Stop omeprazole/Prilosec/nexium and lose weight
hartman1021
Posts: 1 Member
I recently had some gastro issues at 32. Through going to the doctor for this issue it was suggested by the specialist to stop taking omeprazole/nexium/Prilosec because it was more than likely the root cause of my ulcerative colitis. I have had an acid reflux problem for ten years and had taken the pills everyday for that long. I sort of didn't believe the doctor so I did what most do and read up on it online. To my surprise not only was it very likely the cause but I also found something else interesting. Omeprazole causes gradual weight gain and makes it very difficult for people to lose excess weight. I had gained roughly 50lbs over the course of ten years and though I lift heavy weights three days a week and did cardio five days a week I wouldn't lose more than a five to ten pounds over the course of three months. I stopped taking this pill and not only is my acid reflux very manageable by avoiding certain foods but I have lost 9lbs in 17 days from doing exactly the same thing I've always done. The only difference is the pill.
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Have some questions for you but would first like to thank you for posting this. I have been on various ppi's for 14 years and have slowly been getting freaked about other complications of long term use that have come out over the years, mainly increased bone loss and now most recently, the connection between it and dementia. I would love to get off them but I cannot imagine going back to my previous way of life of absolutely no citrus, tomatoes, sleeping on a slant, and enough stashes of Tums everywhere to cover a drugstore. I am curious if anyone knows a safer medicine than the ppi's? I have also tried the homeremedies of apple cider vinegar, mustard, and aloe Vera juice- individually!lol2
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You mention your workouts over that same time period but not your calorie intake. I'm wondering if the certain foods you are now avoiding to reduce your acid reflux were high calorie and/or if changing your diet in this manner has affected your weight loss.7
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hartman1021 wrote: »I recently had some gastro issues at 32. Through going to the doctor for this issue it was suggested by the specialist to stop taking omeprazole/nexium/Prilosec because it was more than likely the root cause of my ulcerative colitis. I have had an acid reflux problem for ten years and had taken the pills everyday for that long. I sort of didn't believe the doctor so I did what most do and read up on it online. To my surprise not only was it very likely the cause but I also found something else interesting. Omeprazole causes gradual weight gain and makes it very difficult for people to lose excess weight. I had gained roughly 50lbs over the course of ten years and though I lift heavy weights three days a week and did cardio five days a week I wouldn't lose more than a five to ten pounds over the course of three months. I stopped taking this pill and not only is my acid reflux very manageable by avoiding certain foods but I have lost 9lbs in 17 days from doing exactly the same thing I've always done. The only difference is the pill.
I'm in the same boat. My doctor told me if they work keep taking them. Not a satisfactory solution as far as I'm concerned. I tried quitting cold turkey and had such bad rebound reflux I couldn't do it. How did you manage to just quit them? I gained weight over the 12 or so years I've been taking Prilosec, but I know it's because I was simply eating too much. I'm down 16 pounds since January 5th so it's possible to lose while taking those meds. I worry more now about the reports that PPI's interfere with the absorption of calcium and certain vitamins and of course, as barby8051 stated, higher risk of dementia.
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I do take Privacid but not everyday, but when I feel sick I take it and it helps. I didn't know any of this, thanks for sharing.0
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Ive lost 84lbs since August 11 2015 and have been taking those meds since the 90's i cant say its stoping me from losing eating to much was7
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My weight problem was associated with my acid reflux. Never had it until I was obese. Lost the weight while on nexium. Problem disappeared. Stopped taking nexium.10
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I've been taking Prilosec for about 5 years. I gained my weight before I started taking it and by counting calories I have lost 32 pounds since the end of September so it isn't stopping me from losing weight. I have tried to stop taking it before but I when I do the reflux comes back and Tums doesn't help. I'm glad it has helped you to stop it, but I bet the weight loss has more to so with what you are eating than with the Prilosec.7
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Interesting. I just got out on it. I'll have to do some reading.0
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My doctor put me on omerprazole in September to protect my stomach against damage due to the prescription NSAID I'm on to control my lupus inflammation.
I've lost 30 lbs since September, maintaining the same rate of loss I did in the 11 months prior to that.
