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Omeprazole Side Effects? Light headed? Anxiety Attacks

Posted , 115 users are following.

Sue12fm
Sue12fm

My Mother was experiencing severe pain across her ribs and back which the doctors say is indigestion but only now and again. She was put on Omeprazole about a month ago and after taking one in the morning she starts to feel light headed, dizzy and generally unwell. She then seems to panic about it and feels she cant breathe which makes her panic more. Her chest and heart are perfectly fine. She stopped taking the tablets yesterday in case they are causing these problems and she is having tests done next week to check for ulcers etc. Has anyone else had these problems? How long do the side effects take to go away when you have stopped taking them?

4 likes, 256 replies

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  • quinde
    quinde Sue12fm

    Posted

    Hello.

    I hope that someone still follow this tread and can help me a little bit, or a lot.

    I have been taken Omeprazol for 19 years. I have expirieced all the side effect in this tread and many more.

    In 2011 I was in the hospital with anemia and I needed a blodtranfusion. The doctors could not find the reason for this and I still have to take strong Iron to keep it up.

    2 months ago I got really bad breathing trouble , it is like I can not get the air all the way down to my lungs. It is really scary. My lungs and heart got checked but there was nothing wrong, other than I suffer from a low puls from time to time. Is there anyone else here that have breathing trouble due to Omeprazole ?

    The doctors then made the conclusion that it is because of my back and I started at a chiropraktor but that did not help either. The doctor gave me Tramadol for my back pain and then it got really scary after 3 pills (not at once) I got an anaphylactic shock and was taken to the hospital after I was stabilized at home. 

    I had to take some antihistamine and some Prednisonol for 3 days after, my breathing was a little better while I took them, but Prednisonol is also to make your body function better.

    After this my breathing trouble returned and a month after this I took some of my daughters astma inhaler because I was so frustrated with my trouble of breathing properly. I have taken this medicine before, with the anemia because the doctor first thought it could be astma and I did not have nay problem with this medicine. 

    This time I got my second anaphylactic shock, I got an Epipen at home at got to the hospital again and again I should take the medicine 3 days, my breathing was so much better. 

    After 2 anaphylactic shock I was so scared to take my medicine, so 6 days ago I stopped taken my Omeprazole, Codeine ( for back pain). 

    First thing I noticed after years of drinking up to 5-6 liters a day (1,5 gallon), I now drink like a normal person. Then I noticed my body does not hurt like it use to, my back and so, but not my entire body. But I have been and is still so dizzy that I am afraid to pass out. I have lots of panic attacks and overall feel like my muscles does not work properly and I have been sweating like crazy. But on the positive side my breathing is almost back to normal. 

    Have any of you experienced breathing trouble while taken Omeprazole ?

    Have any of you been drinking so much because of Omeprazole ?

    Have any of you have an anaphylactic shock while taken Omeprazole ?

    And can any of you tell me how long I will feel like crap, with dizziness and panic attack and sweating ?

    Have any of your a doctors word for that Omeprazole has been the course of your problems ?

    I live in Denmark and not one doctor have questioned if my anemia, breathing trouble and so on could be from my medicine, but after my drinking became normal after one or two days of Omeprazole and my breathing was getting a little better I started to google and found this tread and now I am scared because I have been taken these pills for 19 years. 

    Thanks for reading to the end.

    • maisie05
      maisie05 quinde

      Posted

      I have been taking Omeprazole for 12 months

      I too have all the symptons, palpitations, anxiety, light headed. dizzy spells, extreme fatigue as described by others.

      I too have anaemia even though I take iron supplements. I have recently read that Omeprazole can inhibit iron absorption.

      Have you checked your Vitamin B12 level, if low, this can cause the breathlessness you describe and is needed for iron absorption.

      I am 57, still menstruating regularly and heavily.

      The symptons described can also be from menopause and anaemia so I never thought it could be the Omeprazole making me feel so ill and depressed.

      I am going to the GP this afternoon to discuss this further.

      I will report further

       

    • quinde
      quinde maisie05

      Posted

      Did you talk to your GP ?

      I can say after about 10 days ( maybe a little more) I slowly feeling better. 

      The breathing is up and down though sad  And it so scary I just wnat to go away completly.

      I think that theese pills are bad  for me anyway, the way I have been feeling by quitting them has been / is really scary. 

    • maisie05
      maisie05 quinde

      Posted

      The doctor suggested changing to Lanzoprazole, a similar med to Omeprazole. I stopped Omeprazole for 3 days and I felt worse which causes me heart palpitations and flutterings in my stomach. I've just read a post by jamie50513 'Internal Tremors'.  which has made me feel so much better and you may find helpful.
    • kdetone
      kdetone quinde

      Posted

      The dizziness started going away within a few days. Panic and anxiety is getting better everyday. My stomach hurts but not unmanageable. I didn't have breathing problems or anaphylactic shock. I did drink excessive amounts of water before quitting Prilosec.

      My panic attacks lasted all day. Dizziness was constant. Depression was setting in. Blood Pressure was rising.

      I've been off Prilosec for 4 days. Took it for 3 months.

      Everyday gets better.

