Omeprazole has ruined my life

It's really scary that these things can happen, especially if the changes we experience are permanent or we don't get taken seriously enough for an otherwise available cure to be given.

I got so bad the other week that I went to the hospital about it. I told the doctor that in my opinion it was caused my Omeprazole as it all started a month or so after taking that medication consistently and she said it was unlikely. I agreed that it was unlikely, millions take it with no problem but I'm one of the minority with whom it doesn't agree. She ran a load of blood tests and they naturally all came back fine.

I can't really claim that the Omerprazole caused my issues but whereas for my entire life I've been a bit of an anxious person, and would have mild mood swings but functioning perfectly fine in day to day life, it seems that these minor quirks have been taken and multiplied tenfold to an almost out of control level. I'm currently able to get by and function but on some days with great difficulty and the one thing that I never had before the Omeprazole was all these heart palpitations. In some ways that's the worst symptom because its so alarming to feel your heart do such things out of the blue and that in itself is reason enough to worry and be anxious.

Anyway, the doctor suggested some anti-anxiety and depression medication and I'm giving it a go to see what happens purely because I just want these feelings to stop, though I'd rather get to the root cause and treat that.

For the past two weeks I've been in Citalopram at a dose of 20mg and I'd say its made a sight difference so far. The one big change has been a reduction in heart palpitations by about 80-90%. Some days I have none at all, other days a few few faint ones and other days they're a bit more frequent but nothing like two weeks ago and prior to that. The doctor did say it'd take at least 4 to 5 weeks for it to take effect on the anxiety and depression so we'll see.

I'm seeing my own GP for the first time in less than a week from now, he's new so we'll see what he has to say about it all. Apparently he has an interest in "mental health" which is good, those are my main symptoms but like all of us here, I'm convinced of a physical cause and don't particularly relish being on yet another set of pills that could also turn out to be a disaster and have knock on effects like Omeprazole that were sold to us as great side effect free medications to begin with.

i have taken no other medications, or anything other than the omezaprole for two weeks, 20mg. If it only affects 1 percent of all people that take it in the negative way it has us, its worth taking it off the market. No doctors believe it the cause of what we’re experiencing just because they never heard of it. So they make it like it’s in our head when we Know we never have felt this Before . i am On my 6th week off it And still having depression And anxiety And mental cloudiness And fatigue , tho on a far less level then originally. IM hoping this will be over in another couple weeks to a month. Headache’s, blurred vision, anxiety, emotionless , depression, fatigue, depersonalization. i hate this drug And i Know 100 percent its the cause because it all started right after i stopped it

Have you considered swapping from omerprazole to a drug of another class eg H2?

Yes now on Gluten yeast and.dairy.free diet for 10 months now stopped taking Omeprazol 40mg after 24 years. Bloody Doctors.were useless

so dis this help?

I have not, but I know that regardless of GF diagnoses, PPIs are not advised to be taken in the long run. Ask your doctor for something else such as a H2 receptor antagonist instead.

I am now totally gluten free and vegan and my chronic stomach pain has completely been eradicated. It didnt show up on tests that I was allergic though.

Funny you should say that. I also have almost no acid reflux these days. I got the odd tiny bit here and there but very mild and only lasting a few minutes. Pretty much 99% less than before.

I noticed a bit of an increase when I came off omeprazole cold turkey but it wasn't too bad. I then had an endoscopy to examine my esophagus and stomach. They found a small hiatal hernia but otherwise fine. Immediately after the endoscopy my acid reflux all but went away and apart from a few minutes here and there of very mild heartburn, I now get nothing at all.

I've also read a lot that acid reflux can actually be caused by having having not enough acid, or a lower acidity because the sphincter reacts to acidity and closes tight and the lower the level, the less tightly it closes and that things like PPI's make it worse etc.

Sadly, without a specialist taking us seriously and doing proper in depth checks, I don't think anything will get better for us, unless the body can slowly return to its previous natural state over time and thus eliminate whatever symptoms we happen to have.

Actually, adding ACV to my diet was how I got rid of GERD. The additional acid apparently decreases the time to gastric emptying and thus faster digestion and minimize the risk of GERD. So is anyone taking digestive enzymes, betaine HCL, etc. My doctor told me if I am having regular bowel movements, then I should not need them. What does he know?? Wondering if anyone is and how they are working??

I’ve Been drinking kefir which is supposed to be a natural form of good bacteria for digestion for about two weeks. I’ve not been having a particular good day so far so i can’t say it’s improving anything or not

I did try apple cider vinegar myself for a while but my acid reflux disappeared so quickly after stopping Omeprazole that I didn't continue with it.

I think the next step I'll be taking is to try and seriously increase my amino acids. They seem to be badly affected by PPI's, at least in some people, and as a result the food is much less broken down as it starts it journey through the small intestine and causes the body to think it is a threat and attack it as if it were an allergy as it doesn't recognize what it is. This could explain why I often get intense tiredness shortly after eating and that often leads to a bout of depression and feelings of intense lethargy.

Doctors say that its normal to feel sluggish after a meal but this is way different and only started during my relatively short time on Omeprazole and has continued ever since.

Has anyone else also noticed a decrease in muscle? Since all this started my muscles seem to have shrunk and I find it noticeably harder to lift and carry things that before were normal.

how has the citalopram been working for you so far? Haven’t slept good for days and been having such bad anxiety i feel like i should be committed, ive been off for a solid 6 weeks now And in starting to worry That this will never stop

I have been experiencing muscle weakness. Not so sure about muscle shrinkage but they sound like they go hand in hand.Still convinced it has to do with chronic hypochlordria. Not sure if the body just recovers or if you have take supplements for the rest of your life. Going to talk to my gastroenterologist about it.

Have you checked your B12 level? Low b12 can explain poor sleep and anxiety.

Have you changed your diet radically by removing acidic foods? Many folk continue to eat the same after they are put on meds but doing so negates the work of the meds.

When stopping any drug, if you remain symptomatic, you should swap to another drug and not be unmedicated.

i have been taking b12 supplement’s actually. mostly IM getting these periods of extreme.... IM not even sure what to call it, depression.?? I feel like i have this pressure in my head then just no good feeling what so ever, then i feel little muscle twitches in my leg’s and other places. I feel like im being shocked by low voltage for hours then it goes away and then i feel extremely tired, but it’s preferable over that feeling... then i Just wait and wonder when it will hit again.

Have you seen a neurologist about this?

This is supposed to be helpful, and also Aloe Vera with Cranberry Juice really helps Reflux issues (although im not a doc)- It neutralises the acid.

if you are trying to neutralize the acid why is cranberry juice added? isn't cranberry juice mildly acidic? wouldn't aloe alone be enough to accomplish that?

I just use it with cranberry juice as it helps with UTIs and found it was also helpful with reflux but its what works for you individually at the end of the day 😃