I've been on Omeprazole for over 10 years and quit cold turkey
Posted , 30 users are following.
I've been so sick for a month now. I've been on Prilosec "Omeprazole " for over 10 years. I was taking it originally for acid reflux. It worked so I never thought anything about it and added it to my morning vitamin regimen. 20mg once a day in the morning.
About a month ago I felt a pain in my lower left abdominal area. I freaked out and thought I had cancer or something, so I got the bright idea of quitting my Prilosec. "It ended up being a pulled upper groin muscle during golf." Well that's when my personal hell began. I didn't notice anything the first couple of days. Within 5 days I started feeling sick, nausea, bloating, constipation and stomach pains all over, totally fatigued, no strength left. I couldn't eat at all no appetite. Total anxiety along with other strange pains in my body, legs shoulders, arms and butt area. I truly feel like I'm dying. I was ready to kill myself, that's how bad I feel. I didn't put 2 and 2 together until my 2nd week of this horrible experience. I'm laying in bed thinking what did I do different and it dawned on me. So I jump up and Google quitting Prilosec cold turkey and then I knew I screwed up. I immediately take 2 Prilosec pills. I started back on them daily. I've gone to the ER twice. Every time I eat something halfway solid I get sick about an hour or 2 later. My doctor really isn't any help, she was uniformed about quitting it like that. She told me to continue taking the Prilosec and she prescribed Sucralfate, every 4 hours. It's a acid neutralizer and coats your stomach and if you have ulcers it helps protect them from getting worse and heal. I'm scheduled to have a endoscopy tomorrow morning. "Nervous" I think I damaged my whole digestive tract with too much acid for those 2 weeks. I'm still sick as a dog and can barely get out of bed. I didn't have any of these symptoms until I quit the Prilosec. I've been back on the Prilosec for almost 2 weeks and the Sucralfate for almost a week. Is there any hope of recovery? Has anyone else experienced anything similar to this? Thanks in advance for any replies. CJ
4 likes, 28 replies
julie37508 cj87357
Posted
I had been on Omeprazole far longer than you, like 18 years or so total, and for years, although I never had heartburn, I did have a lot of IBS symptoms, often to the point I could barely get up out of bed due to the belly pain. I tried to quit a few times, but found I had no appetite, and was so depressed. Finally, just recently, I decided enough was enough. But, this time, I started gradually. For a week, I took 1/4 of the granuals from the capsule, then for another week, 1/2, then for a week, 3/4, until I was down one week taking 1/8th of them. Then, I stopped. Now, I can eat pretty normally, although I do still take 75 or 150 of generic zantac if I need it, and I often do, but I know the zantac only reduces the acid, doesn't shut off the proton pumps. There are good days I haven't had to take anything at all. It is hard, but it is doable, but gradual is best.
cj87357 julie37508
Posted
Thank you for your reply, I'm just hoping to get back to "normal". That is where I was before I quit taking the Omeprazole. Once I feel normal again, if possible, I will gradually reduce my dose and get off it all together. I'm just hoping I didn't screw myself up so bad that "normal" is a thing of the past... Who would have thought that stopping that one little pill for just 2 weeks could do this.
Guest julie37508
Posted
julie37508 Guest
Posted
Since my reply to you, I actually have had some other issues. I was doing okay for a while, but watching everything I ate, and also had to resort to taking Rantinidine, 150 mg, twice a day, which works, but not as well. Then, recently, after only doing that, the holidays came along, and after going to a brunch where there was some spicy salsa, I had heartburn the rantinidine wouldn't touch. So, I took an omeprazole, 10 mg. and after a while, blessed relief. I have been taking one 10 mg dose a day, and need nothing else. I don't know the answers. I started on 40 mg a day, then went to 20, and now 10. I plan to stop again, but it is one tough drug to stop at all.
Guest julie37508
Posted
I agree totaly with you. I'm on 20mg pantoprazole which is 10mg Ome and I can say also, Huge relief, I take one in the morning and it works pretty well altough it is a baby dose. If I take 40m, which is 20mg Ome I feel like I'm on the best drug on the planet, spectacular relief can over eat and will have zero heartburn. Have had no side effects at all but I'm a astrong male 25 years of age, 192 cm, 95kg. fit as hell...
jeremiah60782 cj87357
Posted
Did you ever get back to normal?
olgacecilia33 cj87357
Posted
hcrash cj87357
Edited
elvina83682 hcrash
Posted
Hi I read your reply about espinheira santa and am very interested. Do you take it after every meal? How much? etc please?
lorraine32446 cj87357
Edited
I was taking omeprezole for 4 years . I started taking some bowel irregularities 7 months ago . however my symptoms have gotten worse and I also have ended up in hospital with heart rate and pulse sky high . I have had several tests to rule out that anything serious is going on ? I have now been diagnosed with IBS. my anxiety is through the roof. I myself started today taking omeprezole as I feel I can not cope with my anxiety . I have had thorough tests all showing positive results. please could sby confirm if they have experienced this ? is it possible I am still.exoeriencing withdrawel symptoms of omeprezole?
lorraine32446 cj87357
Posted
I have and I am experiencing everything you have stated . I have ended up in hospital with fast heart rate and pulse. my anxiety is through the roof. I have from today started taking omeprezole . I stopped taking the drug 7 months ago but since stopping had a terrible time. I have had several tests done to rule out anything serious going on . I was on this drug for 4 years even longer the doctor stopped them due to having some bowel problems. my condition is worse and I have anxiety now. is it possible that stopping this drug is the cause as I was told to stop.taking now 7 months ago ? I am extremely stressed and anxious my doctors have not told me that stop this drug can cause such withdrawals?
