Omeprazole for GERD User Reviews (Page 3)

• Nervous...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 23, 2019

"I have been taking Prilosec for approximately 5 1/2 weeks because I had very bad heartburn due to a drug called naproxen (I have a hiatal hernia). Over the few weeks, I noticed that I have become extremely nervous, insomniac, have foggy concentration, and blurred vision. I was on Prilosec a few years back, and it did not cause this reaction. At one point, the doctor had me double the 40 mg dosage, and I was taking 80 mg a day. I lost my appetite and also lost approximately 30 lbs since I began this treatment. Currently, due to the insomnia, I am now taking sleep aids, which I do not want to be on either. I get approximately 3-5 hours of sleep a day. Today will be my first day not taking the Prilosec, but I want to know how long it was before people started feeling better. It says you should taper off, so I will take it every other day for about 1 week to see if I feel any better."

• MissL...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 30, 2020

Prilosec (omeprazole) "I've had GERD since 1999 and, in 2016, I was being tested for all sorts of GI conditions because of the symptoms I was experiencing. My GI doc at the time told me to take Prilosec every day to control nausea and acid reflux. I took it for less than a week and had to discontinue because, every time I ate, I felt like I had a brick sitting in my stomach. It felt like the food would just sit there, undigested, and it was very painful. I've done better with other PPIs."

• Jacqual
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 19, 2021

"Was put on 20 mg of this for about 2 1/2 months after experiencing intense daily heartburn and acid reflux. I had taken it before for only a week, and it helped, so the doctor prescribed it again. I have never felt what has been happening to me before. I stopped in May, and it is now the end of September. Anxiety, shortness of breath, joint pain, brain fog, and inability to focus my thoughts. Feeling unable to control my thoughts. Nausea, discomfort, fear, and hopelessness. When I first stopped, symptoms would be gone for a few days, then back. Around August, I would go weeks without symptoms, but about a week before my period, they would start coming back. Began seeing a functional medicine doctor who provided me with vitamin D, a trace mineral supplement, and iron, which I started taking in August. So afraid this is going to happen for the rest of my life, and I am a single mother. Any other woman experience an uptick in their symptoms around their period? This is a terrifying way to feel."

• teres...
• October 8, 2011

Prilosec (omeprazole) "I started taking Prilosec over 6 years ago. It was very effective at helping with the acid and GERD symptoms, however, my doctor prescribed two tablets a day (over recommended dosage due to the seriousness of GERD). I seemed to be fine until I started getting horrible spasms in my sides and intestines. I broke my ankle in March, and the spasms were bad, they worsened. I had my calcium checked, and I was dangerously low. We backed down to 1 Prilosec, and the spasms disappeared. So, watch your calcium with higher doses."

• MKano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 3, 2019

"This medication, omeprazole, was/is awful. Do not take. I’ve been taking it daily for almost three weeks because it does help with acid reflux-at first. After a few weeks of taking it, I noticed severe night sweats, stomach pain, blurred vision, dizziness, vertigo, nausea, vomiting-the list goes on. I had to be off work for two days because I was so weak/tired from this medication I couldn’t function. I didn’t feel like eating anything or drinking anything because I was afraid I would vomit it all back up. Your head feels terrible, worst migraine I’ve ever experienced, body rash... severe fatigue. I am going to stop taking it starting tomorrow and see how it goes. When I contacted my doctor, she seemed to think it was not a big deal. This pill is miserable. Do not take this pill."

• Gert
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 28, 2018

"When I was diagnosed with GERD and put on omeprazole, it worked quite well, so I stayed on it. After taking the drug for 5 years, I had something happen in my chest area, like my heart fluttering, and I couldn't get my breath. It was like I was struggling for oxygen. This happened 2 other times and was very frightening. I changed to pantoprazole, and it hasn't happened since. I just wanted to know if this has happened to anyone else after long-term use?"

• danbos
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 8, 2023

"I've been taking this wretched drug for nearly a year now and only just realized it's causing all these insane side effects that have sent me to the ER multiple times. Since taking this drug I've had horrific pains in my shoulder and left side chest (6 occasions attended AE due to thinking it was a heart attack or something), tinnitus and general ear infection/problems in both ears randomly, nausea and dizziness on occasion, liver pain/disease which is getting worse despite doing everything to make it better, itchiness on my scalp and back, pain in my ribs and sides, stiff neck, increased nervousness and anxiety, memory isn't as sharp anymore, constant feeling of impending doom and a multitude of other horrible side effects. Having been reading all these comments on various forums recently due to a particularly bad few weeks of pain and misery, it's clear that Omeprazole has had a big part to play in ruining my life this last year."

