Hi there- My dad was put on omeprozole in the hospital and had a long stay at both the acute care hospital, then a rehab facility. I was dismayed to find he was on it long term too after reading about the side effects.

(Disclaimer: If you went on it after talking to your doctor, of course, might make sense to talk with them about it.)

I used this as a guide to come up with a plan; it’s from the VA:
https://www.va.gov/WHOLEHEALTHLIBRARY/tools/coming-off-a-proton-pump-inhibitor.asp
I’m not sure how long you’ve been taking the PPI, and that may affect how difficult it could be to get off it. My dad was on it a moderate amount of time, and he didn’t have trouble, thankfully.

He also took/takes a magnesium supplement, which you may want to consider, especially if you have symptoms related to magnesium deficiency (fatigue, leg cramps, nausea). PPIs have been found to inhibit absorption of magnesium and deficiency is more prevalent in older people. You can also be tested.

Basically we reduced the dose as slowly as we could reasonably cut the tablets down with a pill cutter. My dad is very sensitive to medications, so we’re used to having to taper and titrate slowly. I can’t remember the denominations we used, but most sources say it should take longer than two weeks to get off it.

I think it took us at least a month. He’d take a dose for a week, then lower again, and so on. Getting down to the end, we alternated every other day, then every three days until he was off it.

I believe it also helps to address lifestyle changes, like reducing or avoiding foods that tend to cause more acid while you’re getting used to being off the PPI, in my dad’s case it’s important for him to eat while being as upright as possible (he is recovering from a stroke), and doing breathing exercises.

Good luck. I agree and I feel it’s worth it to try to get off it. I feel like the consequences should be more well-known. The hospital that prescribed it didn’t even discuss it with us.