Omeprazole how to come off it after long term use.

It depletes the minerals in the gut and after time your gut starts to complain about lack of acid and minerals. It stands to sense. Drs prescribed it as a magic drug but new research tells a different story!

I was on Omeprazole for 10 yrs. I had 3 colonoscopies during that time to find the reason for bad stomach pain cramps and diarrhoea- nothing showed up( think of the cost to NHS) In despair , I asked a new GP if it could be the Omeprazole. She said of course and to come off it and try Gaviscon Advance. No more cramps and diarrhoea!! Repeat prescriptions are doled out and not revised. It’s up to us the patient to ask if we still need a drug. I wish I had and not felt so miserable for so many years. A relation of mine who does medical research told me that Omeprazole is only meant to be used short term.

I read somewhere that if you take omeprazole you should take a multi-vit and calcium in the evening. So I do and my blood tests seem to be ok

I eat Spinach every day now too.

Maggieanne

I am using Omeprazole but I asked my GP to prescribe 10 mg instead of 20mg daily which has worked, try that and then I'm afraid you have to stop eating/drinking whatever causes the problem. Get advice from a pharmacist after you have lowered the dose because they are probably best for suggesting alternatives. I must say again, it's whatever food that causes the problem that needs to be cut down/stopped, unfortunately, we can't eat what we used to enjoy when we were younger.

Yes quite right Maggie. I did cut down from 40mg to 20mg before cutting in half and then stopping.

Cut the tablets in half and when ready just stop.

After this bad experience, I will be very wary of taking any meds again, never took anything before this and now don't want to take anything again!

Oh and footnote:

The meds go into the blood stream, therefore the brain, Rennee & Gaviscon just sit on the stomach, so safe.

Jaxjacky

I was prescribed Omeprazole for reflux caused by a hiatus hernia, swiftly taken off it because my sodium dropped and prescribed Famotidine, different family of drugs. I also take Gaviscon advance at bedtime.

Same as above for me too. I stopped taken any meds. and as Dickens, I changed my diet, no tomatoes or spicey foods, lactus free milk, sour dough bread, no white wine or any wine, no pastry. I think milk helps settle the stomach.

Both the above meds have severe side effects; hair loss, memory loss, to name but a few! I had severe vertigo which freighted me, so that's when I stopped. I take Rennes when needed [hardly ever now] and have definitely stopped the acid indigestion through diet change.

The brain needs acid!

Thank you everyone. I am now looking every day to see if my stool test has appeared on the NHS app.

If you Google "proton pump inhibitors and iron deficient anemia" (Omeprazole is that type of drug), there are a good few scientific articles linking them, even if your GP is not aware, Lovetopaint! Doctors can't keep up with all the research, but it does seem from a quick glance that omeprazole is a possible cause of your anaemia. However, it would be a good idea to have other causes ruled out, so if offered a test for blood in stool, take it.

I went ‘cold turkey’ and changed my diet too: decaf tea and coffee, small portions, no alcohol, chocolate or baked goods and take care with onions. Occasional Rennies needed if I veer off piste

Lovetopant my GP was pretty switched on re the low sodium, I’m flagged anyway as my natural sodium is low at 130, I’ve required a saline drip before now, tricky as too much salt raises BP, for which I take medication.
I’ve been given 10mg omeprazole to be used very sparingly, in the last year probably only 3/4 times, when my reflux has been very bad.

Looking at Gaviscon I noticed it said not to be taken with aspirin. I will have to speak to my doctor as soon as I can. Will ask about Famotidine. Perhaps I could alternate that with Omerprazole to begin with. Although she is concerned about my anaemia she doesn’t seem aware it could be caused by Omeprazole. I told her about the low sodium connection and she wasn’t aware. Also a pharmacist I spoke to said he had never heard of it. I’m having now to wait for my results to see if there is any blood in my poo. Once I see it come up on my NHS I will contact the surgery.


sodium).

My partner decided to come off omeprazole after being prescribed it for 20 years. He was anaemic a blood test showed. His surgery pharmacist didn't like him coming off it and tried to talk him out of it. He insisted and made a telephone appointment with the most helpful doctor at his surgery. He was prescribed famotidine which seemed to work ok. He still get occasional bouts of heartburn. If that happens he takes a low dose of bicarbonate of soda or milk or Rennie's and sometimes Gaviscon.
I keep heartburn away by having a lot of vegetables in my diet and strangely lettuce always on the side always seems to help even with eating curry! The worst things are pastry and bread with cheese. It was interesting to read these comments seeing that others had made the decision to come off it too.

Weirdly, gaviscon makes mine worse.

Lovetopaint037

Just this. I am now anaemic and have low sodium. Tried to come off it a year ago and I was in agony. Now awaiting a bowel test as doctor is concerned about my anaemia. Now I see that Omeprazole reduces iron absorption. I have all the symptoms of anaemia and so want to feel better. Any .
long term user who has managed to come off it and could help before speaking again to my doctor and could help I would be grateful.

I’m don’t have an answer for you I’m afraid Lovetopaint037, but you have my sympathy. I know how very tough (and painful) it is without these meds. I’ve been on them since 2004 and the research available of the various issues from taking them makes scary reading. The GPs at my surgery seem to have no interest when I enquire. That said, I couldn’t cope without them. Even missing one day I get GORD so bad it has actually burned the top of my throat, where the skin stops being protected from the acid. I’ll watch and see what, if anything, others can suggest. I was without them for a three day trip recently and literally could not eat a thing, I only drank milk for the entire trip which eased the pain slightly. Good luck.

