Quitting Omeprazole

[uvwx]

I have been desperately trying to quit Omeprazole for the last 5 years but have had so much problem with extreme acid release it seems I'll be with it for my life. Of course noone knows yet the result of taking omeprazole for a lifetime, mice had cancer after weeks but human might as well after decades. I can't replace omeprazole with ranitidine, as the latter doesn't seem to work at all. I've been able to lower the dose to about one 20mg in two days but not more. It all started after I visited the most idiot of all GIs, who I went to lower my dose but he instead gave me 3 months supply of 40 mg twice a day Pantaprazole!!!. I've been able to switch down to 20 mg once in two days, but I desperately wanna quit. Any help?

[dompharmd475]

While the salt formulation of the OTC and prescription products are different, the dose (usually 20mg daily) is the same.  All in all, the efficacy should not be any different.  That being said, the medication does not take months to work, so if you are not experiencing total symptom control by now, you should consider increasing to twice daily dosing.
Long term effects of omeprazole have not been rigorously studied, however it is known that there are physical changes to the cells in your stomach with prolonged use.  This can make it difficult to stop the medication due to increased acid upon discontinuation and a slow taper of the medication is recommended.

[pinkoo]

recently i started suffering from acid reflux. my doctor put me on prilosec. Instead of prescription strength prilosec i am taking omeprazole 20 mg over the counter since it is very cheep. but even after almost 5 weeks of medication my gerd symptoms - heart burn, burping, regurgitation  - have not subsided any significantly. My doctor asked me
be patient and use the drug for 12 to 24 weeks to become symptom-free. My question is that does taking omeprazole otc instead of prescription prilose make any difference in efficacy of the medication.
Also, my doctor told me that i can stop taking the medicine once i become symptom-free and take as and when necessary as my symptoms usually come back. i am 32 year old now. if i take omeprazole at least 1/3rd of my rest of my life dont i get any serious consequences like cancer..??

[selmaS]

Hi...stepping off these meds can be difficult if not done correctly.First ask ur GI dr about doing this and u may want to have ur PH levels checked.If ur acid levels r too low u can feel the same as if they r too high.

Have u been following a diet for gerd? What and when u eat can assist the meds in u feeling better.

Please see the Health Pages here on MedHelp for info on foods that r safe and foods to avoid...plus tips on lifestyle changes that can help u manage ur gerd.

Good luck
"selma"