Omeprazole belongs to the proton pump inhibitor (PPI) class of medications. Doctors prescribe omeprazole to reduce stomach acrid to help treat a diversity of digestive conditions.

People tin can also use over-the-counter (OTC) omeprazole to salvage heartburn or acid reflux.

Although most people tolerate omeprazole well, there are certain risks when people use it for a long period of fourth dimension.

In this article, we review the uses, side furnishings, and drug interactions of omeprazole.

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A doc may prescribe omeprazole for intestinal or breadbasket ulcers.
Image credit: Siufaiho, 2006

A PPI will reduce the acid in the stomach, which will assist heal the stomach lining to help treat a range of atmospheric condition.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have approved omeprazole capsules and granules for the post-obit medical weather:

  • abdominal ulcers in adults
  • stomach ulcers in adults
  • Helicobacter pylori infections, in combination with antibiotic therapy
  • gastroesophageal reflux affliction (GERD) in people aged ane and above
  • GERD-induced erosive esophagitis in people aged 1 and in a higher place
  • maintaining healing of erosive esophagitis in people anile i and above
  • Zollinger–Ellison syndrome

People can utilize OTC omeprazole tablets to care for frequent heartburn that occurs two or more times per week.

Even so, doctors exercise not recommend omeprazole tablets for immediate heartburn relief considering it tin accept up to four days before it has its total effect.

Omeprazole is a PPI. Proton pumps are also called hydrogen-potassium pumps, and they are located forth the inner lining of the breadbasket. These pumps are responsible for releasing acid into the tummy.

PPIs such as omeprazole will block the release of acrid, thus decreasing the acidity inside the stomach.

Omeprazole takes around one hour to block the production of tum acid, and its maximal upshot occurs around 2 hours after taking the pill. The action of omeprazole can go along for about 3 days.

Omeprazole is bachelor in 3 dosage types. The tabular array below lists these dosage types, plus their strengths in milligrams (mg).

Dosage form Force
Omeprazole delayed release capsules 10 mg
20 mg
40 mg
Omeprazole granules for oral suspension 2.v mg
10 mg
Omeprazole tablets 20 mg

Doctors must make an accurate diagnosis before prescribing omeprazole, as each diagnosis requires different treatments.

The post-obit table lists the dosing instructions for each apply of omeprazole.

Use Dosing instructions Frequency of apply
intestinal ulcers in adults 20 mg once daily 4 weeks, merely some people may require a total of viii weeks
H. pylori infections, forth with ii antibiotics 20 mg twice daily along with 2 antibiotics ten days
H. pylori infections, along with i antibiotic 40 mg once daily forth with i antibody 14 days
breadbasket ulcers in adults xl mg in one case daily 4–eight weeks
GERD in people aged one and above 20 mg once daily 4–8 weeks
maintain healing of erosive esophagitis in people anile i and higher up 20 mg once daily studies have non explored its use past 12 months
Zollinger–Ellison syndrome threescore mg once daily some people with this status accept used omeprazole continuously for more than 5 years

Doctors prescribe omeprazole to children ages 1–xvi based on their weight. The following table lists the recommended dosages in mg for each use of omeprazole in children based on their weight in kilograms (kg).

Use Weight-based dosing instructions Frequency of utilize
treating GERD in people anile 1 and above
  • five–9 kg: five mg
  • 10–xix kg: 10 mg
  • twenty kg or greater: 20 mg
once daily up to iv weeks
treating erosive esophagitis due to GERD
  • iii–4 kg: ii.5 mg
  • five–9 kg: 5 mg
  • 10–xix kg: 10 mg
  • 20 kg or greater: xx mg
once daily for up to 4–8 weeks, but treatment is limited to 6 weeks in babies aged 1 month to i twelvemonth sometime
maintain healing of erosive esophagitis in people anile 1 and to a higher place
  • v–9 kg: 5 mg
  • 10–19 kg: 10 mg
  • twenty kg or greater: 20 mg
once daily

Researchers take non conducted studies on the efficacy of omeprazole past 12 months.

Doctors propose taking omeprazole 30–sixty minutes earlier a repast. If the doctor recommends taking omeprazole twice daily, the person should take it earlier breakfast and before supper.

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Headaches may exist a side upshot of omeprazole.

