Prilosec symptoms and conditions

I am taking omeprezole & blood pressure medication & am having muscle cramps in my legs & feet mostly, but even in my chest (Thought I was having a heart attack).I am experiencing severe fatigue & like one of the previous posts, I'm having difficulty even holding the steering wheel of my truck.It's difficult for me to stay awake ,especially if I relax for more than 5 minutes.I assumed it was the blood pressure meds, & stopped taking them recently to see if that would help.(It didn't) I'm going to stop all synthetic meds ASAP & hope for recovery.I've been taking these for 3 years & am experiencing many of the same symptoms as other posts,including swollen breasts (I'm a male)...THANK GOD FOR THIS SITE!!! I'll keep you posted on my progress. Best to all fellow sufferers.P.S: My doctor thinks I have more symptoms than "a 90 year old lady" (I'm 54)God Bless, & I'm praying for you all.

I had been on Aciphex for about 4 years because Nexium, Prilosec, and all the other meds did not help my heartburn. I started having problems wtth my bowels, I thought I had IBS but with the diarrhea effects. It was so bad some days that I could not drive to work. I would have strong urges to go to the bathroom which literally gave me less than a minute to find a toilet. I never thought it would be the Aciphex. I recently switched to Zegerid and have not experienced quite the problems I had in the past. Last night I took my 1 remaining Aciphex and this morning the problems returned. I am sure now that the Aciphex has something to do with it. I am wondering if there is any long term damage/effects from it.

Well, I haven't had any side effects with omeprazole, but I just got home from my gastro doctor who prescribed what he called a slightly stronger version of Prilosec, and they filled my prescription with omeprazole, and reading all of these postings I don't think I will be taking it until I call back and have a conversation with him. Last August I was diagnosed with acid reflux/anxiety and was given a prescription of ranitidine wich I tolerated and which is in Zantac anyway, which I also tried....I was also prescribed clonazepam for my anxiety which has helped. My main annoyance when this all started was a slight shortness of breath, went to the ER two days in a row, they did EKG's and found some spikes that they thought were unusual and made me an appointment to have a stress test with a cardiologist....all of which came back normal....
I have been back and forth to my regular GP. He says my heart and chest are fine, breathing is fine. I have taken everything you can think of over-the-counter from Mylanta to Zantac, but Pepcid seems to help the most...anyway, to make a long story short, the last time I went to my GP I explained I was still having the constant belching all day, the spitting up, not a lost of reflux, mostly liquid, and he gave me a coupon for a new drug called Kapidex....
It is similar to this omeprazole I believe as it is a time-release capsule.
With Kapidex, you get the release of the proton pump inhibitor, then 4 or 5 hours later the release of a medicine that is supposed to work toward healing any EE that might have occurred with the reflux...I took 1 capsule and felt so wiped out I decided not to continue it, couldn't take it and work a mid-day shift as well, but there were no other side effects to it, and I checked online and people had mostly positive things to say about it, so I might call him and see if I can get a lower milligram dosage of it as he started me off with 60 mill.
Glad I got on here and found this web site with people posting their experiences with omeprazole before I actually took one. I am going to call my doctor back and inform him or someone of all the horror tales I have come across on this web site.
I had two gastric tests, a barium swallow and x-rays and a stomach ultra sound....what they found was a bit of GERDS in my upper digestive tract, but it is nothing I can't tolerate so far compared to the horrible experiences I have read here....I hate to take any medications, but I think I will stick with my Pepcid and my clonazepam until I talk to my gastroenterologist again...
I hope everyone is well....

