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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Original poster

Are any of you "blooming" ladies taking Omeprazole?

28 replies

Sparklyblue · 20/08/2008 01:33

I was diagnosed with acid reflux last year and have been taking Omeprazole ever since. It says on the leaflet to talk to your Dr before taking this medicine if pregnant.
So I stopped taking it when TTC. Luckily I fell pregnant the 1st month & am now 7+1.
I am suffering from heartburn quite badly and went to Drs for some Gaviscon. She told me off for stopping the Omeprazole and said it does no harm to the baby.
I've been looking on some American websites & they say not to take it as it can damage the unborn baby.
What do I do? Being so early on, I don't want to take anything I shouldn't.
Is it a case of Britain being behind in medicine or America being to picky?
Are any of you on it? If not, would you take it?
Thanks

OP posts:
goingslowlymad · 20/08/2008 06:45

I took it during pregnancy with no ill effects.

I took/take it for a stomach ulcer though. The agony of not having them far outwayed any fear of damage to the babies.

goingslowlymad · 20/08/2008 06:50

Oh and I am also having IVF treatment at the moment and the consultant is quite happy for me to continue taking it.

becaroo · 22/08/2008 17:41

I have been taking it for 3 months now and am 36 weeks...couldnt manage without it!

The US has a totally different system as regards drug evaluation....for example, in the US they say its safe to take Ranitidine in pregnancy, but in the UK they say it isnt and Omeprazole is the drug of choice.

You should be fine with it.

brettgirl2 · 25/08/2008 16:02

I'm taking omeprazole, have asked two doctors including a consultant, both of whom say that it is fine.

I don't know about safety in pregnancy but omeprazole certainly works better than rinitidine!

kitty26 · 17/10/2008 18:37

I am 17 weeks pregnant with my first child. I went to my GP today as have been suffering with severe heartburn for the past 5 weeks which has become unbearable. My GP px omeprazole, he was thorough in his research and was aware of potential difficulties of medicines through pregnancy. I have complete faith in taking the omeprazole, that nothing is going to happen to my unborn child.

cookiee · 15/03/2009 17:31

i wondered if anyone can help i am 15 weeks pregnant and i have been suffering bad with bloated stomach and feeling like i need to burp all the time i have been reading your messages about omperzole and considering to ask my gp for some to see if that wikll help. its not heartburn but very uncomfortable is this normal for my stage of prenancy or could it be stomach acid or ulcer

kitty26 · 19/03/2009 14:42

hi cookiee, i have been taking omeprazole all through my pregnancy, am now 38+4, take one a day in the evening, but find that through the afternoon i have severe burps but no heartburn, the burps go once i take the omeprazole with my evening meal, personally i would say its all related, and the omeprazole helps with the digestion of food as well. i hope this helps. good luck.

franfoxy2003 · 20/03/2009 21:10

i have been taking omeprazole since 2006 cos my ds left me with a histus hernia and have severe acid reflux, my doc checked for me as i am 15 weeks pg now and it is NOT hrmful to the baby, u can continue taking it, my doc recommended that i try and take it alternate days though just incase even though its been proved not harmful! gaviscon does nothing for me and i tried just gaviscon for 4 weeks when i found out i was pg and was in agony constantly so back on the omeprazole.

talk to your doc because it is not harmful and if your in agony i would ask/beg for it back cos i know how painful it is xx

EsmeWeatherwax · 20/03/2009 22:31

I got prescribed Omeprazole when I got pregnant due to dreadful heartburn, plus wind and bloating that was making me horrendously nauseous and sick constantly. Its worked really well, am now 35 weeks and still taking it.

brettgirl2 · 21/03/2009 08:48

I did actually do some research into the American perspective because I was a bit worried about it.

Basically they gave a load of pregnant rats 40x the standard dose. I don't know what they are counting as the 'standard dose' but the lowest possible is 10mg, so this would mean the equivalent of 400mg per day. It lead apparently to some heart defects in the unborn rats and some were still born (although the mothers seemed to be unaffected)

So, even if you are on 40mg per day this would still be 10x. If they had done the same tests for paracetamol, based on even 10x the standard dose all of the rats would have been stone cold dead from liver failure (and paracetamol is meant to be '100% safe' to take while pg ). As a long term Omeprazole user I found it actually quite reassuring that it was possible for an adult animal to take so much without it seemingly having any ill effects.

Original poster
Sparklyblue · 22/03/2009 11:34

Well, just to update.
I am now 37+6 and have been taking it since I last posted at about 7 weeks pregnant.
To be honest, I couldn't have done without it.
Anyone who neeeds it, take it

OP posts:
sue10 · 18/11/2009 08:52

Hi ladies,
am just lookng through past posts and saw this one, my cnsutant has suggested i stop taking the omeprazole whilst ttc as it might effect the quality of my eggs. The problem is that i have been on it for a couple of year now as a stomach protector as am on steroids daily and the thought of going back to all that pain really conerns me.

