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Omeprazole

Posted , 5 users are following.

anna45048
anna45048

I have been takeing Omeprazole off and on for a couple of years now.

I find the side effect I get very unpleasant and would like to use something natural instead.

Cant stay off Omeprazole for about 2 weeks but then feel so uncompfortable I take it.

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • abc1234
    abc1234 anna45048

    Posted

    hi anna, most meds for ar state they are supposed to be used for short term use only, but doctors can expect us to take them for life. even my doc as well as his nurse have ar and take these meds daily. if you decide not to take them then consuming low acid foods and following a proper behaviors is very imortant. kauffman who is the leading doctor in this field wrote a very popular book on this subject and it's called dropping acid. you can buy it on amazon. this the book i bought myself and have found very helpful.
    • Barretts
      Barretts abc1234

      Posted

      Although I respect Jamie Koufman's work on raising awareness of extra-oesophageal reflux (which she has decided to call "LaryngoPharyngeal Reflux" (LPR), "silent reflux" or "respiratory reflux" ), she is an otorhinolaryngologist not a gastroenterologist and some of the claims in her book actually don't make much sense - particularly her promotion of alkaline water which has been shown t be a hoax and could actally be dangerous. Only one scientific study has ever found anything remotely positive regarding alkaline water and that was undertaken by Jamie Kaufman herself.

      Unfortunately. like so many doctors, she appears to have recently succombed to putting profits first. Visit her website and it's predominantly an advertisement for her book. (That is one of the reasons I decided my fully researched encyclopedia, Down With ACid would be free.)

    • abc1234
      abc1234 Barretts

      Posted

      i did. kauffman's book dropping acid helped me solve my acid reflux without needing medication.
    • AnnSva
      AnnSva abc1234

      Posted

      What's the name of the book and the author? Thank you.
  • Barretts
    Barretts anna45048

    Posted

    Omeprazole is a PPI and shouldn't be taken off and on but contnuously every day pre-emptively at the minimum effective dose for the minimum required time (though in some people this will be the rest of their lives).

    PPIs are powerful drugs and their use should always be monitored by a dcotor.

    Although some side effects are reprted they are actually quite rare and what people consider "side effects" are often not actually from the medicines themselves.

    Side effects of the drugs are usually constipation or diarrhoea. There are many different PPIs that reasearch has shown are equally as effective when taken in equivalent dose but some patients tolerate one more than another. Switching to a different PPI will usually overcome side effects of the drugs themselves.

    Other reported "side Effects" may be from induced hypochlorhydria (too little acid) which is most frequently found in self medicators unmonitored by a doctor taking too many, at irregular times or inappropriately.

    Can I ask why you were first prescribed omeprazole? Was it for excess acid production? These drugs are good at reducing acid but may not help the reduction of reflux which s a mechanical process.

    As regards "natural" products. Antacids like Tums or Rennie are chalk based, Gaviscon is made from seaweed. Are these natural enough?

    There are many "natural" products that may help soothe symptoms of refluxing acid though not actually heal them. If you visit the book / website www DownWithAcid org uk, you will find a chapter in the Acid section listing 18 different natural remedies together with descriptions on how they work and links to any research where this exists. Unfortunately research evidence for the efficacy of natural therapies is limited and mainly anecdotal. Drugs on the other hand have to follow stringent research and development and testing.

    Persistent reflux of acid can cause permanent damage to the oesophagus (Barrett's Oesophagus) which in a few cases may mutate to cancer. Recent research has shown PPIs may have a chemo-protective effect to reduce that possibility.

     

    • constance.de
      constance.de Barretts

      Posted

      Hallo Barretts.  I'm new to this forum, but not to acid reflux.  I posted earler on this site, but didn't read down the posts long enough to see your post.

      You mention "some may be on it for the rest of their lives".  That has something to do with my question - 'should I stop taking omerprazon even though my doctor says it's OK to continue?'

      I have had a-reflux for over 2 years and thought the tablets may be doing me no good!

      Thank you for the info!

    • Barretts
      Barretts constance.de

      Posted

      If you need to be taking acid suppressants and you are being monitored by your doctor, then keep taking them.

      But if you don't think you need them, discuss it with your doctor.

      They are powerful drugs that can easily be misused. However, they do make any reflux less dangerous and have been shown to be associated with reduction in progression to cancer. (A correllation rather than proof.)

      You say you've been taking them for 2 years? I'm assuming you're on the 20mg maintenance dose? What happens if you stop taking them for a couple of days, do the acid symptoms return? At a low maintenance dose you're unlikely to experience the problems of induced hypochlorhydria others are scared of. I was on omeprazole for 15 years (prior to a fundoplication), rising to 80mg a day for the last few which did result in my becoming anaemic from the induced hypochlorhydria.

    • constance.de
      constance.de Barretts

      Posted

      Thanks for your prompt reply, Barretts.  I do get reflux almost every day, but having read the possible side effects, and then reading they could be harmful, I panicked.  OK, I'll continue taking the tablets.  If you took them for 15 years and you're not dead yet, that's good enough for me!😃

      Best wishes fr Constance. 💐

    • Relly1994
      Relly1994 Barretts

      Posted

      Hi Barretts. I was wondering if you knew anything about Side effects with lanzoprazole. My symptoms worsen if I don't take the tablets at the same times each day. I forgot to take mine this Morn and had a horrible day, hurting to eat and talk etc. How long do you think it'll take for me to start reintroduction of  food back into my diet?
    • Barretts
      Barretts Relly1994

      Posted

      Side effects of lansoprazole are pretty rare and are usually headache, constipation or diarrhoea.

      However they are a pre-emptive drug that should be taken every day at the same time. If you leave too long between doses, you may start experiencing a rebound effect when the stomach suddenly produces an excess of acid. I can sympathise. I remember the days i was totally dependent on my PPIs (prior to reflux reduction surgery) and how bad the acid attack was if I ever forgot to take them.

      You need to know why you are taking PPIs. Acid refluxing can cause permanent damage to your oesophagus that can mutate to cancer. You need to identify which foods actually cause a problem. We are all different and have different trigger foods. Try reintroducing some of the foods you have eliminated, one at a time, to see if you can actually tolerate them.

    • Relly1994
      Relly1994 Barretts

      Posted

      I'm slowly trying to find out what is causing the problem but I really can't tell when I'm having a reaction. Im struggling to see if a reaction is instant, an hour later or a day later. 
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