Omeprazole... How long until you are hooked?

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Regarding Omeprazole.... If I start taking it and continue for the 14 days required, at the end of the 14 days will I be hooked and need to keep taking it or will I be ok? I just want to make certain that I can quit If I choose and not worry about a re-lapse. Thanks.
 
PPIs are not seriously addictive the way other drugs are. It seems that about half of the people who take them are able to quit without difficulty. And it's not addiction, the drug normally doesn't have any effects on the mind at all. It's just physical dependency.

I did get hooked in two weeks, but I think I was very unusual in that. Normally it takes at least a month or two. Had I known then what I know now about tapering the dose, I might have been able to quit easily at the end of my original 2-week course.
 
Interesting question....I was prescribed Omeprazole I guess about two years ago....And I'm still taking it twice a day. I have a hiatal hernia with reflux. The reflux was even getting up to throat level..... I asked my doctor about it and gathered that I should stay on it from now on....Are you just buying it over the counter, on your own, so to speak?
 
I have not been formerly diagnosed with reflux or GERD but based on my symptoms, my general dr said it sounded like it based on my symptoms.
I took it upon myself to try Prilosec and it helped me feel better - I tried to stop taking it, and after 1 day,the symptoms came back with a vengence. I literally thought I was going to die. I have been taking them for almost 2 months straight now. Even while on it, my symptoms occasionally flare up but it's not nearly what it was like without taking it.

My doc said he is ok with me taking it for up to 6 months straight, but if I am still having to take it, he wants me to see a gastro doc.

I am convinced that taking them made it worse, but I could not live with those symptoms anymore. It is literally making me a miserable person. I figure they aren't really addictive and there is no harm in taking them to control the problem, but you should always ask your dr for advice
 
PPI's are not physiologically addictive...but if you don't address the underlying cause of your GERD then you will have to continue taking a PPI or other acid blocking medication.

I was on Prevacid for 9 years. When I finally discovered the cause of my GERD, and addressed that (dairy allergy) I was able to discontinue use of Prevacid. I am now PPI free and acid reflux free.

I think this will work for most people, because I don't think most people have a physical problem with their esophagus. I think most people have obesity issues, food allergies, etc. that cause GERD, not a weak esophageal sphincter. Our system of medicine makes it easy to "just take a pill" but they are now finding that there are problems with long term usage of PPI's and that's why I chose to get serious and get off the drugs.
 
According to a July 2009 article in the journal Gastroenterology, about 40% of healthy people who take PPIs for a few months and then stop suddenly will experience stomach problems after stopping, due to over-production of acid.

It's not the kind of hideous addiction you might see with, say, heroin, it doesn't have a mental component, and it doesn't happen to everyone who takes it. Some doctors claim acid rebound does not exist.

But, here's what I want people to know: If you've been on PPI for a while and experience severe symptoms when you try to quit, it MIGHT just be rebound, and rebound fades after a couple months, or can be managed by tapering the dose slowly.
 
Not necessarily true. PPI's were designed for short-term use. Those of us who take them long term are learning that there are risks. They have linked a rare fracture of the jaw to long term use of PPI's. It was the final straw for me and the reason I got off of them.

Please note that there is a difference between being "hooked" (per the OP's post) and having "acid rebound" when you get off the drugs. Acid rebound is a common phenomenon for people getting off PPI's that is experienced in different intensities. There is an excellent threat on here by one person who documented her rebound and what she did to get off PPI's. I was on Prevacid 30mg (for a while 2 x a day) for 9 years and now am off PPI's entirely. I had rebound, but was able to work through it. If you want off the drugs due to cost or due to the potential for complications due to long term use, don't let acid rebound stop you. It can be dealt with.
 
