Hey guys my name is Dr. Sam.
Now, in today's video I'm going to share with
you everything you need to know about
Omeprazole or Prilosec.
How to take it,
what are the short and long-term side effects
and my top tips.
So, let's get started!
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What is Omeprazole?
Omeprazole is a type of medication called
a proton pump inhibitor.
The generic name is called
omeprazole, but it is most commonly
known by its brand name which is
Prilosec in the states
and Losec in the United Kingdom.
What is Omeprazole used for?
Acid is produced naturally in the stomach to
help you digest food and to kill bacteria.
But the acid as an irritant so
the body produces a natural mucus
barrier, which helps protect the lining
of your stomach.
In some people this barrier can actually break down
allowing the acid to cause damage to the stomach.
This can cause ulcers, inflammation and
other conditions.
Omeprazole is used to treat some conditions,
especially stomach ulcers, intestinal ulcers,
acid reflux - which is also known as GERD or
gastroesophageal reflux disease.
This is where the muscular band at the top of
the stomach allows some stomach acid to
escape, irritating the gullet and causing
heartburn.
Omeprazole can also be given
as one part of a triple therapy
treatment to get rid of a bacteria
called Helicobacter pylori.
This bug get into the stomach and cause
stomach ulcers.
Sometimes Omeprazole is also
used to protect the stomach,
from long term medications.
Particularly, anti-inflammatory drugs
or blood thinner medicines.
How does omeprazole work?
Proton Pumps are located along the inner
lining of the stomach and these are
responsible for the acid production into the
stomach. So thereby proton pump inhibitors,
like Omeprazole actually
reduce the amount of acid that's
produced in the stomach,
thereby reducing the acidity and pH.
Pmeprazole takes about one hour
for it to start working
and it's maximally effective after
two hours, after having taken the drug.
The action of Omeprazole can last
in the body for up to three days!
Mind you, these work differently to other medicines
like antacids, which actually neutralize the
acid in the stomach.
This is different from Omeprazole in that
omeprazole reduces the amount of acid
that's produced in the first place.
How do you take it?
Omeprazole comes in different dosages:
10, 20 and 40 milligrams
in either a capsule or a tablet.
The amount that you'll be prescribed will differ
depending on the condition that you have.
So please follow the instructions from your
health care provider, as they know you best!
Usually, doctors like to start with the lowest
dose to give you the biggest benefit
with the least amount of side effects.
Commonly for GERD: 20 milligrams once daily
is given for four weeks.
For stomach or intestinal ulcers,
20 to 40 milligrams once daily is used for 4-8 weeks.
To protect the stomach from other medications,
20 to 40 milligrams once a day is used.
For H. pylori treatment, Omeprazole 20
milligrams is given twice a day along
with two antibiotics -
usually clarithromycin and amoxicillin.
A little tip from me is that the
omeprazole tablets and capsules contain
these small little pellets inside them.
And these are specially coated to allow
your body to absorb the medicine
correctly. So never, ever chew the tablets
of capsules otherwise it will ruin those
little, little pellets.
My other little tip is to try and take the medicine
30 to 60 minutes before food,
so if you can, because then it will be maximally
effective when you take it.
Another little trick that I learned,
that not everybody knows about is that you can
take prilosec or omeprazole as required,
rather than everyday.
So if you've used it successfully in the past
for reflux-type symptoms and
then you develop some more again -
you can restart it's at say Prilosec 20 milligrams
once a day and just take it for as long as you
have symptoms and then stop.
And that's completely fine!
And it's similar to the way
you take panadol for a headache.
Can I take Omeprazole if I am taking other
medications at the same time?
Omeprazole is generally safe although
there are a few interactions that you
should look out for.
Omeprazole can potentially interact with a blood
thinner called warfarin, where it
increases your risk of bleeding.
So if you are taking warfarin,
it's important to monitor your INR blood level.
Also the opposite is true for another blood
thinner called clopidogrel,
where omeprazole reduces the effect of
clopidogrel so puts you at risk of blood clots.
You should also speak with your
healthcare provider if you're taking
medicines like phenytoin, methotrexate
or digoxin, which all interact with omeprazole.
What are the short-term side effects?
Omeprazole is a very commonly prescribed medication
and is usually well tolerated.
In the short-term,
it can cause nausea and an upset stomach.
If so stick to simple meals,
avoid rich or spicy foods.
If symptoms are severe or do not go away
please see your doctor.
Diarrhea.
If so drink plenty of water and let your
doctor know if it continues or becomes severe.
Constipation.
Try to eat a well-balanced diet
and drink several glasses of water each day.
Headache.
Drink plenty of water and ask your pharmacist
to recommend a suitable painkiller.
If the headaches continue, let your doctor know.
What are the long-term side effects?
Millions of people take Omeprazole
safely every day, but there are some
long-term warnings that you should be
aware of.
In more recent studies
long-term use of Omeprazole has been
linked with an increased risk of chronic
kidney disease.
This is particularly in women, who are
over the age of 60 and who have used the
medicine for more than 10 years
consecutively.
And who are also taking another long
term pain relief medicine like nexium.
If you fit into this category I'd recommend
that you see your doctor for a
kidney function blood test.
It's very uncommon and rare, but some people can
develop another kidney condition called
interstitial nephritis when first taking
Omeprazole.
This presents with symptoms
like a rash, joint aches and pains,
a fever and weight loss.
It's quite difficult to diagnose,
but is easily reversible once you stop taking
Omeprazole.
As Omeprazole changes the pH
in your stomach, it can affect the way
that some nutrients are absorbed
into the body, particularly b12 and magnesium
so there is the potential risk of becoming
deficient in those nutrients.
If so, I would just keep a close eye on them.
Some studies have shown that taking
Omeprazolel may increase the risk of
bone fractures.
This is why you should
only use the lowest effective dose
and try to use it for the shortest possible time.
Also another important thing to know
is that Omeprazole has been linked
to an increased rate of (C.Diff)
Clostridium difficile diarrhea infections.
This is a serious bacterial infection that can
lead people to become hospitalized and
become very sick.
Doctors don't understand exactly why this happens but
there are some theories that omeprazole
changes the natural flora inside the gut
by changing the pH and this leads to a
weaker immune system,
so that C. Diff can come and colonize the gut
and cause problems.
How do you stop taking Omeprazole?
Another common thing that I see with patients,
but obviously people don't know about this
is that you cannot stop Omeprazole cold turkey.
Because it will make you feel awful!
Often, when people do they get a rebound in acid
production, which is even worse than when
they first started the drug.
So please do not stop Omeprazole just like that.
What I would suggest though is to halve
the dose that you're on for at least two weeks
and then after that halve it again
if you can or if not take it every other day,
every third day
alternating over another two to four weeks.
Until you can finally stop the medicine.
What can happen is if you stop it too quickly,
you'll get a rebound of acid
and you'll need to go back on it again.
Just slowly try and taper the
medicine down so that you're not
shocking your system - into a freak out
from not having the omeprazole.
The other trick that some people do is they
switch over to another type or class of antacids.
So using a what they call an h2 antagonist or
Ranitidine medicine can be quite useful,
when you are really try to get off Omeprazole.
What about taking Omeprazole during pregnancy?
Existing research has shown that omeprazole is
safe to take during pregnancy.
Studies from Sweden and Denmark showed that the
chance of birth defects in women using
Omeprazole was similar to the usual
birth defect rate in the population.
As always let me know in the comment
section what you enjoyed about this
video or what you'd like to learn more about.
You can also check out some of my
other health videos on gut health
and infections.
Thanks for stopping by :)