# Any one take Omeprazole or Prilosec?



## pandemonium (Oct 11, 2010)

Just stopped taking it because i am without insurance and I have noticed a few things, just curious to talk to someone that has taken either for a few years. Yes I know I can buy it over the counter.


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## pops6927 (Oct 11, 2010)

I take it, do a 14 day treatment then repeat 4 months later, and so on.  As it's OTC my insurance won't pay for it, I think it cost me at WallyWorld $20 for a full year's treatment on that schedule.  I take the generic, it's cheaper.


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## squirrel (Oct 11, 2010)

I took prilosec and celebrex until I read this:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24777955/

that's not the only place I have seen the articles about stuff docs prescribe but wouldn't take.


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## deannc (Oct 11, 2010)

I've taken a 20mg priolsec daily for almost 10 years.


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## deannc (Oct 11, 2010)

Squirrel said:


> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24777955/



Yikes!! I'm going to have to find an alternative to prilosec!  I hate taken pills as it is but I also can't deal with daily heartburn and sure don't need any help from a prescription drug to have a heart attack...I'm probably quite capable of doing that on my own! haha


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## que-ball (Oct 11, 2010)

I've been taking it once daily for the past couple years, the OTC generic.  My insurance wouldn't cover the prescription without taking the OTC version for six months first, and once I did that I haven't gotten around to getting another checkup to get the prescription written.  I haven't noticed any ill effects, but not alot of positive effects either.  I can lay on the couch to watch TV without coughing my guts out, so I guess that's something.

With different insurance a few years ago, I tried prescription Prevacid twice daily for six months.  My share of the cost was $60 a month and it didn't seem to help me, so I stopped taking it.


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## mossymo (Oct 11, 2010)

I've been taking 40 mg of Nexium for 12 years now..... interesting and alarming read Squirrel.


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## meateater (Oct 11, 2010)

I refuse to take any pills myself, I'd rather puke. Exercise, a good diet and no STRESS will do you good.


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## pandemonium (Oct 11, 2010)

meateater said:


> I refuse to take any pills myself, I'd rather puke. Exercise, a good diet and no STRESS will do you good.


Well its not that easy for everyone meat, you dont have acid reflux or youd take these pills in a heart beat lol


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## bbally (Oct 11, 2010)

I have been taking omeprozole for 20 years now.  EE will make you take these pills and be damn happy for them.  I don't get worked up over the sensationalizing of some of the outliers in the user group.


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## pandemonium (Oct 11, 2010)

well i have had frequent urination for about a year and figured it was from getting old or diabetes lol i mean getting up at least three times a night, not to mention during the day, anyway since i stopped taking it i have slept like a baby!! no more waking up and crappy sleeping other than waking up with volcanic acid coming up uhg. I just read that it was a rare side effect.

PS i have been drinking the apple cider vinegar to see if that remedy works and im not sure yet on that.


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## meateater (Oct 11, 2010)

pandemonium said:


> Well its not that easy for everyone meat, you dont have acid reflux or youd take these pills in a heart beat lol




 Actually I did. Now I don't anymore. AU Natural now.


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## pandemonium (Oct 11, 2010)

its really putting a hurting on my beer drinking, beer whoops my but now, which might be a good thing to slow down on.


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## pandemonium (Oct 11, 2010)

meateater said:


> Actually I did. Now I don't anymore. AU Natural now.


how do you do it now? changed your eating? drinking?


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## meateater (Oct 11, 2010)

This was supposed to be a P.M. 

I don't want to bust balls but after looking at your killer grilling post's you use a lot of sodium...Soy Sauce. That stuff will kill ya quick. Heartburn is the result.  Just a mention bud, I ain't looking to bash.