Eagle: How did you figure out the dairy issue? Did you figure it out on your own or did you go to an allergist? I have sinus issues, and I think that all the draining is causing my throat issues. I don’t drink or smoke, but do drink 2-3 cups of coffee per day (and am not fat but quite active)but I am cutting back to 1. ENT (CT scan in August) wants to do surgery, but I am not too keen on getting cut. That being said, I am trying to control things naturally, but get frustrated at the slow progress. It seems that one thing leaRAB to yet another and so on.

Payne: I just purchased the Costco brand to try out. After a week of:
1. Food feeling like it wanted to come back up/or stick to
2. Pain in mid chest (felt very full after only a few bites)
3. Throat finally feeling raw and burning

Now to just see what time will do. Thanks for the responses. Patriot
 
I am 2-1/2 months post-PPI and I have been having stomach burning more than anything along with gas issues at times. Some days I don't have much problems at all and others I feel it off and on all day. Matter of fact, today is a really good day.



The GI doc I went to for my EGD was one of those. He claimed that after 1 week, the rebound would be done. Yeah, OK doc. I am still working through this and I don't know how much longer it will take, but I'm in it for the long run.
 
I truly believe this. I just entered my 3rd month ppi-free. I'm working with an ND and my rebound has not been terrible. We've not come to an elimination of fooRAB yet but I think there is something in my diet causing the reflux and the post nasal drip. It's been better lately but I think an elimination diet is in my future to figure this out.

You're right. Taking a pill is so easy for a lot of people. I did it for 9 years because I didn't know any better. I warn everyone to research and try diet and lifestyle changes before they jump on the ppi bandwagon.
 
Patriot-

I saw a doctor for my thyroid condition, which apparently is often aggravated by food allergies. She put me on a very strict anti-inflammatory diet where all common food allergens were removed from my diet for 3 weeks (I think) and then I was allowed to add 1 food group back in every 3 days. When I got to dairy, my immune system just went haywire- I got hives, upset stomach, cramps, headache, the works. When you eat or drink something every day that you have an allergy to, you often won't get these really bad reactions but you will get low level reactions. I had always had sinusitis and GERD and this thick phlegm in my throat that I could never get rid of. I thought it was allergies, but like cats and pollen, not a food. When we finally determined that I actually had a dairy allergy and I stopped eating/drinking dairy products, the sinusitis, phlegm and GERD all went away. It's like a miracle. I miss milk, but I would have quit dairy years ago had I known. It's like a miracle for me.
 
Patriot - As far as I know this drug does not any physical of mental dependency. I think Jane is off on that mark. I know many people take it and. I myself has been on and off this medication several times. Now your body might start causing you symtoms again after stopping, but like others have said in your post it is more finding the underlasting causes. If you dont find the causes then symtoms will return, but that is not dependency or addicted in any way. In my case it is staying away from fatty or acid fooRAB and hold those to a min. and excersing helped in my case. I have known frienRAB that have to stay on it all the time others sometimes only months. To me it is a very good and safe medicine if take as instructed.
 
With most drugs there is always only a certain amount of time you should be taking them. While many take drugs for years at a time and have side effects others have none. I agree with Jane on if you have severe or even medium side effects with a drug you should talk to your Dr. about alternatives or stop taking until the matter is cleared up. A physical dependency on this drug I do I do not believe. Do I believe that if you were taking this medication and you body rebounded with a faster reproduction of acid yes, but to me that is not a physical dependency it is simply your body reacting to the removal of a drug that limited production of acid. Two different things.

No drug is perfect and all have side effects with Omeprrazole it is a good drug and there are some interactions othewith drugs that might be serious. All I can say is be careful if does not work for you then look at others for GERD.

One thing I have found out is there are times that nothing will work and Dr.s are not goRAB and we have to deal with what we have. Some drugs help us or ease our pains and sometimes it is just a change in lifestyle.
 
I don't think you necessarily ever get hooked. It is on an as needed basis.

My Dr told me that if you start taking it and then need it even more that you tend to need it pretty much forever after that. That is just one dr's opinion though.
 
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