Can Omeprazole lead to other medical conditions?

Posted , 10 users are following.

I have been taking Omeprazole since March 28th this year. Everything has been going really well until I started getting loose stools (yellowish colour) soon after. 

In April I had a blood test done and it showed iron deficiency. I had another blood test done just over a week ago and now I have a low Folate level and a low normal B12 level.

I have had to do a stool sample to see if my levels have fallen due to malabsorption. I get severe pain on the left (under breast) which travels down my left side and around into my back.

Has anyone else experienced these symptoms with taking Omeprazole?

0 likes, 26 replies

26 Replies

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  • Posted

    Not sure about the cause of pain but PPis are dangerous when taken for longer periods of time. Malabsorption is quiet common with these medicines. If you can live without it, stop taking PPis right away.
    • Posted

      Thank you for your reply, I have only been on them since the end of March.
  • Posted

    Lansoprozol I feel left me iron deficient when complimented with metformin. On stopping metformin my IBS eased and iron deficiency too. However metformin isn't known for iron deficiency but low B12. However I didn't have low B12.

    This makes me believe it was lansoprozol related.

    • Posted

      Hi, thank you for your reply. I asked my doctor if she thought Omeprazole may be contributing to my deficiencies and she has said no.
  • Posted

    Sorry. Also wendy68446 I've been using metformin for decades without any iron deficiency.

    It only developed on lansoprozol. Which I believe is on the patent leaflet of possible side effects.

    • Posted

      Thank you. My doctor doesn’t think Omeprazole is causing any deficiencies.
    • Posted

      I do not know what other things you might have told your doctor that made him say that, but know this doctors are not always right and this is why I have lost my trust on them. PPIs are well known to cause malabsorption, since everyone is different so for some even few weeks of continuous use causes deficiencies and on others it takes months. 
    • Posted

       I only asked her if Omeprazole was causing my deficiencies and she said no 🤷🏼???

    • Posted

      Are they well known for causing malabsorption in general, or just with some people? As you said we are all different, with means our reactions and tolerances to medications can be different also. Unfortunately medicine isn’t an exact science, and having trained as a microbiologist I know this is the only fact to be true.
  • Posted

    Hi wendy68446

    PPi's such Omeprazole can block absorption of B12 through the ilium into the system. If you are still being prescribed Omeprazole you should be having loading doses of B12 injections over a 2 week period then every 3 months. Have you asked your doctor what they are going to do about your low levels of folate and B12. It has to be addressed or you can become very anemic which can lead to other problems such as Pernicious Anemia....

    • Posted

      Thank you for your reply. I’m currently taking folic acid tablets for 4 months. My B12 is currently in the normal range so she will be monitoring the level in 3 months time to see if it has fallen to below levels.
  • Posted

    PPI’s are nasty, every single one of them. They cause numerous diseases and some are irreversible like kidney damage. They cause B12 deficiency, I ended  up with a phosphate deficiency  and calcium deficiency, they cause osteoporosis, they can even affect the gall bladder and cause issues with that. They can cause cancer of the stomach because the thin the lining. Horrible pills, better to change your diet completely than depend on those things. 👍

    • Posted

      Thank you for your reply, believe me when I say my diet is definitely under review.
  • Posted

    Come off omeprazole if it is causing problems.
    • Posted

      Hi, I’m not sure if it is causing problems, the doctor has told me it isn’t. I’m currently waiting for a stool sample to come back as she thinks it is malabsorption.
    • Posted

      Hi wendy, hello everyone. Pls Let us know the result of your bloodtest for malabsorption. 
    • Posted

      Hi, Jeff. It was a stool sample I had to do for malabsorption.
    • Posted

      Was it postivie for malabsorption?  Do you experience diarrhea often?
    • Posted

      I’m still awaiting the result, I used to get very loose stools which came on suddenly and pretty violently. I was going to the toilet 4 times a day. Before I went on iron tablets my stools were an odd colour.
    • Posted

      I get loose stools and diarrhea quite often lately and if i get it my stools are yellowish in color. That’s why i thought that maybe i have malabsorption too, though i was diagnosed of gallstones last October.
    • Posted

      My stools were also yellowish in colour, I always put it down to my acid reflux. I don’t know if gallstones can change your stool colour but if in doubt always see a doctor. 

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