Omeprazole has killed my stomach

[Boredofmyguts]

I posted last week after my GI appointment when he prescribed omeprazole for gastritis and reflux.
I have been on it and other PPIs before but not for a long time. I’m also on another unrelated medication which is well tolerated and not contraindicated. My GI knows this.

I started it on the Thursday morning. By Sunday evening I was really windy and bloated, but I stupidly still took it on Monday as it was really helping my reflux. Then I felt worse and worse on Monday - nauseous, bloated, stomach pain, bit of diarrhoea etc which is rare for me.

I thought it would abate and I did an e-consult on Weds to say I had to come off omeprazole as I was having these symptoms . Gp messaged back to say try lower dose or other PPI. I also contacted my GI - I don’t expect he’ll get back to me, but for the record. I don’t want to restart until I feel normal again.

I still have bloating and pain now and I’m not particularly bothered about food but once I start eating I’m ok.

Has anyone experienced these side effects. It’s making me miserable as I’m so uncomfortable and my reflux is obviously back as well. I’ll have to contact GP again if not better by Monday.

Any tips for relief? I’m eating quite bland food. I eat a restricted diet as it is.

Yes, I hate omeprazole - I drink Actiph water which is PH balanced and is lime magic!!!

It’s not great for gut health I found out. However, both my pregnancies I couldn’t do without it, gaviscon didn’t touch the sides. I’d wake up at night gasping for breath as I would be physically choking on my own reflux. It was awful and I had no choice but to stick with omperazole.

@workingcocker- I do this too but it doesn’t have much effect.

@kindnessforthewin- that sounds awful. I use gaviscon advance but it’s not enough. I just want some relief from the reflux but without the horrible side effects - which are impossible to live with.

Have you tried the complete reflux diet. I've had reflux for years and diagnosed with a hiatus hernia 2 years ago.. when it's bad the only thing that helps,is,water only for fluid, diet everything field or farm, nothing processed or with a PH less than 5. I found this in an article about 8 years ago,in a book written by an American gastroenterology consultant. I'm not in any way affiliated with him. I have an endoscopy next week. Yes,ppi s give me the issues you describe. I fair better with calcium carbonate tablets, and am forced to sit bolt upright in bed.

Lanzaprozole is much better in my experience.

Omeprazole is a bloody awful medication and I wish I’d never been prescribed it.

I have managed via certain channels to switch to Lansoprazole, managing now to cut down to taking one every other day, alongside a very restricted diet.

I truly rue the day I saw a GastroEnterology consultant at my local hospital. (I note a private contractor has been engaged to run his clinic and sort out his waiting lists now, out of interest.)

How does everyone find esomeprazole?

@Nannyfannybanny yes I’ve been doing the acid watcher diet, which is essentially the same thing, no ph under 5, no UPFs for 3 years (occasionally veer from it on holiday - not keen on holidays atm but go for my dh’s sake. I’m always ill towards the end but with cramps and diarrhoea (like I have been this week).
My guts are complicated, if you search my user name on here you’ll see the background.
I use gaviscon advance but it’s not enough.
also sleep in a wedge w extra pillows - not in w DH atm as I need the wedge to be under the mattress so in the spare single bed.

@Lobleylimlam have tried it before and it only helped at a high dose and my GP at the time said to come off it (slowly).
I just need to find a regime that works but GPs v reluctant to prescribe H2 blockers which are a PPI alternative but at 10 x the cost. I might have to insist on it though.

@AutumnalCrows - I can’t believe that it’s sold over the counter - it is a strong drug. I had no intention of being on it long term and hoped that not refluxing for a few eeeks, plus being on the low acid diet could in combo calm things down to a point I could wean off Ppi.

what happened w your gastroenterologist? Mi e says he’s been on PPIs for 20 years and they’re ‘fine’. At that point I thought - hmm - not sure about you…

I have EDS so crap guts in general, valve that can't be ar*ed and frequent ulcers. Was under 2ww for suspected cancer this year as symptoms so bad.