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## pandemonium (Oct 11, 2010)

meateater said:


> This was supposed to be a P.M.
> 
> I don't want to bust balls but after looking at your killer grilling post's you use a lot of sodium...Soy Sauce. That stuff will kill ya quick. Heartburn is the result.  Just a mention bud, I ain't looking to bash.


yes im no health nut lol i like salty greasy stuff ohh yeah and spicy is my favorite flavor lol


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## pandemonium (Oct 11, 2010)

Here is an interesting article about cider vinegar and acid reflux

http://www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/vinegar-and-acid-reflux.html


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## meateater (Oct 11, 2010)

pandemonium said:


> yes im no health nut lol i like salty greasy stuff ohh yeah and spicy is my favorite flavor lol




 And it will do ya in bud, we ain't getting younger


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## pandemonium (Oct 11, 2010)

meateater said:


> And it will do ya in bud, we ain't getting younger


well no one in my family has lived longer than like 73 so i dont plan on being here till 100, so im enjoying right now.


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## squirrel (Oct 12, 2010)

Cranberry juice kills me! It gives me the worst heartburn I have ever had, so I definitely quit that. I've changed my diet alot over the last couple of years and I don't have to take anything for heartburn anymore. You'd be surprised at how just a few simple changes can make a difference. Like nothing to eat or drink atleast 2 hours before bedtime. That is not as hard as you might think. Any time you eat or drink something you stimulate acid production. Some foods/beverages more than others. I guess it depends on how much you are willing to suffer with it. I had enough going on with the cancer crap to worry about heartburn. Plus, once you have had the Grim Reaper hanging around your bed it kinda puts the fear of God in ya and you tend to do whatever it takes to be healthy.

The one good thing I have going for me is I get my pleasure out of cooking all this good (bad for you) food and I might have a few bites but I give most everything away. I'm not a big eater. Thank goodness for that or I would be as big as a house. I've gained weight with some of the stupid meds I was on (not on them anymore, woohoo!) So, I'm back to jogging everyday, playing golf three times a week, yoga and lifting weights. My goal is to look and feel better at 47 than I did when I was 27! I know I can do it too. Y'all ain't gonna be able to tell my s#$t!!! LOL!

Since this is a big topic for lots of you guys and I love doing research, I'll keep on digging up stuff that you might find helpful or at the very least interesting info, cuz I love y'all like that! And I know how bad that crap can be sometimes. Yuck!


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## pandemonium (Oct 12, 2010)

Great post Squirrel!! I am going to change my eating habits as well like never eating pizza again, found this out the other night, it really is your body telling you not to eat the trash you eat i think and its disgusting that i have asked Dr's what can i do to help this problem like change my diet and they dont help with that they just give you pills!! They give pills for every problem now and its bs, thy are so owned from the drug companies now that thats all they push is damn pills that havent even been around long enough to see the problems you might end up with from taking them, like these heartburn pills, there is no long term effects yet known on them.


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## mballi3011 (Oct 12, 2010)

I developed heartburn on the second day of a 2 week stay in Jamaica. Now it ended up being acid relux and it took my Cardiologist to find it. She prescripted Protonex and I take one a day for ever. I have not taken it for maybe 3-4 days and after that I will never miss a day. I really don't care how much it cost I will make it. I have found that if I eat anything atleast an hour before we go to bed I'll be up all night with a heartburn that will not let you slepp for poop. Diet will help with the reflux but I will never miss that little pill.


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## eman (Oct 12, 2010)

Been taking one 150 mg ranitidine a day for the last 3 years and if i'm eating a heavy tomato sauce for supper i take another b4 then.

 And b4 you say just live w/ it GERD has been proven to cause / accelerate esophogial cancer.

  that is what killed my mom .


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## pandemonium (Oct 12, 2010)

eman said:


> Been taking one 150 mg ranitidine a day for the last 3 years and if i'm eating a heavy tomato sauce for supper i take another b4 then.
> 
> And b4 you say just live w/ it GERD has been proven to cause / accelerate esophogial cancer.
> 
> that is what killed my mom .




agreed it does damage the esophagus


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## werdwolf (Oct 12, 2010)

Here's my 2 cents.

Reflux, Heartburn, GERD, or whatever else you wan't to call it is usually multi-factoral.  The Proton pump inhibitors(PPIs) like omperazole, Prilosec, and the mirror image (reverse Isomer) Nexium are but a few.  These certainly have side effects, and once you have been on them a while it is almost like an addiction to get off. Things you can do however to decrease the symptoms:

1) as Squirel said do not eat for 2 hours before bedtime.