    • ian35472
      ian35472 quinde

      Posted

      Hi my experience with omeprazole was well I thought an immune failure and a malab
    • ian35472
      ian35472

      Posted

      Malabsorption problem I got the ringing ear which people talk about a few other strange things like itchy down their even warts on chin panic attacks couldn't even pop down the chippy liver function tests going up it just screws up your body so I stopped it 5 months on couldn't be happier everything mentioned just vanished xx

    • jill60967
      jill60967 quinde

      Posted

      hi quinde! i know this is a year later but if you are still on here can you tell me how you are now? because i too have been on these pills for a long time and i have experienced all of these symptoms!! the panic attacks in the last 4/5 weeks!! but not being able to breathe and palpitations for a long while but did not put it down to omeprazole until i stumbled onto this site!!!
  • BBBBBman
    BBBBBman Sue12fm

    Posted

    I had the same issue and it took a few days after dropping the medication to feel relief. I was taking them for dysphagia and found that due to increased anxiety, my dysphagia became worse.  

    After I dropped the PPI, it took about 1-2weeks to go away.  When I first stopped, I felt great...but the anxiety would come back for brief spurts and slowly tapered off. So I write this for anyone else experiencing the issue. 

  • London2016
    London2016 Sue12fm

    Posted

    Hi Sue.

    I have been on Omeprazole for 3 years now and I too suffer with similar side effects. I take a tablet once in the morning and once I have eaten something I feel nausous and I have a banging headache. I thought I suffered with sinus issues as I always seem to have a blocked nose and generally feeling unwell like I am catching a chesty cough. About a year ago I started to suffer with light headedness and balance issues. I have been seeing the doctor about this with a few tests coming back negative. The last doctor I saw seem puzzled as some tests came back ok even with the symptoms I am experiencing so I have two more tests to go on Monday and if they come back all clear she said they will start to look into other causes.

    Recently my GP sent me for a gastroscopy to see if there was anything else happening inside (as she was shocked I had been on Omeprazole for so long with no reason...thanks to my previous rubbish doctor) I didn't end up having the procedure done (again thanks to the rubbish hospital cancelling the appointment and not telling me but that is for another post) but I was told I had to come off omeprazole for two weeks before I had this done. Now this is where is gets interesting and complicated. I feel better and worse. I still get nausous but that is down to my own fault. Whenever you have an issue with reflux you really do have to watch your diet and lifestyle. With my new job I tend to over eat and eat the wrong things. I also smoke which is a major NO NO and also coffee just unsettles my stomach majorly. But the light headedness has sort of eased a bit. Last night I was driving around with a major pressure build up in my ear and all of a sudden it stopped and the light headedness disappeared. I actually started to smile uncontrollable in the van (it was a sight to be seen) So I have stopped taking the meds now. I do take Ranitidine sometimes but I also found if I drink a glass of lemon water in the morning (Squeeze half a lemon in about a litre of water) and drink a whole glass before food this really helps your nausea. Eat light and avoid fizzy drinks and over eating. Try to eat a lot of fruit and veg and obviously  if any cause burning just cut them out or eat smaller portions.

    I hope this helps and I hope your mum is feeling a lot better now smile

    • ian35472
      ian35472 London2016

      Posted

      Hi I've been on the stuff for a year and a half I've had the ringing ear warts on chin couldn't even have a chippy I'm English lol couldn't seem to handle even a sausage panic attacks no sleep I have Barrett which is my own fault from a crazy new year eve where the acid lasted a good 2 weeks very servere spirits give reflux to me so simple adjust diet I thought it was a one off anyway so I stopped taking it much to the doctors annoyance and everything is back working fine as it should with no reflux I was wondering iff anyone else has had malabsorption problems I think these doctors just follow a text book an that's that ?

  • shaneantonio16
    shaneantonio16 Sue12fm

    Posted

    Hi Sue,

    Yes, please stop,

    I just went cold turkey on my Omeprazole 72hrs ago and I feel amazing and I had minor rebounding acid reflux for the first 12hrs and then it was gone, I believe my strict diet contributed to the improvement of my GERD, I don't eat fatty or fried foods, I enjoy 1 salad, cook spinach, asparagus with salmon or tuna and I eat tons of berries and drink half of cup of pomegranate juice a day, protein drinks every morning, exercise everyday for at least 30 minutes, the GERD diet is the diet I always wanted to be on just so I can keep my body at 8-10% body fat 170lbs of muscle, ppis cause to many problems, the FDA just alerted a warning against all Ppis, please google, the Omeprazole gave me issues with my bones, heart and added with muscle spasm from reducing acid and making me defenseless against infections cause by bacteria from food in my stomach and low magnesium, so I begin taking 1 multi vitamin &1 magnesium 500mg per day, I always keep a Gatorade to help replenish electrolytes,

    • maisie05
      maisie05 shaneantonio16

      Posted

      Hi Shaneantonio

      Thanks for your interesting post. Well done on your diet and exercise regime. I have been concerned over the omeprazole inhibiting the absorption of vitamins and minerals.

      I would be interested to know if your GERD stays away while off omeprazole in a week or so, as I've heard reports from others of it returning. Maybe you could update us please.

    • ian35472
      ian35472 shaneantonio16

      Posted

      Very true I had perfect teeth after 3 months of taking I was down the dentist I had clicking feet and wrists certainly effects the bone absorb process

      I stopped

    • joyce00570
      joyce00570 shaneantonio16

      Posted

      Hi

      read your blog with interest. Could you tell me what multivitamin you take and also what magnesium tablet you take 

      I stopped taking omeprazole over 6 months ago and it has left me with a constant internal tremor in my chest which is very unpleasant and I know that omeprazole can deplete your magnesium. I have looked at magnesium tablets but most are oxide type which I understand is not the best magnesium tablets. Many thanks

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