Can you take omeprazole for 10 years?

Omeprazole controls acid production in the stomach only and does not affect the acid/alkaline balance of the body. The drug has been in use for some 10 years and appears to be safe for long term use.

What happens if you take omeprazole for years?

Long-term side effects

Taking omeprazole for more than a year may increase your chances of certain side effects, including: bone fractures. gut infections. vitamin B12 deficiency – symptoms include feeling very tired, a sore and red tongue, mouth ulcers and pins and needles.

What is the longest you should take omeprazole?

If you bought the medicine yourself from a pharmacy or supermarket, you can take it for up to 14 days. If you feel no better after taking omeprazole for 14 days, tell your doctor. They may want to do tests to find out what's causing your symptoms or change you to a different medicine.

Is long-term use of omeprazole harmful?

If you take omeprazole for too long, there can be a risk of having long-term side effects. Taking omeprazole for a long time has been linked to: Lower bone density (weakened bones) Respiratory infections like pneumonia.

What happens if you take omeprazole every day?

Bone fractures warning: People who take several doses of a proton pump inhibitor drug, such as omeprazole, every day for a year or longer may have an increased risk of bone fractures. These bone breaks may be more likely to happen in your hip, wrist, or spine. Talk to your doctor about your risk of bone fractures.

How and When to take Omeprazole (Prilosec / Losec) | Side Effects All Patients Need to Know

What is the safest antacid to take long term?

According to Dr. Ghouri, Prilosec OTC “is usually sufficient in controlling symptoms in a majority of [heartburn] cases” and has been the #1 Doctor Recommended frequent heartburn relief medicine for 14 years.

How do I safely come off omeprazole?

Slowly taper off the PPI over 2-4 weeks (the higher the dose, the longer the taper). While the taper is being completed, use the following for bridge therapy to reduce the symptoms of rebound hyperacidity. Encourage regular aerobic exercise. Encourage a relaxation technique such as deep breathing.

What is considered long term for omeprazole?

In a clinical context, use of PPI for more than 8 weeks could be a reasonable definition of long-term use in patients with reflux symptoms and more than 4 weeks in patients with dyspepsia or peptic ulcer.

What can I take instead of omeprazole long term?

Can omeprazole damage your stomach?

Medications like omeprazole can raise the risk of developing stomach polyps or cancer. This is especially true if you take them for longer than a year. Let your healthcare provider know if you have stomach pain that won't go away while taking omeprazole.

What can you take everyday for acid reflux?

How long does it take for GERD to turn into Barrett's esophagus?

Barrett's esophagus developed after 20 wk, while esophageal adenocarcinoma appeared after 40 wk[72].

How long can you have omeprazole?

If you buy omeprazole from a pharmacy or supermarket to treat yourself, do not take it for longer than 2 weeks without checking with a doctor. Alcohol can make your stomach produce more acid than normal. This irritates the stomach lining and can make your symptoms worse.

Why should I stop taking omeprazole?

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) like omeprazole may have long-term side effects. They have been associated with increased risk of infections, cancer, and kidney problems — to name a few. It's best to take a PPI for the shortest time that you need it. For simple reflux, this means fewer than 8 weeks.

What are the most severe adverse effect of omeprazole?

Serious stomach conditions may occur while taking this medicine alone or together with antibiotics. Check with your doctor immediately if you or your child has stomach cramps, bloated feeling, watery and severe diarrhea which may also be bloody sometimes, fever, nausea or vomiting, or unusual tiredness or weakness.

Can long term use of omeprazole cause liver damage?

Hepatotoxicity. Despite their wide use, omeprazole and esomeprazole have only rarely been associated with hepatic injury. In large scale, long term trials , serum ALT elevations occurred in less than 1% of patients and at rates similar to those that occurred with placebo or comparator drugs.

Is there a better drug than omeprazole?

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.

Is there a safer alternative to omeprazole?

There are other medications that can be used instead of PPIs in the treatment of conditions like acid reflux. H2 blockers include: Cimetidine (Tagamet) Ranitidine (Zantac)

What is the safest drug for acid reflux?

Results of numerous clinical trials indicate that oral pantoprazole is safe and well tolerated for short-term treatment of GERD and for longer term maintenance therapy in patients with healed erosive esophagitis.

Can long term use of omeprazole cause kidney damage?

In recent years, the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPI), especially omeprazole, has been associated with development of chronic kidney disease (CKD). These drugs are widely used worldwide. Although some studies have found an association between the use of PPI and the onset of acute renal failure and CKD.

What happens if you quit omeprazole cold turkey?

Stopping PPI treatment can cause rebound acid hypersecretion, leading to the transient appearance of symptoms such as indigestion, heartburn or regurgitation.

Is it hard to get off omeprazole?

A. Stopping powerful acid-suppressing drugs like omeprazole (Prilosec), esomeprazole (Nexium) or lansoprazole (Prevacid) can be tough. (We have written about this problem before.) In one study, even people who had never had heartburn before developed it when they abruptly stopped taking omeprazole (Reimer C, et al.

Can you quit omeprazole cold turkey?

Unfortunately for many patients, quitting PPIs is easier said than done. It's not something that can be done overnight, and patients feel the effects when they try to go cold turkey. Instead, we recommend slowly weaning yourself off your PPIs with the help of a reflux doctor.

Can you live long with GERD?

Chandra said that once a diagnosis of GERD has been established, it may become a lifelong condition that will need management. She added that it's best to identify certain causes of your symptoms and learn to avoid or control circumstances to alleviate or even prevent symptoms.

Can you take antacids for life?

Antacids are an effective way to treat heartburn and indigestion. But they're not meant for long-term daily use.