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Side effects with omeprazole/Prilosec use
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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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.
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1 ReactionThank 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.
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2 ReactionsThe 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.
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3 ReactionsI have a different issue altogether: I had my first endoscopy because of a slight sign of anemia. The GI doc said I had moderately severe reflux! I said, no I dont. He insisted I take protonix. After 8 mos and reading about side effects I tried to speak to him about discontinuing, or at least having another endoscopy to see if it changed anything. He asked me if I wanted to follow his advice or the internet!!! Holy moly he isnt my doctor any more…
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5 ReactionsI have been reading the here about the long term side effects of omeprozole and am going to try to wean off. Suggestions? Thanks!
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.
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