2) Do not  use multiple pillows to prop yourself up (this just increase the intra-abdominal pressure and forces acid back into the food tube), elevate the head of the bed (2 2*4 under head of bed, 1 under any middle post and the footboard on the floor.)

3) avoid bulbs (garlic, leaks, onions) especially in the evening as they weaken the sphincter muscle.

4) IF you are having recurrent heartburn, that is an indicator that you have chronic inflamation of the food tube (esophagitis).  This should be taken seriously as it raises your risk of cancer.  Do not drink acidic or alcoholic beverages until you have this under control.

5) If you have a lot of nightime reflux despite all of these things you can try 1 oz of liquid antacid literally immediatley before you go to bed, and do not drink water after it so that it will lay in the food tube while you are sleeping.

Disclaimer: This is just general information and should not substitute as the advice of your physician.


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## meateater (Oct 12, 2010)

pandemonium said:


> Great post Squirrel!! I am going to change my eating habits as well like never eating pizza again, found this out the other night, it really is your body telling you not to eat the trash you eat i think and its disgusting that i have asked Dr's what can i do to help this problem like change my diet and they dont help with that they just give you pills!! They give pills for every problem now and its bs, thy are so owned from the drug companies now that thats all they push is damn pills that havent even been around long enough to see the problems you might end up with from taking them, like these heartburn pills, there is no long term effects yet known on them.


Pizza is not the culprit. If you make your own with no salt, or less salt it works. Fresh ground pork instead of store bought sausage, Tomato sauce instead of pizza sauce. Add fresh herbs and smoked cheese. Cook the meats and drain on paper towels first helps, just gotta look at the big picture. My pops died from a stroke and high blood pressure and I ain't gonna follow. I check myself on a regular basis at the grocery store at the kiosk and I'm alway's low


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## princess (Oct 12, 2010)

$.02

I had *really* bad heartburn when I was pregnant, and for what I see as obvious reasons did not want to take pills.  Eliminating carbonated beverages, using lots of pillows at night for propping me up and taking a TB or two of Apple Cider Vinegar twice a day all helped.

Thankfully, it went away once my baby boy was no longer trying to shove his feet into my esophagus. :)


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## pandemonium (Oct 13, 2010)

meateater said:


> Pizza is not the culprit. If you make your own with no salt, or less salt it works. Fresh ground pork instead of store bought sausage, Tomato sauce instead of pizza sauce. Add fresh herbs and smoked cheese. Cook the meats and drain on paper towels first helps, just gotta look at the big picture. My pops died from a stroke and high blood pressure and I ain't gonna follow. I check myself on a regular basis at the grocery store at the kiosk and I'm alway's low


its the tomato or pizza sauce that is my problem, always has been, maybe thats why im not into italian food, but i cant have eiher type sauce but i can have hot buffalo wings and other spicy foods and they dont bother me, weird


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## squirrel (Oct 13, 2010)

Pande I'd be willing to bet it's the acid from the tomatoes that are causing the problem. Make a homemade pizza like meateater said, but try using the yellow tomatoes. Just slice some up and put on the pizza and don't use a tomatoe sauce. Hot sauce is made from peppers, not acidic tomatoes. I grew the low-acid tomatoes this year and they were wonderful! No heartburn at all! Most grocery stores carry them.


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## squirrel (Oct 13, 2010)

Princess said:


> $.02
> 
> I had *really* bad heartburn when I was pregnant, and for what I see as obvious reasons did not want to take pills.  Eliminating carbonated beverages, using lots of pillows at night for propping me up and taking a TB or two of Apple Cider Vinegar twice a day all helped.
> 
> Thankfully, it went away once my baby boy was no longer trying to shove his feet into my esophagus. :)


LOL! Princess! That's too funny. I was a fire breathing dragon when I was pregnant. The smell of food gave me heartburn, indigestion, gas, headaches.


