| Key to ratings for prilosec: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine. |
| Rating | Reason | Side Effects | Comments | Sex | Age | Time Taken | Date Added | |
| | F M | | | | ||||
| Change sort order by clicking arrow under column heading. | ||||||||
| 1 | acid reflux | metallic taste in mouth, tongue became VERY sore and tingling, "sore throat", gnawing sensation in stomach, bad breath, lumps the size of golfballs that could be palpated mid-neck bilaterally the were very tender, burning in throat/esophagus, exhaustion, joint pain (right iliac crest 5/10, low back/area of kidneys, thumb joints, quad muscle right, left knee), decreased appetite | Generic prilosec was prescribed for acid reflux which was causing discomfort and interferring with my ability to sleep. It actually worked beautifully for the acid reflux for the first 3-4 days of taking it. I was so thankful and impressed that I nearly sent my MD flowers! But then the symptoms began as noted under the side effects I listed. Even with stopping it at day 15 (and I am now at day 18) I am still so lethargic and hurting so badly that I can't function very well. The metallic taste and tingling and soreness of my tongue are starting to recede, but my throat and neck still hurt enough that I don't want to eat. I went to see the MD on call at my physicians practice on day 15, they didn't give a definitive answer. I just said I was stopping taking it and they suggested taking Pepcid AC instead, and scheduled me for an upper and lower GI. Haven't done any of those things yet. The side effects have definitely been worse than the reflux. My goal now is to stay away from any medicines as much as possible. Are all doctors really so busy now that they don't have time to care for their patients and discuss the pros and cons of various alternatives? I remember my grandmother used to say, "Doctors bury their mistakes." | F | 52 | 15 days | 2/6/2010 | 1 | Ulcer | Numbness in legs, headaches, stomach aches, red numb face with a tingling feeling some times also with decreased sensitivity in it, head feeling out of it, dazed. | I went to the ER in Jan 2010, feeling like I was out of my body. With head pains in everything. At that point I had stopped the Zantac as that was what I was taking at the time. I did not know it was the medicine. At the end of Jan, my stomach pain had returned so I started taking the Zantac (ranitdine) again, after a couple days I felt weird and read that Priolsec (the offbrand) was better at healing ulcers in the studies they had done. Well, I happened to have some on me from last year (it has not experienced yet) and when I took it I had only taken it a couple times. So, I took it every morning at 9 or 10am. Before I ate. The 1st day an hour after I took it I felt out of my body and crazy. By the 4th day my face was hot and numb for a couple of hrs then it would go back to normal. I've stopped taking it for 3 days now, I need to know how long it takes to get out of someones system and if anyone else has experienced these things. I still have some numbness in my legs and in my face it's red and numb. Please EMAIL me and tell me if you guys experienced this and how long it took to go away! I am taking benedryl right now, because the dr thought maybe it was an allergic reaction to it. The benedryl works a little, but I still have the numbness. So, IDK. Please Email and help! Thanks in advance! | F | 30 | 4 days | 2/3/2010 | 1 | GERD, EE | Poor concentration/mental fog, blurred vision, anxiety/panic attacks, disturbed sleep/insomnia, chest pains, nausea, headaches/migraines, etc | I was on nexium, prevacid, prilosec and in 2009 was put on kapidex-which gave me the worst sideeffects of them all I think. I was getting chest pains so much, I thought I was going to get a heart attack!... Then on a website I looked up Kapidex, came on the market in feb of 09, and it had the same sideeffects as the others but then there was a list of Serious side effects below that... and one of them said "potential heart attack"! I was like: "are you kidding me?!" and after being on it for almost 2 weeks, I threw the rest in the toilet and flushed the drugs away. Kapidex is about a year old on the market now... I would suggest people stay away from new drugs on the market. We don't know what they can do to us. I'm a FORMER-guinea-pig for the pharmaceutical companies to make money off me. No more drugs. | M | 27 | 2 years | 2/3/2010 | 3 | barretts and gerd | depression,anxiety,insomnia,fatigue,headaches,ringing in ears,constipation,breaking out on back and torso,some loss of sense of smell | took it from October 2002. am trying to quit as of today-the insomnia,headaches,fatigue and anxiety are rendering me incapable of enjoying life. | M | 66 | 7 years | 2/2/2010 | 1 | Acid Reflux | Poor concentration/mental fog, blurred vision, anxiety/panic attacks, disturbed sleep/insomnia, chest pains, nausea, headaches/migraines, etc. | Way too many side effects from Prilosec to stay on. I couldn't help notice many people having sleep issues. Source Naturals: Melatonin works for me. Also you can try some Valerian herb. Also Check out: mastic gum, pepzin GI | M | 27 | 2 years | 2/1/2010 | 1 | Acid Reflux | Anxiety with sweating, racing heart, racing thoughts, insomnia, second guessing myself, difficulty concentrating, all over dull headache, thought I was having a nervous breakdown. | This is awful stuff. My 12 year old daughter has been on it as well. I've been on it for a month longer than her. Out of desperation I woke her up at 3:30 in the morning when I couldn't sleep 2 nights ago, after many nights and asked her if she has been having problems sleeping. She said she had been waking up at 3:30 or 5 a.m. every morning and we set our alarms for 6 a.m. How strange we both woke up at 3:30 every morning and we take the same pill the same time every day. She also told me she'd been hallucinating. She thought these things would go away. We stopped taking it that day! It scares me how many teenagers might be taking this and these symptoms drive them over the edge to suicide, because I had a hard time handling the symptoms and I'm an adult. They need to take this junk off the market. I'm going to try natural remedies for myself and my daughter, like the vinegar thing, which I found on the internet. Why don't the doctors tell us about those, instead of pushing these pills? I've been on Kapidex, had severe leg cramps, went off it, so I probably didn't get far enough to reach anxiety; been on Nexium and broke out in hives, went off it and now this. I think they all have basically the same chemicals in them, with a different name. I'm waiting for these side effects to get out of our systems now. | F | 38 | 2 months | 2/1/2010 | 1 | Heartburn, Abdominal Pain, GERD | sweaty palms, couldnt walk fast, feeling faint and lightheaded | Had chest pains and belching and so was prescribed Omerprazole 20mg. The first 5 days that i was on it was fine, after that all the other side -effects started, stopping taking it since last 2 days and am feeling better. | F | 34 | 12 days | 2/1/2010 | 2 | acid reflux | Never had reflux in my life till recently, feel it is because I am very stressed. The reflux appeared a little after the stress. It is burning my larynx and was given prilosec. It is causing my stomach to burn. I don't want to be on it for the rest of my life. Can anyone help me to get off this stuff. | What I have read is that it is not intended for long term use. How do you get off the stuff without getting heart burn back? | M | 5 | 4 days | 1/31/2010 | 1 | occasional acid reflux | Insomnia even with prescrption sleep meds. Blurred vison and difficulty focusing. Pressure in head and sometimes behind eyes (headaches),Detached feeling, abnormal mentally with mental fog. Fatigue and weakness. Hardly feel like moving or communicating with my family.Dizziness. Dry mouth initially.Tingling electric shock feelings in arms and legs (paratheisa). Headaches seem to be worse | Was on the 20mg Prilosec about 3 weeks when severe insomnia started. Got Temezapam for that but didn't realy help and then added Sonata which helped a little. Thought I just had a messed up sleep cycle. I was getting forgetful and somewhat spacey but figured it was age with the sleep deprivation. I then started wtih the tingling in extremities and sometimes scalp and noticed my vision blurring. I became extra fatgued and mentally out of it. Felt like I was looking outside of myself. Some depression and anxiety as I began to be concerned about Multiple Sclerosis or such. Easier to cry. Thank the Lord I found this website and decided that it had to be Prilosec so I stopped it and started b12 sublingually as I figured it had been depleted as a lot of the symptoms mimic b12 defeciency as well as MS. Felt so bad that I went to urgent care and got b12 injection which appeared to help some but then back to all the previous synptoms. Read where some people metabolize this slower and get overdosage. Either that or its just poison! Been off now for 10 days and still feel like I'm dying. Going to my primary MD and will show her these other ratings where the symptoms of others are just like mine. Been praying that God will heal me so I cam be back to a normal mom and wife. Wondering how long it takes to get better! I pray that there are no long term effects. STOP this toxic drug if your are taking it!! | F | 49 | 5 weeks | 1/31/2010 | 1 | GERD/heartburn | too many to stay on this drug. | For those taking PPI's (nexium, Prilosec, etc) ... Try PepZin Gi instead. Also Mastic Gum! | M | 27 | 2 years | 1/31/2010 | 1 | Hiatal Hernia | Palpitations, Cold Toes and Fingers, Racing Heart, Sleep Issues when I tried to go to sleep I would feel a pulse throughout my body, Blood Pressure increases, Tinnutis (Lound Sounds would send me through the Roof at Night) Anxiety Attacks, Constipated and Bags under my eyes. | This Drug was tough on me, I had no underlying conditions other than the hernia and reflux. I have never felt so bad as I have the last 2 weeks I thought I was going to have a heart attck/stroke and went to docs to increase BP medicine which I probably didnt need. I took Xanax so I could sleep longer than 4 hours I just went off it and after 2 days I feel a bit better. I did use the Generic Brand at CVS. I would like to say Thank You for this site I really felt like Crap so I don't know what I will take next tried Nexium, Protonix and Prilosec. I will let everyone know when I am back to normal. Hopefully next week. | M | 41 | 30 days | 1/29/2010 | 1 | Acid | anxiety/panic attacks, dizzyness,Poor concentration/mental fog, blurred vision, anxiety/panic attacks, disturbed sleep/insomnia, chest pains, nausea, headaches/migraines, etc, etc, etc. | try cabbage juice! | M | 27 | 7 years | 1/28/2010 | 1 | GERD | Rapid heartbeat, woke up the next day to severe vertigo, severe chest pain, feeling like I was about to passout, faint numbness in fingers, throat tightening. | First time taking the medicine, symptoms appeared within the first two hours, and increased in severity through the night. | F | 25 | 1 days | 1/28/2010 | 1 | STOMACH ACID ISSUES | ANXIETY ANXIETY ANXIETY! HORRIBLE FEELING! HAVENT HAD THOSE IN YEARS BUT THIS MEDICINE DEF... DOES IT! HAD TO STOP AFTER 3 DAYS! SYPTOMS WENT AWAY AND NOW I FEEL NORMAL AGAIN! HAD THE SAME THING HAPPEN WHEN TAKING AN ANTIBIOTIC CALLED OMNICEF?? WONDER IF THEY HAVE A SAME ACTIVE INGREDIENT ??? | F | 42 | 4 days | 1/27/2010 | 1 | acid reflux | shortness of breath, tightening in the throat, light headed, racing heart. | I took Prilosec for two days, I skipped today and in the middle of the day I nearly passed out at work. All of a sudden I could not catch my breath, I was shaking and dizzy, my co-worker almost called an ambulance. When I got home I googled swollen throat, shortness of breath and light headed this sight came up and after reading others experiences I know it was the Prilosec. I am still feeling the side effects just not as severe. DO NOT TAKE THIS MEDICIATION! | F | 49 | 2 days | 1/26/2010 | 1 | acid reflux/heartburn/EE | chestpains, blurred vision, headaches, poor concentration, mental fog, cramps, etc... | I have been on prevacid, nexium and prilosec a couple years each... adding up to maybe 7-8 years total. These drugs only MASK the problem and only treat the symptom. Ultimately they do NOT solve the problem and you'll end up being on these drugs for the rest of your lives unless you realize that they're actually making things worse in the long run. Remember... The drug companies make money when your sick. Try Sangre de Drago and Una de Gato/Cat's Claw for stomach ulcers! Go to your Natural Vitamin shop for remedies for your ailments. | M | 27 | 7 years | 1/24/2010 | 1 | acid reflux/heartburn/EE | Poor concentration/mental fog, blurred vision, anxiety/panic attacks, disturbed sleep/insomnia, chest pains, nausea, headaches/migraines, pretty much a lot of the side effects reported on this page. I've been on everything from prevacid to nexium to prilosec. I'm a former user. | Prilosec, nexium and other PPI's kill the good bacteria/enzymes that your body needs to properly digest food. You will become malnourished because of these drugs. They are very dangerous long-term as they will stop vitamin and mineral absorption. ie. vitamin B, calcium, etc. They can even cause hip fractures in the elderly. This needs to be taken care of naturally. First of all, you must cut off all fried food, take out food like Mcdonalds/burgerking and other killer-food, cut-off alcohol altogether, avoid spicy foods, tomato sauce, caffeine etc. Go to a Natural Vitamin shop and purchase yourself: Metagenics Endefen, Metagenics Glutagenics, Soluble and Insoluble fiber, microflora 50 billion cultures and also see what they have for heartburn.Ex: slippery elm bark(the natural rolaids/tums), orange peel extract. There are natural remedies for this. No need to be on these drugs, which actually make things worse. A table spoon of baking soda in glass of water usually works for me. also: Apple cider vinegar. also check out: Cat's Claw | M | 27 | 7 years | 1/24/2010 | 1 | stomach ulcer losec 20mg MUPS | lightheadedness, severe anxiety, feeling out of body experience, feel like I want to scream and run away, feeling depressed, mild headaches, insomnia...the list goes on | I am sooooooooooooooo glad to have found this forum. Informed doc that I was feeling these symptoms and could they related be to losec...he said most definitely not!!! The side effects on the enclosed form said that if you experience depression etc. that these have not been proven to be associated with losec...well I beg to differ now. I stopped taking 4 days ago, most side effects have lifted except for I am still experiencing anxiety, blurred vision and feeling shaky....can anyone tell me how long before I am back to normal...as normal can be. I was prescribed losec (and they are expensive paid €63) for possible stomach ulcer (have not officially been diagnosed as have to go for tests)...or could be gallstones (again awaiting tests)...but doc said to keep taking losec anyway....well I'll tell you no more, I feel like shxte. I think some people are more prone to side effects with certain drugs..for example my sister pointed out to me and recalled that when I had the flu once I had an adverse reaction to benylin cold and flu tablets...felt like I was going to faint, head extremely woozy...but nothing like the things I am experiencing with losec. | F | 39 | 2 weeks | 1/23/2010 | 3 | Frequent heartburn | inability to concentrate, joint pain | I've always been lucky to have great health, but acid problems are the one exception. Two days into Prilosec, and the generic, heartburn was essentially gone. But I've noticed some joint pain the last few months and some on my left hip which my Dr. diagnosed as bursitis. Took ibuprofin for two weeks and switched to Aleve and had no tangible effect. A few weeks ago I noticed that the general pains seemed to be subsiding and what I didn't put together at the time was that finances prevented me from getting more Prilosec for about a month. Now, a few weeks later, I've been using it again and the flu-like joint pain is coming back along with the 'bursitis'. I just took the last of the current box and I'm purposly going to go off it for at least a month to see whether it was a conicidence. Heartburn was interfering with my sleep and causing other general discomfort a couple of hours after a meal, so I'm not looking forward to that, but I have to know if this is the cause. I think I'll wait to pursue alternatives for my heartburn until I'm confident of the cause of the pain. Nice to know that others are looking at Prilosec as the cause. | M | 42 | 1 years | 1/22/2010 | 1 | gastric ulcer | insomnia, mental fog, low grade daily headache | I started taking prilosec because I thought it would be milder than prevacid. At first it was fine but in the last few months I started having sleep issues and low grade headaches that got worse after dinner. Concentration became more difficult with time and my work suffered significantly. I've been searching for possible causes because I did not accept that I was "just getting old and get used to it". I found this website and stopped the prilosec. Within days my fog lifted, I could sleep without ambian, I could actually see better and my headache was finally gone. I aslo stopped taking my blood pressure medication without an increase in my blood pressure, which is now acceptible. | M | 58 | 6 months | 1/19/2010 | 5 | Excess acid production | None | I am 52 and I have been on Omeprazole 20mg for over 18 years now. I started when it was only available as Losec / Prilosec but I now have generic Omeprazole. It completetly changed my life for the better. Pretty early on I found that taking the 20mg every other day worked best for me unless I feel I have a particularly acidic reaction to some food in which case I just take an extra one. So dosage has remained stable and effective for 18 years. I can say hand on heart that I have been lucky enough to experienced absolutely no side effects. However, I know that I would not now be able to give the drug up. After so many years my body is so used to the regular drug that if I was to miss, say, three days I would get an uncomfortable reaction - But I am quite happy to stay on it for the rest of my life and have no worries. I felt I should post this because you always get lots of negative reation posted on the internet making people frightened and I wanted to provide a positive side - this drug worked wonderfully for me and after 18 years without a problem I think it will continue to do so. | M | 52 | 18 years | 1/18/2010 | 4 | GERD | joint, hip and all around muscle stiffness, facial swelling and weight gain | I die when I'm off it, but after reading all this and seeing a neroligist for possiable bone issues, (which I have none) I will stop taking it and see what happens. I have been to two doctors in the past month and no one can explain what's wrong with me....maybe this is the problem? | F | 49 | 2 years | 1/18/2010 | 4 | GERD | Osteopenia, osteoporosis, vitamin D deficiency, heart palpitations, right arm pain | Ten plus years ago I started taking prescription Zantac, progressed to Nexium and the last 5 years I've been taking OTC Prilosec. Yes, it stops my acid reflux but I have been concerned about long term use. I have always been super healthy but managed to inherit my mother's digestive problems. My doctor says that using Prilosec just cuts back the excess acid I produce and