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Long term use of Omeprazole

  1. Hello,

    I am a long term user of this medicine and wanted to share my experience of this medicine and my condition which was diagnosed some 15 years ago.

    I was diagnosed with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), I have for many years suffered with diahorea stomach bloating and general pain and discomfort in my stomach. I have had several endoscopys and various other tests including an ultrasound and at first they discovered nothing unusual and put it all down to IBS. I had several treatments for Helicopacter Pylori and I am still not sure if it ever cleared up. I recently had an operation to remove my gallbladder and gallstones after the acid reflux was very troublesome. I have now since had another endoscopy which has showed I have a hiateul hernia. I have been on Omeprazole for over four years after having acid reflux type symptoms along with my IBS. I wanted to ask about being on this medicine long-term and the possible other organs in my body that could be damaged. I still have very bad indigestion and stomach aches and wondered if these tablets actually work for me anymore

  2. Hi,

    I have only been on Omeprazole for about 3 months but I have found it an absolute life saver. I combine it with Domperidone or \"Motilium\" and the combination is bloomin brilliant for my IBS! I tested negative for H.pylori and so the docs and I are pretty sure it's as simple as IBS and no stomach ulcers or ugly cancers etc (I'm only 25!). My IBS got progressively worse from the age of about 18 until I HAD to go to the docs and demand they give me something as I was off work I was that ill.

    I've found that making sure my \"trigger foods\" are under strict suveillance, my stress levels are reasonable and remembering my meds works wonders.

    Good luck with your meds and from my experience Omeprazole is the best thing that could have happened to me!

  3. Hi HG84

    Found this site earlier today which lists some bad signs for long term use....

    ****

    (ad the 3 w's in front as otherwise i can't post it)

    Like with anything on the internet though i wouldn't take whats said their as gospel....

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  4. I am 52 and I have been on Omeprazole 20mg for about 18 years now.

    I started when it was only available as Losec. It completetly changed my life for the better.

    Pretty early on I found that taking the 20mg every other day worked best for me unless I feel I have a particularly acidic reaction to some food in which case I just take an extra one.

    I can say hand on heart that I have been lucky enough to experienced absolutely no side effects. However, I know that I would not now be able to give the drug up. After so many years my body is so used to the regular drug that if I was to miss, say, three days I would get an uncomfortable reaction - But I am quite happy to stay on it for the rest of my life and have no worries.

    I felt I should post this because you always get lots of negative reation posted on the internet making people frightened and I wanted to provide a positive side.

  5. I am a 34 year old woman that went undiagnosed for 14 years until a holiday to the US. I too was diagnosed with gallstones, had my gall bladder removed and subsequently was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia. I was initially presecribed 10mg omeprazole and over the years this has increased to 40mg. I have not suffered any of the side effects listed but I too know that I will be on this drug for the rest of my life.

    I have read negative feedback but wanted to say that it has completely changed my life. It may be that you also need to increase your dosage so I would speak to your doctor.

    Any other feedback from other people regarding long term use and also its effect on pregnancy would be appreciated.

  6. I am a 71 year old female, and I have been taking Omeprazole for about 15 years, and I also find it to have been a life saver for me.

    To my knowledge, I have had no bad side effects whatsoever, and I cannot get through an entire day without it. I have severe discomfort in my chest and heartburn without it. With it, I eat anything I want. It is the one medication I couldn't do without.

  7. I am 51..i have suffered digestion troubles for quite a few years one way and another..ive had gut candida,ibs,indigestion and other food related aggravations! Anyway, and after taking omeprazole prescribed by my GP for a month or so i felt great and could eat or drink anything,so,i stopped, thinking that all was now well !...within a week it all started again.I struggled on feeling really miserable and getting nowhere even though i was trying to avoid..bread (which im still not happy about eating) lemons,oranges,celery,wine,salmon,any oily fish,onions...loads of other every day things! So,back on omeprazole....problem cured !!!! im so grateful for this 'letters' page,it was on my mind as to whether you could indeed take the 'wonder drug' long term. im happier after reading other peoples experiences..thank you.

  8. I have just stopped taking 20mg omeprazole daily, having been on it for over 3 years. I was previously on ranitadine (can't remember how to spell that). I was prescribed it for acid reflux as a result of anxiety disorder, stress and a mood disorder. So, clearly I was on many other meds too. Having said that, I haven't knowingly experienced and side affects to the omeprazole.

    However, I stopped taking it 2 days ago as I had been advised to do so by my gynaechologist as I'm wishing to become pregnant. It has warnings about using this drug in pregnancy. It's a no no.

    So, how've I been ? Today I'm significantly better. The first 2 drug free days were hell. My acid levels rose and rose and kept me awake all night. I read in my herbal remedies and supplements book that acidophilus (again not sure about spelling) the probiotic, is a useful alternative. I take this in tablet form from a reputable health food shop daily anyway for breakfast, so I helped myself to another one. It settled it down a lot, though didn't completely cure it. The next day I bought some indigestion tablets as my book recommended calcium carbonate (chalk essentially) and my pharmacist didn't do a generic compound. By evening I was acid free after just 4 tablets. Today, I've needed none.

    I was warned that reflux could return once meds are stopped, but thankfully it was short lived.

    WARNING I have read this week that omeprazole can, over long term use, cause magnesium deficiency. I was advised to take magnesium, together with copper, as a supplement.. Taking magnesium alone can deplete copper supplies in the body, apparently. It's worth researching magnesium deficiency on the net to see if any of the symptoms sound like you.

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