Omeprazole Side Effects? Light headed? Anxiety Attacks

Hi lybbrown,

Taking Ranitidine changed my life for the better. I was on Omeprazole for a few years and while it worked fantastically at keeping my acid problems at bay, I would get dizzy VERY easily. I have kids now, and want to be able to play hard with them, go on carnival rides etc. so my doctor switched me to Ranitidine. I am no longer dizzy. But, the Ranitidine doesn't do quite as well with the acid, I have to take it more frequently. As far as the swallowing goes, I definitely am with you there. Food sometimes is stuck, and I feel like there is a lump. If I've kept the acid away for a week or more those symptoms seem to go away. So it may be that when my esophagus is healed that things feel as they should.

Right now I am prescribed 300mg of Ranitidine once a day, but I always end up having to take 2. I'm going to ask to be changed to 150mg twice a day instead. Hope that is helpful. -Aaron (31, USA)

I have been taking this medication since early december and I experienced the diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, headaches and dizziness. I have also been experiencing anxiety attacks. It was not until a friend of mine told me her sister was taking this medication and they thought she was going crazy. I have had many many panic and anxiety attacks the entire time I've been on the meds. TOday was the last day I had to take it. I was extremely tired and couldn't sleep. I hope after it get out of my system things go back to normal Has anyone complained to the makers of the drug

On last taking Omeprazole I kept feeling like I was about to black out and I had an inability to concentrate at work. My heartbeat also seemed to get periodically affected. It would get particularly bad after being in a hot environment. Very worried by these spells, I went to A&E a couple of times. However, they found everything normal.

One theory I had was that I was getting too little salt, since I almost never used it, never ate bread on its own, and when I did have salt it was the 33%-sodium variety. This chimes with the fact that low sodium or potassium leads to electrolyte imbalance, which can affect heartbeat and cause confusion. However, at the time when I upped my salt I also stopped taking the drug and gradually the dizziness disappeared. This is still a strong candidate for the reason for me, but the challenge now is not to go the other way and overdo it.

However, I've since noted that Omeprazole hinders B12 absorption, which in turn can lead to anaemia. WebMD in fact warns that vegans (I keep a vegan diet for extended periods during the year) and older people (the person on behalf this was posted) need to watch their B12 intake especially, due to the insufficient variety of foods they tend to take - and this even without reference to Omeprazole, which hinders what intake these groups do get.

I'm not claiming either of these is the answer. But they use information the doctors didn't have and involves a cure of merely being more attentive to adequate intake of certain things. I'm three weeks into a new round of Omeprazole, so time will tell.

My 15 year old daughter was prescribed omeprazole for acid reflex about 2 weeks ago and now she is

having anxiety and panic attacks at school....it has to be a side affect of the pills. I am stopping the pills

today and see if the anxiety goes away.

This is for diane88030.

Did the anxiety go away? How long did it take after stopping the medicine? Reason I ask is I have been on this medicine since Sept. 2013. I started feeling anxious, shortness of breath, a feeling that I was going to pass out. Very stiff from head to toe. Feeling weak as to not being able to lift my arms at times. Horrible feeling after a few months. So, i stopped taking the medicine by the end of March 2014. It has been almost two weeks and I still feel that way from time to time; not every day though. Don't know how long this will last. This is driving me crazy. I don't exactly how long this medication will remain in the system before seeing positive results. Good luck to everyone that has over come this situation.

So sorry to hear so many of you are suffering. I am a 57 year old female.

I don't drink. Don't smoke. I eat very, very sensibly. I have improved my diet even further these last 3 months due to horrid symptoms. No chocolate, cream, cheese, eggs, bread, butter, fried food.

I was put on a course of this dreadful medicine at the end of December for indigestion/burping. 15 mg twice a day.

They didn't work. I returned to the doctor who put me on 30mg once a day.

Well since then ...slowly... I have been feeling worse. Stupidly I didn't put it down to the medicine! However reading posts from others who are taking this my symptoms are just as horrid..

I have NEVER had a panic attack in my life until I started these. Since then I have been taken to Emergency in the middle of the night for a very rapid heartbeat, breathlessness, tingling fingers etc. The hospital couldnt find anything and gave me some low dose Betablockrs to steady my heart and send me home. My heart also feels as though it is racing sometimes during the day.

Everyday now for 3 months I feel slightly "panicky". I wake up at 3 to 4 am with a racing heart which takes about an hour to calm down. I feel generally unwell. Unusually tired in the afternoon.

My GP has put me in contact with an Anxiety Group, as he is perplexed by my symptoms

.I still have indigestion. Im Bloated soon after eating anything. Headache on left temple comes and goes. Occasional tinnitus which is new too.

Stopped taking this evil medicine 3 days ago and feel slightly more at ease. I can only hope that this stuff gets out of my system as fast as possible. I would rather have indigestion then all thee freaky symptoms.

I was told that this medicine lasts in your system for a very long time. I had taken it for more than 20 years when I found out that it caused so many problems. For all those years I had terrible loose bowels. I never put 2 and 2 together until I just decided to quit the drug. I believe this drug is responsible for all or at least most of my problems.

Hello... Just to update. I am one week on from stopping Omeprazole (took it for 3 months) and I am feeling so much better.

Certainly not 100% but much improved. Still woke up this morning with palpitations + burping at 4 am, mind you.

This morning I had an echocardiogram at the hospital as my doctor had referred me due to my palpitations and fluttering heart. The consultant said my heart is fine.

Reading on various websites, eating an apple a couple of times a day can help GERD. I have started this and I can honestly say today is the first day I have had in AGES where my gut feels comfortable.

I certainly will never go back onto this terrible medicine.

Wishing all of you out there good health....