to keep taking it and that I can even double up on it. I take Prilosec in the morning but if I eat dinner out I find I have to take alka seltzer before bed. I have tried to quit but "misery" doesn't begin to describe how I feel, I have to go to bed propped up with a hot water bottle and I can't even go one day without Prilosec. I've tried OTC Tagamet, Zantac, Tums and they are of no help. I have long suspicioned my confirmed vitamin D deficiency has something to do with Prilosec blocking absorption, same with the osteoporosis as it doesn't run in the family and I use hormone replacement patches which helps protect against osteoporosis. I don't know if the Prilosec has anything to do with it but for the first time my cholesterol has zoomed to 254. It's time to take this in hand and I am going to make a real effort to start weaning myself away from Prilosec. If I have success I will report back. | F | 69 | 5 years | 1/18/2010 | 1 | dysphagia(difficulty swallowing | multiple neurological symptons, heart palpitations, | Two months ago I was started on 20 mg of prilosec twice daily for one month, then decreased to daily for difficulty swallowing, that my MD insisted was gerd. shortley after I began having ringing in my ears, headaches numbness and tingling and weakness in my legs and palpitaions I have been to ER multiple times ,everything normal, my Md said I am having anxiety attacks. Last week I noticed a sudden increase in the weakness in my legs then I woke up in the middle of the night with severe dizziness, profuse sweating, body tingling all over and palpitations, I thought I was having a stroke, when I got out of bed, my arms ,legs and body were jerking uncontrolaby, I managed to drive myself to the ER, the Md was extremely concerned, they did a head CT which was normal, again all the tests were normal, they referred me to a neurologist, that was two days ago and now my muscles are so tense, I feel like I am coming out of my skin!!, I feel like I am going crazy, these symptons are not in my mind I have been on the internetf or the past two days trying to figure out what it might be, then this morning something made me look up prilosec side effects, I am in total shock after reading all the postings, I am going to stop the prilosec immediately and am hoping that the symptons will go away, also my MD never told me to limit the time taking prilosec in fact she recently told me to increase to two times a day as it has not helped my swallowing. | F | 52 | 75 days | 1/18/2010 | 1 | Acid Reflux | Blurred vision, anxiety/panic attacks, disturbed sleep/insomnia, chest pains, nausea, pretty much a lot of the side effects reported on this page. I'm a former user. | Prilosec, nexium and other PPI's kill the good bacteria/enzymes that your body needs to properly digest food. You will become malnourished because of these drugs. This needs to be taken care of naturally. First of all, you must cut off all fried food, take out food like Mcdonalds/burgerking and other killer-food, cut-off alcohol altogether, avoid spicy foods, tomato sauce, caffeine etc. Go to a Natural Vitamin shop and purchase yourself: Metagenics Endefen, Metagenics Glutagenics, Soluble and Insoluble fiber and also see what they have for heartburn.Ex: slippery elm bark, orange peel extract. There are natural remedies for this. No need to be on these drugs, which actually make things worse. A table spoon of baking soda in glass of water usually works for me. also: Apple cider vinegar. | M | 27 | 2 years | 1/16/2010 | 4 | Daily heartburn | My side effects mainly we're that I could never quit. Every time I went back to the Prilocec. It started with a whole pill and have been down to 1/2 for 2 years now. I quit 9 days ago and I feel like my heart is beating out of my chest, I've been waking up in the middle of the night with rapid heartbeat. | Since using the drug I have been prescribed thyroid medicine, have high blood pressure, and cholesterol. I realize now that I never had any of these symptoms before. Glad to have found this thread. I hope the heart palpitations and heartburn go away soon! | F | 39 | 4 years | 1/15/2010 | 1 | acid reflux | severe anxiety and depression, joint pain, numbness/tingling in arms hands and fingers, terrible fatigue | been taking omeprazole for about four years with tons of side affects. the one that bothers me the most is the pain in my back and all joints. i was prescribe 4 other meds to deal with all of the sickness like high blood pressure, arthritis, back pain, severe cramps in back and legs, and of course anxiety and depression. maybe it was five more meds... lost count ... thanks to your comments and this site i will stop taking this terrible drug today!!! | M | 39 | 4 years | 1/15/2010 | 1 | gerd | I had every side effect you could think of. i had extreme chest pain and i mean extreme chest pain. i was told by a doc to take this for gerd. i think it would be great if you have a bad case with ulcers. | i developed bacterial overgrowth and candida from this drug suppresing my acid so much. every time i quit my acid came back worse untill one day i quit and had no acid and i mean none. very scary feeling having no acid in my stomach. a month later it came back though , thank god! I would burp up water it seemed like and i was extremly bloated for that month. now i have to get over my other problems. no more acid reflux after being off it for 6 months though. maybe just a little. | M | 25 | 2 days | 1/14/2010 | 5 | GERD | None that I know of... | Used asiphex for many years, until I lost my insurance, this was recommended, and has worked great for the last 5 months. | M | 54 | 5 months | 1/12/2010 | 1 | GERD | My side effects worsened over the years of taking Prilosec. At first it worked great for drying up the acid in my stomach but caused my hips and lower back to ache if I took it for more than a week. Later it worked well for my stomach but caused those symptoms plus arthritis like aching in my hands. I have recently realized that severe headaches that I have had for several years that I thought was strictly sinus pressure related was for the most part caused by the Prilosec. | It sure helps your stomach acid problem but overall was not helpful to me. I am soooo glad that I finally realized that it was causing my headaches. I feel like I have got my life back now even though I still have some problems with my GERD. | M | 58 | 10 years | 1/12/2010 | 1 | esopohigitis | tighter throat,anxiety,chest pain asthma like symptoms | I was told to take prilosec after edoscopy showed esophigitis .I got about 4 days into it when i noticed chest pain that I thought was heart trouble small anxiety attacks and insomnia my throat even felt tighter.I even had asthma symptoms.Ive been off it for about 6 days and the chest pain is gone anxiety gone Ive decided to watch what i eat and not lay down for three hrs or more after meals.for me the side effect outweighed the benifits please feel free to email me | F | 24 | 8 days | 1/11/2010 | 1 | Ulcer | Twitching upper lip, dizziness, feet are cold and numb and can't walk fast. Breathing feels funny, sorta huffy-puffy. Headache too:( | 1st Day- 3 hours after taking my first pill and I hate it! I feel stoned out of my mind and my upper lip is twitching terribly! I have never had my lips twitch ever in my lifetime! My feet feel cold and numb and sluggish. Legs feel achy and tired. My head feels all dizzy and I can't think clearly. Felt absolutely wonderful all day today until 3 pm. Took the pill at noon with my lunch:( Just took a Benedryl hoping it would halt these side effects. Not gonna continue with Prilosec tomorrow. I don't like it at all. | F | 45 | 1 days | 1/11/2010 | 1 | Hiatal Hernia | Totally made my symptoms worse!!! Didn't even make it through the first 14 days. Made me sicker in other ways (diahrea), severe stomaches, headaches, nausau! | M | 57 | 8 days | 1/10/2010 | 1 | Because my doctor said so.. | stomach pain, hart palpitation, insomnia, back pain, blurred vision, constipation, lump in the throat does not disappear, pain in the right leg while sleeping, | My doctor is a moron, or probably a barber! | F | 48 | 3 days | 1/9/2010 | 1 | Gerd, no gall bladder, | chronic cough, chronic swallowing, heart palpitations, blood pressure up, 130 or more at times. Arthritis has become crippling for me at times. Can't exercise so gaining weight I AM MAD AS HECK....ABOUT THIS I want my life back | I am currently being treated for these symptoms and the ENT is suggesting to up the dose because he's thinking I need 40mg to be more affective. M heart can't take anymore of this. I feel like I am going to have a heart attack. I have been on previcid also.I try to get off it but have terrible heartburn (like a heart attack) Doctor is saying Prilosec might not be working anymore...But what to do now? | F | 59 | 15 years | 1/8/2010 | 4 | Severe GERD | I had been on Previcid for almost 7 years until it stopped working and I had a severe flare up of GERD symptoms. Tried several other stomach meds prescribed by my doctors. None seemed to help until I tried the Prilosec. Helped my stomach greatly, but am now experiencing terrible belching, a feeling of a tasteless and oddorless gas coming into my throat, trouble breathing, a dry cough, fatigue, blurred vision, loss of energy which causes loss of interst in doing the things I most enjoy and last but not least, incredible hair loss! | Will be seeing my doctor ASAP to discuss getting off of the Prilosec, but fear having the GERD symptoms, tightness in chest, lump in throat, feeling sick to my stomach/burning stomach, return. Not sure which is worse, the symptoms of GERD or the side affects of the drug. Back to the drawing board on finding alternative remedies that work. Have been using apple cider vinegar, honey and