Can I take both Omeprazole and gaviscon? Or Zantac?

[Emmiedarling]

Got three different types of antacids.

I've got mega heart burn.

Can I take all three at once?! Or at least two?

I don't know if you can combine but gaviscon is definitely okay. If you can get the Gaviscon advance tablets, even better. I got them on prescription when I was pregnant as I had heartburn at least every other day.

Sorry, can't advise on the others as I have not used them.

I take rabeprazole (Pariet) and Gaviscon double strength liquid together. I have the Pariet first thing in the morning and Gaviscon in the evening.

i take lansoprazole, which is practically the same as omeprazole and my doctor told me to either take lanzoprazole OR gaviscon as they can equal each other out.

Gaviscon is fine, as is ranitidine (Zantac) and you can take them together.. I'm not sure about omeprazole in pregnancy. I think there isn't the evidence to be sure. It works differently to either of the other two though so could be used in combination with them if the dr says its ok in pregnancy.

Yes you can take omeprazole and gaviscon together. If you're taking omeprazole don't bother with the zantac.

Omeprazole shouldn't be taken with ranitdine/zantac but its fine to take in pregnancy.

I was prescribed omezparole and gaviscon at the same time, the implication being I take together. I haven't actually done so, as omezparole does the trick.

All are safe to take separately and gaviscon can be taken with either of the other drugs. You may find though that if you take omeprazole you won't need anything else. I had horrible heartburn from about 15wks, first got ranitidine prescribed - no result; after 24 wks have been on omeprazole - my life is back to normal!!

Notice the contradictory answers:

"Gaviscon is fine, as is ranitidine (Zantac) and you can take them together."

"i take lansoprazole, which is practically the same as omeprazole and my doctor told me to either take lanzoprazole OR gaviscon as they can equal each other out."

Those are contradictory responses. The answer to the original question depends on the subjective opinion of who you happen to be asking. That's why you should ask a professional doctor.

Ok I have been prescribed omeprazole this week. This is what my dr told me (which was then confirmed to me my my father who is a gp this weekend) however you should seek your own medical advice in case there is a specific reason that you should not be taking any or all of these medications.

The first thing is that All are considered to be safe on pregnancy.

You can take both gaviscon and omeprazole. However you should not take gaviscon at the same time as other tablets (I believe any other tablets) because they will reduce absorbancy and mean the the omeprazole (or any other tablet) is not absorbed at all or make it less effective.

Zantac or ranitidine was the treatment before omeprazole and is generally considered to be less effective.

Sorry meant to say - you can take them both omeprazole and gaviscon just wait an hour between them. Although I have found the omeprazole to be the most effective.

Ask your doctor or a pharmacist if you want definitive advice. As Ted points out, there is some contradictory advice on here!

I take ranitidine (zantac) and gaviscon together- as prescribed by my GP, and these are fine to take together.

I know that omeprazole is fairly routinely taken in pregnany, but I do not know if you can take it with gaviscon- I really don't think you should take it with zantac.

If I was to do a mix based on what you have, I'd leave out the omeprazole and just take zantac and gaviscon, but you'd be bets to check with your GP.

I also echo Showgirl109's advice- while you can combine the medications, and technically take them together, you ought to at least space them out. I take the ranitidine with diner, and then a few hours later when I go to bed, I take gaviscon, as I find it has more of a topical effect and needs to be taken straight before bed for optimum results for me.

I am surprised at all those saying omeprazole (aka Nexium) is fine in pregnancy. I have been taking it for years due to chronic gastric reflux (nothing to do with pregnancy) and was told by my obstetric consultant to stop taking it during pregnancy as not properly tested and therefore cannot be guaranteed safe. As you can imagine, given I am already prone to reflux it was very disappointing to be told to stop taking it at exactly the time I was even more likely to have a flare up. I am suffering a fair bit now and gaviacon doesn't work. I was told ranitidine would be OK but to avoid it unless in very bad discomfort.

NB I have no other risk factors that would make this advice vary from that given as standard; am only seeing consultant due to my age.

So I am confused to see that other doctors have said it is safe.

tedmann ranitidine and omeprazole are different drugs.

Emmie - the information leaflet inside the packet might tell you something.

I've the leaftlet here for Lansoprazole and it says the following:

*In particular tell your doctor if you are taking medicines containing any of the following active substances as Lansoprazole capsules may affect the way these drugs work:

...
antacids.*

I've suffered from chronic reflux for the past 9 years and have used all the above. The only one that still works for me is ranitidine morning and night which now that I'm pregnant I top up through the day with gaviscon dual action as required. When I used to take omeprezole and then lanzoprazole I was advised not to take gaviscon as it wouldn't do anything but might make you constipated.

I was told by one doctor to stop taking ranitidine while ttc/pregnant then saw another one who said absolutely don't stop taking it. My mum is also a gp so I check any advice with her then get a second opinion if I feel the need.

The key bit to take out is that there are lots of options available and you are best to speak with your own doctor who knows your medical history as what is ok and works for one on this, doesn't for others.

JessieMcJessie, like many drugs, despite the weight of evidence overwhelmingly pointing towards it being safe in pregnancy, there is no conclusive proof as to this, so you are right- it cannot be guaranteed safe. However, very little can be 'guaranteed safe' in pregnancy, and that includes walking down the street, taking a shower, and other mundane things we take for granted as reasonably useful things to be able to do. the fact that something cannot be 'guaranteed safe' is rarely a good reason to take somebody off a drug that works well for them, in the absence of any identifiable risk

Somebody with more up to date clinical knowledge than me may be able to help with the details, but you are right that omeprazole and ranitidine are different- the former is a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and the latter a histamine 2-receptor antagonist. I think current consensus remains broadly that 'mere heartburn/ mild reflux' ought to be treated in the first instance with a H2RA, reserving the use of PPIs for proper GERD (and the general view is that the benefit of taking a PPI outweighs the minimal (if any) risk of them). the drug you took (nexium) is actually a newer form of the drug (esomeprazole) which so far as I am aware is not even linked with any risk- although you should note that the main studies into nexium are animal studies and not human- for the usual ethical reasons re testing of new drugs on pregnant women.

therefore, if you have proper GERD , then I am a little surprised at your doctor for being so black and white in their advice to you, as there is merit in you exploring the risks vs the benefits. I can only think that your doctor is super conservative/ cautious in their approach, or perhaps they have another reason for keeping you off the drug- might it be contraindicated with something else in your treatment? Would you be open to getting a second opinion?

Thanks City. I think that the Consultant (actually a registrar in the consultant's team) was just not interested in my GERD as it was not pregnancy related and was indeed being over-conservative. I may go to my GP and see what she says. Unfortunately I am not under a consultant in this country for my GERD as I was diagnosed while living abroad and it was under control (40mg Nexium daily and several gastroscopies to check) so had not been having any treatment since returning to the UK 8 months ago. But I am getting uncomfortable again and the symptoms are all too familiar.

I'm not taking anything else other than 75mg aspirin as a precaution against pre eclampsia so don't think contraindication is the problem.