Side effects with omeprazole/Prilosec use

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

I never had heartburn either. Wound up with Barrett’s esophagus. I’ve taken PPIS to heal ulcers but took only for 14 months. I’m on Pepcid an H2 blocker. There are multiple side effects from PPPIS.

We weaned off our acid reflux meds very slowly. The possible long term side effect of taking acid reflux meds concerned us. I brought empty capsules and made our own capsules as we slowly weaned off. Now, i juice 16 ounces of celery every morning for myself and husband. . We drink it before our coffee and wait about 30 minutes. And, we drink a teaspoon of Braggs apple cider vinegar (the mother) each morning before breakfast. I hope this is helpful.

Hi there: Has anyone had success in weaning off of Omeprazole? I take it for GERD. Thank you in advance!