Anecdotes aside, from the mechanism of action I find it puzzling to think omerprazole would cause weight gain, except that perhaps it aids people in having a settled stomach so they eat more because eating isn't miserable? This looks at best like a correlation.10 -
I have been off the omeprazole for a little over a month. I had to stop it,it was causing my reflux to get worse,I had restless legs and muscle pain while on them,it messed with my hormones.I was continuously retaining water,had bad headaches.The thing with PPIs they arent meant to be take long term unless you have a risk of certain stomach issues(not gerd) or you are prone to barrettes esophagus,no one including doctors ever told me that they were supposed to be short term for most people. The first two weeks of stopping it I had NO reflux,then the next 2 weeks book it was awful. I am taking an OTC pepcid and Im doing pretty well using that.I had acid reflux before I gained weight. But I notice now that The water retention is gone,and Im feeling better overall.I was on dexilant before the omeprazole and had no issues losing weight,but while on the omeprazole it did make it harder to lose it(probably due to messing with my hormones),its been a lot slower even when I was eating at a lower calorie goal(1500 or lower). so maybe now I will get back on track I hope1
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I've been taking omeprazole for about 4 years - turns out I have an esophageal hernia but it was the 60 lb weight gain that caused the problems. I've also heard that long term use can lead to problems with some nutrient absorption? Now that I'm down 67 lbs, I switched to Pepcid just last week (it's not an SSRI). So far so good!2
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I've been taking omeprazole for about 4 years - turns out I have an esophageal hernia but it was the 60 lb weight gain that caused the problems. I've also heard that long term use can lead to problems with some nutrient absorption? Now that I'm down 67 lbs, I switched to Pepcid just last week (it's not an SSRI). So far so good!
an SSRI is for depression,anxiety,etc. a PPI is a proton pump inhibitor for reflux,Gerd,etc. two totally different meds.yes,they can cause nutrients to not be absorbed
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CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »I've been taking omeprazole for about 4 years - turns out I have an esophageal hernia but it was the 60 lb weight gain that caused the problems. I've also heard that long term use can lead to problems with some nutrient absorption? Now that I'm down 67 lbs, I switched to Pepcid just last week (it's not an SSRI). So far so good!
an SSRI is for depression,anxiety,etc. a PPI is a proton pump inhibitor for reflux,Gerd,etc. two totally different meds.yes,they can cause nutrients to not be absorbed
Duh - I meant PPI - thanks for clarifying!0 -
I found the opposite to be true. I've been on genric omeprazole prescribed by the doc for a few years and it seems to have helped that I'm not stuffing my gullet with extra starchy foods to buffer the rising stomach acid. I go off it once in a while but always wind up chowing down on antacids.
I can't imagine the medication itself directly causes weight gain (but then again, my lack of imagination isn't really conclusive evidence).0 -
hartman1021 wrote: »I recently had some gastro issues at 32. Through going to the doctor for this issue it was suggested by the specialist to stop taking omeprazole/nexium/Prilosec because it was more than likely the root cause of my ulcerative colitis. I have had an acid reflux problem for ten years and had taken the pills everyday for that long. I sort of didn't believe the doctor so I did what most do and read up on it online. To my surprise not only was it very likely the cause but I also found something else interesting. Omeprazole causes gradual weight gain and makes it very difficult for people to lose excess weight. I had gained roughly 50lbs over the course of ten years and though I lift heavy weights three days a week and did cardio five days a week I wouldn't lose more than a five to ten pounds over the course of three months. I stopped taking this pill and not only is my acid reflux very manageable by avoiding certain foods but I have lost 9lbs in 17 days from doing exactly the same thing I've always done. The only difference is the pill.
The reality is, we're all different in how our body reacts to meds. My dad was hesitant to take his heartburn meds daily (he was taking "as needed" otc) and sure enough,he had a ulcer the same day he had a heart attack and nearly died. So those medicines are important "if" you need them.
I take them and have for at least the last 5 years, In the last 14 months i lost about 50lbs (w/ MFP and Mirosoft Band 2) while taking them, omeprazole specifically.1 -
I have been on omeprazole for almost 2 months now. I had so much acid reflux that my esophagus stared to close up . Had to get a endoscopy done and had to have my esophagus stretched. The closing of my esophagus was worse than taking omeprazole. I take it everyday and find no problems.2
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I lost over 120lbs while taking omeprazole. I am maintaining now and taking nexium. Not all people react the same to medication.2
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My weight problem was associated with my acid reflux. Never had it until I was obese. Lost the weight while on nexium. Problem disappeared. Stopped taking nexium.
This was me too. As soon as I dropped the weight, I stopped having acid reflux and can eat anything without it returning (except hard cheese at bedtime for some reason).
There are 4 main treatments for GERD:- Lose weight. Pressure on the stomach, especially when sitting and sleeping, causes acid to back up. Reduce the weight and you reduce the pressure
- Avoid trigger foods. These vary from person to person but frequent culprits are fatty foods and/or acidic foods
- Medication. Especially helpful when there are ulcerations or erosion in the stomach and/or esophagus.
- Nissen Fundoplication. If none of the above fix it, or you want to get off the meds, you need a surgical solution. This surgery is also the surgical solution to a hiatal hernia, which often accompanies GERD.
Each person needs to make an informed decision as to what is the best option for them and what is needed for their particular situation.