Were you on omeprazole before you got a bfp or when you were actually pregnant?

Is anyone on Ranitidine instead?

Many thanks
sueXXX.

westlondongirl · 18/11/2009 17:52

I have been on a combination of omeprazole and Ranitidine since before I got pregnant and throughout the pregnancy (25 weeks now). My doctor advised me not to stop taking them when I became pregnant as they are safe. As I have suffered extreme pain from gastritis/reflux in the past I don't think it would have been very pleasant to be without them.

Trying4Baby1 · 18/11/2009 18:41

I have a hiatus hernia and severe reflux and I have been taking omeprazole 20mg and gaviscon. I talked to my doctor before TTC to check it was safe and she reasurred me it was and I became pregnant on the same month as I came off the pill. I'm now 17wks and still okay and the baby's fine. There is no way I could cope without omeprazole as I used to be on far stronger stuff and I still get some heartburn (hence the gaviscon).

mollybob · 18/11/2009 18:44

I'm taking it for severe heartburn with my hyperemesis and has helped a lot - manufacturers who would be sued if any concern do not say not to take so that's good enough for me

whensmydayoff · 19/11/2009 10:10

My tiny DS was given omeprazole from a very young newborn until he was one.
I know its a bit different but he is very healthy and couldn't have done without it.
Just reassurance it doesn't harm babies, it is regularly prescribed to infants with acid reflux.

OooohShiny · 26/01/2012 17:37

Sorry for bumping an old thread but I am going mad here with reflux. i have a hiatus hernia and really bad reflux, I'm around 5 weeks pregnant and my gp advised me to stop taking omeprazole but I'm miserable without it. I have reflux all day and night, I wake up choking and coughing with acid in my mouth and normal antacids give me no relief. I have an appointment with another gp on monday and i'm wondering if it would be safe to take these again for a few days until I see her and she can either give me something else or say these are fine

vanillacremebrulee · 27/01/2012 17:22

Hi. I'm 38 weeks and my GP prescribed omeprazole a couple of months ago. I was in so much pain and it changed my life. I have full trust in my GP and I'm sure it's absolutely safe to take. You need to look after your self and how can you face the rest of the pregnancy if the reflux keeps you awake? I strongly recommend that you speak to a different GP. Good luck! X

Mikocat · 27/01/2012 19:45

I was taking Omeprazole before a got PG and am still taking it now. The doctor stopped other medication I was taking, but said there was no harm in carrying on with this.

Cinquefoil · 27/01/2012 19:50

DS has reflux and has been taking a very high dosage of omeprazole since he was two weeks old. He's fine. (Great, in fact :) )

It doesn't harm tiny babies even when they take it directly, so don't worry at all, Shiny.

OooohShiny · 27/01/2012 20:36

Phew...I started taking it again this morning after feeling absolutely awful yesterday and feel like a new woman again. I have an appointment on Monday with another GP so I'm going to mention to her to see if she's happy with me continuing or at least giving me something else as a replacement if they have a particular thing about it.

Thanks for putting my mind at ease Smile

ecstatica · 27/01/2012 22:34

Was taking it before pregnancy when I had gallstones and am taking it now (20wks PG) for something related. Dr. said it was fine. HTH.
Good luck.

Boomerwang · 28/01/2012 00:30

Been taking omeprazole for nearly 3 years now, started it at the same time as citalopram because I had severe acid reflux and couldn't sleep at night. My doctor here in Sweden is happy for me to continue both medications and I've been grateful for that because my pregnancy has continued smoothly after the first dreadful 3 months.

Christina87 · 30/04/2014 10:30

Hi preggies & mums. I'm nearly in tears trying to type this.. I've been on anti acid medication since the age of 19 I'm now 27. I'm 6 weeks pregnant and my doc has taken me off my Altosec 20 (active ingrediant omeprazole) South African tab (I think) anyways I'm not coping! I'm in excruiating pain. I go through 2 liters of milk a day and yogurt gaviscon does nothing for me. I'm struggling to swollow already. Can some1 plz tell me if you took omeprazole from first trimester through to birth and breastfeeding, are you and ur baby safe and normal? Comments will be much appreciated? I'm desperate. Thanks x0x0x0x0x

kayleighwoodcock1988 · 30/12/2015 18:44

I'm 33 weeks pregnant and was taking ranitidine for bad heartburn and acid reflux. worked wonders for a couple of weeks. now it's stopped working so been back to the docs today and got some omeprazole. hoping this helps! gaviscon etc doesn't do anything!

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