Omeprazole and WED

[Frunobulax]

Hi,

just another thought, as a thousand questions seem to run through my mind (lots of sleepless nights, and time to think): I'm been taking Omeprazole for a number of years, and in fact I think I started taking it a couple of years before my WED symptoms started. Now, I've read in an old thread that omeprazole hampers iron absorbtion - guess what: Vitamin B12 malabsorption is also connected to Omeprazole. http://ageing.oxfordjournals.org/content/39/4/410.full Both could lead to WED symptoms.

Guess I should check if I can stop Omeprazole for a while...

Regards, F.

[Polar Bear]

I used to use omeprazole, it wasn't just effective enough and so I changed to Lanzoprazole which I think is within the same 'family'.

I can't say I've noticed it worsen my symptoms, which I had 24/7 for some 30 years before starting the omeprazole/lanzoprazole.
My iron and ferritin is OK.
However, that is me....... your comment could make sense.

[ViewsAskew]

It definitely can reduce iron absorption. But, if you need the blocker, what's your choice? I suppose you could increase the iron.

[Frunobulax]

I was never aware of a possible connection, and several of my neurologists know (or should know) that I take Omeprazole.
I checked it out: I first took Omeprazole roughly two months before my wife observed my PLMS for the first time ever, and before I developed any WED symptoms. I've been taking it on a daily basis since then. This could be just coincidence, or both could have a common cause somehow, but it's a strong coincidence and worth checking it out.

I'm not a specialist on Reflux esophagitis, but losing weight, stopping alcohol and keeping a low-fat diet is supposed to reduce the problems. Apparently you can also operate if the reason is that the muscle between the oesophagus and the stomach is impaired.

Oh, and it can interact with Benzodiazepines, even though it is rarely reported (but OTOH, the number of people taking Benzodiazepines is probably not that large).

[ViewsAskew]

If you are overweight, that absolutely can help. Alcohol, anything acidic - tomatoes, chocolate, coffee, etc - and fats are absolutely problematic. I was just at the gastroenterologist today with my mother-in-law, who has severe acid reflux, so we were reviewing the things she should avoid in her diet (and continues to eat!).

Some people find that even with diet intervention, their bodies produce too much acid, however. I know, for me, that diet immediately reverses any acid issues, so tend to be careful most times.

But, please remember that even without absorption issues, many of us seem to "dump" iron. I recently had an iron infusion. My serum ferritin was 16 prior, I think. They gave me the max dose of iron. In most people that would increase their ferritin to a minimum of 250 to 300 and it would stay there for years. I had another serum ferritin test about 8 weeks after the infusion. It was already under 100. In my 8 weeks, my body dumped up to 2/3 of the iron that it had been given.

This is consistent with research by Dr Early, Connor, and others at Johns Hopkins. They found that within a few months of an infusion, many patients had eliminated all of the iron they'd been given in the infusion. The good news was that after the second infusion, their bodies held on to the iron for longer. And with the third infusion, even longer still. But, many people needed 3 or 4 infusions initially to keep the ferritin high.

So, even if you were getting the iron, your body might not keep it. It might. But, it might not.

Even though I said that, I think it's smart to see if you can stop the omeprazole for awhile, increase the iron, and see what happens. You may find that low iron is the problem.

I can't remember....do you know both your serum ferritin and your hemoglobin levels?

[Frunobulax]

Even though I said that, I think it's smart to see if you can stop the omeprazole for awhile, increase the iron, and see what happens. You may find that low iron is the problem.

I can't remember....do you know both your serum ferritin and your hemoglobin levels?

Yes. Ferritin was checked twice in the last year, coming back at 240 and 210. Hemoglobin, transferrin and transferrin saturation were also OK.
I will continue to monitor these values though.

But since Omeprazole reduces the amount of acid produced and changes the ph-value of the stomach, there may be other effects, including a vitamin B12-deficiency.

[alcharla]

I've struggled with WED for over 50 years but it's gotten much worse over the last couple of years...24/7 symptoms for the last few years. A year or so ago I was on 3-4 mg Mirapex, clonazepam, celebrex, wellbutrin, and various other meds including previcid or Prilosec. Some nights I slept an hour or two, usually no more than four or five. Of course I couldn't stay alert during the day.

A few weeks ago I had a spinal cord stimulator implanted for back and leg pain. I was sent home with 90 (!!!) Percocet and decided to see if I could wean off Mirapex entirely since I seem to have augmented. After a few nights I was so much worse that I quit taking any meds at all. Nothing! After a week, I do usually take 1/2 mg of Mirapex in the late afternoon but that's it. I've had no symptoms other than an hour or so before I take the Mirapex, and I'm sleeping much better. The other things I was taking meds for seem ok as well. As a pharmacist's daughter, I've never minded taking medicine, but this new found relief is making me rethink my life. If I can feel good with no meds, I know that I might make it a little longer than I would all loaded up with competing drugs!

[ViewsAskew]

That is such wonderful news!

[fairhope_al]

I taje the 40 mg omeprazole each morning, and a Zantac at night before bed as the throat doctor said I have nodules on my voicebox that was likely caused by acid reflux (gerd). I had no idea this had a bad effect with the RLS. I also take Wellbutrin XL 300 mg (morning), and Citalopram 20 mg(evening); and lately since the mobic wasn't doing it's job, I am now taking diflofenac sodium 75mg (3x per day). I don't know how anyone can just stop taking antidepressants!? I have tried to stop with bad results and having to go back on them. How did you do it?