Prilosec for GERD User Reviews
Prilosec has an average rating of 6.8 out of 10 from a total of 36 reviews for the treatment of GERD. 53% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 22% reported a negative experience.
Reviews for Prilosec
- jus...
- July 24, 2015
"I have taken Prilosec for over 15 years. It works great for the heartburn/reflux/GERD. But let me tell you what it took away from me! It dropped my iron and my iron stores to the bottom, it also took my B12 to the bottom. It also, after years of taking it, gave me anxiety, cramping of muscles, and led to my potassium being low as well. Then, most recently, I kept having a horrible burning in my stomach, well, guess what Prilosec gave me most of all! A stomach full of gastric polyps!! So now I have weaned myself off this horrible medicine because gastric polyps are a side effect of it and no one tells you! And if you keep taking it, well, guess what, it makes even more in your stomach once it starts!! So I weaned myself off it, took over a month."
- jan...
- Taken for 2 to 5 years
- August 26, 2013
"A great medicine. I'm on 40 mg daily due to the feeling of my food being stuck in my throat. It was so bad at one time that I purposely made myself vomit for relief. After having my esophagus looked at - and finding out I also have a small hiatal hernia, doctor said my 'flapper' doesn't close, or stay closed. So here I am religiously taking this medicine and mostly loving life. If you miss a day you will again feel miserable. I will say that over the years I have experienced 'breakthrough' reflux at one time or another but never for a second day. Very happy."
Frequently asked questions
- Is omeprazole (Prilosec) bad for your kidneys?
- Nexium vs Prilosec: What's the difference between them?
- Over the Counter Medication for Pets
- The Do's and Don'ts of Treating Heartburn
- Sta...
- January 31, 2015
"Doc prescribed this for me, but I didn't think it would help, since my main symptoms of shortness of breath and chest tightness, and rarely heartburn. Left it in the cabinet for months until recurring stomach pains landed me in the ER. All blood tests, urine tests, and ultrasounds came back normal, and once again, my doc suggested the Prilosec. Finally caved. I kid you not, within the first day my stomach pains disappeared. I had the best night's sleep the first few days that I could remember, realizing it was actually heartburn waking me up (I contributed my early wake-ups to anxiety or poor sleep habits). Absolutely no side effects. I can eat whatever I want. I feel like a new person after one week. Hoping this lasts once my 14 days are up!"
- joh...
- Taken for 1 to 6 months
- August 8, 2014
"This medicine saved my life. I was in pain and miserable. Tried all the OTC stuff Zantac, Pepcid, Prevacid, and many others with no success. Then I tried omeprazole and within days I was better. Great medicine. Would definitely recommend."
Are you taking this medicine?
Your review helps others make informed decisions.- ola...
- August 27, 2007
"About three months ago, my doctor ordered Prilosec 20 mg for heartburn. I also have diverticulosis that caused me to have a burning itching discharge. By the time I had taken 42 Prilosec, I noticed the burning and itching had completely stopped. I am still taking one Prilosec every other day. I now need to know if I can take one 20 mg Prilosec tablet per day indefinitely without harm to my health."
- Gra...
- Taken for 5 to 10 years
- February 7, 2013
"Prilosec has worked for me 90 percent of the time for the past eight years. My one and only complaint is: Why does it have to be packaged like it is gold? First, a large box with three smaller boxes in that, and then the pills individually sealed in foil sheets. What a pain to get all this open and just think of the amount of waste to the landfills. I called the company, and they said they do this packaging for safety reasons. Many, many more dangerous other meds are not packaged like this. Please get those pills into a bottle."
More FAQ
- Pantoprazole vs. omeprazole: What's the difference between them?
- What foods should I avoid when taking omeprazole?
- Is famotidine safer than omeprazole for heartburn?
- Can you take an antacid with omeprazole?
- Mis...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- June 30, 2020
"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."
- ter...
- October 8, 2011
"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."
- Bec...
- Taken for 6 months to 1 year
- April 20, 2017
"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
"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."
- Dan...
- July 27, 2013
"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."
- Ell...
- Taken for 6 months to 1 year
- August 28, 2018
"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."
- Ric...
- August 12, 2015
"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."
- Anonymous
- December 30, 2009
"I took this drug for several weeks, and my GERD cleared up. Then, out of the blue, I became moody and angry at everyone. I read up on some of the side effects and found that mood issues have been associated. I tend to have this when I take anything that amps up your metabolism, so it must contain something that is somewhat related to that."