applesauce and these help a great deal. I'm game for getting off the meds to see if my stomach has healed enough to rely on the vinegar, honey and applesauce and to just be very careful to eat small meals and avoid trigger foods. | F | 47 | 3 months | 1/7/2010 | 1 | GERD - severe esophagitis | exhaustion, weight gain, numbness in hands, back ache, thirst, headaches. soft stools | i can't believe what I'm reading! I thought it was just me. My ins. co. made me switch from brand to generic last summer and ever since I've been a tired mess. I just learned about the B12 deficiency and believe that I have all the symptoms of that. I am stopping this drug immediately! Thank you to all of you who have written already. You have really helped me! | F | 44 | 2 years | 1/4/2010 | 1 | acid reflux | This stuff really works for the acid reflux, but after about a year, I started to have an irregular heartbeat, so I did some research and discovered that is a common side affect of the Prilosec. I stopped it about three days ago, and the symptoms are waning. If you can tolerate it, it works great. But, just be prepared there might be adverse reactions. I'd rather have the relux than the irregular heartbeat. | F | 60 | 1 years | 1/4/2010 | 3 | acid reflux | Extreme malaise after eating, along with headaches, thirst, and fatigue. I am pregnant, so at first I thought it might be gestational diabetes. I am getting off the Prilosec immediately. | F | 36 | 8 days | 1/1/2010 | 2 | Horrible heartburn | Over the years it became less effective and I started taking more to deal with horrible stomach pain. I developed arthritis in my ankle so bad I could not walk at night and as a long-time weight lifter, I noticed I was getting weaker at a rate not attributable to aging. Quitting was hell. Since quitting about two months ago the problems with arthritis have improved and finally I am regaining stregnth in the gym. | Acid problems are horrible, but there is a reason the manufacturer recommends limiting this product to a few weeks use. For me, long term use was quite bad. Quitting was extremely difficult, but I seem to be slowly improving in the areas of pain and weakness. And now that I am off the medicine, I am learning which foods to avoid (pizza, beer, coffee) and my stomach is better than when I was on the medicine. For long term users, I highly recommend slowly reducing the dosage and then stopping (I tapered off over about 5 weeks). At first the stomach pain is horrible, but for me the long term health effects have been well worth it and I feel better off the med than on the med. Best of luck to all and thank you for your input. | M | 51 | 7 years | 12/30/2009 | 2 | Acid reflux, heartburn | Severe back and spine pain, low temp (96.5-97.5), tingling and numbness in toes and fingers (especially big toes and ring and pinkie fingers), heart stabbing pain (like a blood clot or heart attack), numbness in left arm, shooting pains, difficulty breathing and shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing, central nervous system failure like if i didn't breathe myself, my central nervous system wouldn't bother (went to the ER once in a panic), feeling like slipping into a coma then snapping out of it in a panic, chills, headache, dizziness, dry itchy eyes (like sand in them and no amount of eye drops helped), week heart beat, UTIs, and ringing in ears. Diagnosed Vitamin B-12 (B12) deficiency. Diagnosed 3x increase of TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) to above normal levels (possible sub-clinical hypothyroid). | A year ago I went to my doctor about numbness in my toes and fingers, and the doc thought it might be a vitamin B12 deficiency (a test proved so). He said to take a B complex vitamin (I take a daily Centrum). I mentioned my other symptoms, and he thought the chest pains were all related to my previous diagnoses of acid reflux. I've been taking Prilosec OTC regularly, and asked about the 14-day limit warning. He said don't worry, I need to take it forever. "OK". So over the last year my symptoms got worse, but not consistent. I could go days feeling OK, but other times very bad (I even went to the ER once). I've been back to see my doc and he never asked about or tested B12 again, or suggest Priolosec was to blame. I soon noticed a pattern when I stopped taking Priolosec regularly. I bet my B12 absorption has decreased even more and the daily multi was not enough to overcome the B12 issue, along with potassium absorption, etc. Yesterday I took a single B12 vitamin with 500 mg (8,333% DV compared to Centrum's 6mg 100% DV), and my body temp went back to normal, and I feel much better today. I wouldn't have tried that until I remembered the B12 thing a year ago. I am upset my doc did not make it clear that I need a high dose of B12 to overcome the absorption problems Prilosec causes, and that a daily multi-v wouldn't cut it, and not even suggest Prilosec was the cause, or even retest B12 (which is suggested on drugs.com for long term Prilosec users). | M | 38 | 2 years | 12/29/2009 | 5 | GERD | Nothing on brand name, but on equate generic omeprazole: weight gain, numbness/weakness in forearms, migraine-level headaches, eyes slow to refocus from reading to looking far away. | I did a search for "numbness in forearms and eyes out of focus" and this site popped up in the google search. I've taken Prilosec since 2006 when I couldn't afford Nexium. Then I recently switched to the generic versions of omeprazole to save money. In August I got a horrid headache diagnosed as a migraine that came with forearm numbness/weakness, blurred vision, and a foggy head. That lasted two weeks. At some point (going to check my receipts) I got brand name prilosec again becasue it was on sale. Symptoms went away. Now on Equate omep. again and the symptoms are back. After reading these posts, I'm gonnna go off this for a few weeks and see what happens. Like another poster here I also had trouble mostly in my right eye. Just freaky! Never made the connection before reading this webpage! (BTW-it did cure my GERD) | F | 43 | 3 years | 12/28/2009 | 5 | GERD | NONE | I've taken Omeprazole for over 10 years and have never had a side-effect. And it totally relieves the heartburn. It's a wonder drug | M | 60 | 10 years | 12/27/2009 | 1 | Burning Pain in Upper Stomach | Dizziness,muffled hearing,racing heart,palpitations, shortness of breath,fatigue,feeling "out of my own body", my head feels like it has been stuffed with bunting,foggy headed, cold sweats, sweaty hands (my hands never feel like this!). Mood swings. Sever agitation/ anger,anxiety. My family is constantly telling me to calm down. I thought they were crazy! I took a two week cycle of the name brand Prilosec and felt okay. Then I bought the Equate Version and the symptoms started almost immediately. | I had my doctor to blood tests because I thought I had some terrible disease. They came back normal. I ended up in the ER the next night and they did and EKG and blood work..all normal. They said it was GERD. Wrong! I knew it when they said it. I didn't take this junk this morning and I don't feel nausea but I'm cold and clammy and my hands are sweaty. I've also been a bit dizzy today. The dizziness and nausea have been horrible!! I'm assuming I'm going to have withdrawals from it. I was on a narcotic for chronic pain at one time and when I went of of the medication. I felt almost just like this. It's insane! I just hope it passes quickly. What are other people's experience with coming off of this stuff? I'd love to hear it. Were you clammy and sweaty and hot at the same time? | F | 34 | 12/26/2009 | 3 | Acid Reflux | It is day 3 for me on Prilosec. It sures works on the Acid Reflux. My stomach feels great......except I can hardly see. I have blurred vision, with vertigo, and a constant feeling of "HAZZY" if you can understand. I have read all of your comments...and this is very scary. Their is no side effects list in the box...WTF?? IT is working on the Acid Reflux.....but I stumbled onto this site by googling "Prilosec dizzy side effects" Hi ALL....welcome to the club. The side effects are very interesting. They are not debilitating, I was just unsure what was going on. Now I need to see if they get worse. I can live with this if it cures my Acid Reflux. My Doctor instructed me to take this for 2 weeks and then I probably will never have to take it again. This is what he said. He said that Prilosec allows your stomach to heal. So I have a few of the side effects.....but my side effects make me feel kind of out of it. | This is day 3 for me......and I don't know what to do. I have read many of the horror stories here....and my side effects are mild compared to some......but I have them. Be careful, and monitor yourself. This is 100% Bullshit that they don't warn you inside the box about the possibilities of some weird shit happening. Good luck all. I marked this site. Awesome posts. I guess I am not crazy....LOL | M | 43 | 3 days | 12/24/2009 | 1 | heart burn/possible acid reflux | I posted on 12/08/09 and forgot to list high BP 141/80 normally around 115/70 and ringing in my left ear. | I have been off 40mg Omeprazole for 3 weeks now and the side effects have subsided but are still lingering to some degree. My chest pain is gone and my BP is down to 125/70. I still experience some weakness in arms and legs and have strange numbness/tingling sensation in the back of my head and neck.I also find that I am really fatigued at night. No more anxiety or stomach issues. I read that omeprazole can suppress acid production for 3-4 months after you stop taking it. i hope that the side effects don't last that long. | M | 37 | 20 days | 12/23/2009 | 1 | Possible GERD, H.Pylori ? | Lump in throat, severe throat & mouth burning. Suddenly began having