My allergies caused nearly constant painful sinus pressure, drippy nose (I should have bought stock in Kleenex to profit from my box-a-day use), asthma, getting gradually worse all the time--it was as though I'd had the flu for 10 years (I'm 54). I was taking Claritin in the morning and Zyrtec at night, which only toned down the most severe symptoms. I was on Prilosec as well, as one doctor though acid-reflux might exacerbate the asthma. My family and I are avid hikers, but I haven't been able to breathe well enough to join them for years, even with daily Ventolin and Flovent. I've only been taking Singulair for two weeks, but it has made all the difference. I feel "normal" instead of sick for the first time in a long time. So, for me, it does work. But my stomach's been killing me--like a bleeding ulcer (which I had 25 years ago). I'm hoping that will subside or going back on Prilosec (expensive!) will counteract it. I've also had the weirdest dreams--very vivid and disturbing. Because I did research online before taking Singulair (Doctor uttered not one syllable about side effects), I recognize the dreams are from the Singulair. Because I understand what is causing them, I can easily set them aside when I wake up. I think anyone who's had mental or emotion problems could be sent over the edge by the dreams unless they had a clear understanding and acceptance that the allergy drug caused them. I would be easy to think something was wrong with you to dream such bizarre, violent stuff. (I'd give examples, but I've truly trained myself to forget all about the dreams as soon as I wake us, so I don't remember the dream events now.) I'm quite concerned about children taking this drug. Maybe not everyone has this disturbing-dream side effect, but how could you explain them away to a four-year old? How would you even know if a younger child was having them? Even children old enough to comprehend shouldn't be subjected to horrific mental images, like the 16 year old above. A tip for people who Singulair helps, but they have the weird dreams--try Melatonin (over-the-counter supplement) at bedtime. I've used it to help me sleep in the past when life events kept my mind too active to sleep for several days at a time. Unlike sleeping pills, it doesn't make your tired the next day, you can wake up easily, and it's not habit-forming--it just lets you drift off on days you otherwise can't. Since I'm concerned about the long-term effects of anything taken frequently, I don't take Melatonin very often, but I did try it after the fourth day of Singulair dreams. I had no memory of weird dreams when I woke up, so it seemed to work, and I didn't remember dreaming the next night either. I only tried it that one day because, as I said, I've trained myself to not be bothered by the dreams.

Wow, I was amazed to find this site! and glad I did. I went to my doctor about 3 months ago, and I had some reflux coming up and he prescribed me the omeprazole. I didn't do any research on the drug and thought it was just a stronger version of tums or rolaids because I've never had to deal with this before. Well, I started on the Omeprazole and I felt like I was in another world. After I started taking it, I honestly feel many other things have happened, such as after I would eat, I couldn't breathe! It's not that I felt the food was getting stuck, but was moving slower or something and I couldn't take air through my nose or mouth...not once did I blame it on this meds...anyhow, My neck started hurting VERY bad! I thought it was just stress....next, my memory feels like it's really slacking and I'm only 38. I can't concentrate. So, I ended up in the ER and was having very bad chest pains...thought it was a heart attack, but everything turned out to be ok and they said I had GERD. They prescribed me Nexium. That's when the true hell began. The first day wasn't bad,but a lot of gas and chest pain, along with the shortness of breath continuing. By day 2 on nexium, I was having severe, and I mean severe anxiety and panic attacks...I ended back up at the ER, again, they said everything was ok and they gave me ranitidine to take too. If I'm not mistaken, nexium and prilosec are almost the same thing? Tonight was the worst of my life.....my panic attacks were horrible, felt like something was stuck in my throat, my neck hurts so bad and my mouth was so dry I couldn't even spit, I was so dizzy I couldn't walk, my ears were cramping from the anxiety and my eyes were blurry...I honestly feel crazy. I have taken prilosec on and off for 3 months, and now I know why my anxiety was so bad for so long, but the nexium topped it off. I heard that 40 mg of prilosec is actually 20 mg of nexium....this drug is BAD and I will never take it again. I will try the apple cider vinegar method w/ some honey. My grandparents swore by it and just start watching what Im eating. I heard its 72 hours before this crap gets out of your system..I can't wait!

After reading all of the comments, I am embarrassed to say that I have taken omeprazole for the past 2 years. Originally, I began taking it for nausea from GERD. I began taking it soon after the death of my cousin (as I figured the anxiety from her death caused my stomach issues). I began to become depressed shortly after, which I also attributed to her death, financial issues, etc. However, when life got better I was still depressed and anxious. Two years passed and I still couldn't figure out why I felt so bad mentally. Not to mention I was mildly nauseous most of the time and NEVER had a normal appetite. I would only know it was time to eat when I felt faint. Light-headedness, stomach cramps and lethargy were also side-effects that I experienced almost daily. The worst part was that I didn't know if the nausea was caused by my stomach issues or by the omeprazole. It was obviously the omeprazole. About 2 months ago I switched to Prevacid which caused much less nausea but many of the other side effects were still there although a little less. I weened myself off completely (which I would recommend to anyone) and I actually feel like my old self again mentally and physically. I didn't realize how low my energy was until this last week that I've been off those meds. I'm actually HAPPY again, I WANT TO EAT something, I have ENERGY, and no light-headedness or stomach pain at all. It saddens me to think that I spent over the last 2 years feeling this way needlessly and thinking that I was crazy. There ARE other alternatives to acid reflux, GERD, etc out there that are much safer and more tolerable. If any of you are experiencing some of the symptoms that I or others have described, explore other options before you just "get used to" feeling like crap.

