# Prilosec (omeprazole)



## faze action

If it's okay with the mods I'll cross-post this here. I originally posted it in the GERD forum.


> I just had a gastroscopy today and my doctor saw some inflammation in my esophagus and stomach. He prescribed omeprazole once a day with 6 refills (which means a long term course). I absolutely hate taking drugs because I'm terrified of side effects. Has anyone taken this drug before? (I know it's pretty common for GERD). Any side effects? I do not want to gain weight and I've read that this can be a side effect (although rare) with this drug. Also, I rarely (if ever) experience heartburn-like symptoms... is this drug typically prescribed for inflammation of the upper GI tract, even without heartburn??I know these are questions I should ask my dr, and I plan on doing that, but he's not the easiest person to get in touch with, so I figured I'd start here.Also, my doctor knows me pretty well, and knows that I do not like taking medications unless absolutely necessary... I guess I'm a little confused as to why he would just sling this at me.


I also am recovering from SIBO, and I've read that PPIs can predispose a person to bacterial overgrowth.What are some things that can cause inflammation of the stomach and lower esophagus, but that would _not_ result in heartburn symptoms?


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## Kathleen M.

Are you thinking of gastritis?For me the main cause is NSAID use but it is treated the same as GERD.


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## faze action

Kathleen M. said:


> Are you thinking of gastritis?For me the main cause is NSAID use but it is treated the same as GERD.


Possibly... if that's the same as "inflammation of the lower esophagus and stomach" (those were my doctor's exact words). The only time I use NSAIDS (ibuprofen) is during the first day or two of my period to relieve menstrual cramps. I drink socially, but generally never more than may 6 or 7 drinks per week. I'm not sure if that would be enough to cause gastritis. And I try to avoid high fat foods anyway because they tend to aggravate my IBS symptoms. Basically, I can't think of anything I do (or ingest) that would cause gastritis. And I don't have a hiatel (sp?) hernia because he would have seen that on the gastroscopy.Possibly my doctor wanted me to take the omeprazole in order to facilitate healing of the affected area, and not necessarily to relieve GERD symptoms (of which I have very little)?? He took some biopsies, but the results from those won't be back for a few more days.


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## distressed

faze action said:


> If it's okay with the mods I'll cross-post this here. I originally posted it in the GERD forum.I also am recovering from SIBO, and I've read that PPIs can predispose a person to bacterial overgrowth.What are some things that can cause inflammation of the stomach and lower esophagus, but that would _not_ result in heartburn symptoms?


GERD can be silent and not cause heartburn....its a myth to think you will always have a burning sensation with reflux disease. PPI's predispose a person to overgrowth due to lowered acid production/regulation. Ulcers, and other irritation of the stomach and esophagus could occur from the use of meds such as NSAIDS and opiate meds...theres probably other causes....I'd imagine certain foods/beverages consumed to excess might cause similar problems....inflammation of the lower esophagus sounds suspiciously like reflux of some form though.


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## gemy26

hi, i've taken omeprazole before and had absolutely no side affects or problems with it. As far as i know it helps to reduce acid production in the stomach, and so should help with your inflammation as it won't get as irritated and should heal more quickly


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## xgracex

I've been taking it off and on for over a year. No ill effects, no weight gain, etc. I'd take it if I were you.


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## guitarchick

faze action said:


> If it's okay with the mods I'll cross-post this here. I originally posted it in the GERD forum.I also am recovering from SIBO, and I've read that PPIs can predispose a person to bacterial overgrowth.What are some things that can cause inflammation of the stomach and lower esophagus, but that would _not_ result in heartburn symptoms?


 I was dianosed with gastrious 4 years ago and have been taking prilosec every since. I take one everyday before I eat. It has helped the burning feeling I get in my stomach. I had no side effects from it. It has helped me. When I don't take it, I feel the burning again, so i know it helps.


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## jmc09

Isnt omeprazole simply sodium bicarbonate in a capsule?I used to use sodium bicarbonate to settle my stomach as a kid and its totally harmless,except it caused me a lot of burping and farting.


