# Stopped taking omeprazole



## flaxseed123 (Mar 16, 2016)

Hi all,

I've been taking 20mg of omeprazole a day for the past 5 years after a perforation in my stomach lining caused an ulcer. Since then, I've been diagnosed with IBS C and have had various digestion problems. I've been on omeprazole, Prilosec, dulcolax, and miralax as needed for the past five years. A recent trip to the doctor a year ago also started me on amitiza twice a day, but the nausea that accompanied it has restricted me to taking it once a day.

For the past 2 months, I have been permanently distended. No exaggeration. Looking 9 months pregnant, I did not fit into any of my clothes, could not leave my house, had to alter my fitness routine resulting in Weight gain, and my body image was so distorted, I had to start seeing a therapist.

It turns out, I was severely packed. I went to the hospital and received an oral enema, the chocolate bomb, as well as two soapy water enemas with little relief. Needles to say, the distention continued.

Having enough, three days ago, I decided to stop taking all of my medications, cold turkey. I went from taking amitiza, omeprazole, Prilosec, dulcolax and miralax every day to nothing at all. While my distention has not only gone down, but almost disappeared entirely, i have been suffering with other things. I wake up around 3am every night with severe acid reflux and nausea and my sleeping patterns have changed. I have really bad stomach cramps and my bowl movements have continued to be irregular, sometimes I have multicolored diarrhea that causes pain.

I don't know what else to do. I'm seeing my fourth GI in 5 years tomorrow morning. All of my other ones have given up, claiming there's nothing more they can do. In my last visit to children's hospital, one of the nurses suggested I switch to wholistic medicine, which isn't covered by insurance.

I'm 19 and worried that I won't be able to go back to college if this irregularity keeps up. Throughout the year I had little to no problems with my stomach-- the distention has only worsened since being home. I am on a bland diet, so I know it isn't something I've eaten.

Any suggestions or answers would be greatly appreciated. I'm suffering and depressed.


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## SadAngel (Oct 16, 2016)

Hello i am 22. And you story basically me as will. When i would take omprazole it would make may stomache her. Soon i was on miralax probatica two different depression medicine and basic laxative. It seem like it wasnt getting better and still isnt getting better. My pain would comebhere and there but now it is bad it unvearable. I have quit my medication and have just feel defeated and wear down. I want to go to school and live a life alittle. I thought i would be able to but now my symptoms are getting worse.


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## mela414 (Mar 13, 2017)

Have you been tested for SIBO? Sometimes the acid reducers like onmeprezole can lower the acid so much that digestion is not complete allowing bacterial overgrowth . It happened to me. I was so distended and everything I ate bothered me or made it worse. I didn't know them how much diet played a part. I went in the SIBO diet stopped the acid reducer and started to get better. I did have to take a special
Antibiotic for SIBO but I wasn't able to stay on it long because if side effects. 
I'm going through this again niece and gave the anitiibitxs another try and the same thing happened. I'm doing the diet and it is helping. I also have an appointment which th a nutritionist to help with the diet. If you go the natural route just make sure you have someone who know what they are doing. Especially since you will have to pay for it. 
Good luck.


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## Nat_London (Apr 26, 2017)

I hate to say it but cold turkey may not have been the way to go. I started taking an acid blocker (omeprzole, pantoprazole) around four years ago after a nasty bout of gastritis (I took a ton of Ibuprofen after painful dental work, messed up my stomach) and it's never totally gone away (likes to pop up during the holidays!). (I've also recently read that GERD and IBS are connected somehow, with most people who have one having the other). Have stopped and started taking it again several times because of stomach pain.

However, all the research coming out about the link between acid blockers and dementia is super scary, so I decided to stop taking it this Spring. I've gotten a rebound effect when trying to stop before, so this time I weaned off super slowly - half a pill for a couple weeks, 1/4 pill for a couple weeks, etc. And this time, no rebound!

My guess would be you shocked your system stopped all the meds at once. You might want to consider weaning yourself off the acid blockers more gradually. And for me, the key is diet (low FODMAP and mostly low carb in particular)and forcing myself to exercise - makes a huge difference.

Also for nighttime I've heard a pillow wedge helps with GERD a lot!


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