• Lucy
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 15, 2023

"Awful side effects. The fatigue was off the scale, severe headaches and stomach pains. I won't take them ever again. I was on them only for 2 weeks I stopped them and 4 days later started to feel normal. I thought my GERD was worsening but it wasn’t it was these pills. I would advise anyone not to take them."

• Jeff
• November 3, 2019

"I was just prescribed omeprazole this week. The first day I took it, I thought it was magic. Suddenly, my terrible, nightly heartburn was completely gone. Unfortunately, the side effects are numerous, immediate, and simply not worth it! It gave me a constant headache, messed up my sleep, made me feel a constant lingering nausea, and made me feel emotional emptiness, anxiety, and sluggishness. I usually take ibuprofen for headaches, and it works very well. It would not touch the headaches caused by omeprazole. Also, my normal remedies for feeling anxiety or stress did not work at all. I have a few go-to substances that usually totally wipe it out. Neither worked. So after very little sleep for three days, a constant headache, feeling like I needed to throw up, and a major increase in anxiety along with empty and hopeless feelings, I have stopped taking the omeprazole. It is back to antacids for me and some needed diet changes. This stuff is horrible!!!"

• Jano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 18, 2018

"Have been taking the prescription of this drug for a week now after having been on rabeprazole 20mg for 4 weeks with no relief. And for the most part, the omeprazole has taken away that stuck in your throat feeling. The downside is that the nausea feeling is terrible, and I get stomach pain, something that I didn’t have with the previous PPI. Anyone else having bad nausea?"

• Lano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 25, 2019

"I’ve been on this medication for 3 weeks, and it helped a lot with my acid reflux symptoms (lump in throat feeling). However, during the second week, I started noticing my mood changing and becoming more anxious/paranoid. Then, in the third week, I had muscle aches and panic attacks. I stopped taking this 2 days ago and am still feeling dizzy, anxious, and nauseous. Anxiety/Depression sufferers, beware of this medication, as it definitely heightens them. I will now look for more natural solutions to GERD, such as a healthier diet and smaller portions. This medication is not worth the side effects, in my opinion."

• jaimer
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 23, 2012

"Within 12 hours of taking this medication, I got the chills, dizziness, stomach cramps, and extreme dry mouth. Within 2 hours of taking my second dose, I experienced anxiety, swelling of the tongue, throat, and glands, continued dizziness, extreme dry mouth and thirst, frequent urination, and stomach cramps."

• Beck
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 20, 2017

Prilosec (omeprazole) "I've been having problems for years with my stomach and GERD. I was put on Prilosec and was told that it would possibly cause an upset stomach to begin with, but to try to work through it. I took it for around 5 months, but I could not handle it anymore. I kept having stomach cramps and an upset stomach the whole time. I couldn't keep enough fluids in me to keep myself hydrated. Months later, I was prescribed it again and tried it once again. Same thing, but worse. I had bad blood work come back saying my kidneys weren't working right, and my potassium was so low I was admitted into the hospital. Since then, my kidneys are still not okay. I've been peeing blood on and off. I am pretty sure that this medicine has messed my kidneys up. Bad stuff for me."

• Ady
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 16, 2020

Prilosec (omeprazole) "I started on Zantac and then went to Prilosec and Nexium. I was fine for years, but now I am having side effects I can't live with. After taking one 20 mg pill, I got chills, nausea, and felt very tired. I have a hiatal hernia and not sure what to do."

• RDano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 3, 2019

"I’m currently taking this drug for acid reflux and only took three pills so far, 40 mg. HORRIBLE SIDE EFFECTS!! Nausea, hard to swallow, anxiety is so bad right now! Can’t wait until it leaves my system!!"

• Susan
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 19, 2020

Prilosec OTC (omeprazole) "I started taking Prilosec OTC 20 mg tablets last year. I didn't notice any side effects. My very mild GERD was definitely completely unnoticeable. I was happy. Up until around 40 days ago, I realized that the hair loss I was experiencing was the Prilosec. The hair loss started 2 months after I began the 20 mg tablets. Never had any hair loss in my life, and I've taken tons of different meds over the years. I'm a female in my early 30s. I had to eliminate one other medication to come to the conclusion that it was indeed the Prilosec making me go completely bald. Hair was coming out in huge clumps in the shower. Every time I touched my hair, it fell out. My little remaining hair was also very dry and brittle. It was definitely stressful, I had no idea this could be a potential side effect of such a low dose once a day. 40 days off, and the hair loss has dramatically decreased already. For me, that particular side effect was extreme, shocking, and unexpected."

