Omeprazole

Omeprazole is a heartburn medication used to treat recurring acid reflux, alongside a range of other conditions. Acid reflux is when stomach acid or bile rises up the food pipe lining and causes irritation and heartburn.

GORD can be caused by a combination of things. It’s often linked to the bundle of muscles between your stomach and oesophagus losing strength. It’s also associated with more pressure caused by straining and coughing, food staying in the stomach for longer, excess acid in your stomach and stomach acid lingering in the oesophagus. It can cause a range of symptoms, like stomach pain.

Omeprazole is the active ingredient and generic name of Losec. It comes as a gastro-resistant capsule, as a tablet or as an oral suspension fluid.

What is Omeprazole used for?

This page focuses on how Omeprazole works to treat GORD, which is the main condition it’s used to treat.

But Omeprazole is a generic medication that can also be used to:

• help symptoms of heartburn;
• treat GORD;
• treat a Duodenal ulcer or stomach ulcer (also called a gastric ulcer);
• alleviate stomach ulcers caused by a helicobacter pylori infection;
• treat ulcers caused by drugs called NSAIDs (such as ibuprofen);
• relieve excess acid caused by a pancreatic growth (a condition called Zollinger-Ellison syndrome).

Omeprazole is a type of treatment called a proton pump inhibitor. This means the active ingredient in Omeprazole works on tiny membranes called proton pumps in the stomach lining. Proton pumps make and release the acid that breaks down food. If you have GORD your stomach produces too much acid, which causes discomfort.

Taking Omeprazole, like any other proton pump inhibitors, will stifle the action of your proton pumps, reducing the amount of acid your stomach produces. This helps to relieve symptoms of GORD and prevent acid reflux.

What doses of Omeprazole are there?

Omeprazole comes in both tablets and capsules. Omeprazole capsules and tablets come in doses of 10mg, 20mg and 40mg. There’s also an oral suspension fluid that comes in doses of 2mg/ml and 4mg/ml.

Your Omeprazole dosage will depend on why you’re taking it and how uncomfortable your symptoms are, but treatment usually lasts four weeks and your usual starting dose will be low. If it’s an ongoing problem, you might need to take Omeprazole for longer.

Which dose of Omeprazole should I use?

Your Omeprazole dose depends on what it’s used to treat and also the severity of your symptoms. The dose to treat stomach ulcers will be different from the one for treating acid reflux.

• To treat stomach ulcers, you may be required to take a higher dose for a shorter period of time.
• To treat acid reflux symptoms you often need a lower dose for longer periods.

The dose also varies when you take it for prevention instead of treatment.

• To treat acid reflux you’ll need to take a dose for 4-8 weeks.
• To prevent and control acid reflux symptoms you’ll take Omeprazole for a longer time.

For more info on treatment dosage and duration for your symptoms and needs, check the patient information leaflet that comes with your medicine. Or alternatively, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

If you’ve been taking a low dose of Omeprazole for GORD and find you’re still struggling, talk to a clinician about raising your dosage.

You should use Omeprazole exactly as told by your clinician. There’s a slight difference in how you take Omeprazole depending on the type you’re using.

The following guidance is for how to take Omeprazole for GORD. If you’re using Omeprazole to treat other conditions or symptoms, the instructions may differ. Check the patient information leaflet or speak to your doctor or pharmacist for more info.

• Take one capsule or tablet daily in the morning.
• Swallow Omeprazole capsules whole without chewing.
• You can take Omeprazole tablets or capsules with or without food.

• Take your dose daily in the morning.
• Take it on an empty stomach or half an hour before your meal.

One Omeprazole daily dose provides a quick and effective reduction in the amount of acid your stomach produces. If taken as directed, its full effect can be seen in four days.

Clinical trials^[1] showed that with a single 24 hour dose there is a 70% reduction in acid production and an 80% reduction in the acidity level. It takes about 1-2 hours to reach peak presence in the bloodstream. Taking Omeprazole at the same time as food wasn’t observed to slow it down.

It’s best to take Omeprazole in the morning. This means it’ll be working throughout the day, when you need it most. If you need to take two doses per day, take one in the morning and one in the evening.

If you forget to take your dose, take it when you remember. If it’s almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose. Don’t take a double dose to make up for the missed one.

If you take more than the recommended dose, speak to your doctor immediately.