohn's is finally being treated effectively. Crohn's inflammation was making it impossible to control the reflux. Also, I often have to add Gaviscon in between doses, but I think it's safer than remaining on a ppi.

Also, make sure you are on a strong enough dosage of an h2 blocker. They were trying 20 mg twice a day at first.

Good luck!

Things have improved since cutting dosage. Total of 70 mg vs 120mg in 7 days and I’m feeling much more stable on 10mg vs 20mg. Acid effects are stable as today is day 7 and it’s now 2 days without the need for a tums at night. I’ve stayed away from acidity liquid, foods and alcohol. Planning to carry this on for another 7 days and then reduce to 5mg for a two week period. If needed I take a H2 during this time of withdrawal.

It may be helpful for you to consult a nutritionist with knowledge in treating healthy eating for gut issues as you taper off the PPI. As you taper off and are totally off, symptoms will return as it did for me. It’s critical to make dietary changes changes to support good gut health.
Here’s what was recommended for me along with some supplements and I no longer have GERD or indigestion:
*Eliminate gluten products - gluten free bread, almond flour crackers, etc. it doesn’t matter if you’re not gluten intolerant and don’t have Celiac disease.
*Reduce sugars - eat low sugar fruit(strawberries, blueberries, raspberries), low sugar vegetables, use only stevia as a sweetener
*Consume fermented foods - Kefir, sauerkraut if you like it, pickles but only from the refrigerated section, kombucha, kimchi.
*Diary - it is the fat that can be difficult to digest. I switched to almond milk, yogurt with A2 protein ( makes it digestible ) or try sheep or goat milk products.
*Eliminate highly processed foods as they have too many chemicals.
Best to you as you go through this. PPI’s can have serious side effects. I was told by my GI to never take again due to side effect.

Thank you! Very helpful if you have any other suggestions on diet please pass along.

I have found if I stick to a mostly vegan diet that my GERD is a lot better. Not perfect but much better. I also have really reduced caffeine, sugar and white flour carbs - the sugar and white flour was easier to give up then reducing my morning coffee to just 1 smaller cup but it was well worth it. I do not have dairy or red meat but will occasionally have chicken or fish but I get it from local place not the grocery store/factory farmed stuff. I now eat fruit for dessert and only indulge once in a while and this all hasn't been hard at all because I felt better right away. I used to have to take 2-3 pantoprozole to control my issues and now I'm down to 1 with hopes of going off that completely by my next appointment.

Hi ggi4 - Would you elaborate what "serious side effects" your GI doctor said is the reason to never take PPI's again? Thanks.

In my case, my digestive tract cells were hypertrophic, meaning enlarged and not good. PPI's in general from what I learned can cause a variety of ill health effects - fractures, pneumonia risk, risk of C.difficile and iron and B12 deficiency as well as possible cancers. I had been on the PPI for 6 months and was concerned about continuing to use it as I didn't feel much better. My doctor listened and contacted GI and scheduled an endoscopy. It was my 3rd endoscopy over the course of 7 years dealing with indigestion and one and off acid reflux.

Lisa, I found a low acid coffee called Lifeboost that I like very much. It's the acid in coffee that can affect our gut. Lifeboost can be ordered online at lifeboost.com and also on Amazon. It comes in caffeinated or decaf, light, medium or dark roast and also flavors. I have both caffeinated and decaf and sometimes do half of each if I want less caffeine but still get a little boost.

The side effects that frighten me the most with long term usage are dementia and Kidney disease. I have been on them for many years. When PPI's first came out, they were thought to be very safe, with no major side effects, until in recent years, after studies we were done contradicting that. I tried to quit them and became quite ill to the point where I just quit eating. Lost 20lb. as food made me frightened to even eat. My GI doc said that the studies were not very impressive, and I should probably restart, which I did. Now I appear to have this LPR. If I thought GERD was bad, this is even worse. I pray a lot.