I have recently suffered from severe relux and have been left with a sore croaky throat. My GP put me on a drug, one of the prazole range and I suffered severe diarrhea and has now changed the medication to Omeprazole and the diarrhea still continues is this quite common as I feel I will have to go back to the GP and hopefully try something else whatever there is.

Wavy feeling of anxiety in my head (like I used to get from codeine). Fuzzy feeling in big toes. Dry, choking cough when I lay down at night. Now, I am morbidly obese and have bad acid reflux. If I don't take Prilosec every day, I cough. I also have sinus/allergy problems. So I take Claritin-D. And for health benefits, I take baby aspirin. So I'm wondering if it is the combination or if I am getting ready to have a stroke. It's my own fault for being so overweight, but it is frustrating. I also have swollen ankles and legs. And lately I feel like I have to pee too frequently and that I'm not quite able to finish. This worries me because I was feeling like this before I found out I needed surgery to remove an ovary due to a very large cyst. I wonder if I am getting another one.

32 year old male here. I was prescribed Levaquin 500mg 2 days ago for 10 days after being diagnosed with cellulite which is a bacterial infection in the blood. I had a swollen and sore groin on the right side. I already take prilosec once a day for acid reflux. Since starting Levaquin the infection seems to be clearing up, but the heartburn is pretty vicious. Yesterday I thought to myself hmm, maybe I didn't take my prilosec but I thought I did. So, I took a second prilosec but with no results. Today again as listed on the bottle I waited two hours after taking the Levaquin and then took my prilosec, but no luck. I've since taken a second prilosec and a couple of tums. As I drove home from work the heartburn started reoccurring. Thats when I googled it and came to find this site and that I'm not crazy. I also had sharp pains in my wrist and hands today and feel really run down and almost mildly depressed. I can live with joint pains and feeling a little run down, but the heartburn really does effect your eating and sleeping. I guess I'll have to see how the next 7 days go.

I have been on prednisone since I was two years old (I am now sixteen) because I have Autoimmune Hepatitis IIa. I would like to point out that there is still a life worth living being on prednisone, maybe I say this because I do not know life without it, but at least we're alive! Last year I had a flare up of the AIH and had to 6x my dose of prednisone. It sent me into a spiraling depression of constant sleep, crying, hopelessness etc....but I made it through. Just PLEASE keep hope that things would get better, because I know what it's like being on the dreaded drug better than most.

Muscle /joint pain, Chest pain, vivid nightmares, have had an ablation to cure high speed heart rhythm.
Stopped taking Omeprazole as I was having excessive pain though the arthritic swelling was almost zero.
Now feel MUCH! better
N. K.
Wiltshire

I had ankle surgery in March 2009. After several weeks of pain and inflammation, my doctor prescribed a Prednisone dose-pak to "settle everything down." Yesterday, day 1, I took 2 pills before breakfast, 1 after lunch, and 1 after supper. About 4 - 4 1/2 hours after taking my supper dose, I developed SEVERE abdominal pain (akin to labor pains) and diarrhea that lasted for several hours. The pain abated during the night and today I have had very sore abdominal muscles and a little bit of an upset stomach. I never took the bedtime dose

I don't care how much pain I have had in my ankle...nothing compares to the pain I experienced last night. I will never take this medicine again. According to all the information I have read about side effects, nothing indicated I would experience pain like this.

I am hopeful that now the stomach/abdominal pain "settles down."

ALERT!!!

If you have been having any one of these side effects, then AcipHex may be causing nerve damage.