• SCR
• February 27, 2019

"This medication at 20 mg was enough to relieve the symptoms of GERD, but for months, I started to suffer with symptoms I've never really experienced - anxiety, major lack of concentration, brain fog, aching on days where I had done no physical training. I have come off the medication for 2 weeks and already started feeling better, and the side effects have disappeared. I have changed my diet to combat the GERD effects, although this hasn't completely solved it, I also take a good multivitamin now. The medication was not worth the side effects."

• Danl
• July 27, 2013

Prilosec (omeprazole) "I have been taking Prilosec for several years, and I take one with water every morning about 30 minutes before I get up. It has totally eliminated any burning in my chest or esophagus. Also, I learned not to eat any Mexican or spicy food within 3-4 hours before going to bed."

• Gothmog
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 19, 2019

"I had been on ranitidine for a year before the recall happened, then I was taking cimetidine. My reflux was controlled “ok” by the ranitidine as long as I took it very specifically, but I’d still get flare-ups at night really badly. Cimetidine was less effective in some ways, less predictably effective, and my flare-ups got to the point I went to the ER to get lidocaine for my stomach to make it stop. The ER doc prescribed me omeprazole for 30 days until I can get in and see my regular doctor. For me, the PPI is like night and day, like as if I have a healthy stomach again. It’s incredible. I’ve been taking it at night, around 5 PM instead of morning, and I so far have not had any reflux sensation at all. I have so far not experienced any of the other side effects, and I feel happy and normal on it. I hope this continues because it’s a lifesaver for me."

• Jwright
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 23, 2016

"I was diagnosed years ago with a hiatal hernia. It's not a bad one as far as hiatal hernias go, but it caused really bad acid reflux. My reflux was so bad, sometimes at night, the stomach acid would back up into my lungs. I would wake up coughing that crap up, and it burned sooooo bad. The doctor who was in charge of my hernia care decided that the hernia wasn't bad enough to risk surgery, so he opted to try omeprazole. I have been on omeprazole for nearly 10 years now and can count on one hand the number of times I have had issues with reflux. I also want to note that I take a multivitamin as well. Omeprazole can cause mineral deficiencies if taken long term."

• BreeG
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 31, 2015

"I began taking Omeprazole a few years ago due to GERD. Recently, I was diagnosed with IBS with constipation, some cramping, pain. I had an upper GI (EGD), polyps were found in the body of the stomach and fundus, and also gastric polyps were found. Luckily, results were good, not the pre-c type. Doctors should be made to have to give you a warning about this before starting the medication. I'm going to wean myself off of this poison."

• Brian...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 12, 2022

"I am so happy to know that I’m not as crazy as I thought I was. I started this medication in hopes that it would help alleviate some stomach issues I was having, it did just that and more. As the months went on I started getting dry mouth and I developed erythema nodosum. I continued to take this per my doctor as I was going on vacation and she didn’t want things to change for me. Afterwards I started to taper off and I began to become anxious/nervous & panicky. Once I was fully off of the medication things got worse for me. I am only just over a month off of this medication and I’m still having a heck of a time. I have never been on any medications and I have never dealt with anxiety like this. I haven’t wanted to leave the house and I’m just hoping the symptoms subside soon because I can’t stand to feel like this while trying to care for my children."

• Ellie...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 28, 2018

Prilosec (omeprazole) "I took this to help control acid reflux, and it seemed to help that, but it gave me IBS-D (irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea) that took me years to control, where I couldn't work or leave the house. Still to this day, I deal with it - 6 years later, but improved. I never made the connection until I went back on Prilosec a few months ago, and it flared up like crazy again. I never had problems like this before Prilosec."

• Ricki...
• August 12, 2015

Prilosec (omeprazole) "I love this stuff. Ended my reflux and perpetual sore throat. I was thankful for how quickly it worked. Now to the packaging! These pills are nearly inaccessible in the packaging they come in. I use a scissor to open the pockets where the pills are encased and then store the pills in a small bottle."

• JCN
• February 27, 2010

Prilosec OTC (omeprazole) "It was wonderful to be able to take one in the morning and be free of distress all day, but soon I began to have dizziness on arising which soon increased to all day. By process of elimination I found the cause to be Prilosec. The problem was resolved after discontinued use. Now I am taking ranitidine with no such side effects and very satisfied."