Cutting down on omaprazole

I take esomeprazole which is very similar and I’ve been taking it long term but was told by my gp that the risks of not taking it were more than the risks of taking it long term. I did get some leg and foot cramps when I first started taking it but they’ve settled now. I do sometimes have a free day when everything seems to be settled and I try to avoid eating things which I know are triggers. I’m sure you really need medical advice to cut back on any kind of medication. Does your gp do online consultations as that would be an option or what about a chat with the pharmacist who dispenses it? Let me know how you get on. Good luck.

Please don’t cut down without talking to your GP first as Greyknitter says, but it does help to eliminate foods that you know cause indigestion, and eating as early as possible in the evening helps too I found. Same applies to fruity or alcoholic drinks. It’s not always sociable so I do break those “guidelines” - and often pay for it with a night of heartburn.

You really need to talk to your GP and chase your review rather than Google, your symptoms could be due to something unconnected. I can’t take Omeprazole, I take another drug on prescription, as you know, keep weight down. I have smaller meals, dinner 3 hours before bed and a dose of Gaviscon Advance before bed

First of all, there is a reason that you are taking it and it isn't a good idea to reduce or stop taking without GPs say so.
I found that I kept a diary of what foods affected me most and when helped me either cut down on those foods or only eat occasionally (I would kill for a chocolate Hob Nob right now, but they are on the naughty list!)
If you can go to your GP with something positive , they will be able to make a more suitable decision.

I have a hiatus hernia and was prescribed Lanzoprazole (another ppi, similar to Omaprozole). However, I got side effects (diarrhea) and stopped, taking Ranitidine instead, though not all the time. I did discuss with doctor, and he said it was fine to mix and match the different medications to deal with symptoms. I don't like Gaviscon but sucking Rennies helps and they have the added benefit of contributing to calcium intake, which the ppi's can reduce, leading to risk of osteoporosis.

I've definitely find cutting down on food generally helps - managed to lose about 10 lb recently - and not eating too late. Any food can act as a trigger for me, or even drinking water if I wake in the night! However, bread, pastry and biscuits are particularly bad.

A while ago my DH asked the GP if he could reduce his Omeprazole from 20mg to 10mg. Had a GP telephone consultation where this was agreed - all sorted! (DH has had no problems since being on the reduced dose of 10mg.)

Covid restrictions shouldn't prevent you from having a phone appointment with your GP.

I too take Omeprazle - I have had reflux etc for years and for a long time controlled it with Gaviscon. When I had chemo treatment it was prescribed as part of the treatment presumably because some pill or other was likely to cause reflux - that was a 20mg dose and I am now on 10.
I am careful what I eat/drink and I also find anything with flour can trigger it. Surprisingly I found that an apple does help to control it and often have one in the evening.
I find if I have a flare up it is bad for a few days before receding again.

Thank you for your replies. I think the consensus is that I should discuss it with my doctor. I’ll give them a ring tomorrow.

I do need to lose weight and I know that makes it the symptoms worse. I’m struggling to get on a diet - I’m my own worst enemy ?

The long term risk of having GERD is cancer in your throat/gullet. I have been taking Omeprazole for a month or two and have had issues with acid reflux for about 15 months. I am due to have an endoscopy on the 29th. Once I get the result I will be better informed. I already have osteophenia and omezaprole is linked with osteoporosis.

I have been taking Omeprazole for at least 15 years. I started them after it was discovered I had two ulcers. Initially, I was prescribed a better, much more expensive drug, following the private healthcare treatment I had. My NHS GP changed the presecription to Omeprazole, because it is a LOT cheaper.

Recently, I have decided to stop taking them. I don't get too much acid reflux, and any slight symptoms that I do get are easily banished with milk or yogurt. I don't want to take the pills permanently and hopefully, I can manage without them. I did have a couple of days with increased symptoms, so I took one both days and it quietened down again.

The one thing that has been affected is my digestion. I have been constipated most of the time since stopping. I am managing this with my diet. A bowel blasting lentil soup and kiwis.

I forgot to say, the ulcers were caused by helicobacter pylori. Antibiotics got rid of that. The omeprazole was to heal the ulcers.

Interesting that our vet would only give our dog this for 2 weeks, said it is really not good for him!

Try taking a vit b complex,

Don't cut down - talk to your GP he/she can change the medication. I'm on Lansaprozole just now. If I try to cut down then i'm taking loads of gaviscon or just sick. I would love to have my hiatus hernia repaired!!

Exactly Tizliz. I had digestion problems a few years ago and my GP just said, keep taking the omeprazole. I did, at the time, but really don't want to take them forever. Diet plays a large part of it, for me. Also, if I can avoid taking ibuprofen as a painkiller I don't irritate my stomach as much.

I have been on Omeprazole for around 25 years, if i miss a tablet, I know it, when the pain and reflux starts with the hiatus hernia. I don't have any side effects. My doctor has said to definitely keep taking them

Probably the best thing to do is lose weight. It will be good for you in every way. I was never more than 2 stone overweight, but when I lost that, I lost my indigestion completely.

How to lose weight? Accept that it means eating differently for life, not just until the weight has gone and then adjust your curent diet until you mave moved gently to the medterranean eating patterm, with variations to suit yourself and that you enjoy.

After that find a weightloss programme that suits you, they are all equally good if you are comfortable on it and lose weight.

I know my weight impacts it, but for someone that has struggled all their life with it, it is much easier said than done.

I AM particularly worried at the moment, because of lockdown weight gain. But not in the right frame of mind at the moment.

I don't actually have a lot of GERD. I was prescribed omeprazole due to the ulcers I had, which were caused by the bacteria. And my system has become used to the PPI and it will take a while to adjust.

Yes, I was on the *prazole drugs for a month after I bruised my throat when I choked on something and my GP warned me that at the end of the month I might get really bad indigestion for a week or so. I didn't, but I was glad I was warned.

Thanks for your replies. I was put on 40 mg omaprazole Feb 2019, after an endoscopy showed I’d got an ulcer, after being on them for 6 weeks another endoscopy showed that the ulcer had cleared and my oesophagus wasn’t inflamed but the consultant kept me on 40 mg omaprazole, then gp took me off them with a big rebound of symptoms so another gp suggested that I go back onto 20 mg to keep the ulcer at bay, but since lockdown I’ve not had a medication review.

I agree about losing weight, Monica, and all the advice on managing GORD says to lose weight - I’m working on it.

I’m going to ring up my gp surgery next week

DH was on Omeprazole for years then two years ago he was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Instead of going on medication he decided to try to control it through diet. He did a lot of research and went on a low carb diet, lost 35 pounds and was able to stop taking the omeprazole. His blood sugar is now normal.

Well done to your DH jane43 I was on omperazole for months because of gerd, it did zilch I was told by my specialist that if I exercised more and ate healthily I would not only lose the excess pounds and he guaranteed the reflux would be so much better so here goes....

I have been put on Omeprazole as I take aspirin every day. So far only feeling better as used to get a kind of acid reflux. It