my omeprazole experience

Thank you for your input........I suppose if there are millions of people taking omeprazole and a small percentage are experiencing side effects then the medical profession can truly state that side effects are rare.........that small percentage amounts to a considerable amount though........the number of people on similar sites as this are evidence of this.

​From what Ive read it seems that there are many PPI types of tab which have a similar outcome for the patient..........apparently the action of PPI's leads to lack of absorbtion of certain nutrients and vits vital to the general wellbeing of the human body,causing all kinds of problems..........doctors are in denial about it.............mine wanted to put me on tablets for anxiety...........all the time knowing that anxiety is another side effect of this drug.

You're right about millions of people taking this drug and it has been in constant use for 30 years now. It is one of the safest drugs around.

It has become fashionable for people to blame everything on the drug.

The main problems are with induced hypochlorhydria - too little stomach acid because the drugs are too good at their job!

This has been highlighted in recent years because of overuse and abuse by self medicators - mainly in USA where these powerful Proton Pump Inhibitors have been available over the counter too easily and users have not followed correct usage protocols nor been monitored by a physician. This led to the FDA issuing health warnings against the possible consequences of their overuse.

You are far more likely to read reports posted from the relatively few who do have prolems than the thousands for whom these drugs are a life-saver.

Hypochlorhydria results in malabsorption of essential minerals and a reduction in protection against bacterial infection.

The standard guidance is for patients to be managed on lowest effective dose with regular review.

20mg omeprazole is the normal low maintenance dose that is unlikely to result in hypochlorhydria. I was on 80mg omeprazole for a few years before becoming anaemic from them. (Having had a fundoplication, I am now meds free.)

The most common side effects of the drugs themselves are headaches, diarrhoea, constipation, flatulence, abdominal pains and nausea. Anxiety is not a common side effect of PPIs.

No drugs are perfect but PPIs are probab;y saving a number of lives right now. Of course it can never be possible to prove they may have a chemo-protective effect but there have been enough research papers published to suggest it.

P.S I would just like to clarify that the symptoms I am talking about that I experienced were depression and mood changes as well as a few physical ones and these symptoms were a result of taking only 10mg Omeprazole every day over 3 years. I did not overuse the drug but followed the same dosage. I also agree that cronic reflux can be life threatening but there are many different drugs available to combat it without life-wrecking symptoms. This discussion is about the horrible side effects of Omeprazole and ways in which to prevent reflux either with different medication or if possible, naturally.

I have never suggested that people are making their symptoms up.

I have only indicated what are the commonly reported symptoms. As I said in my original reply, if you believe the symptoms you describe are due to the omeprazole, you should discuss them with your doctor.

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I am not a doctor but work closely with many specialist consultants, professors and surgeons and have been researching this narrow area for 15 years.

As I have indicated, there are other PPIs you may try. There are other acid suppressant drugs which are not as effective.

Hi eve99287 i agree, its a know fact that many people and i mean many are and have suffered from taking these dreadfull meds, In my mums case they made her so ill she couldnt stand and cook a dinner in the end, thank goodness i could use the internet and my dads pc was till up mums, found out they were stopping her other much needed meds from working properly, took her straight down the doctors and she looked it up herself, oh yes she said it does say that doesnt. needless to say she stopped emmediatley and slowly began to recover, hate to think what would have happened if i hadnt been there that weekend and acted quickly. There is on hear, a whole pagefull of comments under the omeprazole medication section in another post about the  horrendous  side affects that people were experiencing.

Sue

You said "It has become fashionable for people to blame everything on the drug."

To me that suggests that you mean people are blaming symptoms on the drug when they should be attributed to something else? But then you go on to say that it may in fact be due to the drug, rather overuse of the drug. In my case, I only took 10mg for persistant reflux. The drug worked in terms of reducing reflux and it was just the right amount for me as if I was a little late, I would get reflux, so I was happy that the dosage was not excessive, however it still produced the symptoms. So, your sweeping statement of people "blaming" their symptoms on the drug/ overuse of the drug is a bit insulting. I'm afraid I really had to say something about this.

And I did see my doctor who prescribed me a different drug, Ranitidine, which I discussed earlier, (however, with respect, I don't think it is your place to be advising me to see my doctor). I am commenting here because this thread is about discussing symptoms and experiences with Omeprazole.

Hi Susan,

I'm glad that your mum has recovered. Thankfully they were able to isolate the cause and were able to remove it.

Thanks Eve, going off the subject hear but she had also been put on a cholesterol lowering drug too, guesse what side affects aching muscles, she had to use the stair lift cos her legs got bad too. Results were dr. decided to a blood test which revealed she didnt even need them! MMMM maybe a good idear to of done this first. im lucky my 84 year old mum is still with us!

Thanks Sue.............yes,lethal is the word.There are numerous sites on the subject with a multitude of patients all with a similar problem or several similar problems to those I and others have experienced. ...........one of the 'scary'effects was when walking,struggling to walk a straight course,I read of another person doing what I was doing...trying to walk along the lines of the paving slabs to keep on an even keel!...Im glad to say that since I stopped the tabs,that was one of the first effects to improve.

​I suppose the medical profession is in denial because of fear of compensation claims..........

​Before I was aware that these tablets were at the root of my problems,I asked the doctor what the next plan was and she said possibly neurilogical tests/more blood tests.............she then said knowingly"we dont always get to the root of these problems"!.........I remember being slightly puzzled to hear that.........it sort of implied that there are others in the same situation, rather than what I thought was just me with my weird symptoms.Why on earth dont the doctors come out and tell you from the beginning ,instead of wasting time and money on further,and alarming testing on unsuspecting sufferers.

George, your doctor was thinking of neurilogical tests and more blood tests. i would have thought the first and obvious thing would be to look into the side affects of your current medicatiions.  But then it clearly says with the omeprazole dont give to patients on clopidogrel which my mum was on, why dont the drs. know this, it shouldnt have took me her daughter to do research, take a picture on my mobile phone then take down and show her!  oh they have known this since 2009!

In 2009, the FDA issued a public-health warning about the possible interaction between clopidogrel and omeprazole. The alert stated that when the two drugs are taken together, the effectiveness of clopidogrel is reduced. "Patients at risk for heart attacks or strokes who use clopidogrel to prevent blood clots will not get the full effect of this medicine if they are also taking omeprazole," according to the FDA

T

Thanks Sue.......regarding the aforementioned neurological test etc,and looking at my present medication first..........Ive only been on the one,ie omeprazole......they already know that its causing the problems, tho they seem to be in denial about it and would rather waste time and money with having patients running around seeing specialists and so on..............I dont know,it makes you wonder about the conspiracy theories about the pharmaceutical companies controlling our health and longevity.............all about finance.

​Thats unbelievable what occurred with your Mum............it must flag up on the computer when they prescribe drugs with an interaction........good that you were on the case.