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## faze action

No, it's an acid blocker (proton pump inhibitor) of some kind (forget which). It actually prevents cells in the stomach lining from releasing gastric acid.Incidentally, I've been off the omeprazole for about 3 months now. My GI doc said that the inflammation he saw on the gastroscopy was pretty mild, and most likely was not the cause of the chest pain I was having (the locations were completely different).I had all sorts of weird side effects from the omeprazole: caused muscle pain and weakness (esp in my legs)- the pharmacist confirmed that this can be a side effect, though not a common one.made my existing insomnia MUCH worse (instead of 4-6 hours of sleep/night, I was lucky if I got 2-3)shooting stomach pains (thankfully only lasted about a week)made the chest pain I was having a LOT worse and much more frequent (and this is the reason I was on it in the first place!)All of these things reversed about a week after I stopped taking it. I just altered my diet instead (quit eating citrus fruits, quit coffee/caffeine, lowered alcohol intake, although it was low to begin with). Chest pain rarely happens now...


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## jmc09

faze action said:


> No, it's an acid blocker (proton pump inhibitor) of some kind (forget which). It actually prevents cells in the stomach lining from releasing gastric acid.Incidentally, I've been off the omeprazole for about 3 months now. My GI doc said that the inflammation he saw on the gastroscopy was pretty mild, and most likely was not the cause of the chest pain I was having (the locations were completely different).I had all sorts of weird side effects from the omeprazole: caused muscle pain and weakness (esp in my legs)- the pharmacist confirmed that this can be a side effect, though not a common one.made my existing insomnia MUCH worse (instead of 4-6 hours of sleep/night, I was lucky if I got 2-3)shooting stomach pains (thankfully only lasted about a week)made the chest pain I was having a LOT worse and much more frequent (and this is the reason I was on it in the first place!)All of these things reversed about a week after I stopped taking it. I just altered my diet instead (quit eating citrus fruits, quit coffee/caffeine, lowered alcohol intake, although it was low to begin with). Chest pain rarely happens now...


Sorry my mistake.It does contain sodium bicarbonate but has many other ingredients too.


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## jeffiam

Can anyone point me to the literature that supports the notion that taking omeprazole (Prilosec) causes or predisposes a person to bacterial overgrowth? I was on Prilosec for a while in 2008, and since have developed IBS and SIBO. I was wondering if there might be a connection.FYI for those who are or are considering taking a PPI drug long-term, there's a book you must read, if you value your health/life. It's "Why Stomach Acid Is Good For You" by Jonathan V. Wright, MD.


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## raym0nd

faze action said:


> No, it's an acid blocker (proton pump inhibitor) of some kind (forget which). It actually prevents cells in the stomach lining from releasing gastric acid.Incidentally, I've been off the omeprazole for about 3 months now. My GI doc said that the inflammation he saw on the gastroscopy was pretty mild, and most likely was not the cause of the chest pain I was having (the locations were completely different).I had all sorts of weird side effects from the omeprazole: caused muscle pain and weakness (esp in my legs)- the pharmacist confirmed that this can be a side effect, though not a common one.made my existing insomnia MUCH worse (instead of 4-6 hours of sleep/night, I was lucky if I got 2-3)shooting stomach pains (thankfully only lasted about a week)made the chest pain I was having a LOT worse and much more frequent (and this is the reason I was on it in the first place!)All of these things reversed about a week after I stopped taking it. I just altered my diet instead (quit eating citrus fruits, quit coffee/caffeine, lowered alcohol intake, although it was low to begin with). Chest pain rarely happens now...


GENERALLY - citrus fruits,coffee,tea,alcohol and smoking cause/worsen acidity. That stupid omeprazole worked ok for only a month. After that, it stopped working and my acidity did not increase. But it did not go away either.AND THAT THING ABOUT "PROTON PUMP INHIBITORS" ... i read a brief,non-technical article about that in a magazine. I have forgotten most of my chemistry. But i think omeprazole has probably got something to do with the H+ ion of the HCl acid in our stomach. IMHO, if you suffer from severe acidity, it is better to find out *THE ACTUAL CAUSE OF THE ACIDITY* instead of suppressing it using drugs like these. Well, if the cause of your problems remains and you do not deal with it - then you will have to eat drugs again and again. Hell, you might even become dependent on them. Worse, you might need more and more dosage with time - ASK THESE QUESTIONS TO YOUR DOC (OR MORE DOCS IF YOU SO DESIRE) to be doubly sure.


