Side effects with omeprazole/Prilosec use

Posted by blueorca @blueorca, May 5, 2018

i am an 18-year user of daily OTC Prilosec. It does a perfect job of controlling my GERD but I am constantly battling side effects of nutritional deficiencies in iron, B-12, magnesium, etc. For example, my hair is extremely thin and loss of energy is a constant problem. I am looking for specific help in knowing which supplements to take for this and in what doses and formats and on what schedule. All the nutritionists I've found locally are not well-versed in Prilosec use. Is there a medical provider out there who specializes in this? And would they be willing to work with me long distance?

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Profile picture for gigi4 @gigi4

I found a low acid coffee that is also free of toxins called Lifeboost. It comes with or without caffeine, in 3 different roasts, and also in flavors. I’ve used it now for a few years. It’s worth a try.

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You can buy PH Booster drops to raise the PH of your favorite coffee. I use Alkalife. 4 drops will raise it close to 7. It contains potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide which are the same ingredients you will find in all the Alkaline waters.

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Profile picture for Father of sticky rice @fatherofstickyrice

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.

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Thank you for that info. But aside from low acid, I also want a clean, toxin free, mold free coffee. In general, coffees are very dirty. If I can find the article I read, I’ll post it here

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Profile picture for linso1000 @linso1000

Hi
I’ve been on 40mg omeprazole for Gerd and acid reflux for over 12 years.
Recently (last 3 months) it stopped working and acid was out of control. Doc booked me in for a gastroscopy, which meant no meds for 5 days prior.
Obviously the acid was really bad, but other things happened too. I started sleeping through the night. Reflux & aspiration stopped. I felt less fatigued, had a clearer head, felt like for the first time in ages I had some energy.
I’ve already suffered a crumbling hip joint and had a replacement, have put on 5 stone in the last 8 years and sometimes felt so tired and washed out that all I wanted to do was stay in bed (not possible as I still have to get up and work).
Omeprazole was my crutch and I never realised how bad it was for me - I am now trying different things to address the acid and although it initially got worse, it’s now not too bad (nearly 2 weeks off it).
I’m not going back on it. Currently changing diet to alkaline with digestive enzymes. I have a hiatus hernia. Gastroscopy found lesions and polyps which are currently being biopsied, but until I’ve tried absolutely everything else I’m not going back on meds.

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I took omeprazole originally when NEXIUM was prescribed by my doctor but my insurance would not pay for it. I had no problem just stopping one and starting the other.

I then went on NEXIUM in 2014 when it came on the OTC market. After two years, I switched to ranitidine up until I had a hernia repair and LINX augmentation done in 2018.

My surgery and LINX was a great success and I have not taken as much as one tum since. Ask your doctor about it,

Dr. Lipham at USC is my referral to you. Good luck.

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Profile picture for Bonnie @nightngale1998

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

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Acid reflux problems for years, severe, stopped meds, started daily; 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, and 1 tablespoon sauerkraut and leafy salad greens. It works great for me. If I have any stomach pain I swallow a tablespoon of sauerkraut and it almost instantly goes away. Applesauce is a prebiotic sauerkraut probiotic (any fermented food daily is good for your microbiomes.) I can't tell you how easy and happy this solution has made me after years of chronic pain. But everybody's got is different so you have to experiment and be your own advocate.

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Profile picture for Drroberts @drrobertsmsmft

I took omeprazole originally when NEXIUM was prescribed by my doctor but my insurance would not pay for it. I had no problem just stopping one and starting the other.

I then went on NEXIUM in 2014 when it came on the OTC market. After two years, I switched to ranitidine up until I had a hernia repair and LINX augmentation done in 2018.

My surgery and LINX was a great success and I have not taken as much as one tum since. Ask your doctor about it,

Dr. Lipham at USC is my referral to you. Good luck.

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I was on it for years and it stopped working. I has the Nissan Fundoplacation surgery which was an extremely hard recover for me. It never truly relieved my symptoms and now I take Zantac daily.

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Profile picture for memissyb @memissyb

Acid reflux problems for years, severe, stopped meds, started daily; 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, and 1 tablespoon sauerkraut and leafy salad greens. It works great for me. If I have any stomach pain I swallow a tablespoon of sauerkraut and it almost instantly goes away. Applesauce is a prebiotic sauerkraut probiotic (any fermented food daily is good for your microbiomes.) I can't tell you how easy and happy this solution has made me after years of chronic pain. But everybody's got is different so you have to experiment and be your own advocate.

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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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Profile picture for Bonnie @nightngale1998

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

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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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Profile picture for Bonnie @nightngale1998

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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Profile picture for Bonnie @nightngale1998

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

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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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Profile picture for memissyb @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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