Omeprazole Side Effects? Light headed? Anxiety Attacks

I'm not saying this medication doesn't help some people but for me it was totally a horrible experience that I never want to go through again. First of all I started having heartburn and a racing heart that turned into a panic attack so I ended up in the ER, at the ER they said I had heartburn and gave me Omeprazole and anxiety pills. I can't remember the dose but I started only the Omeprzole and it felt fine until I think the two days later. I'm sitting on the sofa with a migraine cause I quite coffee and all or a sudden I get this flushing feeling from the back of my head to all of my body and boom my heart is going crazy, I'm in full panic. I go to the ER they check me again and says its panic attacks. Now for the next 2 weeks I can hardly eat everything I eat triggers another panic attack, I can feel the adrenaline release literally everytime.. these are very exhausting too. I can't sleep cause every time my eyes clothes I'm jolted back awake in a panic. I had symptoms of not being able to breath in all the way, I couldn't eat much I mean only little tiny pieces. I felt weak and obsessive over what was wrong with me I started to think maybe I did need the anxiety pills so I took one at night and slept for the first time all night. When I woke up I jumped out of bed in a panic, had diarrhea and what sounded like zaps and visual problems. I couldnt be left alone I couldnt handle and stresses, I couldnt drive or go anywhere during this time. I lost about 15lbs. So one of the days I convince my mom to take me since my fiance had to work. We go they check me again do and EKG they say Im fine and put me in a room to calm down. When I say calm down I mean internally I was a wreck and I looked worried, the girl in the bed next to me was screaming so I think I pretty much held it together. They convince me to get a shot of ativan to calm me down. I refuse I'm scared at this point to feel drugged and not know what I'm doing, I'm afraid to fall asleep and stop breathing.. then all of a sudden I realize I'm not being rational so I take the shot and smile right after lol. I admire the new paint job in the ER and the Fireman in the next room lol. We go home but to my moms cause I needed her. I lay on the sofa and though I am calm I can feel a few adrenaline relases over and over... what the heck right? how could this be? After a few days I'm super weak and with no sleep I end up at the ER again, this time I'm feeling like why should I live if this is how everyday is gonna be, I'm going nuts, I must have anxiety or panic I can't control. My fiance tells the doctor and boom I'm not admitted into suicide watch. Maybe I spoke to harsh I didn't want to hurt myself I just was so tired and sleeps. So while I'm their I think day 2 a nurse asked how I was, I said better... could you believe I only had one attack while their and it was only very mild.. was it because I was in a hospital and felt safe was it knowing I had a nurse ready to give me ativan.. I didn't take anything while there, not a thing...NOT even my Omeprazole. Anway that nurse says what is the problem I tell her and what I was taking and she tells me quietly that I shouldn't take it and to find a natural way. After she says that I looked online and found all these side effects. After I'm evaluated and found to be ok I am sent home and told to see a therapist. Now I'm feeling alot better but I'm still mentally not right, I still keep thinking I'm gonna have a panic attack. My new therapist says I should see what the cause is because pills can't do that to you... YET in the book she hands me about anxiety it clearly says in the back pages that heartburn pills can do this. Agh really, now I'm like what do I do? so after some research I find that I might have a hiatal hernia and that it could be treated by a chiropractor.. not just any chiropractor they need to have extensive knowledge in treating them. So I call mine up and ask the receptionist if this is something they treat and I go in the next day. He reads all my sypmptoms and says I think you have a hiatal hernia. I lay down he doesn this weird calculations with his hands and feels near my ribs. He's like yup your stomach is all jabbed up into your rib cage. He gets his actuator and hits it back down.. no pain or nothing. He does his normal adjustments on my back which you need for digesting too. I sit up and instantly feel I can breath! I said OMG they said I was having panic attacks he said who wouldn't panic if they felt they  couldnt breath, don't take those pills anymore... guess what I did as soon as I got out... I went to EAT! of course with a sliding hiatal hernia it will always be acting up but after a few weeks of adjustments I was almost back to normal now I just go once in awhile or I relax my stomach and massage it down. Now the anxiety part took some time to go away I'm still dealing with it but alot less. I guess those attacks really just screwed me up. It took about a whole week for the omeprazole to get out of my system maybe almost two weeks but the first few days was a big difference. I sometimes take Zantac if its really needed and during my sons operation I took one everyday for about 2 weeks and one morning I woke up with almost the same type of feeling but not as strong.. I stopped taking them. Now I just take ginger candy, licorice tablets or do a heartburn massage I seen online. Its just finding what works for you. Sorry for the long post...