On the note of omeprazole causing weight gain . . . I lost 100 lb. while taking it. It had no effect whatsoever. I was able to get off it after a year when my GERD stopped and the gastric erosion had healed. No rebound acidity, I just started taking it every other day, then every third day, etc until I was taking it once a week, then stopped completely.0 -
My weight problem was associated with my acid reflux. Never had it until I was obese. Lost the weight while on nexium. Problem disappeared. Stopped taking nexium.
This was me too. As soon as I dropped the weight, I stopped having acid reflux and can eat anything without it returning (except hard cheese at bedtime for some reason).
There are 4 main treatments for GERD:- Lose weight. Pressure on the stomach, especially when sitting and sleeping, causes acid to back up. Reduce the weight and you reduce the pressure
- Avoid trigger foods. These vary from person to person but frequent culprits are fatty foods and/or acidic foods
- Medication. Especially helpful when there are ulcerations or erosion in the stomach and/or esophagus.
- Nissen Fundoplication. If none of the above fix it, or you want to get off the meds, you need a surgical solution. This surgery is also the surgical solution to a hiatal hernia, which often accompanies GERD.
Each person needs to make an informed decision as to what is the best option for them
On the note of omeprazole causing weight gain . . . I lost 100 lb. while taking it. It had no effect whatsoever. I was able to get off it after a year when my GERD stopped and the gastric erosion had healed. No rebound acidity, I just started taking it every other day, then every third day, etc until I was taking it once a week, then stopped completely.
When I first developed GERD I was at my goal weight. In my case being overweight had no influence. Now, though it may be a factor in why I need meds to control it. A question for my doc at my next wellness physical.0 -
On the note of omeprazole causing weight gain . . . I lost 100 lb. while taking it. It had no effect whatsoever. I was able to get off it after a year when my GERD stopped and the gastric erosion had healed. No rebound acidity, I just started taking it every other day, then every third day, etc until I was taking it once a week, then stopped completely.
Most medications listing weight gain (fat, not water weight) as a side effect don't do it directly. They can cause an increase in appetite which causes the weight gain (birth control, SSRIs, etc.). I'm not a doctor, but can't think of one medication which causes weight gain (fat) just by ingesting it.
The possible side effects are important to discuss with your doctor so you can make informed choices while taking it.0 -
I find it curious that this is OPs only post on a new account and hasn't been back. For myself, I've been lucky. The only time I have experienced reflux was while I was at my heaviest. As my weight has dropped, I haven't been experiencing it. I know this isn't everyone's experience. It was ridiculously uncomfortable, so for those who find relief with medications, I'm glad for that. I haven't looked at the pharmacokinetics of the PPIs for a while, so I can't comment with confidence on those. It is a decision that needs to be made with your doctor, along with discussing side effects that you are experiencing. All drugs carry risk. And like with most medications that have weight gain as a potential side effect, that doesn't have to be the case for all who take it.0
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Hi guys, my hubby has had reflux since he was 15! Turns out he has a hernia, so please be realistic about stopping taking meds.. As for gaining weight being a side effect, I think this can be a possible side effect which we like to use as an excuse! Don't get me wrong, I have the depo injection instead of taking the pill, side effect-- weight gain.. I'd sure like to think that I'm a little under 19 stone because of a single injection every 12 weeks, or it could just be that I treated my body like a trash can for years? I've lost 15lbs since new year from counting calories, some days aren't as honest as I'd like, but if it were 'a side effect' would the weight come off at this rate?? I don't have the answers and don't really want to offend anyone, but I didn't get this size by eating lettuce X1
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I'm taking it for Barrett's esophagus. I have no heartburn (except when pg... I called the nurse in a panic because I honestly thought I was having a heart attack!) But the GI says I need a 6 month trial, or possibly forever, due to the cancer risk.
Ugh. I hate taking it, I suck at remembering to take it, and I'm stopping after 6 months at least for a short break.
I did some research and it looks like it can cause high weigh gain if you are allergic to the drug, but otherwise it's not an issue.0 -
One thing to remember when you do take ppi's. They should not be taken at the same time as other medications or vitamins. They can inhibit the absorption of the other meds.0
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I'm taking it for Barrett's esophagus. I have no heartburn (except when pg... I called the nurse in a panic because I honestly thought I was having a heart attack!) But the GI says I need a 6 month trial, or possibly forever, due to the cancer risk.
Ugh. I hate taking it, I suck at remembering to take it, and I'm stopping after 6 months at least for a short break.