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## faze action

jeffiam said:


> Can anyone point me to the literature that supports the notion that taking omeprazole (Prilosec) causes or predisposes a person to bacterial overgrowth? I was on Prilosec for a while in 2008, and since have developed IBS and SIBO. I was wondering if there might be a connection.FYI for those who are or are considering taking a PPI drug long-term, there's a book you must read, if you value your health/life. It's "Why Stomach Acid Is Good For You" by Jonathan V. Wright, MD.


http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/723772http://ibs.about.com/b/2010/02/10/sibo-following-ppi-therapy.htmhttp://www.nature.com/ajg/journal/v103/n12/abs/ajg2008607a.htmlIf you google SIBO"proton pump inhibitors" a bunch of stuff comes up... you may need an account to access some research articles.


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## jeffiam

Thanks faze action, I'll have to check this out. It's really maddening to think that my SIBO problem may have been caused by taking a PPI drug. That just shows how dangerous prescription drugs really are. Doctors by and large don't really know what they're doing as they write prescriptions left and right. I've read that properly-prescribed, properly-taken prescription drugs are something like the 3rd leading cause of death in the US.


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## faze action

jeffiam said:


> It's really maddening to think that my SIBO problem may have been caused by taking a PPI drug.


Well, if it makes you feel any better I had undiagnosed SIBO for about 3-4 years before I finally found out I had it. And NONE of the usual causes apply to me...







-no previous history of PPI use-no food poisoning-no GI surgery-no physical obstruction/anatomic alterationetc...Life's fun, isn't it? BTW, how did your doctor determine you had SIBO? Did you have a breath test done?


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## jeffiam

faze action said:


> Well, if it makes you feel any better I had undiagnosed SIBO for about 3-4 years before I finally found out I had it. And NONE of the usual causes apply to me...
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> -no previous history of PPI use-no food poisoning-no GI surgery-no physical obstruction/anatomic alterationetc...Life's fun, isn't it? BTW, how did your doctor determine you had SIBO? Did you have a breath test done?


Yes, I had 2 breath tests, one last August and one last October. Both were positive.I wonder if perhaps SIBO is genetic. Is there a history of IBS in your family? In my case, my mother suffered with IBS for years. While she was never tested for SIBO, she may have had it. I know research is being conducted into IBS and genetics.


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## faze action

jeffiam said:


> Yes, I had 2 breath tests, one last August and one last October. Both were positive.I wonder if perhaps SIBO is genetic. Is there a history of IBS in your family? In my case, my mother suffered with IBS for years. While she was never tested for SIBO, she may have had it. I know research is being conducted into IBS and genetics.


That's interesting... unfortunately I have no way of knowing since I'm adopted (and no connection to birth parents).


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## subiegirl

jeffiam said:


> Thanks faze action, I'll have to check this out. It's really maddening to think that my SIBO problem may have been caused by taking a PPI drug. That just shows how dangerous prescription drugs really are. Doctors by and large don't really know what they're doing as they write prescriptions left and right. I've read that properly-prescribed, properly-taken prescription drugs are something like the 3rd leading cause of death in the US.


http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/lcod.htmFyi top three leading causes of death are heart disease, then cancer and then stroke. Rx drugs don't make the top 10. And most doctors do know what they are doing, but they can't predict your side effects. If you are uncomfortable with a drug, do your research before you fill it. Just because they write an rx doesn't mean you have to fill it or take it. Just whatever you do, let your MD know. They can really only work off what you tell them about what is going on.


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## PD85

About 1 year ago I was having awful heartburn daily, which was not normal for me. I took prilosec for 2 months and the heartburn hasn't been back. I guess it worked for me!


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