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Long term use of Omeprazole

Posted , 86 users are following.

loveprague
loveprague

Hello,

I am a long term user of this medicine and wanted to share my experience of this medicine and my condition which was diagnosed some 15 years ago.

I was diagnosed with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), I have for many years suffered with diahorea stomach bloating and general pain and discomfort in my stomach. I have had several endoscopys and various other tests including an ultrasound and at first they discovered nothing unusual and put it all down to IBS. I had several treatments for Helicopacter Pylori and I am still not sure if it ever cleared up. I recently had an operation to remove my gallbladder and gallstones after the acid reflux was very troublesome. I have now since had another endoscopy which has showed I have a hiateul hernia. I have been on Omeprazole for over four years after having acid reflux type symptoms along with my IBS. I wanted to ask about being on this medicine long-term and the possible other organs in my body that could be damaged. I still have very bad indigestion and stomach aches and wondered if these tablets actually work for me anymore

8 likes, 123 replies

123 Replies

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  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    I am a 34 year old woman that went undiagnosed for 14 years until a holiday to the US. I too was diagnosed with gallstones, had my gall bladder removed and subsequently was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia. I was initially presecribed 10mg omeprazole and over the years this has increased to 40mg. I have not suffered any of the side effects listed but I too know that I will be on this drug for the rest of my life.

    I have read negative feedback but wanted to say that it has completely changed my life. It may be that you also need to increase your dosage so I would speak to your doctor.

    Any other feedback from other people regarding long term use and also its effect on pregnancy would be appreciated.

  • busygal
    busygal

    Posted

    I am a 71 year old female, and I have been taking Omeprazole for about 15 years, and I also find it to have been a life saver for me.

    To my knowledge, I have had no bad side effects whatsoever, and I cannot get through an entire day without it. I have severe discomfort in my chest and heartburn without it. With it, I eat anything I want. It is the one medication I couldn't do without.

  • laf
    laf

    Posted

    I am 51..i have suffered digestion troubles for quite a few years one way and another..ive had gut candida,ibs,indigestion and other food related aggravations! Anyway, and after taking omeprazole prescribed by my GP for a month or so i felt great and could eat or drink anything,so,i stopped, thinking that all was now well !...within a week it all started again.I struggled on feeling really miserable and getting nowhere even though i was trying to avoid..bread (which im still not happy about eating) lemons,oranges,celery,wine,salmon,any oily fish,onions...loads of other every day things! So,back on omeprazole....problem cured !!!! im so grateful for this 'letters' page,it was on my mind as to whether you could indeed take the 'wonder drug' long term. im happier after reading other peoples experiences..thank you.
    • lesley58188
      lesley58188 laf

      Posted

      Hi laf

      Have you thought about the FODMAP diet which has to be undertaken with dietetic supervision? A lot of the foods you mention I had difficulty with and FODMAP has changed my life and I am now reconsidering my use of  Omeprazole.

  • Potty_P
    Potty_P

    Posted

    I have just stopped taking 20mg omeprazole daily, having been on it for over 3 years. I was previously on ranitadine (can't remember how to spell that). I was prescribed it for acid reflux as a result of anxiety disorder, stress and a mood disorder. So, clearly I was on many other meds too. Having said that, I haven't knowingly experienced and side affects to the omeprazole.

    However, I stopped taking it 2 days ago as I had been advised to do so by my gynaechologist as I'm wishing to become pregnant. It has warnings about using this drug in pregnancy. It's a no no.

    So, how've I been ? Today I'm significantly better. The first 2 drug free days were hell. My acid levels rose and rose and kept me awake all night. I read in my herbal remedies and supplements book that acidophilus (again not sure about spelling) the probiotic, is a useful alternative. I take this in tablet form from a reputable health food shop daily anyway for breakfast, so I helped myself to another one. It settled it down a lot, though didn't completely cure it. The next day I bought some indigestion tablets as my book recommended calcium carbonate (chalk essentially) and my pharmacist didn't do a generic compound. By evening I was acid free after just 4 tablets. Today, I've needed none.

    I was warned that reflux could return once meds are stopped, but thankfully it was short lived.

    WARNING I have read this week that omeprazole can, over long term use, cause magnesium deficiency. I was advised to take magnesium, together with copper, as a supplement.. Taking magnesium alone can deplete copper supplies in the body, apparently. It's worth researching magnesium deficiency on the net to see if any of the symptoms sound like you.

