Omeprazole and Heart Attacks

Posted , 9 users are following.

Hi all, is anyone worried about a recent article in the Daily Mail about Omeprazole causing Heart Attacks!  Does anyone take anything else. I am now down to 10mg, now i know you good ladies say to stay on it for a year but i am curious to know how long others have stayed on it for, are there any pointers to saying you could come down sooner. I wll be pleased to hear your comments on both matters.

1 like, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • Posted

    Hello Liz, no I did not see the article but I will be looking it up for sure. I take omeprazole because I have a problem with my stomach and the dr's thought it was important for me to line my stomach because I also take preds which are very corrosive to the stomach. I take one in the morning with my preds and blood pressure tablets. However, when my stomach plays up I take two per day, an additional one in the evening. I will check the article and speak with my Dr. 

    Thanks for informing us of this article. Regards, tina

    • Posted

      Hi Tina, I am nearly sure that you should't take any antacid (Just checked there) It is stated that no indigestion remedy should be taken 2 hours before or 2 hours after taking pred.  Pat
    • Posted

      Hi pat, something else I do wrong! Heavens this PMR medication is bloody complicated. Regards, tina
    • Posted

      Not a bother Tina.  Also if you are taking ad-cal you cannot eat a banana or spinach until 1 hour after.  I was so sick at the beginning that I had to read and re-read these things over and over again, I think that's why I remember but please check yourself just to be sure.  Regards Pat
  • Posted

    Oh dear, something else for us to worry about.  The article doesn't make good reading.  Perhaps the natural pro biotic yoghurt is the best protection when taking pred
  • Posted

    Didn't see the article and have just recently changed from omeprazole to lamprozole (I think).  I have really bad reflux long before PMR and steriods and have been known to take up to 140mg  of omeprazole spread out throughout the day and night.  No heart problems that I know of.  
  • Posted

    I did not take any stomach protection, even when on 60mg.

    I did take a remedy given to me by Mrs O.

    One lemon, one minute in microwave = more juice, divide by three and take three times a day.   No acid reflux or stomach problems.

    However, Ranitidine (name changed from Zantac) is a much kinder and older PPI.

  • Posted

    Omeprazole and Lansoprazole are PPIs (Proton Pump Inhibtors) not antacids.  Can't answer for Omeprazole, but I've been taking Lanzoprazole for many years now due to acid reflux caused by a hiatus hernia.  No problems that I know of.
  • Posted

    Copy of article:

    Indigestion drugs including omeprazole 'increase the risk of suffering a heart attack', experts warn

    Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) drugs increase risk of heart attack by 20%

    Include omeprazole and lansoprazole - some of the most popular drugs

    Experts warn link between drugs and heart attack is 'very worrisome' 

    Proton pump inhibitor, or PPI, drugs, have been found to increase the risk of suffering a heart attack by 20 per cent, scientists warned

    Indigestion pills taken daily by millions raise the risk of having a heart attack, doctors fear.

    A major study showed that those who take proton pump inhibitor, or PPI, drugs are around 20 per cent more likely to suffer a heart attack than others.

    Even otherwise healthy, middle-aged people are at risk.

    The US analysis of the records of  three million patients doesn’t prove the highly popular pills are at fault but the study’s authors say the link is ‘very worrisome’.

    Lead researcher Dr Nicholas Leeper, a heart surgeon, said: ‘These drugs may not be as safe as we think.

    Heart disease is by far the leading cause of death in the western world and PPIs are so commonly prescribed.

    ‘This is potentially a big deal from a public health perspective.’

    PPIs including omeprazole and lansoprazole are some of the most popular drugs in the world.

    More than five million prescriptions are written out each year in England alone.

    Many more Britons buy them over the counter in the pharmacy, where brand names include Zanprol and Pantoloc Control.

    Any long-term use is meant to be subject to regular review and over-the-counter pills are meant to be limited to two weeks.

    However, some people find PPIs so helpful that they take them for years.

    The tablets cut the amount of acid produced by the stomach and are used to treat acid reflux, in which stomach acid travels up the food pipe, causing a burning sensation in the chest. 

    They are also prescribed to people with stomach ulcers.

    They have long been considered harmless – but recent studies have produced hints they may damage the heart.

     

  • Posted

    My pharmacy assured me Omerprozole don't cause problems, but Doc stopped them for my husband as he had been on 1 tablet of 40mg daily for Warfrin.I take a coated 2.5pred daily and don't have probe unless I take uncoated tablet. I perhaps take an Omerprozole about 3 times weekly which seems to help.I came off Pred totally after Rhuemy said as I was only taking 1mg daily. However I had a flare up within 2weeks and been taking 2.5 daily for 2months but reducing gradually weekly. I think everyone has a different view.

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