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## meateater (Oct 13, 2010)

pandemonium said:


> its the tomato or pizza sauce that is my problem, always has been, maybe thats why im not into italian food, but i cant have eiher type sauce but i can have hot buffalo wings and other spicy foods and they dont bother me, weird


I would not be a happy camper if I couldn't have my mater juice every day. I drink 16 oz. a day, that's my crutch. Tomato and hot peppers are two different families, you think the hot peppers would be worse but usually not the case. Something most folks don't know, peppers are a veggy, maters are a fruit.


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## pandemonium (Oct 13, 2010)

Thank god i can eat hot sauce because i can sure live without tomato sauce, Meat I just read that anything with seeds in it is technically a fruit, thats weird I just heard this elsewhere today as well.Squirrel I hear you on the tomatoes and i think i could use red ones because i can eat tomato slices on hamburgers without a problem, hmm well i havent had them since my pills ran out so guess i will have to find that out now tht I think about it.


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## princess (Oct 13, 2010)

meateater said:


> Something most folks don't know, peppers are a veggy, maters are a fruit.


::puts on GeekHat:: 

Oooh! Oooh! Pick me! I know this one!!

TECHNICALLY...  they are both fruits AND vegetables! The *botanical* question is this: Does the part YOU EAT have seeds? If the answer is YES, then it is a fruit!! So yeah, Tomatoes, Pumpkins, Cucumbers, Squash, Green Beans and our beloved Peppers are ALL Botanically Fruit.

Having said that... The very word "vegetable" is not a botanical term at all. It is a *culinary* term. From that standpoint, all parts of herbaceous plants eaten as food by humans, whole or in part, are generally considered vegetables. This would include things like edible fungus (mushrooms), legumes (beans) and flowers (including broccoli) and both tomatoes and peppers, too!

Wait! It gets better! The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled WAY BACK in 1883 (Nix -v- Hedden) that even though it is botanically a fruit, legally, a tomato shall be called a vegetable because it is eaten as a main course and never as a dessert. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nix_v._Hedden

::takes off GeekHat::

Cheers! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





-Princess


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## eman (Oct 13, 2010)

All i know is tomato sauce , watermelon and cucumbers or anything w/ cucumbers in it gives me fits.

 I make all my pasta an pizza  sauces and cook them for hours to try to reduce the acidity . sometimes it works and other times it doesn't.

 I just take a pill 1 hr b4 eating anything w/ tomato sauce.

i don't even try the watermelon or cukes.


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## rdknb (Oct 13, 2010)

I took Prilosec for years.  Being Diabetic the insulin can somehow give heart burn and the Doctor worried about the long term effect on that.  All that being said I ran out about a month ago and had 0 refills and noticed I have not had any heart burn,so I am thinking the need it gone.


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## pandemonium (Oct 13, 2010)

eman said:


> All i know is tomato sauce , watermelon and cucumbers or anything w/ cucumbers in it gives me fits.
> 
> I make all my pasta an pizza  sauces and cook them for hours to try to reduce the acidity . sometimes it works and other times it doesn't.
> 
> ...


your right cucumber kicks my [email protected]@ too


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## pandemonium (Oct 13, 2010)

i wont go into details but things in the bathroom have gone from soft to well painfull like the ones when you were younger as in alot more solid, and thats more of a normal deal so I really want to get off these bs pills!! also it was becoming worse like oh crap i have to go after every meal and now im not doing that anymore whooohoo


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## pandemonium (Oct 14, 2010)

Did I cross the line on the last post? lol well I wanted to share the positives of not taking the pills too.


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## athabaskar (Oct 14, 2010)

I tend to shy away from pills as much as possible, and I agree with many of the posters that good food choices and prep are probably best. For some people however, it is a medical condition that needs more aggressive treatment. My wife works for a gastroenterologist. He prescribes Prevacid (lansoprazole). I'm not endorsing it. Only saying that there are other types of PPIs that might be more tolerable to some people.


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## bbqfriend (Oct 18, 2010)

Does anyone know if there is any proven relationship between high sodium and heartburn? its hard to seperate greasy food from salty food they kinda go together.


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## pandemonium (Oct 22, 2010)

Well i couldnt take it anymore I went to Sams and bought me some more omeprazoles, life is too short and i was miserable without them, didnt seem to matter what I ate, it just kicked my a$$ everyday.


