Prilosec / Omeprazole Question?

Question

For a few weeks, I've been having what I now recognize as classic GERD symptoms: warmness in the chest area, sometimes burning in the abdomen, constant clearing of throat, constant burping up of bitter junk, especially after eating, some back pains, especially when I breathed deeply. I first spoke with a doctor at www.healthcaremagic.com and he said he is almost certain it's hyperacidity aggravating an ulcer. He suggested I take some OTC omeprazole.....He said that the way doctors diagnose Acid Reflux related problems is by hearing the symptoms (and he said mine are classic for acid reflux) and then finding out if the symptoms respond to a PPI such as omeprazole. If it does, that's what the problem is.

So I've been taking it for a week today. And around day 4, 5 and 6, my symptoms were feeling MUCH relieved. In fact, 2 of those days, I was almost able to forget anything was wrong. Today though...I had a return of the sensation of some food not being easy to swallow. It eventually went down, but within the first minute of eating it, I still felt it like it was right there at the top of my throat. I've also experienced some warmness in my chest again. (I was an hour later than usual taking it today, btw). Having said that, I'm still much closer to normal feeling than before I started the Omeprazole.

So here's my question: Should I worry that there's been a slight relapse into my symptoms today? Or does this mean there's something more serious going on?

--Rich

Answer 1

GERD can be aggravated by a number of different things; eating greasy or spicy food, and in particular lounging or lying down after eating or drinking (you're best off making sure you're sitting up straight for about a half hour after ingesting something).  I'd keep on your OTC med for now, and try to note if there's any change in your diet or eating schedule that is associated with the return of symptoms.

One thing you should know is that OTC antacids are not supposed to be used for months on end.  If you find yourself having the GERD symptoms return any time you try to decrease the dose or go off your meds, you need to talk to a doctor.  It can stress your stomach to have the pH level artificially altered for that long, which can lead to cellular changes.