numbness, tingling in hands & fingers plus swelling, increased BP (always low before). Stopped 20 mg. dose following endoscopy & now increase in stomach acidity & discomfort since stopped pill. | New gastric distress-increased symptoms. Had endoscopy that was negative.Never advised about side effects. Thought I had some very weird illness or virus. Did not relieve my symptoms now they are worse since stopping dose 5 days ago. Will this end? Any advice as to what to do to control withdrawal. How long does this last? | F | 63 | 16 days | 12/21/2009 | 1 | Chest pains, tingly arms, hands and feet, severe back, neck and left shoulder pain, weakness in arms and legs, wrists suddenly feel like I have carpal tunnel, chest tightness, heart palpitations, pale stool, anxiety, fatigue, near vision blurry but only in right eye, ringing in ears, occasional dry cough, high blood pressure 141/75. | I had an anxiety attack at the end of October due to an extremely high amount of stress, but at least I knew the cause. Doctor prescribed Propranolol which definitely kept the anxiety at bay. Another side effect of the stress a couple of weeks later was acid reflux. Wound up going to the emergency room and they gave me Maalox with Lidocaine and Prilosec. About and hour I felt much better. I was prescribed Nexium but due to the cost, the pharmacist called the doctor and asked if I could simply take OTC Prilosec. Dosage 40 mg/day. About 3 days later I started to feel much better so I continued to take the Prilosec. After this I seemed to have so many symptoms, but attributed them to the stress. However at about day 8 of taking this drug, I started noticing blurry vision and my energy level plummeted, to the point where I would have to take a nap during the day or I’d fall asleep at inappropriate times of the day. This is highly unusual for me. Within the past 2 days, my muscles have started to ache horribly, especially my Pectoralis muscles and the chest pain is more frequent. (doctor says I don’t have a heart problem). Last night though, I just didn’t feel right so I took my blood pressure…HIGH! Of course that threw me right into a full blown anxiety attack and my blood pressure went up to 169/80. The only other drug I’m taking is Prilosec so I have to assume that it is the culprit for all of my symptom, not the stress which has actu | F | 54 | 13 days | 12/12/2009 | 1 | acid reflux | severe anxiety, depression, loss of appetite, suicidal, stinging in the throat, out of my mind and world, very emotional, lack of sleep, dehydrated, metalic tongue, shortnesss of breath and tightness in my chest. | This drug about killed me. I was taking the generic brand and thought it was helping. I never put it together what was going on with me until I found this site. I was ready to die. It didn't help my acid reflux, just made it worse. I have been off of the drug for 4 days and still are having some effects. I am not as depressed and the anxiety is starting to go away. Do not take this drug!! BADDDDDD!!!!!!! | F | 39 | 3 months | 12/11/2009 | 2 | nausea and vomitting extended time | horrible chest pains and pain between shoulder blades, swollen face and fingers, lots of anxiety | I just got on here to read up on prilosec and am going to stop taking it immediately | F | 36 | 7 days | 12/10/2009 | 1 | Acid reflux possible Ulcer | Anxiety half hour after taking meds, severe chest pain, radiating into back, asked God not to take me yet, I was that sick and scared. My mood was detached, and could not communicate with others very well. Cold hands, sweats, had to lay with my head propped up and hands on stomach. Felt like crying allthe time. Could not move from this position. | I did not have the syptoms until 3 weeks later, then Bam! I have been off for a day now and will be going in for a Ulcer Test Friday. I think the Docs don't check what is going on with these Meds. I am still waiting to feel like myself again. This is pure Poison! | F | 47 | 12/9/2009 | 1 | Gerd | Severe anxiety, panic, tightness in chest, numbness in arms and legs. numbness in face left eye. Cloudiness unable to focus, feeling of being trapped in my head. feelings of despair and depression when I stopped taking it. All of which were not present prior to being perscribed a PPI. | Was prescribed another PPI (Protonix) in April and over the next several months noticed increased tightness in my chest and difficulty maintaining composure (excessive outburst of anger/anxiety). In July ended up pulling over to the side of the road while driving home with what I now know were withdrawal symptoms from the first PPI (had run out a couple days prior). ER doc prescribed prilosec along with tranquilizers for panic/anxiety and I have been fighting what I thought was a neurological problem ever since. Got the flue a couple weeks ago and stopped taking prilosec because of the anti biotics and after a week of a nightmare of depression and anxiety I all of a sudden felt great (tired but great). Still hadn't made the connection so I started taking the prilosec again and was terribly ill by the next day. Only got two doses before it clicked and started to detox again. Worst withdrawal I have ever felt, thought I wasn't going to get through it at one point and now at day 7 off I am just able to get up and around. Be careful if you take any PPI's. Alternatives should be considered for gerd if you can do it. I am certainly going to explore some better options. | M | 37 | 6 months | 12/9/2009 | 1 | heart burn | dizziness, light-headed, back, neck and left shoulder pain, weakness in biceps and legs, chest tightness, heart palpitations, abdominal pain, changes in stool, severe anxiety and fatigue | I went the the ER one night with severe tightness/ burning in my chest. EKG-Chest X-ray, cardiac enzymes were normal. ER doctor prescribed 40 mg omeprazole and told me to try it for 30 days. After 3 days, I began to experience horrible side effects. I didn't think that prilosec could cause such severe symptoms and thought that I had some condition that was getting. worse. Several blood tests and CT scans later, my doctor could not figure out what was wrong and assured me that prilosec couln't be the cause. Thank God for this website! I stopped taking the omeprazole on Dec 1 and have been getting better ever since. I still and feeling the after effects but not as severe. I hope this stuff gets out of my system soon and that no permanent damage has been done. Please make sure that you ask to try the lowest dosage of prilosec first! 40 mg was overdosing in my case! | M | 37 | 20 days | 12/8/2009 | 1 | GERD/Reflux | Burning/ tingling sensation in feet,even though cold to touch. Very short of breath, with dry cough. B/P shot up high. Anxiety and feeling depressed. | Have had this shortness of breath & other symptoms on & off for several years. It was only when my B/P went sky high that I realised I could have a problem with Omeprazole. Looking back at my state of health when not taking this drug... I noticed a pattern had emerged, the breathlessness & cough had gone, I was feeling much happier & with more energy. The last time was in October of last year. Since then I have been back on this drug & have felt awful & progressively worse. I am no longer taking this drug, and would advise everyone to think twice before starting it. I have been off it for just a week now, The depression has lifted,, the anxiety also. I just hope the breathlessness will go soon .... it is quite debilitating. | F | 64 | 4 years | 12/5/2009 | 2 | reflux | I became so hungry nothing would satisfy me. I looked up increased hunger on the side effects but saw nothing, I am off it now, for two full days, and I am beginning to feel less hungry, hopefully in another week, I'll be back to myself. I was taking two doses a day. | F | 55 | 3 weeks | 12/2/2009 | 1 | acid reflux | severe diarrhea, intestinal distress, some nausea, back pain, some chest pain, weight loss, flatulence, belching. Pain around gall bladder area and under ribs, sore breastbone. | I stopped taking this on day 10 out of 14. I am two days out and I am on the BRAT diet. I do not have diarrhea any longer but I'm also only eating bananas. Diarrhea and stomach pain (gas) ALL OVER has been the worst. Very shocked that there was no insert about side effects in box. Would not recommend. | F | 36 | 10 days | 12/2/2009 | 3 | Gerd | Shortness of breath, Chest pain, ringing in the ears. | Started taking prilosec OTC 20mg once a day, after about 1 month I started getting shortness of breath, fatigue. Also noticed I have ringing in the ears as well. I have been off of the drug for almost 2days, hopefully shortness of breath will go away soon. | M | 46 | 30 days | 11/30/2009 | 1 | no appetite | Took Prilosec for 18 months for having no appetite. I did not notice any difference ut continued on it. Finally was diagnosed with an 85% blockage in the right artery of my heart & had a stent put in. Continued the Prilosec, and still had no appetite, no energy,felt poisoned, and lost 26 pounds which put me at 96 pounds. I was hospitalized many times and felt better, but would come home and be unable to eat again. I am on Plavix and an RN told me about the recent news on the use of Plavix and Prilosec, so I went off of it and take Pepcid now. I figured out that whenever I was hospitalized, I was not given Pri;osec so I was able to eat and didn't feel "poisoned." I almost died from the use of this drug. It also affected my blood pressure (normally 110/60 and would go to 180 with a pulse over 100.) The last time I was taken off of in the hospital, I had a seizure and my pulse went down to 24. And of course, as usual, there was "nothing medically wrong with me." My | F | 67 | 600 days | 11/30/2009 | 1 | Acid reflux | Shortness of breath, lump in my throat, dizziness & anxiety (due to not catching my breath). Went back to Dr. and he gave me an inhaler, I am quitting the Prilosec and see what happens. Worse right after taking it and throughout the day. Symptoms happened after a month, thought I was dying! | Helped my acid reflux! | F | 41 | 6 weeks | 11/28/2009 | 1 | Acid Reflux | Severe nausea, vertigo, shortness of breath, gnawing pain in middle upper abdomen, diarrhea, hot and cold sweats, gas and bloating. | I started taking the generic brand of prilosec and started feeling terrible right away. I thought it was just my acid reflux seeing how I was just diangosed two days before starting the Prilosec. I stopped for a few days and still felt sick but not as sick as I did when I was taking it. I started again just for a day and I thought I was going to die. My husband freaked out and begged me to go to the hospital. I will never ever take this med ever again!!! | F | 26 | 7 days | 11/24/2009 | 1 | AFTER GALL BLADDER REMOVAL | None for the first month or so. Then I started experiencing horrible leg and foot cramps at night. They would occur every night and wake me up in horrible pain. Had to stand up and walk around for a while to make them go away. They were ruing my sleep. Plus, my mouth felt dry as the dessert all day and night. Was drinking tons of water and even carried a bottle when I went shopping. My wife, who had been put on this drug didn't experience leg cramps but suffered from the dry mouth. She was only taking 1 prescription tablet, whereas, I was taking two per day. | I decided to check the internet about this drug and found that the prescription dose does warn you about this effect but the OTC version does not. I didn't read the instructions while taking the prescription version. Apparently, these symtoms occur only after prolonged use (8 weeks or more). I stopped taking the drug a few days ago and the cramps and Charlie Horses went away!!. So, use it with caution and not for very long time. | M | 67 | 60 days | 11/24/2009 | 2 | i had shortness of breath, chronic dry cough and lump in the throat. didn't feel like i could get a deep breath but could excercise fine if i kept it at a low HR. I quite taking it when i got my bloodpressure taken and it was in the 140's. | I took 40 mg a day and it did nothing. My doctor told me to take 160mg for 6 weeks. It helped somewhat but cause my bloodpresure to go to 145/90 and i'm a triathlete. I also got very dry eyes for which i have drops. I still have the cough but the throat clearing is gone. I stopped coffee, chocolate, caffine in general, red meat, sodas of any kind, beer (still drink vokda so who cares about beer). Doctor told me you can't od on prilosec but if my vision is hurt and i have a freaking heart attack what's the point. This drug does strange things that they don't tell you about. | 36 | 4 months | 11/20/2009 | 1 | To see if I have acid reflux | Insomnia increased significantly; tightness in upper chest; took pill in the morning, these symptoms happened at night. | F | 67 | 2 days | 11/19/2009 | 2 | Major, intense, debilitating joint pain. | I never put 2 & 2 together until now, but from the moment I started taking Emeprazole, I experienced gradual pain in my hands & wrists. Eventually, it got to the point where I started having blood tests, X-Rays & MRI's done to check for arthritis. All tests came back negative. Eventually, the pain worsened to the point where I would wake up with such intense pain, that I couldn't even pull up my socks, wash my hair or pick up my small dog without being in agonizing pain. Even shaking hands with someone became absolute torture. My knuckles appeared swollen, as did my elbows. On a hunch, I stopped taking Emeprazole 5 days ago, & low & behold, the pain is starting to subside! I have never felt worse in my entire life, & now a drug that was helping with my acid reflux might be to blame! The other side effects I've read on here (chest pain, increased heart rate, etc., I have NOT experienced). Please, if anyone has had agonizing hand/wrist pain, please let me know. Thanks. | M | 40 | 6 months | 11/18/2009 | 5 | hiatal hernia | Mild constipation | I have taken this (Prilosec and generic) reguarly for almost three years now. Any time I try to stop, I get terrible heartburn. Reading other comments, most of you have NOT linked the medication with your complaints, nor resolved your problems by stopping the meds. I cannot function without this medication. | F | 51 | 3 years | 11/17/2009 | 1 | GERD | Terrible anxiety, panic attacks while sleeping, drenching night sweats, depression, chest pain. I had no history of these symptoms before taking this drug. | After experiencing these terrible side effects, i went back to the doctor and guess what he did ... he doubled the dose. I just could not function! Then I did more research and figured this out. I will never take this drug again! | M | 50 | 3 months | 11/17/2009 | 3 | knot in throat cause by stress | bloating, swelling, decreased appetite, loss of breath, did minimize signs of acid reflux, felt light headed, dizzy, anxious | no one ever told me of the extreme side effects of Prilosec... and it took ME to figure it out. :( | F | 30 | 30 days | 11/16/2009 | 1 | Gerd | Heart palps, depression, anxiety, tiredness, bloating, depression | It has been six weeks since I stopped taking Prilosec and the diffence is amazing. My girlfriend cant believe the change in my appearance since the bloating has gone away. I feel energetic, I can get up in the morning, anxiety is gone, I am clear minded and best of all the Heart Palps finally stopped after being off of the drug for three weeks. If you are taking this drug PLEASE STOP! Also be aware you may have the H. Pylori bacteria which is commonly mis-diagnosed as GERD. This can be cleared up with a two week dose of "formula SF734". Email me if you need more info. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. P.S. Bruce@yahoo.com.....I tried to reply but the emails kept coming back undeliverable. | M | 47 | 10 years | 11/15/2009 | 1 | Esophageal Cancer | Loss of appetite, feeling full, food tasted bad, dry cough, iron not being absorbed (anemic), no deep sleep (waking up every 2-3 hours). | I was diagnosed with Esophageal Cancer back in September and was told to take Prilosec OTC everyday when released from the hospital. My appetite decreased shortly after but thought it was due to being depressed about having cancer. Last week I was in the hospital getting my chemo and radiation and while in there I did not take Priosec, I believe they gave me Nexium instead. My appetite was good even while having chemo. In this week afterward I started taking Prilosec again and have no appetite, a feeling of being full, food does not taste good, dry cough, and I am not sleeping well (even after taking a prescribed Ambien). Also, my hemoglobin's are down again compared to being in the hospital because I am not absorbing iron. Currently Prilosec is the only drug that I am taking. Tomorrow I will stop it and see if I can get Nexium instead if I really need anything at all. It has been a rough week but I am glad I found this site. Thank you to everyone who posted their side effects. You really helped me out! | M | 34 | 2 months | 11/8/2009 | 3 | Acid Reflux | I am very happy with the results of how it has helped my acid reflux but...I have been on it for 5 days now and am having vertigo. So far it seems to happen only when I move to quickly(which isnt often due to severe back problems). I think I will give it a lil more time to see if it worsens. I am willing to put up with the dizziness for now at least at this degree. It seems manageable if I rise slowly and dont move fast. | F | 45 | 5 days | 11/4/2009 | 3 | GERD | Fatigue, heart palpitations, lightheaded, dizzyness, blurred vision at times, felt out of it, and strange shooting pains. | This stuff is powerful and stopped the GERD but the side effects suck and aren't worth it. If you need to take this drug for a short time like less than a month then you might want to consider it, but not for months or even years. | 47 | 4 days | 11/4/2009 | 1 | supposive GERD | severe insomnia, restlessness, racing thoughts (never done crack, but i'd guess this is what it's like), muscle tightness, tingling, nausea, headaches, brain fog, tiredness, overall feel horrible. could not attribute these symptoms to anything else. | i stopped taking prilosec 3 days ago but am still having alot of these symptoms. i really hope they subside soon because i feel like i'm going to go absolutely crazy. never, EVER take this medicine. these side effects are no joke. | M | 22 | 10 days | 11/3/2009 | 1 | Heartburn | Heart Palpitations, Shortness of Breath, Sleeplessness | I am a triathlete and have exercised regularly for many years, and am required by my job to get EKG's each year, no heart problem history. Within several days of starting Prilosec had increasing heart palps, shortness of breath. Stopped taking drug and palpitations slowly lessened over two weeks, now they are completely gone...draw your own conclusions...I have. | M | 48 | 10 days | 11/1/2009 | 1 | Acid reflux, GERD | Cramps, severe (and I mean SEVERE) stomach cramps; on a scale from 1-10, the pain was a 9+ and I went to the emergency room 2 times to see what's what. Had an ultra sound and CT Scan and stool sample; all negative. I am having a colonoscopy and upper GI next week; but here's the thing: I have had NO symptoms since I stopped taking this drug; no cramps, no pain, nothing. Do Not Take This Drug!!!! Two trips to the ER and all they gave me was pain meds which wore off. Once I stopped taking this drug (40 mg a day all at once), the pain ended. All PPI's are basically the same a few differences chemically, but Maalox or Gaviscon work much better. Believe me: you do not