The side effects of omeprazole include:

  • headache
  • abdominal pain
  • nausea
  • diarrhea
  • airsickness
  • flatulence in adults

Side effects that children may report are like to those that adults written report, except that they tend to mutter more about fever and breathing issues, such as pharyngitis and sinus infections.

Healthcare providers should follow upwards with people using omeprazole if their symptoms persist throughout handling, or if their symptoms apace return later stopping the medication.

Some doctors will notice kidney dysfunction in people taking omeprazole. A function of the kidney called the interstitium may become inflamed, causing a status called acute interstitial nephritis to develop. People must stop taking omeprazole if they develop this.

Some researchers have linked PPIs, including omeprazole, to Clostridium difficile diarrhea. This status is a serious bacterial infection that tin can pb to hospitalization and be fatal.

Some studies written report that PPIs may increase the take chances of os fractures. Healthcare providers should therefore prescribe the lowest effective dosage and limit its apply to the shortest possible duration.

People taking omeprazole for long periods of time may become deficient in some vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B-12 and magnesium.

Some drugs may collaborate with omeprazole. People should tell their physician which medications they are already taking.

Omeprazole may interfere with the activeness of some antiretroviral drugs. Notwithstanding, researchers take not consistently reported this consequence.

Doctors should closely monitor people taking antiretroviral drugs and omeprazole together to ensure that the combination is condom. Nonetheless, people should not utilize rilpivirine and rilpivirine-containing antiretrovirals at the same time as taking omeprazole.

People taking warfarin to prevent blood clots should employ omeprazole with caution because the combination tin increase their risk of bleeding. They may need more than frequent blood testing to make certain that the dosage of warfarin is appropriate.

Some doctors have reported higher methotrexate levels in people taking loftier dose methotrexate with omeprazole. These people must provide frequent blood samples and so that their doctors tin detect rising levels.

Also, some researchers have suggested that omeprazole interacts with clopidogrel. Taking a high dosage of omeprazole can reduce the levels of clopidogrel in the blood, putting people at take chances of blood clots.

People taking phenytoin or digoxin and omeprazole together may be at gamble of toxicity. Doctors will monitor blood samples of phenytoin or digoxin closely when both drugs are required.

Some drugs need exposure to an acidic environment before the intestine tin can blot them. By reducing the acerbity of the stomach contents, omeprazole may interfere with the following drugs:

  • mycophenolate mofetil
  • iron
  • certain anticancer medications
  • sure antifungal medications

Existing research does non demonstrate that omeprazole is harmful during pregnancy. Studies from Sweden and Denmark showed that the hazard of nascence defects in women using omeprazole was like to the usual birth defect rate in the population.

Researchers have establish limited testify to propose that omeprazole is present in breast milk. The effects of baby exposure to omeprazole are likewise unclear.

The toll of omeprazole depends on the strengths. The table below provides the prices of each form and strength of 30 days of omeprazole taken once daily.

Omeprazole generic 30 capsules x mg
20 mg
40 mg
$83.01
$67.31
$122.19
Omeprazole generic 30 tablets 20 mg $23.39
Prilosec xxx tablets xx mg $25.17

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The course of PPI medications include dexlansoprazole, esomeprazole, and lansoprazole.

The PPI form of medications includes five other drugs:

  • dexlansoprazole (Dexilant)
  • esomeprazole (Nexium)
  • lansoprazole (Prevacid)
  • pantoprazole (Protonix)
  • rabeprazole (Aciphex)

Other acid suppressing medications include the histamine2 receptor blockers (H2 receptor blockers). These medications also reduce stomach acid simply use a dissimilar pathway than PPIs.

H2 receptor blockers typically piece of work more than apace than PPIs, but their effects only last for 4–10 hours.

Omeprazole is an effective medication to reduce acid levels in the stomach and treat a diverseness of stomach related weather. People can too use OTC omeprazole to care for frequent heartburn.

People typically tolerate omeprazole well, just at that place are some risks when they use it for long periods of time. Doctors should follow upward with people taking PPIs to brand sure the drug is working and make up one's mind when the person can stop taking the drug.

If someone needs long term handling, doctors need to routinely monitor their vitamin B-12 and magnesium levels and suggest supplements as needed.