- yez...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- April 19, 2022
"For starters, I have anxiety, and a lot of reviews said that they had severe anxiety while on this medication, which really worried me. I waited for a while until I was in a positive mindset to take it to avoid quitting the medication over something that wasn't real, like my normal anxiety. Eventually, I started, and by day 2, I started to notice my stomach stopped causing problems. I didn't necessarily feel good, but I stopped feeling bad, which was positive. I got really happy about this as I've been dealing with heartburn for over a year now. However, on day 5, I noticed I started waking up with decently intense anxiety, which was brand new to me. Now, when I say this, I don't want you to think I was full-blown panicking and hospitalized because I was not. I just felt very on edge and was able to push through it fine. But after time, I realized it was enough for me to give up on trying this medicine. All in all, you'll be fine to try it, and if it makes you feel bad, you will definitely know."
- ETa...
- Taken for 2 to 5 years
- April 8, 2018
"I have taken Prilosec 40 mg once a day for 4 years now. It manages my GERD well. Without it, I would have severe reflux and have a damaged esophagus and stomach. I have had no side effects that I am aware of."
- bar...
- June 5, 2018
"Works okay. But I can't get into the package! I'm 74 and have arthritis; it took me 20 minutes to stab and poke and get the darn pills into the daily boxes. If I try to push the pills out the little aluminum bubble, my nails break. I will certainly not use this stuff ever again; it doesn't seem like rocket science to make the pills actually AVAILABLE! B (I hope this is helpful, even though it is grouchy)"
- whi...
- February 4, 2013
"Prilosec has always worked for me since I went off Nexium, but I recently tried the flavored one, and I can no longer take just one pill a day to keep the burning away. So off to the store today to get my regular Prilosec since I have finally finished the flavored box. No more of the flavored one for me."
- lam...
- July 11, 2011
"Prilosec completely eradicates the severe reflux I suffer from due to a rare stomach condition known as gastroparesis. Sadly, it completely eliminates my appetite as well. It also slows my metabolism down to a crawl, which is already inherently slow due to my stomach condition."
- Rob...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- November 4, 2020
"I was prescribed Prilosec 20 mg/day for dysphagia. I took it for one week. The dysphagia was alleviated, but I began to experience bad knee pain. After two sleepless nights, I discontinued it. Knee pain has subsided."
- AST...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- January 31, 2022
"I was recently prescribed Prilosec after a few years of digestive discomfort and multiple medical appointments to diagnose and treat. Previously I was prescribed Famotidine which provided some relief but Prilosec resolved all symptoms I was having- shortness of breath, abdominal discomfort, inability to lay on one side, and acid reflux. After one week I feel remarkably better and plan to taper treatment after a few months. I've had no side effects and understand that Prilosec isn't recommended for more than 12 months of use, as with most other prescription drugs including SSRI/antidepressants (which most people stay on for many years)."
- bri...
- June 29, 2011
"I started taking one pill a day in October, switched to generic, which didn't work, so the doctor suggested I take 2 a day. Still nothing, so I switched back to Prilosec and continued to take it twice a day. Works pretty well, except for some days when I need to use a backup of Tums or Zantac."
- Old...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- September 28, 2019
"While this medication works well, it’s packaging is the worst I’ve ever encountered. It’s a struggle to push the pills through the tough foil and paper bubbles —- bends my nails and requires at least two minutes to get out a pill. It should be a few seconds. No one tested this packaging with consumers. No one cared. Some genius just designed it on the basis of “sustainability” not taking into consideration the frustration it would cause"
- Ang...
- Taken for 1 to 2 years
- January 27, 2023
"I use to take it & it did work but Had to stop bc I kept on getting bladder infections & When my doctor Took me off of it I stopped getting bladder infections so please be careful with this medicine"
Learn more about GERD
Care guides
- Barrett Esophagus
- GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease)
- GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) in Children
Symptoms and treatments
Medicine.com guides (external)
More about Prilosec (omeprazole)
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Patient resources
- Prilosec drug information
- Prilosec (Omeprazole Delayed-Release Capsules)
- Prilosec (Omeprazole Powder for Oral Suspension)
"DO NOT TAKE THIS MEDICINE!!!!! This medicine has ripped the life out from inside me. I went from being my totally normal happy self to having serious panic attacks, constant anxiety/depression, and a general feeling of hopelessness. The symptoms started on my 12th day, and I stopped taking the pill on my 13th day. It is a week later, and the panic attacks, anxiety, depression, and hopelessness still remain. This drug is poison to me and many others!!!"