Hi all,

I had been on omeprazole 20mg for 2-3 months and it worked a treat! Had no side effects (that I was aware of) and it completely solved the issue with my terrible heartburn. I ran out and went back to the doctors for more after 2-3 weeks of not taking them.

Anyways, I took them for 3 days (and so far it has been the worst 2-3 weeks of my life) the first few days of taking them I convinced myself that I was going crazy, and had a complete breakdown in front of my parents, it felt like my brain was completely losing touch with reality and I would have episodes where I felt at any moment I was going to die. As soon as I read the possible side effects sheet and saw acute pyschosis, depression, and anxiety it was the biggest moment of relief I've felt in my life. It all made sense now, so after three days I completely halted the medication and have slowly felt better, no more feelings of losing touch with reality etc.. I have had moments (especially a week ago) of bad depression but that has gotten slightly better, I would have episodes in the day where I would get a hot sweat on and feel like the world is rubbish and whats the point? My appetite dissapeared and every day was a struggle, convincing myself I was going bipolar.

I have had no previous history of depression, anxiety or any mental-health related issues, its three weeks tomorrow since I completely halted the medication, slowly but surely feeling better, still get the odd ocassion of slipping into a depressive state for a short while. Hopefully I should be completely fine within another 1-3 weeks and back to my normal self. I have another appointment with the doctors in the next few days to see what she says.

Without doubt the most weird/psychological/frightening few weeks in my life. I'm so glad I have stumbled across this page, reading all these stories have made me feel as though I don't need to worry about going crazy!

Thanks all.

I have been on 20 gr for 3 years and started getting pannick attacks and depression, the GP was telling me nothing so i had to reserch it myself and i have now stopped taking it for a litle over a month, it was hell and if im not carrefull and eat fatty and fast food it can still be scary but i think i found my cure...espinheira santa...its a south american tree that i make tea from, after food or if i feel the acid coming, aloe vera helped me too but espinheira santa was very good to me...dont know how easy it his too find in england but i do recomend.

Try licorish root instead of prilosec. But only if you do not have heart problems or high blood pressure.

this drug has to be one of the worst drugs i have ever experienced.  the level of anxiety, panic and nightmarish discomfort was unreal.  i was getting chills, then the next minute, i was drenced with sweat.  i could not eat and lost my sense of taste.  for anyone who has ever had any kind of panic, i'd advise them to stay away from this hellish pill. 

Glad I found this thread!! Explains a lot of what I have been thru with prilosec. About 6 months ago I was prescribed omeprazole. I took it for about a month. Almost after the first dose I started having side effects. Fatigue, loss of appetite, headaches, dizziness, overwhelming anxiety. Long story short I stopped taking the omeprazole and everything went back to normal. Yesterday I was having some heartburn and had a bright idea to try the omeprazole again. About 2 hours after I took it I was extreamly fatigued, shaky, and could feel the anxiety starting to rush over my chest. So obviously I threw the rest of my prescription in the garbage. Unbelievable how this stuff can totally over take you in such negitive ways. Works great for heartburn tho. Smh never again will I touch this stuff!!

I am so glad to have found this, I'm just going crazy right now trying to find out what's been causing my severe panic attacks lately, I've been taking omeprazole occasionally when my chronic acid reflux occurs along with my globus in my throat. 

Lately i've been suffering from severe panic attacks which I haven't experienced before, last March 2017, I was rushed to the ER cause of palpitations, shortness of breath, and intense left side chest pains, I thought I was having a heart attack (I'm only 29) BP and ECG test came back normal, I've always been an anxious person since my Chronic Acid Reflux, Misaligned Atlas, Tinnitus, TMJ, etc etc started late in 2012, it comes and goes but right now It's really getting worse I'm now experiencing severe panic attacks with many triggers, Loud sounds, noises, moving crowds, Bright lights in malls, Talking and standing still, My anxiety level is the highest these past months, I think the last time I took those were last January 2017. I need another option to relieve me of my Acid Reflux as those are giving me sever anxieiteis as well.