Omeprazole used longer than 8 weeks?

[nursechick182, BSN, RN]

I am currently suffering from terrible GERD, taking 150 mg Rantadine daily and 20 mg Omeprazole daily, still not getting relief. I'm about to start really cutting my food portions down and eat smaller, more frequent meals I suppose, even though that seems impossible to do with working 12 hour nights! My gastroenterologist I just started seeing is doing endoscopy next week and told me it was really best to take the omeprazole daily (I had been taking it prn before my visit with him.) My question is this: every study, drug book I have read about omeprazole says it should be taken for 4-8 weeks and that studies have not been done over 8 weeks. I asked my gastroenterologist this and he just kind of looked annoyed with me and told me that it worked better if I took it every day. Well, lately I have been having some NEW GI troubles too-lower left quadrant pain, especially right before and during the first 2 days of my cycle, sometimes so bad I can't really sit or stand or get comfortable at all. the pelvic US I just had checking for ovarian cysts was normal. Is it possible my reflux meds are causing the new abdominal pain?? I don't know what else to think of it since my pelvic reports came out ok....has ANY one else had trouble with reflux and/or the meds? Thanks for listening.

[TazziRN, RN]

I don't know if we can help, it sounds like you're asking for medical advice and we can't give it.

[caldje]

listen to your doctors, they know what they are talking about.

[Heloisea3]

I am not a nurse or a doctor, but I do know that some doctors prescribe this longer than 8 weeks because I took it every single day for well over a year for my GERDS, and I am so grateful that my doctor did that because I was SOOOOO miserable and it helped so much. I know others who have taken it as well with great improvement and no side effects. However, every person's body is different, so it is impossible to say what could be causing your pain or how your body reacts to particular medications. You should mention it to your doctor. As for the GERDS, I had it really bad and finally got tired of feeling horrible and having to take meds. I changed my diet, quit smoking, cut down on the sodas, lost some weight, and now I never have a problem with it. I did make some drastic changes. It was very hard to do for the first month or so, but now, it is kind of a habit. I think it is a great idea to cut your food portions down and to just eat more often. You might also try to stay away from anything greasy or really spicy. I know how miserable GERDS can be, so I really sympathize with you. I hope you get to feeling better.

[jenchb01]

i think omepraxole doesnt give any serious side effects.follow your gastroenterologist and he will be the one to think what will be his next action if this will not work, regarding your lower quadrant pain.its more on gyne side.consult your gynecologist.its better to rule out any gynecological problem...

[kittagirl]

I've been on it for well over a year with no side effects but as Heloisea3 said we're all different..........

Personally one thing that really helped me was drinking more water, thought it was an 'old wives' tale but I was at the point of trying anything. Kept a close eye on how much I was drinking, which was a lot less than I thought! and really increase my intake.

Thankfully for me this helped a lot......

Did lots of the other bits too ie: weight loss etc but the water started helping quiet quickly.

Good luck........

[Indy, LPN, LVN]

There are some studies currently going on, I think, about the long term effects but nobody knows for sure, so yes, you're ok to be a little suspicious of it... but we do know for sure what troubles GERD can cause if it goes on with no relief, so it looks like you'd be better to err on the side of doing what your doctor says.

My husband has reflux. He won't go see a primary care at all, much less to complain about it. I buy prilosec. I nag, I nag, I explain, I educate, I nag, etc. He changed his diet: no more sodas at all, less fried food, less spicy food, no eating right before bedtime, etc. That helped a great deal but it still flares up at times. He would take pepcid a couple of years ago PRN but now I try to get him to just do prilosec daily, pepcid if he's gonna eat pizza or something like that.

So he's non compliant. In one ear and out the other. Then one day he says, all bright and sunshiney, "hey what about that nexium thing? Do you think I could take that?" I got out the drug book, said "oh I dunno let's look it up shall we?" and after showing him that nexium and prilosec are the exact same drug class, I asked him if he would listen to me if I were a doctor?! He said "oh probably not." He got an earful of stuff I can't print here due to the TOS.

Long story short, he improved vastly when he finally took the prilosec almost every day for 4 weeks. He's back to prn now and I'm not paying attention to it because I like my blood pressure at a reasonable level.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Sorry nursechick - our posters are right...we can't provide medical advice. There are many off-label uses for medications and we don't know your individual story. Best advice, cont with your provider. Take care.