hi all. I have been on Omeprazole for at least five years, my stomach is hard and bloated, I have ibs with he constipation being worse. I have a lot of gas gurgling around in my stomach that I find hard to get out either end. I look at least 6 weeks pregnant! I work in a pharmacy in the natural health department and I'm huge on fixing the problem not masking it with drugs. So after taking to a few people in the know that physically cringe when I mention Omeprazole I'm doing a heal my gut regime. Apparently people focus on probiotics and not prebiotics that feed the good bacteria and help them to multiply, as well as the need to take digestive enzymes. Also needed is aloe Vera juice and slippery elm to sooth the gastrointestinal tract. So I'm in! I stopped the Omeprazole about a week ago, taking apple cider vinegar before breakfast to help with heartburn. So far no heartburn but at 3.47am I was woken up with pain. My body was aching like I had been to the gym and worked out for 6 hours. And I have felt like crap all day. I really think Omeprazole causes more harm than good. I reckon. I'm sure half of my pain issues will gradually improve . I certainly feel more lucid!
has anyone else come off Omeprazole and had the pain issue?
i heard it can stop you absorbing vitamins and minerals
Omeprazole doesn't "mask the pain", it actually reduces the acid production which the natural therapies you mention don't. Aloe vera is a demulcent that masks the pain can increase mucous production.
Unfortunately, PPIs have had a bad press, particularly in US, There have been reports that show dangers from taking them (in high doses over a long period) which have been blown out of proportion by the media.
They should only be taken at lowest effective dose for the shortest necessary time and under supervision of a doctor.
There are many people who have to take these drugs.
Recent research has confirmed thay probably have a chemo-protective effect but the papers don't blast the statistics for how many lives they may have saved, just the fact that 1.16 more people using PPIs had atrial fibrilation (heart attack) whilst admitting the correlation was not proof of causation, that many with heart symptoms mistake it for indigestion (e.g. my own father who dies when I was a young teen) and GORD heart symptoms have also been shown to produce acid reflux.
I don't know why you've been taking omeprazole so long nor what dose you have been taking. I hope you have been monitored by a doctor.
Constipation can be a side effect of omeprazole but, if PPIs are necessary for you, you could try another.
However, if the phytomedicines you've switched to work for you then that's great too. I don't want people to think I'm against their use but equally I don't want people to be persuaded to stop a drug that could be a life-saver for them.
But you're off PPIs now and say you have no heartburn. If your pain was a result of coming off them, it woud have been through the rebound effect of acid hypersecretion which would not be responsible for the whole body ache you describe. It could even be you body's reaction to some of the alternative medication you're now taking?
thats exactly right regarding absorbtion............from my own experience,,just coming off the omeprazole may not put you physically back to normal............Im getting there slowly,its been about 3 months .Ive read the advice of others and have been replacing the depleted vits and nutrients.......mostly B12 B6 and magnesium........The Magnesium is a really important issue...........I would advise you strongly to google up all the info you can about Magnesium supplementation.......its too big an issue for me to go into,but Magnesium is absolutely vital to so many aspects of our 'well being'...............look it up,there are forums about it ,there are books about it........look also for its relationship with calcium intake, ..................good luck. ................G
Long term, high dose use of PPIs can result in hypochlorhydria (because they're too efficient at their job) which can result in malabsorption of essential minerals and vitamins and reduced protection against bacterial infection.
Ask for blood tests to check these and get any supplements through your doctor if necessary as they'll be stronger and more effective than those normally available over the counter. (eg if hypocalceamic, you'll need a prescripion for calcium citrate rather than calcium carbonate.)
And probiotics are useful. I have a probiotic (and prebiotic) yoghurt drink daily.
But PPI induced mineral deficiencies usually resolve themselves quite quickly.
I was anaemic after 15 years of omeprazole increasing to very high 80mg a day. Following anti-reflux surgery, I was totally drug free and my energy levels returned very quickly.
Thanks for that. Nice to know it resolves itself relatively quickly. I had a codeine combined with paracetamol tablet last night when I went to bed and feel a lot better, just a bit stiff.
I was put on Omeprazole for heartburn and reflux thanks to years on anti inflammatory drugs. I haven't started the alternative stuff yet-waiting for pay day . My stomach is hard and painful, hurts when I bend over, go over a bump in the car, bloats as soon as I start eating or drinking and seems to take hours for the food to move down. All I know is now I'm off it, I'm taking one step and one day at a time 😊
I have been on Omeprazole 20mg now for about 3 years and for the past 12 months ive been getting gas gurgling around in my stomach that does come out both ends but when it burp it smells foul and can be very embarrassing with the bad smell. I stopped taking Omeprazole about a week ago and have noticed this virtually stopped over-night. I feel so much better. im not sure what else it may have done to me long term. But im so glad im off it now after reading some of the comm​ents