I have tried 3 different -prazoles and each has given me 20 x + a day diarrhoea. Have ended up in hospital more than once. So gastros have accepted this and I'm now on high dose famotidine for life. I get polyps but otherwise OK.

Interestingly after last ulcer and many procedures earlier this year have cut out gluten and noticed a big difference in my reflux and other stomach symptoms. Gastro suggested as often a link with EDS and gluten (they think actually just what so don't have to be as super careful as coeliac so hasn't been that difficult).

Good luck

What is the cause of your reflux? You need to address this as ppi's will only be a sticking plaster and will cause long term side effects. If say a hietal hernia or relaxation of les you could try an iqoro to strengthen the muscles.

Things I found helpful for short term relief were slippery elm to sooth the oesophagus, dgl Liquorice, chewing mastic gum, drinking almond milk, low fat as well as low acid diet (especially avoid cheese and steak etc at dinner time), finish eating by 6pm, walk post meals, elevating bed, gaviscon advance (the one that forms the barrier rather than just neutralises the acid).

Hi OP.

I went To GP with a cough earlier this year which I thought was my asthma but she thought silent reflux.
Until then I'd never needed gaviscon or anything like that except in month 8 of pregnancy and rennies worked.

Three months on and off omeprazole (I had other things going on too incl surgery and two lots of anti biotoics) and my stomach was fucked.

I would wake up with horrific nausea and cramps and acid flowing up. I have never had acid reflux (well not the non silent type) until I went on this.

GP did give me H2 but that made me feel like I'd been eating refreshers all day.

I now have to use gaviscon extra at night every single day. I go through two small bottles a week on holiday (boots don't sell the big ones at the airport😁).

I've tried dropping my decaf coffee, tried dropping dark 90% chocolate, none of it really makes a difference and I'm absolutely not dropping tomatoes and oranges as I love them! Alcohol makes no impact - last week on holiday I was drinking, eating so much and I even went to bed without gaviscon a few times and I was absolutely fine. There's no rhyme or reason to it.

I'm so cross that I ever went on Omeprazole. I suspect I do have a hernia as I also have prolapses and I'm hypermobile. But I have no appetite for any further investigations after a very hard year health wise, so I'm not going back to the GP.

I suppose I am lucky that I can afford £50 a month on gaviscon!
Good luck. I will refuse any PPI ever now.

Omeprazole is not a good longterm option.
I was prescribed it for six years as a stomach protector alongside a nsiad painkiller naproxen.
I had never suffered from acid reflux but when I stopped omeprazole I started acid reflux which continued for some months.
I also had a kidney stone which can linked with longterm omeprazole use.

OP just one more thing, I came off the O at the end of May and weaned off. August was really bad, but I was even dropping gaviscon in Sept as I felt better. I am back on it now, but I at least have an appetite for food again.

All the cramps and nausea have gone. My bowels have always been fine so no change there.

Oh and my GP recommended probiotics but I tried Symprove and it made me cough immediately and more acidic, so don't do that!

Ask your doctor for domperidone, brand name motilium.

Used to be over the counter and then it went prescription only. I used to buy it for occasional reflux, and it was brilliant. My gp wouldn't prescribe it to me for occasional use. So whenever I go to the Republic of Ireland I buy a ton of the stuff because it's still over the counter there

It's a gastric motility drug, hence the name motilium. It speeds up the contractions of your stomach and pushes food through quicker. I don't know whether or not they ll prescribe it though, because it does have side effects including heart arrhythmia.But apparently that's rare and that's why it went prescription only.

I don't find it had any side effect at all either. Maybe that alongside gaviscon woukd work, if you can't handle the other drug.

It's technically an anti sickness drug, but it does work by keeping the entrance to the stomach properly closed, so that the stomach contents do not leak back up. Making you less likely to be sick and keeping stomach acid where it's supposed to be.

Yep agree with this. For me it’s a hernia and a gluten intolerance (allergy tests fine, so it’s just an intolerance).