want to be on this stuff. Avoid it at ALL costs!!! | Avoid this drug - ask for something else. Zantac is not a PPI, but it can help with less dramatic side effects. Prilosec is not worth the pain, cramps, diarrhea, consipation and overall feeling like you are going to die. Avoid it! Avoid it!! Have it taken off the market!!Email me with any questions or if you want more info. I'd be glad to help you. | M | 44 | 2 months | 10/23/2009 | 1 | GERD | Headache, fatigue,light-headed,sensory overload,depression,cough,blurry vision,dizzyness,back pain,feeling like I was going to pass out,tingling of limbs-particularly the right side,foggy,BP elevation,just plain sick! | DO NOT TAKE THIS MEDICATION!! I will gladly chew TUMS or Rolaids! | F | 40 | 8 days | 10/23/2009 | 1 | acid reflux | heart palpitations, shortness of breath, trouble sleeping, anxiety | I was spiritually guided to this site. I'm not a church going man but but believe in God. I sat outside the ER an hour ago with pain in my chest, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, dizzy and thinking I might have a heart attack. I'd been feeling heart palpitations for 3 months with increasing frequency prior and also short of breath at times, which concerns me because I'm fit and exercise regularly. I haven't been sleeping so well lately, my strange heart beat can keep me awake. This morning was the worst and it scared me enough to drive into the parking lot of the ER and pray for guidance. "Should I go in?" I felt strongly I should first go online and explore Prilosec side effects. Thank you all for sharing. I believe in a God who wants us to be healthy and happy. Drug companies want money. | M | 44 | 2.5 years | 10/22/2009 | 2 | Ulcer/Heartburn | dizziness, confusion, anger/aggressiveness, depression, fingers swollen, arm, neck, hand and leg pain, rib pain, panic attacks, high blood pressure, diarrhea, kidney pain, numbness & tingling in arm, jaw & face, insomnia, extreme muscle weakness (sometimes couldn't hold a piece of paper or magazine for more than a few seconds), overwhelming exhaustion, back pain, weight gain, sugar intolerance | Began Prilosec for heartburn 5 years ago. It began working within 2 days, and relieved ALL of my symptoms. I asked a doc if it was ok to take it longer than 14 days. He said "if it's working,then keep taking it". Every doctor I asked for the past 5 years has said the same thing, but over time I have been exp more strange problems, beginning with arm and chest pains and anxiety attacks. 3 years in I went to an ER for chest pains; they & a later cardiologist couldn't find anything. 2yr later, I began getting numb and dizzy any time I ate anything sugary (juice, candybar, etc), so I went to a doctor. My bloodwork indicated probs w/ triglycerides, but nothing else. 3mo ago I began getting too weak to pick up my kid. I also began experiencing spikes in my blood pressure. Heart palpitations began happening almost daily, and I began having stabbing pains in my arm and shoulder. I tried to stop taking prilosec by diet & other OTCs, and it seemed to be working (and my weakness began to go away!), but after a week my heartburn (and now ulcers) hurt so bad I had to start again. My "joint pains" returned, this time with more severity. Tried that a few times. I'm back on prilosec, and just found a doc who told me NOT to use it. PPIs prevent absorption of magnesium, potassium and other vitamins. Without magnesium & potassium, our muscles cramp, which can cause high BP and heart attack! I found this site while searching for a way to quit prilosec, 'cos I W | M | 35 | 5 years | 10/21/2009 | 4 | Acid Reflux | After 2-3 years on Protonix, then 6 years on Prilosec, I hurt my back about 3 years ago and never really healed. I have recently started having pain under rib cage on the right side, like a kidney punch. I have had the weakness in hands as mentioned by others as well. I do not know if I can attribute these symptoms to Prilosec, but I am going to try getting off it for a while. | This was absolutely fantastic for acid reflux, but if the above are side effects, I will take a lot of Tums instead. | M | 38 | 9 years | 10/17/2009 | 2 | reflux | on my 4th day, headache and aches are present. I cut the 20mg in half but still feel bad. I'd rather have the reflux!! | M | 55 | 4 days | 10/9/2009 | 1 | acid reflux | started having stomach pain, like a burning pain, started having chest pain, rib pains, headaches, felt depressed for the first time in my life, this occured after 2 years on the drug | doctor said keep taking it because it doesn't have any side effects, I could punch him in the mouth, i'm 25 6'ft 180lbs, perfectly healthy, exercise almost everyday, at least i used to, had chest pain for 4 months, quit prilosec a week ago and i feel alot better, all my symptoms went away exept for a little chest pain wich i hope will go away completly | M | 25 | 2 years | 10/8/2009 | 1 | gastritis, possible ulcer | Started having pain in right side up under ribs. Doctor did HIDA scan and ultrasound of gallbladder and was functioning at boarderline normal at 36 (34 is below normal). | Found a study from the Univ of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Dr.s Cahan M.A., Balduf L.; Colton K.; Palacioz B.; McCartney W.; Farrell T.M. that showed that Prilosec decreases gallbladder function in healthy people. These people went back to normal after stopping Priolsec. This drug also has a nasty rebound effect for me. I have some bad acid days while trying to wean off. I am currently on a 50% dose (10mg) and want to switch to a 25% dose in 2 days. I am transisitioning to Zantac for a while and then hopefully to nothing. I am taking DGL, L-glutamine and Zinc-Carasate (not sure spelled right). Gastritis appears gone, as is most of the side pain from the gallbladder. Good luck to everyone! God Bless You! | F | 45 | 3 months | 10/8/2009 | 1 | Chest pain due to acid reflux | 2nd day felt better but after that way worse. Chest pain increased and I can't even find a position to drive in comfort. | M | 58 | 4 days | 10/1/2009 | 4 | acid reflux - severe | briefly - yeah right! Swollen finger joints, achy arms, shoulders, hips, diahhrea, cramps, feeling hopeless at strange times | Once read an article that asked physicians which drug they prescribe that they wouldn't take - Prilosec was #1. My doc laughed when I told him about it (as he prescribed it for me.) I've been on POTC for 5 months - 2 a day. At first it helped reflux perfectly with one a day. Started having stomach aches, doc told me to take 2 a day and added Donnotol for IBS (even though I knew it wasn't that - had it before, this was different.) So, am to the place I described. Had upper GI and colonoscopy because I felt so awful all the time. Found nothing. With swollen/stiff fingers this past month I've had enough. I finally remembered reading about these side effects with Prilosec when I first started taking it, but thought it wouldn't effect me. I was wrong! I will manage my diet and just not eat at night if I have to, but I won't go back! | F | 52 | 5 months | 9/25/2009 | 2 | GERD | I came down with Osteopenia (a precurser to Osterporosis) and joint pain and complications. | There was no reason for osteopenia for me--not in my family makeup; I exercise regularly; I lift weights; and have been taking calsium for many years--so I was bewildered and then the GMA morning show featured a doctor who mentioned that they are finding that proton pump inhibitors are responsible for some people acquiring osteoporosis and a light went on. On this website I found out about the rebound effect of Prilosec and went off immediately. I used probiotics and enzymes to help through the first four weeks (especially the first two weeks) and now it has been over two months---no more problems. I do watch how much I eat and when I eat, but generally speaking I no longer have a problem. I believe my GERD started because of taking ibuprophen and other aspirin containing products. In the meantime since going off of Prilosec my knees are feeling much better. | F | 63 | 10 years | 9/25/2009 | 2 | YES | The first day I took Prilosec I was fine, I would say it was like the 4th day I start experiencing the side affects, first my throat got sore, when i swallowed it hurted, then i noticed that my stomach was getting bloated, i thought that i wasnt drinking enough water so i started drinking more water to flush my system, then i start getting a earache and being really tired and start feeling light headed at times. i took myself off prilosec and got back on zantac and the lightheadedness and bloating & earache just went away completely. acid is very mild with the zantac but still need the med. | if u want it out ur system the best thing i could suggest is that u drink plenty of water to flush it out just water for a couple of days and it will eventually leave but for future ref. i wont deal with prilosec... | F | 32 | 12 days | 9/24/2009 | 1 | Gerd | Side effects sneak up on you. I had no idea Prilosec was causing me to feel so bad until I put two and two together. | I had been taking this medication for about 3 months. It did help with acid reflux and gerd. I began to have daily headaches. My jaw began to ache and I thought I was having problems with TMJ syndrome. I also started to have constipation and a weird full feeling while my stomach was growling. Most troubling for me was the terrible panic attacks, severe depression and racing thoughts. I was ready to check myself in at a psych ward. I also experienced weird body aches and pains and feelings of complete exhaustion. I really thought I had a terminal disease or the end was near for me. I asked the Doctor if Prilosec could be causing all this but was told "no, it's a great drug". Yeah, right! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do yourself a favor and do not take this drug. It will sneak up on you and will change for life in a bad way. I have now been off of it for 4 days and I am starting to feel better already. Bad side effects are beginning to go away - thank GOD! | M | 46 | 3 months | 9/24/2009 | 1 | Heartburn | I experienced extremely swelling and bloatedness in the face. I was on this medication about 6 months ago (along with another med) and noticed the bloating in face. I didn't know if it was from the Prilosec or something else so I went off both. Just started back on Prilosec about 3 days ago and within a day my face became swollen immediately. GOING OFF THIS!!! | F | 27 | 3 months | 9/24/2009 | 1 | acid reflux | Heart palps, severe sweating episodes w/chills afterwards, dizziness, blood pressure spikes, muscle pain, vertigo | I use the Prilosec-20mgs. over the counter. I have went off, but go back on due to the reflux. I know one is only supposed to stay on for 14 days then give it a rest before going back on...but I have been taking continually for awhile. My symptoms have been getting worse & worse (even though I have been walking every day for the elevated bp, the walking has not had an effect on it). Also, my sweating & weakness have been off the charts! I have been blaming it all on my diagnosed fibromyalgia & change of life symptoms....BUT...I now believe some of my symptoms are exacerbated by the Prilosec. I'M GOING OFF!!! Thanks to this site for all the shared experiences. | F | 62 | 2 years | 9/21/2009 | 1 | acid reflux | stiff jaw and jaw pain, thirsty, anxiety, metal taste in mouth, vision changes, acid reflux seemed worse, naseua | acid reflux seemed worse on this medicine! I started having jaw pain days after starting medication. Jaw locking and waking me up in the middle of the night. pain was getting worse and I was searching webmd for jaw pain and they said it could be an allergic reaction to medication and since I had just started taking this at the time the pain started, I immediately focused my attention on prilosec. My doctor gave me a sample and wanted me to take it for 28days straight. There were no warnings in the sample and I am shocked at the possible side effects of this drug. Since he put me on this because of possible acid reflux because I was hoarse, not worth these side effects for acid reflux. | F | 42 | 14 days | 9/21/2009 | 1 | possible ulcers/acid reflux | back pain-like I was punched in the kidneys, dizziness (DO NOT TAKE THIS MED IF U HAVE PROBLEMS W/ VERTIGO), confusion, heightened anxiety, bloated-pressure near stomach, heart palpitations, and joint aches | This drug worsened my vertigo and didn't go well w/ the medications I was taking for it-confusion/slurred speech. joint's/areas that I had hurt previously suddenly became painful out of no-where. My lower back became extremely stiff and sometimes very painful, even just after the first day of using it. I do not recommend anyone use this and to find something else. I'm still in the middle of the process of finding another remedy- go luck to anyone else who finds themselves in this situation. | F | 19 | 8 days | 9/17/2009 | 1 | GERD | joint pin, low grade fever, terrible gastritis and bloating, constipation. | It cleared up the GERD but the side effects were horrendous, didn't realize it was prilosec making me sick until a year into treatment. Meanwhile I had all types of gastrointestinal testing. | F | 38 | 365 days | 9/16/2009 | 1 | heartburn | headaches, severe heart palpitations, dizziness, shortness of breath. | I have just discovered this website after both of my cardiologists could find nothing wrong with me. I have had heart palpitations for 10 yrs. and have been on Prilosec for 12 yrs. I have had horrible anxiety, depression, and overall bad health. No doctor could tell me what was wrong. I found this website today and literally broke down crying when I read the testimonials from other people. They descibed exactly the same symptoms I have had. I can finally see the light at the end of a very dark tunnel. Thank you for your website. | M | 47 | 10 years | 9/11/2009 | 3 | Heart Burn/Acid Reflux | Weight gain, Anxiety, tingling in right arm during the night, stiff joints | While this medicine did work on my heart burn, I began to gain weight, have anxiety, tingling in my arms and stiff joints. My knuckles are swollen to the point that I am unable to wear my rings. I have now quit taking this medicine, despite that the Doctor said it was safe to take it forever. I would rather have heart burn. | F | 42 | 10 weeks | 8/30/2009 | 2 | Persistant Heart Burn | Numerous nervous system side-effects. | This medicine worked great for treating my heartburn but the side-effects were worse. As other have reported, I experienced strong and persistent tingling sensations in my arms, head, and the back of my neck including twitchyness. The med also made me much more anxious making me prone to mild panic attacks and anger. On the second day I took it, I felt like I was having a stroke with severe dizzyness and numbness spreading down my right arm. I've also had difficulty sleeping with much more intense dreams than normal. Also, I commonly experienced a headache where I feel pressure behind my right eye. I had never noticed any of these problems until after I starting taking this medication. I am stopping now but I need to find a different medication that works. Prilosec is a very unpleasant drug. | M | 43 | 21 days | 8/26/2009 | 1 | acid reflux, EE | Noticed after taking it a couple of days tightness in neck. I noticed my swallowing was different. Extremely dry mouth. I was extremely tired. wanted to sleep a lot. Had very vivid dreams. I also would start crying for no reason. Feeling anxious. I went to dr for follow up and told him I was swallowing constantly. Told me it was anxiety. Put me on celexa. Had severe side effects. Dr told me to stop celexa but keep taking generic prilosec. Stopped prilosec on my own. Most symptoms went away after a week or so but I am stilling having swallowing issues I never had before. Worried it is permanent damage. | F | 46 | 23 days | 8/26/2009 | 1 | GERD | I took one pill a day for four days and it had no effect on my heartburn symptoms. The doctor told me to try a double dosage. This worked for a day and a half, but after that, I started feeling dizziness, extreme jitteriness, a tingling sensation and palpitations. It was terrifying. My doctor recommended a new medication but did not believe the side effects I experienced were from Prilosec. I KNOW they are from that and feel relieved to know that I'm not the only one who has experienced them. Thank you for this helpful site! | F | 44 | 5.5 days | 8/25/2009 | 1 | Acid Reflux | Anxiety, panic attacks, depression, blurry eyes, temors hands and face, sore tongue, dry mouth, loss of appitite and feeling of fulliness. Lost 15 pounds. Many more side effects as described by others | I went to the ENT because of a lump in by throat was told I had acid reflux and told to take prilosec 2x a day. After 2 months felt like I was going crazy. Went through cat scans, MRI's multiply blood work. two trips to ER thoughtI was dying and could not breath. Was put on anti-anxiety pills. Depression got so bad could not even function. Was told my all doctors could not be the medication. Finally went off it and after one week starting to feel a little better. Anxiety still there, but depression seems to be leaving. Do not take this POISON! | F | 59 | 2 months | 8/24/2009 | 4 | acid reflux | Terrible leg and hip pain, muscle aches | Just went off of it three days ago, hoping the muscle, joint pain goes away. The comments here match what I am experiencing. | F | 51 | 5 years | 8/23/2009 | 1 | heartburn and stomach irritation | The 20 mg dose of Prilosec was not working so my doctor told me to take two tablets in the morning to equal a 40 mg dose. He said that is the prescription strength dose. About 4 days after taking the 40 mgs. I noticed being dizzy. Then the next morning I awoke with a severe headache. On the 6th day I became hypoglycemic and I am never hypoglycemic since I make it a point to eat foods low on the glycemic index. Then, on that same day, my left foot and fingers in my right hand started tingling and it went up my left leg. I experienced severe muscle pain in both legs that lasted for days I and noticed that my gait and manner of walking was affected. I really thought that I was coming down with a neurological disease. It was terribly upsetting. I went on the internet and looked up side effects for Prilosec and read that my symptoms match the side effects. I stopped taking the Prilosec and after about three days my symptoms started to subside. It has now been seven days since I la | I took the 20 mgs off and on for about 6 months but it never really took my symptoms away. I then took 40 mgs for only a week and started experiencing the the side effects. | F | 55 | 8 days | 8/22/2009 | 1 | Gerd | Depression, fatigue, very achy hands, wrists and knees. | This drug is awful. My info package used the words "if any mood changes" contact Dr. This was on the last page barried at the bottom. It should say in big bold letters "Depression". I've never been depressed in my life. I was so depressed while taking this drug that I didn't want to live anymore. I didn't realize it was this drug until it stopped working and I was put on Protonix. What a difference I noticed in just one day off this drug. This drug should have stern warnings about depression! If it weren't for my 2 little girls I may have ended it all. Also had severe joint pain. I have mild carpal tunnel but it never felt as bad as it did on this drug. | F | 45 | 2 months | 8/21/2009 |
| Key to
ratings: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine. |