{"id":173045,"date":"2025-09-27T15:13:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T15:13:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/173045\/"},"modified":"2025-09-27T15:13:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T15:13:07","slug":"nhs-issues-omeprazole-warning-to-people-who-take-common-medication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/173045\/","title":{"rendered":"NHS issues omeprazole warning to people who take common medication"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NHS has issued a warning about the potential risks associated with long-term use of omeprazole, a common tablet used to treat heartburn and indigestionCharlotte Smith Senior Lifestyle Content Editor and Lucy John<\/a><\/p>\n

12:59, 27 Sep 2025<\/p>\n

\"APPIs are medications that reduce stomach acid production(Image: Getty)<\/p>\n

Omeprazole is among the most frequently prescribed medications in the UK, with latest statistics revealing 73 million NHS<\/a> prescriptions for proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), such as omeprazole, were issued in England during 2022-23. Further data indicates that PPI usage impacts approximately 15% of the population.<\/a><\/p>\n

PPIs are medications that reduce stomach acid production. They function by blocking the proton pumps, enzymes situated in the stomach lining that generate acid.<\/p>\n

This alleviates problems including acid reflux and heartburn.<\/p>\n

Other medical conditions managed by PPIs include indigestion, healing of stomach ulcers, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).<\/p>\n

It can also be utilised, in combination with antibiotics, to treat the stomach infection, helicobacter pylori.<\/p>\n

Frequently prescribed PPIs include omeprazole (Prilosec), esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid), pantoprazole (Protonix), and rabeprazole (AcipHex).<\/p>\n

While they prove effective, especially for prolonged treatment courses, there are potential dangers linked with long-term usage, reports the Mirror<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The NHS has issued a warning regarding this on its website. The guidance states: “Do not take omeprazole for longer than two weeks if you bought it without a prescription. See a GP if your symptoms get worse or do not get better.”<\/p>\n

One of the risks associated with prolonged use of PPIs is an increased likelihood of a bacterial infection known as clostridioides difficile.<\/p>\n

This bacterium can cause an infection in the intestines, leading to diarrhoea and other symptoms such as abdominal pain and fever.<\/p>\n

This bacterium typically causes illness when antibiotics disrupt the balance of normal gut bacteria, allowing clostridioides difficile to proliferate and produce toxins. Symptoms include:<\/p>\n

watery or offensive stools, sometimes with mucus or bloodabdominal pain or tendernessfeverloss of appetitenausea<\/p>\n

In most individuals, clostridioides difficile coexists harmlessly in the intestines alongside various other bacteria. However, when antibiotics wipe out the beneficial bacteria, they can rapidly multiply.<\/p>\n

These toxins irritate the colon, resulting in infection symptoms.<\/p>\n

Clostridioides difficile can be triggered by medication disrupting the natural gut flora. It can also be spread through spores that survive on contaminated surfaces.<\/p>\n

It primarily affects at-risk groups, including the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.<\/p>\n

How to take omeprazole:<\/p>\n

Omeprazole usually comes in tablets, capsules, and a liquid form for ingestion. Some tablets can be dissolved in water.<\/p>\n

The dosage and duration of treatment depend on the specific type of omeprazole you are using and the reason for its use. It is generally taken once or twice daily.<\/p>\n

Some individuals may only need it for a few days, whilst others might require continued use for several weeks, months, or even years. Always check the packaging or leaflet that comes with your medication.<\/p>\n

If you’re unsure about how to take it or experience any problems, seek advice from a pharmacist or doctor.<\/p>\n

The NHS says when taking omeprazole:<\/p>\n

try to take it at the same time each morning if you take it once a day, or at the same time each morning and evening if you take it twice a dayyou can take it with or without foodswallow tablets and capsules with water \u2013 do not chew or crush capsules or tablets labelled “enteric coated” or “gastro resistant”<\/p>\n

It adds: “Ask a pharmacist for advice if you have problems swallowing pills or capsules. They may be able to suggest different ways to take your medicine.”<\/p>\n

Side effects of omeprazole:<\/p>\n

Like all medicines, omeprazole can cause side-effects, but not everyone gets them. Common side effects of omeprazole include:<\/p>\n

a headachestomach painfeeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting)constipation or diarrhoeafarting more than usual<\/p>\n

The NHS says: “Omeprazole will not usually affect your ability to drive, ride a bike or use machinery. But if you feel dizzy or have problems with your vision after taking it, wait until you no longer have these side-effects.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NHS has issued a warning about the potential risks associated with long-term use of omeprazole, a common…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":173046,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[64,63,137,490,3285],"class_list":{"0":"post-173045","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-medication","12":"tag-nhs"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173045","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=173045"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173045\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/173046"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=173045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=173045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=173045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}