Omeprazole for heartburn?

[curleyshirley]

I am 32.5 weeks and have really bad heartburn. I saw my GP about it and she prescribed me omeprazole. I have been taking it for 4 days now, and it works wonders. But I had never heard of it before (no-one, medical people I mean, mentioned it to me in my first pregnancy when I had equally bad heartburn) and just wondered if anyone has taken this in pregnancy and whether it is OK??

[brettgirl2]

I have to take it all the time. I've been told by 2 GPs and a gastroenterologist that it is fine to take while pg. I don't have a choice so I'm hoping that's true. It has been around about 20 years, so my GP when I asked her very recently said if there were any problems they would know about them by now.

A lot of people seem to take rinitidine - it is nowhere near as good and it isn't much older so there can't be much more evidence.

[kiff5]

I took ranitadine in my last pregnancy and found it ok. this pregnancy i've been px omep and its fab. funny tho, av just been to get a px today and the pharm looked a little concerned and asked me this was ok to take in 'my condition'? surely i should be asking him. ho-hum.

[moocowme]

she is a very good doctor you should thank her for giving you a treatment that works. yes its perfectly safe to take.

only downside is that it can inhibit the absorbtion of vitamins and minerals which can easily be fixed with a multivitamin tablet. make sure you get enough folic acid as well.

[curleyshirley]

Thanks for your responses. Very much appreciated - feel like it has changed my life, not just with the heartburn itself, but also because the heartburn used to make me feel (and occasionally be) sick as well. Completely gone now. Really appreciate the tip re vitamins and minerals, moocowme, I've got some pre-natal ones which I had kind of stopped taking after the first trimester, so I will get back on them. Thanks again.

[kiff5]

hi moocowme, just read your post re; omep inhibiting the absorption of vits and mins. why didint my gp tell me that and advise on multi vits? its a sad state of affairs when you have to get all your info from strangers (no offence). av been taking it for two months now and havent been taking anything extra, i wonder what we pay them for sometimes!

i want to start a discussion on what to do about my new childs naming ceremony/christening/baptism. dont know what to do about it as i am non religious but was railroaded into the last one by mother-in-law and hubs(even tho hes non-rel). as am new to mumsnet can you advise?

[ajm200]

I've was given Omeprazole in the summer for acid reflux after it burnt my airways and caused a nasty chest infection. It works wonders. He put me on iron and folic acid at the same time and told me to take pregnacare too. (I was taking it anyway)

Even at 39 weeks it is still working and although I now get a bit of reflux from time to time, it doesn't burn anymore.

[curleyshirley]

ajm200 - does pregnacare not contain the necessary folic acid and iron? Or did GP recommend more? I've been (and have resumed) taking the Sanatogen pronatal vitamins, and I guess will assume they have what I need. Will reasure myself (hopefully rightly!) that at 33 weeks thats OK (compared with say 7 weeks when it may have more impoact on growing baby).

[ajm200]

The Dr recommended more as I had been taking the pregnacare continually from when we were trying to concieve and my iron levels were still dropping. I was reluctant to double up on the iron intake until I had the OK from the Dr though as too much is dangerous.

The vitamins contain everything you need but your body is only able to absorb a small percentage of it.

[curleyshirley]

Thanks for that clarification ajm. I will take the vits and not worry more about it. Good luck with the next couple of weeks!

[moocowme]

the mal absorbtion of vitamins etc is really a new one and was discussed recently on the UK thyroid forum so your doctor possibly does not know about it. you probably would not notice anything short term as levels drop in your body but give it 6 months or so and you could. i would expect to possibly see something about this in the packaging for omeprazole in the future as it was a proper medical trial that confirmed it.