Evergleam lorraine32446
Posted
I am experiencing basically the same thing as you. I have been off Omeprazole for 4 months now and I have bad anxiety.
perry304 cj87357
Edited
Wow! your descriptions of your symptoms really floored me when I read them I was googling trying to figure out what is wrong with me, and ran across this page, and my symptoms are very similar... I was only on omeprazole for approximately 5 years at one point having me on a dose as high as 80mg a day... I've tried quitting numerous times and never could make it past 3 or 4 days without getting horrible acid reflux and starting Omeprazole again being the only thing that would make it stop, but I'm currently in the middle of another attempt at stopping.......I weaned down over 6 months from 80mg a day to 20mg every other day, and then I stopped so I don't know if you can even call that cold turkey but I wean down and quit cold turkey.
I'm actually at day 10 with no omeprazole, and knock on wood no hyperacidity no crazy acid reflux at all, buuuuuuut, I am very constipated very sick to the stomach especially about an hour or two after eating, almost constant stomach pain unbearable at times gas and bloating and my anxiety is at ridiculous levels, and on day 10, this morning.... I woke up so tired after 8 hours of sleep that I could barely Drive I felt just completely drained of energy and the thing that really matched up with your symptoms, that I thought I was just losing my mind was, I've been having these weird tingling and pain Sensations like sciatica down my back of my legs and my back and into my butt, and knees....and neck so stiff can barely move it...... I always thought that coming off Omeprazole would be dealing with acid reflux I haven't been dealing with acid reflux at all..... I've been dealing with these symptoms and I don't know how much longer I can take it.....I hope you got back to normal this almost eases my anxiety some what that I don't have stomach cancer or something crazy because like you I thought the same thing but now I'm starting to connect the dots that it's the Omeprazole withdrawal and I can't get my doctor to believe me at all because he believes that it's no such thing as Omeprazole withdrawal also the same doctor that had me on 80 mg of it. I went to him 2 days ago with these symptoms ooooo course first thing was why did you stop taking the omeprazole? and then gave me a COVID test, lol (negative of course) did a blood work up didnt find anything, told me its maybe IBS and take some probiotics watch what I .. that's what I got from my doctor.
jeremiah60782 perry304
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I am experiencing the constipation & sciatia down back of butt (near groin area ) down leg. I am 10 days off. I have taken PPI's about 2 months. Does it get better? if so, how long?
rob74681 perry304
Edited
OMG!! Unbelievable what I'm reading! I was taking omeprazole for at least 20 years straight every day. I've quit taking it before but heartburn would return in a few days then I'd get back on it. Not sure what was different this time, but I quit again about three, maybe 4 months ago. Much to my delight, the heartburn never really returned. if it did return at all, it was easily manageable without omeprazole. But that is when I began to experience many unexplained, seemingly unrelated physical and mental health issues, issues that I've never had a problem with. Firstly, I noticed an immediate and drastic change in my bowel movements. like there was a blockage or something. followed by odd smelling gas. with stomach cramps ranging from minor to maybe just this side of severe. My stools ranged from unusually narrow, to unusually loose, to feeling like I have to go but nothing comes out, to weird mucus looking stuff. Still experiencing all that.
Another issue I've been dealing with since I quit, is this onset of really bad anxiety!. to the point I had a panic attack. I never experienced that before so I had no clue what the hell was happening to me. it literally felt like I was gonna die. I was going to a counselor for a little bit to find out what was going on. I don't get panic attacks anymore because I know what it is when I feel it coming on, then it stops. still dealing with that.
Then, as late as around maybe 2 months ago when I first started to notice, was a numbing and tingling sensation in the two toes next to my big toe on my left foot. Still a problem. just a couple of weeks ago, I started getting sciatica in the lower left side of my back, and into the upper part of my butt on that side. I couldn't walk until the medication they gave me took effect. The worst part of the sciatica is gone but those toes are still numb. And so the only other abnormal thing going on with me that wasn't a problem before quitting omeprazole, is the overall aches and pains and overall fatigue. especially when I'm driving on a long trip. it feels like I was drugged.
None of anything I've described above has ever been an issue for me before quitting omeprazole. I had normal anxiety and depression levels. normal meaning that I'm a pretty healthy guy, still young (50 in a couple of months so not that young) and had no problems managing that stuff on my own by just having good mind sets.
Tonight was the first time I've come across to reading all this. And I'm absolutely floored at what I'm reading!
nikita60912 rob74681
Posted
hi! how are you feeling now?
ive been on omeprazole every day since 2016 started using for GERD due to having bad anxiety, had them on repeat prescription god knows why! ive always wanted to stop but i hate that burn it makes me sick when im overdue the next tablet.
i had suffered really bad anxiety in the past and have been in a really good place in my life last couple years. seeing all these comments have worried me! the thought of going throughall that again. i know i need to come off them .
jimmyt64 perry304
Posted
how are you doing now? How long for muscles to settle down?
chris04451 rob74681
Posted
I feel the same way. i cant believe that Doctors are so uninformed about the medication they prescribe us. i never would have signed up for this had I known how severe it was going to be coming off.