If you take omeprazole for longer than 1 year, your doctor will regularly check your health to see if you should carry on taking it. It's not known if omeprazole works less well the longer you take it. If you feel like omeprazole is not working any more, talk to your doctor.
You shouldn't take OTC omeprazole for longer than 14 days without a healthcare provider's OK. Prescription omeprazole is often taken for 4 to 8 weeks, depending on what you're treating. For some conditions, it's taken for even longer. Taking omeprazole for too long can lead to serious side effects.
Long-term side effects
If you take omeprazole for more than 3 months, the levels of magnesium in your blood may fall. Low magnesium can make you feel tired, confused, dizzy and cause muscle twitches, shakiness and an irregular heartbeat. If you get any of these symptoms, tell your doctor.
The FDA warns about overusing Prilosec OTC. It says people should not take over-the-counter PPIs for more than 14 days. The FDA also warns against taking more than three 14 day courses in a year. Overuse may lead to serious Prilosec side effects.
Omeprazole oral capsule is used for short-term treatment of duodenal and gastric ulcers and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). It's used for long-term treatment of erosive esophagitis and pathological hypersecretory conditions. It comes with serious risks if you don't take it as prescribed.
Other Medications
Cimetidine (Tagamet) Nizatidine (Axid) Famotidine (Pepcid, Zantac 360)
Tapering off these medicines can be challenging as people can have symptoms for up to 10 to 14 days after discontinuation due to rebound hyperacidity. So, be sure to let your patients know that they may feel worse for a couple of weeks before their body readapts.
Tolerance and safety were good and comparable in both groups. Conclusion Gaviscon® was non-inferior to omeprazole in achieving a 24-h heartburn-free period in moderate episodic heartburn, and is a relevant effective alternative treatment in moderate GERD in primary care.
Antacids are among the safest drugs for acid reflux and side effects are rare. Depending on the antacid's ingredients, side effects may include diarrhea, constipation, calcium loss and kidney stones.
The most common omeprazole side effect is headache. But it can also cause stomach-related side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. Taking omeprazole at high dosages, or for longer than a year, raises the risk of more serious side effects. These can include bone breaks and pneumonia (a lung infection).
If you take omeprazole for longer than 1 year, your doctor will regularly check your health to see if you should carry on taking it. It's not known if omeprazole works less well the longer you take it. If you feel like omeprazole is not working any more, talk to your doctor.
A new analysis of the FDA adverse events database (FAERS) has reported that use of proton pump inhibitors (e.g. omeprazole, rabeprazole, lansoprazole, pantoprazole) may be associated with a risk of neurological conditions, including hearing and visual impairment, memory loss, neuropathy and migraine (Sci Rep 2019;9: ...
Food Tips when taking Omeprazole:
Greasy or fatty foods like french fries, pizza, deep fried chicken slow the digestive system down and often causes indigestion, heartburn and nausea. Onions, garlic, chocolate, coffee, peppermint and some spices can also cause an increase in gastric symptoms.
Omeprazole interferes with the absorption of vitamin B12 from food (though not from supplements) in some but not all studies. A true deficiency state, resulting in vitamin B12-deficiency anemia, has only been reported in one case.
Weight gain has been reported in some people taking omeprazole since the drug was approved. However, it's unclear how often this happened or whether omeprazole was the cause. Since omeprazole treats conditions that cause digestive symptoms, you may have a reduced appetite. This could lead to weight loss.
PPI have minimal side effects and few slight drug interactions and are considered safe for long term treatment. Pantoprazole is significantly effective both for acute and long-term treatment with excellent control of relapse and symptoms. It is well tolerated even for long-term therapy and its tolerability is optimal.
Side Effects of Long-Term Use of Acid Reflux Medicines
In recent years, long-term PPI use has been linked to: Increased risk of stomach cancer: PPIs block the production of acid that can potentially damage the esophagus.
When Omeprazole is withdrawn, there is often a rebound of acid for about a week. For this reason, we recommend reducing the dose of Omeprazole slowly and no more often than every two weeks, allowing this rebound acidity to settle in-between each reduction.
Is Nexium more effective than omeprazole? Nexium was shown by some clinical trials to provide faster acid reflux relief and to provide fewer nights with GERD symptoms. However, in the longer term view of the study, both medications performed similarly.
Another analysis of several studies found that esomeprazole 40 mg was more effective than omeprazole at treating esophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus) due to GERD after 8 weeks of treatment.
No interactions were found between omeprazole and Probiotic Formula. However, this does not necessarily mean no interactions exist. Always consult your healthcare provider.