-- tingling or numb hands or feet
-- confusion / "fuzzy head"
-- ringing in the ears
-- vision changes
-- anxiety
-- depression
-- apathy
-- fatigue

It may be serious. In my case it certainly is. I can barely use my hands. Why it happens:

AcipHex cuts down on stomach acid. Sometimes it cuts down too MUCH acid. In that case, you are unable to break down animal products enough to absorb vitamin B12 from it. Without vitamin B12, your nerve sheathing erodes. My advice would be to stop AcipHex and get a good vitamin B12 supplement (sublingual -- the type that dissolves underneath your tongue, and at least 1000 mcg). I would also advise to get the book -- Could It Be B12? By RN Sally Pacholock. Before starting supplements, insist on a urinary MMA test. It is the only B-12 test that does not give false positives or negatives often.

This book has literally saved my life.

I am 23 and never used to experience heartburn until I had my gallbladder removed last June. So at my Dad's recommendation, I bought the generic brand of Prilosec which was Omeprazole from Target. I was using it as the pamphlet instructed, (1) 20MG tablet for (14) days. Today is my 10th day and the only side effect that I believe I am experiencing is vivid nightmares. I have been taking birth control pills and a multivitamin for a long time now and because I just started with the Omeprazole, that is the only explanation I can come up with. That is how I found this site because I was trying to see if it was a common side effect. I have only experienced the nightmares for the past three nights however, I dream several different scenarios within a night. The last time I experienced consecutive nightmares was about 2-3 years ago when I was taking Lexapro for anxiety in which I had them for six months straight! As for the frequent heartburn -- it has disappeared but now I am afraid of continuing it in the future because of the massive list of complaints from other users. Just when I thought my problem was solved...you're damned if you do and damned if you don't!

J. T.

I had my mirena inserted in July 2007, so we're working on two years. At first, I noticed some sharp pains in my abdomen. When i asked my doctor about it, he told me it could not be related to the mirena and I should try prilosec. I probably had indigestion. I thought...oh, ok. If you say so! But it didn't go away until about 2 months later.

I could list all the same things as everyone else - hair loss, sore breasts, metal taste in mouth, cravings of food just like when I was pregnant, omg, the weight gain and stomach bloating is what kills me the most. I seriously still look pregnant and I didn't even think much about it until I looked at photos of myself post-baby, but pre-mirena. I looked SO much thinner and so much better rested. I seriously don't even look like myself.

I complained to my doctor last May about being super anxious and having trouble sleeping. He prescribed Lexapro for me and told me I probably had some left over baby blues. I took Lexapro until Christmas of this year when I one day just decided not to refill the prescription. I just don't feel like me. The lexapro made me cloudy and I didn't feel anything. I couldn't cry. I'm a TOTAL SAP and I couldn't cry! I couldn't feel anything. So, I took myself off it, which was no picnic in the park. Dizzy beyond belief.

It's been tough because even my husband seems to think this all coincides with becoming a mom and that is what changed me. But, I don't buy it. I love being a mom. I am good at being a mom. I have no anxiety about being a mom and so on. My body is screaming at me to change my hhabits. I've increased exercise, gained weight. I can't stop eating....and I eeat crap.

OK, enough from me. I'm getting this thing out next Monday and I don't intend to tell the doctor why. I am going to suggest I may like to get pregnant again as my reason - because I know he'll honor that reason and take it out. I plan on taking a 6 month rest from inserting any kind of chemicals into my system and seeing what happens. At that point, if my body has changed and gone back to some normalcy, I will probably go back on the pill. (I just didn't want to go back on it after my child because I got pregnant on the pill in the first place!)

I just started Omeprazole two weeks ago and am having headaches, extreme blurred vision, upset stomach, gas and constipation. I was depressed all day today which is also unusual for me. I will be asking my doctor to take me off this drug - unfortunately I do need something to treat the acid reflux so I will be researching nexium.

Good luck to anyone who has to take this - oh and I too have had the nightmares and can't sleep.

I was prescribed Biaxin Extended Release, 500 mg/2x daily for 10 days, for a sinus infection. I am on the 5th day, and feel absolutely horrible. The nausea is CONSTANT, I am very tired, headaches, stomach cramping, bad gas, sleeplessness..the list goes on and on. Also, am very emotional. I have a history of depression, but this is a whole new ball game. I cry at almost anything. I called my doctor today to switch to a new antibiotic, and am waiting to hear back.

