Prilosec (omeprazole) causing anxiety and panic?
Posted , 9 users are following.
Anyone on here who was given prilosec for gastritis, gerd, or an ulcer experience any nasty side effects? I have been suffering from extreme anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, and adrenaline rushes starting 5 days after I began taking this med. I am an anxious person by nature but this is ridiculous. I walk across the floor and I panic. It's a whole new level of anxiety that I cannot control. Doc gave me one valium pill to try after the trazedone did not help and I had adrenaline rushes on the valium. Something is wrong, could it be the med?
1 like, 21 replies
Thestranglies sarah45050
Posted
Hi, Sarah!
I've never posted on a board like this but I saw your subject and I had to respond.
YES. I had severe panic attacks on Protonix , a similar medication. They were so bad they sent me to the ER. We are talking full blown trembling, heart palpitations, sweating, faintness for DAYS.
I got off the medication and the extreme panic subsided.
Instead of trying another medication which I was scared to do, I changed my diet. I know, I know. No one wants to hear it but it did help. The biggest changes were to eliminate:
It was hard to quit most of these but it has really made a difference in my symptoms.and I don't look back at all anymore.
Lastly, if I feel heartburn sneaking up I have found chewing gum helps ease the symptoms. Look for gum without artificial sweeteners though!
Hope this helps you!
sarah45050 Thestranglies
Posted
Thestranglies, the good thing is I don't drink ever, smoke, do any illegal drugs, drink soda, or eat much sugar. I never est beef, pork, or dairy. So getting this stomach burn that the doc believes is gastritis or an ulcer was so shocking. I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder 20 yrs ago but I only needed meds for that when I was first getting diagnosed. I have never experienced panic or anxiety like this in my entire life. I am scared now because what med can I take to stop the stomach burn if they all have these nasty side effects? Can I just stop taking it cold turkey or will that make my stomach worse?
pippa58442 sarah45050
Posted
Anxiety can trigger acid reflux, ulcers and gastritis. Stress triggered my acid reflux.
pippa58442 sarah45050
Posted
I would come off all these medications since they are not agreeing with you. I was fine on omeprazole but I have heard it can cause the side effects you mention. Anti depressants can very toxic; you are far better them. Doctors often push you
onto one anti depressant after another if you refuse one or find one isn't helpful. My doctor offered me one anti depressant after another when I refused them.
sarah45050 pippa58442
Posted
Pippa,
I don't want to be on any meds but right now I am walking around 24/7 feeling the fight or flight sensation and I think I may lose my mind. I am developing a phobia of leaving the house. This is insane! If I stop taking thr omeprazole what do I take to stop the severe burn in stomach? I have an appt with naturopath because she will advise on natural ways to take care of that but I can't get in to see her til Jan 2nd 😦 The panic is so bad that when I went in to have my ct scan I had a full blown panic attack when they tried putting the IV in so it took them 3 times because I could not stop shaking and crying. I knew I was in trouble then. Of course I took the omeprazole just before my appt too.
pippa58442 sarah45050
Posted
Try over the counter antacids plus milk instead and phone your doctor immediately about the reactions you are having and tell him you need to come off them because they are affecting your mental health. Try and get a cancellation appointment.If I was having reactions like that, I would not tolerate it and would throw the medication out. Try adjusting your diet by starting a food diary and avoid anything rich, fatty or acidic To be honest, I find heartburn far easier to tolerate than anxiety. Don't let your doctor prescribe any more medication for you; it is far better to let these drugs leave your system first. Try pushing for an earlier appointment with your naturopath and emphasise how your heartburn medication is toxic for you.
I treat my heartburn with OTC meds and milk and this works well for me.
moon53540 sarah45050
Posted
You need to speak to a doctor about this as soon as you can, there are some serious side effects side effects to these tablets. Look at the leaflet which explains possible side effects and see if what you have matches up to any of them.
sarah45050 moon53540
Posted
Moon, what confused me is that anxiety, panic, and breathlessness are not listed as a side effect but today I googled and found several med review sites where hundreds of people talk about this. I even found a blog where a woman went to have herself committed because she was so full of fear and panic but she came off the omeprazole and recovered. How can the company not know this is a side effect when so many experience it?
Thestranglies sarah45050
Posted
I'm not sure why its not listed, but I definitely found the same thing. People do react that way!
I had only been taking it a week or so when the terrible attacks began. It took me a few days to put it together. I did stop taking them cold turkey but obviously i can't advise you to do that... I started feeling back to normal a couple days later.
Eat lots of lean meat and green veggies. Popcorn is a soothing snack for me.
Good luck!
pippa58442 Thestranglies
Posted
I think you are quite right to have come off these medications cold turkey if they are causing you this amount of harm. I come off medications immediately if the side effects are intolerable.
pippa58442 sarah45050
Posted
Some side effects are not listed in the patient leaflet and only show up on google. I have experienced this.
moon53540 sarah45050
Posted
you can get anxiety secondary to a vitamin b12 deficiency or low magnesium, both of which I believe this tablet can give you. Ask for some blood tests for those things. If you come off them though, take something else like ranitidine and chalk tablets to protect your stomach. Ask your doctor what else you can take because you aren't getting on with that type of medication. I hope you feel better soon.
sarah45050 moon53540
Posted
This is my docs message to me last night
All PPIs have similar side effects, but anxiety or insomnia are not common. You could try taking two omeprazole in morning, none at night and again could use the trazodone at night if you cannot sleep.
Thestranglies sarah45050
Posted
Well, my doctor dismissed it as a possibility too but my body knew better. I'm not going to tell anyone to ignore their doctor but if you are feeling as out-of-control anxious as I was, I can't see how taking a double-dose is a good idea. Ask your doctor if she would have any concerns if you stopped the medication for 3 days just to test whether anxiety improves.
pippa58442 sarah45050
Posted
It doesn't matter whether anxiety and insomnia are not common side effects. The fact is you are experiencing these symptoms. Switch from omeprazole to over the counter antacids and avoid trazadone. Sometimes doctor play down drug side effects; this has happened to me.
sarah45050 pippa58442
Posted
I thought the same thing, doubling med in the morning won't make a lick of difference. I could have understood maybe cutting the dose but not taking all 40 mg at once. His response made no sense. It is like he is saying "sorry, this is your only option." 😦