I took this stuff for a few years after a doctor prescribed it, assuring me it was harmless and saying his wife was taking it also.
This isn't the first time nasty side-effects have been reported in the media for this drug:
Common side effects of omeprazole include headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, gas, constipation, dizziness, and drowsiness. These are usually mild and temporary, often resolving within a few days to weeks.
Rare but serious side effects that require immediate medical attention include:
- Severe allergic reactions: Swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat; difficulty breathing; hives.
- Low magnesium levels: Muscle cramps, spasms, weakness, dizziness, fast or irregular heartbeat, tremors, or seizures.
- Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) infection: Severe, watery diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever.
- Kidney problems: Decreased urine output, swelling in the ankles, hands, or feet. -Vitamin B12 deficiency: Numbness, tingling, or pain in hands or feet, muscle weakness, dizziness, confusion.
- Bone fractures: Increased risk, especially with long-term use (over a year), particularly in the hip, wrist, or spine.
- Stomach polyps: Non-cancerous growths in the stomach lining, which may develop with extended use. Long-term use (especially over a year) may also lead to reduced absorption of calcium, iron, and vitamin B12, potentially affecting bone health and increasing infection risk. Sudden discontinuation can cause acid rebound, so tapering under medical guidance is recommended. -- Text above from Brave's LEO AI; link includes many individual URLs with relevant information.
Minor correction to my post's headline: the animals used in the study were rats, not mice.
Scientists believe one of America’s most popular medications could be sapping the body of vital minerals, potentially harming the roughly 20 million Americans who take it.
Omeprazole, marketed as Prilosec, is a widely used proton pump inhibitor (PPI) available both over the counter and as a prescription.
It has been trusted for over three decades for reducing stomach acid to treat frequent heartburn, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), stomach ulcers and erosive esophagitis, causing inflammation and damage to the esophagus lining, usually from chronic stomach acid reflux.
PPIs like omeprazole reduce gastric acid, which is also crucial for mineral absorption, but they are intended for short-term use only.
Scientists at the Federal University of São Paulo in Brazil gave rats a standard human-equivalent dose of omeprazole and saw they developed blood markers consistent with early anemia, or iron deficiency, and showed a significant disruption in how their bodies stored essential minerals.
The research revealed a cascade of problems, beginning with plummeting copper levels in the liver, which impairs iron absorption, while iron itself accumulated abnormally in organs rather than circulating for red blood cell production.
At the same time, shifts in where calcium was stored in the rats' bodies suggested the body was pulling the mineral from bones to maintain blood levels, a process that could weaken skeletal structure over time. These findings offer a potential biological explanation for the increased fracture and anemia risks observed in some long-term human users.
The researchers stressed that the drugs are typically recommended for four to eight week courses, yet millions use them indefinitely, compounding the risks.
. . . Prilosec ranks among the top 10 most prescribed medications in the US with over 45 million prescriptions annually.
(more)
I take ACV 2 TBS in 10 oz filtered water for my acid reflux and it works every time. Other benefits abound. See Dr. Berg and Dr. Ekberg YT and Rumble + other testimonials.
Can confirm. Was on Zantac for years followed by some other one I forget the name of. Tried ACV and it fixes it immediately. I just knock back a 1/2 shot when needed.
Turns out I didn't have too much acid, I had too little. The upper and lower sphincters leading to/from the stomach open and close based on the level of acid in the stomach. This left the upper one open and kept the lower one closed leading to acid reflux.
I practice also laying on my left side in bed. It prevents reflux. This is scientifically based as the structure of the stomach is such that laying on the right side opens the esophagus allowing regurge.
Too little acid is the case with most people on those drugs. Acid is needed to digest food properly and is one of the first lines of defense in the digestive tract.
Well, this sucks. Everything is poison.
I've found it's almost always better to use non-Pharma supplements (or, in this case, something as simple as baking soda, which I sometimes encapsulate in store-bought empty capsules). The frequency with which expensive, heavily-promoted Pharma drugs end up being taken off the market (for safety reason), or slapped with required serious warning labels, is enough to convince ME of that, but the better actual results are another reason to go with more natural methods.
The worst I've taken since I got super sick 5 years ago is Tylenol, because I will not touch Advil ever again, and I cannot control my fevers.
Not one word about gallbladder damage.
Did you (or someone you know) experience gallbladder issues after using Omeprazole / Prilosic?
LEO had this to say about the topic:
https://search.brave.com/search?q=Omeprazole+side+effects&source=desktop&summary=1&conversation=08b854463b52ed0a146c91078e091f9dc959
Interesting that all that was not included in LEO's previous summary, when my query did not include gall bladder issues.
I'd wager there are additional issues that are not mentioned in either of the summaries -- which, by definition, are condensed reports of the information found in a search.
The side effects are obvious to anyone that actually studies 1st year physiology. Duh.
What about a similar drug pantoprozole?
pantoprazole (corrected spelling) is a proton pump inhibitor like Prillosec, so the side effects aren't any better -- maybe worse; from LEO AI again: