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Safety Alert: Omeprazole
Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) in Healthy Patients May Cause Rebound Heartburn Symptoms
What does this mean?
Nexium and omeprazole (Prilosec) belong to the same PPI drug class. Prilosec OTC is available over the counter (OTC) for purchase without a prescription. People who use over-the-counter PPIs without being evaluated by a doctor may have experiences like those of the healthy patients who took Nexium in this study.
This study provides new safety information for patients who are self-treating their heartburn and indigestion symptoms with Prilosec OTC. It suggests that self-treated patients may be at risk of rebound heartburn symptoms when they stop taking this medication. If you have been taking Omeprazole as an OTC medication for more than 2 weeks and have not talked to your doctor about your heartburn, indigestion, or acid reflux, please make an appointment with your doctor to discuss your symptoms and the use of this medication.
At this time, experts cannot say for sure what happens to patients who stop taking PPIs prescribed by a doctor for a specific condition. Thus, as with any prescription medication, you should consult with your doctor before stopping Omeprazole.
A recently published study in the journal Gastroenterology found that healthy patients taking the proton pump inhibitor (PPI) esomeprazole (Nexium) for 8 weeks were more likely to experience symptoms of indigestion, heartburn, or acid reflux after they stopped taking the PPI than patients who stopped taking a placebo medication. These study results suggest that healthy patients taking a PPI may have excessive secretion of acid after they stop taking the PPI.
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