I took Prilosec last night because my throat has been hurting and a friend suggested that I take the Prilosec to see if the pain might be reflux. I could not get out of bed this morning. I was ready to go get a mono test because of total fatigue and the sore throat but I am going to wait after reading these posts. Prilosec is the only thing that I have done differently. I also have a LOT of gas. I can't be sure if Prilosec caused the problems but I won't take the risk and take it again.

Thank you! I have been experiencing the same problems you all have posted! My doctor said it was probably stress from the holidays and my recent move and prescribed me ulcer medication. After 2 weeks I started to feel better, but not completely normal yet. For a while I went without coffee because I thought I developed an acid reflux problem along with the vomiting and stomach cramps and diarrhea, and I was taking prilosec as suggested by my pharmacist. Things seem to be getting better, so I bought Lactaid Milk and the last few weeks have been experiencing gas again. I was beginning to think it was my low fat low calorie diet with artificial sweeteners. I stay away from Splenda, because that really gives me gas problems, but sweet in low is okay. Tonight my husband and I went and got frozen yogurt, I took a Lactaid Ultra with it and about 30 minutes later I was cramping and on the toilet with diarrhea and vomiting. After reading this site, I realized Lactaid has got to be the problem. For now I am going to stay away from as much dairy and non dairy stuff I can and never use the Lactaid again. Hopefully things will get better and I can have small amounts of dairy from time to time. I am only 28 and I feel like I am having all kinds of digestive changes. Is this normal? Thank you again for your comments!

I too have had all the horrible side effects of this dangerous drug.. Yesterday after much research I started taking Aloe Vera gel capsules available at the health food stores.. I stopped the Omeprazole and I fee like a new woman already!!. Many sites recommend the aloe vera capsules not just one site..They work!! Also am eating a bland diet for awhile..applesauce, serial, apple juice..No Citrus, no chocolate, no tomatoes the list goes on.. Bland bland bland is key.

i have had problems with acid reflux for approx 5 years now and have tried everything pretty much. i first went for tests and they did the one where you swallow the liquid metal stuff (barium?) and then a endoscopy. my regular doctor said i had a slight hiatal hernia after the barium test and after the endoscopy my stomach dr said i had acid reflux and didn't have a hernia so he started me off with nexium which worked good for a while but i began to have side effects . i would just feel not right mentally cloudy all day, extremely dizzy.after that it seemed like every drug he put me on (prilosec,aciphex,prevacid) seemed to have the same results. so i decided to see if i stopped completely if these feelings would go away and sure enough they did but the acid was soon to follow. i started taking zantac 150's and they worked but now i feel like i cant sleep at night and sure enough thats one of the side effects. i also read not to drink alcohol when using these drugs. so now i pretty much sit here not knowing what move to make next

I got Omeprazole instead of Prilosec for my last prescription refill, not by my choice. I got dizzy within 30 minutes of taking the Omeprazole, and severe exhaustion. I am never taking that crap again, I just bought and downloaded an alternative guide to acid reflux from ****** published by Barton Publishing. I am going to give it a try ! I have basically wasted my day off today because between the dizziness, nausea, and the exhaustion, I don't have the energy to do any of my work I need to do at my house ! Oh yeah, another side affect I noticed: restlessness, a feeling of being overwhelmed for no reason... no more of this drug for me....

I have been on Singulair for about one month and am experiencing extremely painful cramps/charlie horses in my legs. I am taking Singulair for adult onset asthma. Have a horrid cough, been told over the past 20 years, yes, 20 years, it is caused by allergies but no medication stops the coughing. Then they figured it had to be caused by acid reflux. So prilosec is prescribed. Still have the cough. Now this specialist deems it to be adult onset asthma. The Singulair does not stop the coughing - so what is next? Major leg cramps/charlie horses.

I have battled acid reflux disease for 10 years. After years of Prevacid, Prilosec (prescription and OTC), and everything else, Nexium worked for me. I had no side effects except I was pain-free in my stomach. My only complaint was that 60 pills (of 40mgs) cost $40 after health insurance. I would definitely recommend trying it.