OMEPRAZOLE PROBLEMS
Posted , 2 users are following.
Several months ago i started to get abdominal pain and swelling. After going backwards and forwards to the GP ( familiar anybody?) i had all the usual investigations for blood in stools etc which showed nothing remarkable. Eventually referred for a gastoscropy and the technician diagnosed erosive gastritis and prescribed 8 weeks Omeprazole twice a day.
Now here's the odd thing. I have NEVER suffered from acid reflux. I know the signs well enough as my late partner suffered every day with severe reflux which was never truly resolved.
I've been taking the omeprazole now for three weeks. At first I had no side effects or none that I noticed anyway. However just in the last three days I really struggle almost continuously after I eat. It feels as though my whole system is blocked and my body is having to work way too hard to digest food of any kind so much so that now I'm inclined not to eat. I last ate about 12 hours ago and despite a half decent sleep I feel as though I'm still trying to digest what's in there.
I assume that my problems are caused by too much acid suppression and I'm inclined to just stop as my quality of life is ruined. However, I'm mindful of the erosive gastritis diagnosis and wouldn't want to do anything which might make that worse.
The GP also prescribed a course of antibiotics in case its an infection. That course is now finished but there's no follow up planned to see if they worked.
As i said earlier, my late partner suffered from severe acid reflux for all the time i knew her and i suspect that it contributed to her eventual demise from pulmonary fibrosis caused by ingesting acid into her lungs. She spent a dozen years flipping between omeprazole and lansoprozole and at least one other PPI topped up with copious amounts of gaviscon but nothing really dealt with the problem. I'm therefore acutely aware of the problems reflux can cause but my problem seems at the opposite end of the scale with insufficient acid production while on this medication. I'm also acutely aware of the bad press PPI's get as I did extensive research for my partner.
I would love to know whether anyone has had similar experience, what they did and was it resolved? I will of course be asking my GP to review this problem but from experience I know they tend to err on the side of caution and don't generally contradict another doctor.
0 likes, 1 reply
BingBang1960 mark63370
Posted
I was on omeprazole for a year and I too have suffered with impaired digestion. I have even been off the omeprazole for 8 weeks now and I am still struggling. There is no doubt that these drugs are meant to stop your stomach from producing acid, but doctors act surprised when you ask them if your problem could be caused by low stomach acid! I also never had acid reflux, was put on PPI for "suspected gastritis". My stupid fault for staying on them for a year! My GI doctor practically made an a** out of me for asking if my symptoms could be from low stomach acid...said it wasn't possible. Yeah, right.
Anyway, if you haven't weaned off of them already I would suggest that you try. Even after 8 weeks my digestion is still messed up and I'm trying desperately to get back to normal again. I just took a test for SIBO which can be caused by low stomach acid. If you have the option, you may want to see a naturopath or integrative medicine doctor. Good luck with everything!