Omeprazole has ruined my life
Posted , 89 users are following.
I really regret taking prilosec, i fell ill with a virus last december that caused gastroenteritis (severe acid reflux and diarrhea).. i was told to take omeprazole for 14 day treatment.. at the time i did not experience any side effects so after the 14 day treatment was over, about a week later i experienced acid rebound that sent me to the ER. The er dr said i needed to up the dose to 40 mg 2x/day... and this is when i became more ill.. i had severe diarrhea for 9 days, blurry vision, brain fog, muscle twitching, cramping, body jolts before going to sleep, . i couldnt digest my food.. lost 10 lbs.. but i did not know what was happening to me.. i was so sick i had to have a colonoscopy and egd.. i was told i had unspecified colitis.. i stupidly cont this drug bc thats what the drs told me to do.. and as im trying to heal my gut from whatever virus i had i started to develop new symptoms.. extreme brain fog, memory loss, fatigue, anxiety, muscle twitching, buzzing in certain parts of my body.. frequent urination in am. I feel as if i have nerve damage of some kind because of this ppi.. after 4 1/2 months of this posion i have since stopped this med and it has been 11 days but my twitching is still there.. i know this drug caused these other problems bc as i weaned from 40 mg to 20mg to then every other day i began experiencing body jolts and more nerve problems, numbness in certain parts, etc. has this happened to anyone else and did anyone make a full recovery?? I need some help please..Before I took this med I was a healthy 32 year old. Now 33 and still recovering. Does anyone know if this is permanent?
1 like, 376 replies
elsie95286 olivia53472
Posted
Was having the same problem. Took B12 and felt better the same day. I keep taking B12 and make sure that I eat enough protein every day. I am also taking iron+vitC. Omeprazole block absorption of B12, and low B12 can produce all these symptoms. Btw, I stop the omeprazole.
barney34567 elsie95286
Posted
I too stopped omeprazole and swapped to a different drug. Many think that omeprazole is the only drug available for their condition when there are several different classes of drugs patients can take.
stephanie09285 elsie95286
Posted
So you stopped omeprazole, why were you taking it? How did you stop reflux and damage to the esophagus if you weren't taking it?
jaisa olivia53472
Posted
I feel like I'm coming to this discussion late so I'm wondering if anyone has seen any improvements over time. My PCP left me on Omeperazole for 10 years. In that time my ferritin was so low I had a blood transfusion and hysterectomy to combat anemia. I have lost my gallbladder my fibromyalgia has gotten much worse anxiety and depression increased. The only thing worse than being on Omeprazole is trying to get off it. Anxiety through the roof, shaky feeling, sobbing for no apparent reason. Currently I have neck pain and arm weakness, numbness. My neurologist ruled out MS but says I should have cervical fusion. I have to wonder if this is all part of Omeprazole fall out?? If there is ever a class action law suit sign me up just to teach these drug companies a lesson about full disclosure. I feel so in the weeds about how to go forward. Plan to contact a functional nutritionist to help me wean off. This is awful and wrong!
derek60261 jaisa
Posted
I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of those symptom’s were due to stopping omeprazole. I felt like i was getting a sample back of every mental and immune disorder out there. After 3 days after stopping it, only taking it for a mere two weeks, had the worst two months of my life. Now going on ten weeks off and starting to feela lot better but still have symptoms that i hope will continue to fade. on week 7 had the worst of it with This hard to explain, tight squeeze over whole body And head horrible feeling.
Through the whole ordeal I’ve had insomnia, muscle twitches keeping me up, the worst Anxiety And depression, blurry vision, Brain fog, hard time concentrating, sensitivity to different lighting, where id feel id space out, i stopped caffeine for awhile cause i discovered in Sent me into a spaced out la la land. id get dizzy , a lot if times during mid day, the rare times i felt ok id be anxious oof when a symptom would come back.