Oh bless you,it's hell isn't it. Don't you find people don't understand,"is that all you're eating" blah blah. On here I have been accused of having an eating disorder, lying about what I eat and how much,or little frankly. Last night I didn't take the gaviscon before bed,as soon as I fell asleep, the reflux woke me with a start. I was diagnosed with silent reflux 13 years ago,had a month course of lansoperazole which worked. Most people don't understand the difference. I've always suspected a weak les,I'm not overweight, have never smoked, got drunk, don't like fizzy. I was vegetarian for over 40 years. I sometimes eat chicken or fish now. The HH are mobile,so I suspect when it's "up" that's when I get the problems.. I found out the issues were the omeprazole by chance, I forgot to take one, and actually felt better. I've had to discontinue it now anyway for the endo next week. A couple of weeks ago was my birthday, I didn't risk alcohol I had tap water, BUT a chocolate, caramel,ice cream sundae thing, and no acid, I was over the moon..I also have a really dry mouth. Saw ent consultant last year,he said he "thought it was a virus" and that I have dry mouth syndrome, which is now for life,sip water continuously, well,you can't when driving or shopping. I used to buy the high PH....high price water,till I looked up the phone of normal tap water! Saw my dentist in may, she said I don't have dry mouth syndrome! Einstein said "better to have good gut that good brain". People also don't seem to understand how dangerous it can be, having acid where the tissues aren't designed for. Does anyone else find that sometimes food tastes weird?

PH of tap water, the phone decided it was the phone!!

@Phunkychicken - my diet is so reduced that I don't really want to cut gluten. I'm no coeliac and don't seem to react to it in any way I can tell. I've been keeping a food and symptom diary for a while and can't see a big pattern.

@Sunflower2461 - I have had so many tests and nothing has been confirmed for a cause.
H pylori was found 2 years ago. I took the treatment. As far as I know from tests it hasn't recurred (endoscopy and stool).
I have had 3 endoscopies and no mention of a hiatal hernia, although a GI (head of RefluxUK) said he could see a small HH on a printout of pictures from an endoscopy I had had privately 18 months prior. I don't think that would cause it to the extent I have it. Many people are symptom free with small HH.
I have malrotated intestines which is a recent finding. On googling I saw that it has a strong correolation with reflux, but my GI didn't mention this reason. It would require a very major operation to fix and I should imagine only a specialist could do that. It may not even be a cause.
Sometimes reflux just occurs for no specific reason - mine started in earnest after a very stressful time in peri menopause after having a bad bout of covid so there are so many factors in play. I've come to the point now I just want the symptoms to abate for a bit so I can 'heal' my tissues through diet and slowly come off. My tissues get no time to heal as I'm always refluxing.
I used an IQoro for 6 months and didn't notice a difference so I've stopped that now, maybe proof I don't have an HH? I'm on a low acid diet, do all the lifestyle changes, some of the supplements and gaviscon advance. I also take other meds for epilepsy so I have to time taking meds carefully.

@Justputsomeyoghurtonit - I have heard other people say they wont change their diet and it doesn't make a difference. To me it did make some difference but now I'm at a level where it's not improving any more, plus I now have gastritis and 2 stomach polyps. I also feel better on holiday with the reflux, but my stomach is always upset after a few days, with cramps and diarrhoea as I am still eating different food. Bascially I just want to be 'normal'!

I was on Omeprazole for acid reflux for a few years, but didn't want to stay on it indefinitely. My GP suggested I switch to esomeprazole for a while, then gradually wean myself off it. This is what I did, over the course of several months and it worked. I take neither now, and just use gaviscon occasionally when I need too.
A great result for me.

The Gastroenterologist I saw: where to begin? I was referred to Gastro by my consultant Gynae surgeon due to issues after gynaecological surgery (a BSO total hysterectomy).

The man I had the misfortune to see was rude, dismissive, and uncaring. Did nothing. My ‘case’ went into limbo.