I use something called IQoro. It’s a natural remedy.
I am now off esomaprazole and Gaviscon.
I was having Gaviscon for desert after breakfast, lunch and supper !!!
I didn’t notice much change to start with but after a month I didn’t need anything as I had no reflux. I have a hiatus hernia and that is an ongoing issue, but my chest pain has also subsided.

IQoro (MYoroface AB) is a neuromuscular training device and exercise regime used to relieve symptoms related to hiatus hernia by strengthening the oesophagus and diaphragm.

The device is made of acrylic and consists of a crescent-shaped panel that sits between the teeth and lips and a handle for pulling. The panel, or screen, is gripped between closed lips and the teeth and the handle is pulled outwards with the hand. To exercise, the user presses their lips together and pulls forward strongly for 5 to 10 seconds, repeating the exercise 3 times with 3 seconds of rest between repetitions. Training should be done 3 times each day, preferably before meals.

The product is marketed for use in people with dysphagia and in people with a hiatus hernia and reflux symptoms. This briefing focuses on IQoro for treating people with hiatus hernia. NICE has also published a medtech innovation briefing on IQoro for stroke-related dysphagia.

Hi, I did this successfully last year, though the acid rebound was horrendous, a good dose of Gaviscon Advance regularly definitely helped, and within a week it was much better. My consultant switched me to Famotidine which is much less harmful, and 4 weeks in, I'm feeling much better, it doesn't have the nasty side effects of the PPIs either. Definitely worth mentioning to the GP. good luck!

I went on a diet to improve my gut bacteria 18 months ago. I had previously had episodes of acid reflux, especially when I needed regular Ibuprofen for osteoarthritis and was prescribed lansoprazole which didn’t suit me. I also used to use Gaviscon tablets fairly often. Since making some big changes to my diet I have lost 21 lbs and I have rarely had any issue with acid reflux or indigestion. Main changes have been - dramatically increasing daily fibre intake (to around 8-10 portions a day) with vegetables, fruit, nuts, and things like beans and lentils; minimising processed foods especially ultra processed; reducing sugar to a minimum & reducing fat. Adding in things to my diet like regular kefir & sauerkraut have helped too. Leaving more than 12 hours without any calorie intake overnight has been a good change too. I can now much more easily tolerate the ibuprofen I need to take occasionally, without taking anything such as Gaviscon or omeprazole.

I am using Omeprazole but I asked my GP to prescribe 10 mg instead of 20mg daily which has worked, try that and then I'm afraid you have to stop eating/drinking whatever causes the problem. Get advice from a pharmacist after you have lowered the dose because they are probably best for suggesting alternatives. I must say again, it's whatever food that causes the problem that needs to be cut down/stopped, unfortunately, we can't eat what we used to enjoy when we were younger.

Not sure if asking the practice nurse what the alternatives might be, including stopping the medications. In recent times, I stopped both Esomeprasole and statin. The practice pharmacist called me to ask why I no longer asked for them. She just advised that I keep taking them.

Thank you all so much. I am buying some Gaviscon advance tomorrow and initially will try to take Omeprazole alternate days. If this is too bad I will ask the doctor to give me some 10mg ones in order to use these and Gaviscon on alternate days. Nell8 I would ask your dh to reconsider and ask the doctor if Gaviscon or something else might be better for long term use. I so wish I had said “no” when asked if would like them. I am now very anaemic and my sodium levels are very low. In fact I suffered a seizure due to low sodium after an operation three years ago. Apparently your sodium levels go down after an op and I drank water in an attempt to go to the loo. I was a week in ITU. I started to look at my blood test results and could see the sodium levels going down each year. They used to be normal. I am liberal with salt now and buy the saltiest crisps when I do have them from time to time.

I was on it for years but had to stop taking it because I was told it had caused me to have CKD. The surgery decided to stop prescribing it for me with the high strength Ibuprofen for osteoarthritis. Which was kind of them considering they prescribed it for me in the first place now I am stuck with CKD.

I have been taking omeprazole for at least 20 years and as far as I know have had no adverse side effects. I needed it to protect my vocal cords which had suffered from gastro-pharyngeal reflux - i.e. stomach acid travelling upwards and damaging my vocal cords. At one time, I ran out of my medications before I'd put in a request for repeat prescriptions and I certainly felt the effects of reflux. My regular blood tests would have shown up any deficiencies and they haven't. So, I haven't asked to change my medication - if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Farmor15

Famotidine works in a different way to Omeprazole and has a shorter lasting effect, but might be helpful if trying to reduce the Omeprazole. Gaviscon and even Rennies, neutralise the stomach acid and reduce the pain.

I've suffered from acid reflux for years - gastroscopy showed I have a hiatus hernia. I was prescribed Lanzoprazole- similar to omeprazole- but it gave me bad diarrhoea. In consultation with GP, I control my symptoms with Rennies, gaviscon tablets and an occasional famotidine (not taken all together!) . Some foods definitely make it worse - bread and pastry are the worst culprits.

I came off Omeprazole simply by switching to Famotidine. I find it a good substitute with an occasional Rennies.

I have osteoporosis and long term use of Omeprazole was not recommended.