I’ve researched a lot On it , obviously trying to figure out how to get better like a Lot of us in here. I’ve read it permanently alters the acid producing cells , and those die and new ones are formed about every two month, which probably explains why i started to feel better after two months. Seems it’s been worse on people that have taken it together with antibiotics, which i suspect it’s because antibiotics kill good bacteria as well as bad , and omezaprole is already altering the good bacteria in your stomach and so its like a double dose. It also block absorbtion of certain nutrients like magnesium and iron.
jaisa derek60261
Posted
The info. on cells needing two months to die off and regenerate is very interesting I will keep that in mind. Thanks. Good luck.
jhleerph jaisa
Posted
Can you please share with me where you read about life cycle of acid producing cells? Very interesting and something I never heard of. Please PM if necessary. Thanks.
adrienne22182 jaisa
Posted
Sorry that you're going through this. I developed numbness in my abdomen last year from taking Omeprazole for 7 weeks. Days after starting Omeprazole I had a muscle spasm in my abdomen on the right side of my belly button. Now I have numbness , muscle tightness along with twitching and hypersensitive skin. I had 2 ultrasounds along with blood work last year which were fine . I also had an endoscopy and colonoscopy done by my GI dr. and everything was normal. A neurologist said that she doesn't think I have anything neurological going on with me, which leads me to believe that it has to be the Omeprazole that has caused all my issues. I don't know what to do. I hope we fine a solution to our problems. Take care...
derek60261 jaisa
Posted
You can goggle omeprazole And parietal cells And you will find a lot, but here is one reference
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/20128020/
Im not saying in two months you will be symptom free from omeprazole, because i still have symptom’s, just not as bad after the first two months. I feel a Lot of doctors are ignorant on the subject, And blow off the severity of what this drug can do to people
derek60261 adrienne22182
Posted
How long has it been since you stopped the omeprazole?
adrienne22182 derek60261
Posted
I stopped taking Omeprazole May 2019. All of my other symptoms went away gradually, but my numbness remained.
stephanie09285 jaisa
Posted
Why were you put on omeprazole? It is for stomach and esophageal problems.
stephanie09285 olivia53472
Posted
I have taken this for over 20 years and worst symptom I have is hair loss. So those symptoms seem like there must be something else wrong. You need to see a neurologist immediately to find out what is wrong. Good luck.
malorie1995 olivia53472
Edited
I have had a shockingly similar experience. I was initially put on Co-Amoxiclav for a kidney infection; after taking it for ten days, I felt fine. A further 10 days later, and I came out with a fever, racing heart and extreme vertigo. I had to quit my high flying job and come home to my parents as I was so ill. I developed chronic stomach pain as a result of the antibiotics, and agrophobia, as everything was spinning so much and I was nauseas all of the time, as well as periodic stomach cramps which felt like contractions every few hours. I was then prescribed Omeprazole. I only took it for 9 days, but by which point the stomach cramps had got so severe that I had to go to A and E. Many ultrasounds later, and they didnt find anything. I stopped the Omeprazole, and the cramps stopped, but I developed bad Acid Reflux as a bi product of the medication. They switched me to Ranitidine, which I took for 8 days. Every noise became amplified, I felt as if I was in a permanent state of psychosis. My vision became completely white washed/blurred, spinning all of the time. I couldnt leave my room, and had to be cared for by my mother, after being diagnosed with no mental issues previously, and having had an impeccable health record. They then switched me to Lansoprazole for 11 days, which tipped me into crisis mode. I had numbness and tingling down the left side of my body, neck pain, overwhelming neuralgia, swimming and vibrating vision, visual snow, couldnt concentrate on anything at all, and a permanent brain fog and an overwhleming sense of fear/dread. I couldnt see past the next hour never mind live half a normal life. I cried every morning also. I abruptly stopped the medication, and found that 1 month after the medication stopped, I came out of the psychosis, but am still permanently hindered and suffering from this. Ive managed to re integrate into a part time shop job, but have suffered from persistent nausea/throwing up, conversations sometimes glitch and are out of time/ and it just feels like I generally live in a different world altogether which makes it a daily battle. I would love to know if anyone has fully recovered 😃 Ive also had a gastroscopy and colonoscopy with nothing found. On top of this ive had an MRI of my brain, and nothing found although they did say they found something that is most likely a normal part of my brain, but could be investigated further if required. I am waiting on this refferal. Blood tests have come back fine, although slightly low on Neutrophil, Esonophil and Basophil count. Waiting to be re tested also.
derek60261 malorie1995
Posted
How long have you been off everything?
malorie1995 derek60261
Posted
Ive been off everything for 11 months now 😦
Xerkeen malorie1995
Edited
Hi! As of today, my numbness and muscle twitching have been reduced significantly. I stopped taking Omeprazole since January 1st and things are getting A LITTLE better now.
Symptoms that are still there.
Symptoms that are gone as of today
I guess my dizziness is caused by my high triglycerides but I'm an active dancer which is why my HDL is also high.