    • geo53955
      geo53955 Potty_P

      Posted

      Hey potty , I have been on omeprazole for 2 years and it really helped with my acid reflux symptoms and indigestion . I'm taking one pill in the Morning 20 mg. I m really planning to stop the omeprazole . Did you say that when you stopped the medication u had acid reflux symptoms for 2 days ? What exactly did u do so these symptoms went away without omeprazole ? Please let me know
    • anna71424
      anna71424 Potty_P

      Posted

      Warning premature death is linked to Omeprazole and other PPIs the longer you take it the risk goes up from 3 months onwards!!!!!!!
    • karen1941
      karen1941 geo53955

      Posted

      Was put on Omeprazole 40 mg once a day for bad reflux disease. Only supposed to take 3 months. When last day came.i was excited as I had NO pain at all those 30 days. BUT....within 24 to 48 hrs it came back with worse pain I have ever had in years. This is called ACID REBOUND..you can't stop ANY meds abruptly. But wean off...so I went to pharmacy and got 20 mg but it just barely helps. Seeing Dr soon and want my 40 mg back! After that I will wean off slowly again until I can stop. I need to know why they feel more than a few months will damage something so I need answers. I just know that severe acid burning away at your stomach and esophagus could be worse.

  • rodger1
    rodger1

    Posted

    Hi - similarly I have been using omeprazole for many years - about 10 maybe. initially i used it for about 1 month until the hiatus hernia symptoms cleared up, but they came back again. My doctor told me to just take it "on demand" - whenever I felt i needed it. Well it works out that I take one capsule per day, usually at bed time and it keeps all symptoms at bay. I dont get the symptoms every day but just about. So I take the omeprazoe every day. I dont see any side effects - my hair is fine, my dick is fine, my teeth are still there... seems ok.
    • edward04136
      edward04136 rodger1

      Posted

      How does omeprazole affect your dick....you said my dick is fine...
    • Robert_Jones
      Robert_Jones edward04136

      Posted

      With any luck, presumably, it doesn't.... Not a side effect I've read about!
  • mmsqgo
    mmsqgo

    Posted

    Hello, I have been taking omeprazole on / off for good 3 years but lately my chemist told me it's not the best thing to do and that omeprasole can cause even cancer so I got bit scared. I googeled a bit and yes there are few worrying signs of prolonged use of omeprasole. I have no side effects and my body seams to work fine, I take usually one pill every other day during evening time. I am bit confused now so planning to see doctor and ask for advice, are there other better medicines?
    • karen1941
      karen1941 mmsqgo

      Posted

      Me too..need to be told why we can't take every day for years.will post what my Dr says when I visit on my birthday April 3rd. Kind of a catch 22 isn't it?

    • anna71424
      anna71424 karen1941

      Posted

      If you look on the report of July 2017 ppis was linked to problems with your bones osteoporosis and also there was links to premature death through research at science lab in America through veterans I’ve been on and off for 2 years and my doctor put me on them in the first place for heartburn and just left me on them so bad anyway after a year I insisted that I was referred to a gastroenterologist and had an endoscopy he said I had a Haitus hernia the top on my stomach was inflamed carrying on taking omezprazole but I came off it for months when I heard that report on social media anyway to cut a long story short the last endoscopic couldn’t get the camera down to my stomach so he only told me the top was inflamed and look like a hernia (because I was gagging) I saw my gastro doctor and asked to have another endoscopy with sedation because I wanted to see if I had an ulcer or something had to wait again until November 2017 it turns out I have mild osphesousitis with erosions and h.plyori and gastritis NO HERNIA at all so I made a huge complaint getting a solicitor involved so after that I was on triple therapy for 7 days did not work and I have just finished 14 days now it just seems it’s going on for ever I hate ppis I don’t tolerate them very well I take ranitidine ZANTAC at higher dose by my doctor works by reducing the acid through a histamine instead. PPIs stop your stomach producing acid that’s the problem because a healthy stomach needs a bit of acid NOT GOOD. If you need to come off omezprazole go on to Zantac works in a different way but still does the job try higher dose 300mg a day. Good luck! i have another endoscopy on the 28th March
  • mag2
    mag2

    Posted

    Hi ... As a child I always felt sick .. especially at night when I lay down in bed ... there was no trips to the doctor so I just lived with it ... when I got to teenage years it became acid bubbling up and I started to drink gallons of bicarbonate soda mixed in a bottle of water ... it helped a little bit !! Then after years of this I got a pain in my chest .. got worried and went to see my GP ... He sent me to the hospital for a tube down my throat test ... it found that I had tiny little ulcers around the opening of my stomach ... also that the valve to my stomach wasn't closing properly .... Reflux !!!! So they put me on Omeprazole ... OMG wonder drug !!! I had been taking pantaprazole for a year or so with a little change ! I have been taking Omeprazole for about 5 years now 20mg twice a day ... if I forget to take one I know about it with acid , chest pain and feeling sick !! My GP wants me to cut down to one a day and I totally refuse to !!! As far as Im concerned its to save NHS money !!
    • anna71424
      anna71424 mag2

      Posted

      You are absolutely right on that one I had to completely change my lifestyle although I’m still anxious about the reports they have found on the study in 2017 I wish I never took the drug in the first place just changed my lifestyle I’m stupid. The doctor said it’s a gentle drug I don’t think so it’s really potent and I think I’m allergic to ppis because I can’t get on with any of them.
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