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## meateater (Oct 22, 2010)

Pande, check this out. I just saw this by accident. Another thing I just remembered is my heart burn was reduced alot when I quit smoking tobacco.

http://health.msn.com/health-topics...gerd/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100099795


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## rdknb (Oct 22, 2010)

that is very interesting.  I had heartburn and was taking meds for it, Prilosec.  I ran out and just did not refill. I found I was not getting the heartburn any more and wondered why.  Well I use to chew skoal and used gum to stop.  Makes you wonder


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## rowdyrawhide (Oct 22, 2010)

I used to chew tobacco alot (about 1 can every two days), and now I only go through about 1 maybe 2 cans in a month and my heartburn is almost nonexistent any more.  I think there is a direct correlation between tobacco and heartburn.  I also used to smoke and don't at all anymore.  FWIW.


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## pandemonium (Oct 22, 2010)

meateater said:


> Pande, check this out. I just saw this by accident. Another thing I just remembered is my heart burn was reduced alot when I quit smoking tobacco.
> 
> http://health.msn.com/health-topics...gerd/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100099795


Nice Meat, i read somewhere else about chewing gum and im not wanting to chew gum anymore mainly because i did that to quit smoking then i was addicted to the gum chewing lol maybe thats better than these pills though? I am going to try and take one every other day instead of everyday and see if that works. There were other links on that page as well with other home remedies like ginger and another herb, i will try those.


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## pokey (Oct 23, 2010)

I just got caught up on this thread and found it informative, and sometimes a bit scary, especially that article about drugs the docs prescribe but wouldn't take themselves.

I take Advair and it changed my life. It's a combination of two drugs, one of which if taken by itself has been known to increase the severity of an asthma attack should it happen, but in combination with the other drug, doesn't act that way. At least that's what my doc tells me. And like I said, it's worked so well for me (and we tried all the lesser things you're supposed to try first, to no effect), that I can't see stopping.

I took Protonix for GERD for years and it worked well, but I found over time that the symptoms were coming back.I was getting ready to double the dose (from 20 to 40) with doc's permission when my insurance decided to no longer reimburse for Protonix. So after going for a while without, during which time I gobbled antacids like they were candy, I switched to Prilosec OTC. It's the equivalent of taking a 10 Protonix. I haven't yet doubled those up, but they're working almost as well as the Protonix 20s were.

But now, thanks to Squirrel, I realize my problem really is that I'm pregnant! That would explain the belly, too. But this 40 year gestation period has got to come to an end sometime!


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## Bearcarver (Oct 23, 2010)

pandemonium said:


> Just stopped taking it because i am without insurance and I have noticed a few things, just curious to talk to someone that has taken either for a few years. Yes I know I can buy it over the counter.


I have been taking Omeprazole for 2 years, but not for Heartburn.

For about 10 years I had occasional trouble swallowing. It kept getting worse & more often. I would have to throw up to clear my throat. I was afraid to go to a restaurant, because it's embarrassing to be throwing up in a mens room, and it makes people think either you are drunk, or there is something wrong with the food. If I tried to drink something to flush it, that wouldn't go down either, and then I couldn't breath. My Sister suggested Omeprazole, after I could not eat at her daughter's wedding (great looking food), and my Dr agreed. I haven't had that problem since! Not once in 2 years!!!


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## pandemonium (Oct 23, 2010)

It works wonders for me Bear, I thought ok i will just not eat things that set it off but i get it badly for having an empty stomach or i ate some field pees the other day and they killed me so i will take the stuff.


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## pandemonium (Oct 25, 2010)

Heres an update for anyone that cares, i read that ginger root works for heartburn so I figured why not try, so I picked up a bottle of 100 for $4.00 at walmart the other day and have only taken the ginger and have not had heartburn as of yet, this will be day two of not taking omeprazole only the ginger so im keeping my fingers crossed! I took 2 pills once in morning after eating something and 2 in afternoon. And i drank quite a few beers yesterday and saturday which usually would kill me to drink two or three so thats a good test.


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