Warnings about Omeprazole

Posted , 11 users are following.

For those of you who are just starting to take omeprazole, please stop and find other alternatives!!! I have endured so much agony from this medication since I first started taking it last year. You might feel better initially but if you take it for longer than 2 weeks, you will find it extremely difficult, if not impossible to get off of it because the rebound acid is a killer.

On top of that, I've experienced some horrible side effects (which I've never had before):

- exercise-induced tachycardia: extremely fast and uncontrollable heartbeat (over 200 bpm).

- heart palpitations and irregular heartbeat

- anxiety

- chest pains

- extreme fatigue

- depression

I am a healthy, physically active 34 yr old female and was prescribed omeprazole for a mild stomach irritation or suspected ulcer. I stayed on it for several months with few symptoms at the time. However, going off of it was another story. Because these pills stop your stomach from producing acid, it burns and hurts enormously when you try to go off of it. As well, after I managed to wean myself off (I had to go through a juice fast in order to do it), I started developing digestive issues I'd never had before like heartburn and reflux. I believe it is these pills which have caused it as I'd never had heartburn until taking it.

And now, having been on it a 2nd time, I've developed the list of symptoms above which have caused me endless grief!

I've read other stories of people having the same symptoms as well as a host of other problems like osteoporosis because it drains your body of calcium.

More people need to know about the dangers of this medication. I read about people staying on this for years and developing even more conditions!!

[color=black:86ccfba323][size=9:86ccfba323][b:86ccfba323][i:86ccfba323]If you feel that a symptom is due to a side effect of a medicine that you have taken then you may wish to report it to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) via their yellow card scheme - http://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk[/i:86ccfba323][/b:86ccfba323][/size:86ccfba323][/color:86ccfba323]

0 likes, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • Posted

    Hear Hear, quite agree with you. There are so many side effects to this drug, that even my GP did not recommend them. My reflux has got 90% better on diet alone.
  • Posted

    Have suffered with acid reflux for a while now & after having an endoscopy been diagnosed with mild gastritis.

    I fully agree with you about this drug

    Unfortunately these drug companies are huge & weald great power, so many people are suffering untold side effects including me !!!

    But I am dumping this rubbish & have opted for manuka honey three times a day, which have researched is a natural way of controling it, but you need to check it is certified umf as there are a lot of fake ones around !!!

    Definitely affects the heart !!!

    Thank you for your input, I think many people will agree with you & good luck, I hope you get better soon😉

  • Posted

    I've just got myself off Omeprazole after 6 months on it . I spent a week taking 10mgs a day rather than 20mgs and that was 5 weeks ago.

    So far so good. I've had some rebound reflux but it's only slight now and not every day by any means.

    I sometimes take a small dose of Gaviscon or chew DCL licorice or a handful of almonds if it flares up.

    The bloating and burping have gone & I generally feel much better with more energy.

    I'm coming off Gabapentin too which I think has made my tummy worse.

    I think there is too much of an emphasis on cure rather than prevention these days. Pills are given out without side effects advice. Do your own research is my advice because GP's don't understand the half of what the side effects of drugs put you thru. Following my doctors advice with withdrawal has never woke. We know our own bodies best. Slowly does it is my advice to everyone . Never try ginger cold turkey it's not worth putting yourself thru that experience.

  • Posted

    With Prevacid, I started experiencing chest pains at around Day 5 of the 14 recommended days. I immediately stopped taking the medication, and within a couple of days, the chest pain started to reduce. My blood pressure and BPM seemed ok when I was experiencing the pain issues. I've been to a cardiologist before, and they've never observed anything major. A couple of months ago, I even wore a Holter monitor for a couple of days because of heart palpitations.

    Now, my doctor has prescribed omeprazole to help with gastrointestinal issues. There's no way I'm taking that particular medication after these recent issues...

    I'm going to try sticking with Pepcid after meals and completely cutting out wine, whiskey, and chocolate...

  • Posted

    I'm researching this, because I happened to run out of my Omeprazole prescription yesterday, and didn't take it this morning.

    I've been having issues with energy, and was recently diagnosed with iron and vitamin D deficiencies.

    I just took my second dose of prescription vitamin D yesterday, and have more energy today than I have in a LONG time.

    I assumed it was the vitamin D and/or iron "kicking in", then I remembered that I didn't take Omeprazole this morning.

    I've been taking it for years, and on the rare occasion that I've run out, I immediately had acid reflux.

    Surprisingly, I haven't had any today. I'm going to setup taking it and see what happens...

  • Posted

    I’m on Omeprazole and went to the doctor because I get hear palpatations and it’s scary my doctor looked it up in his book and found that Omeprazole does not give you heart palpitations so it was like I was lying or something it’s horrible tightness in your chest and fluttering Of your heart 
    • Posted

      I started omeprozole again I took it about the same time this year last year, and ended up in the hospital ER with irregular heartbeat and tightness in my chest and pressure between my shoulder blades. I only took it for a couple of months then stopped and used Zantac. This month due to Christmas parties and rich foods my GERD symptoms are bad so I decided to take Omprozole to see if it would settle down my GERD attacks. I have only taken 4 doses 4 days of it. Well it did help my GERD but the last 2 night's the irregular heatbeats have kept me awake half the night. This morning had the pressure and pain in my upper back between my shoulder blades... I do believe now that the Proton pump inhibitor is the cause and I will not be taking it again. I think I will stick with the Zantac.

  • Posted

    My 13 year old took omeprazole for a year on and off.  During that time he developed heart palpitations, constipation  and severely dry mouth.  The GI specialist suggested that it was somatic.  I have since weaned him off and he does not have those side effects but he is having several loose stools a day. We have changed his diet but most foods upset his stomach. 

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