Do you NEED Omeprazole or similar PPI in order for the LES muscle to heal?

[Michael K]

The reason I'm asking is that I've just quit smoking, which has been the root cause of my heartburn, and for around a year or two I've been taking Omeprazole. I'd like to stop the Omeprazole, but I only quit smoking a couple of days ago so do I need to continue the Omeprazole in order for my lower oesophageal sphincter muscle to heal or will it heal without the Omeprazole because I've quit smoking now? I still get heartburn, so I'm wondering if the heartburn will further damage the LES without the Omeprazole. Thanks