I did some research and it looks like it can cause high weigh gain if you are allergic to the drug, but otherwise it's not an issue.
if you get off them you will have rebound acid,trust me on this and its going to be awful.If you have barretts esophagus its best not to stop it at all. especially since the reflux will get worse. it may be ok the first week or two. but then it will probably come back in a rage0 -
If anyone wants a great way to get off of Prilosec without bad reflux, this is what I am doing - recommended by my pharmacist. First - stop taking prilosec cold turkey. For the first week off of it take 150mg Ranitidine twice daily (or 75mg 4x a day - breakfast, lunch, dinner, before bed), the second week take 75mg twice daily (morning, night) - then for the next two weeks take 75mg once a day - then stop or go every other day if still needed. From what they explained to me, the PPI's stop the pumps from working, and because they are stopped the body builds up more pumps to compensate, once you stop a PPI all the pumps are activated, and since they have been "storing up" or adjusted to a blockage of acid they dump acid all at once. Switching to Ranitidine helps them to ease back into the swing of things without dumping all the acid at once. It's interesting, but so far I am a week and a half into it, and haven't had any discomfort at all - so it's working well and I'm off prilosec and already down to 2 Ranitidine a day. (They also said take Tums when needed).1
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you can still have acid reflux though from time to time. I know I do.some days it doesnt matter what I eat or dont eat. once you stop the ppi you get the rebound acid. I took something called betaine hydrochloride with pepsin with meals and it helped me produce the acid I needed(not all acid reflux cases mean you are producing a lot of acid,some cases you arent producing enough). took that for over a month. I have not needed to take those pills now and all I need from time to time are a few antacids. I keep acid reducers just in case it gets too bad, which rarely happens now.0
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northlandrecords wrote: »If anyone wants a great way to get off of Prilosec without bad reflux, this is what I am doing - recommended by my pharmacist. First - stop taking prilosec cold turkey. For the first week off of it take 150mg Ranitidine twice daily (or 75mg 4x a day - breakfast, lunch, dinner, before bed), the second week take 75mg twice daily (morning, night) - then for the next two weeks take 75mg once a day - then stop or go every other day if still needed. From what they explained to me, the PPI's stop the pumps from working, and because they are stopped the body builds up more pumps to compensate, once you stop a PPI all the pumps are activated, and since they have been "storing up" or adjusted to a blockage of acid they dump acid all at once. Switching to Ranitidine helps them to ease back into the swing of things without dumping all the acid at once. It's interesting, but so far I am a week and a half into it, and haven't had any discomfort at all - so it's working well and I'm off prilosec and already down to 2 Ranitidine a day. (They also said take Tums when needed).
i tried to stop taking them and the acid return is so bad that i throw up, or i wake up in the middle of the night choking. i know being heavier is making it worse (as well as a lot of other things) but this is worth a shot. THANK YOU!0 -
jessiferrrb wrote: »northlandrecords wrote: »If anyone wants a great way to get off of Prilosec without bad reflux, this is what I am doing - recommended by my pharmacist. First - stop taking prilosec cold turkey. For the first week off of it take 150mg Ranitidine twice daily (or 75mg 4x a day - breakfast, lunch, dinner, before bed), the second week take 75mg twice daily (morning, night) - then for the next two weeks take 75mg once a day - then stop or go every other day if still needed. From what they explained to me, the PPI's stop the pumps from working, and because they are stopped the body builds up more pumps to compensate, once you stop a PPI all the pumps are activated, and since they have been "storing up" or adjusted to a blockage of acid they dump acid all at once. Switching to Ranitidine helps them to ease back into the swing of things without dumping all the acid at once. It's interesting, but so far I am a week and a half into it, and haven't had any discomfort at all - so it's working well and I'm off prilosec and already down to 2 Ranitidine a day. (They also said take Tums when needed).
i tried to stop taking them and the acid return is so bad that i throw up, or i wake up in the middle of the night choking. i know being heavier is making it worse (as well as a lot of other things) but this is worth a shot. THANK YOU!
I tried switching from Zegrid (40mg of Omeprazole, I've been on for more than 5 years) direct to Zantac 150 (Ranitidine) 2x and it was horrible... I had such bad rebound reflux after stopping the Zegrid that the Zantac didn't touch it, even on the max dosage. I ended up switching to the OTC Zegrid (20mg of Omeprazole) to try and wean myself off instead of going cold turkey, and after 3 weeks on the OTC Zegrid I was able to start to mix in the Zantac and have since added Aloe juice which is amazing! I drink 1/4 cup (2 oz) before dinner and 1/4 cup before bed and I make it through the night with no reflux and I've lost 5 pounds in about a week of being off Omeprazole (which I attribute to not eating as much at dinner time)... being on omeprazole really enabled me to eat more than I should have been.3 -
I am on a double dose of Prilosec and have been for several years. It's never stopped me from losing weight, and one time when I stopped it for a few months, nothing changed. I didn't lose any quicker, my weight loss was as steady as before. Individual results my vary.0
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