cancer<\/a> of the oesophagus, although the risk itself is low \u2013 affecting 1 to 5 per cent of patients with the condition over a ten-year period.<\/p>\nNevertheless, it\u2019s essential to continue suppressing gastric acid secretion.<\/p>\n
Omeprazole is a type of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) drug and studies of PPIs show regular use cuts the risk of Barrett\u2019s oesophagus by about 70 per cent.<\/p>\n
Your concern about omeprazole and depression is not misplaced. A 2018 study found a significant association between PPI drugs and increased reports of depression and anxiety.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not clear why, but one reason might be reduced vitamin B12 absorption \u2013 gastric acid helps to release B12 from proteins in food, so lowering it can affect this.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, reduced gastric acid is also associated with changes in the gut microbiome \u2013 the community of microbes that live there and that play a role in health and may also influence mood. But there are many reasons why people develop depression, including genetics.<\/p>\n
![\"Chronic](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/100900523-14968371-image-a-16_1754298242282.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Chronic acid reflux can lead to Barrett\u2019s oesophagus, a change in the lining of the oesophagus due to the acid exposure<\/p>\n
My advice is to remain on omeprazole, but start taking vitamin B12 and probiotic supplements. Do also ensure that your diet contains fermented foods such as kefir and yoghurt.<\/p>\n
And please seek effective help for your depression \u2013 it\u2019s rarely as simple as finding the right pills to take, but that\u2019s a subject for discussion another time.<\/p>\n
I am 69 and desperate to have the shingles vaccine that\u2019s being rolled out on the NHS, as I\u2019ve seen the terrible effects this infection can have. But I\u2019m told I\u2019m not allowed it until I turn 70. Why is this?<\/p>\n
Liz Gudgion, Lincoln.<\/p>\n
Dr Martin Scurr replies: The pain and distress of shingles is not to be underestimated. It\u2019s very common, too \u2013 one in four people over 50 will experience it. Its medical name is herpes zoster and it\u2019s a complication of suffering from chickenpox earlier in life: effectively, the virus goes into hiding in the nerves and re-emerges opportunistically if your immune defence is weakened (for example, when you are run down).<\/p>\n
The vaccine you mention, Shingrix, comes in two doses and is licensed for the over-50s. It\u2019s safe and effective, especially for people who have compromised immunity \u2013 such as those receiving chemotherapy.<\/p>\n
But, as you say, it\u2019s not freely available and the NHS currently only offers it to those aged 70 to 79, and over-50s with severely compromised immunity.<\/p>\n
We are told this is due to \u2018resource planning\u2019 \u2013 weasel words for cost containment \u2013 and that certain constraints (apparently to do with logistics, workforce capacity and funding) mean expensive vaccines have to be prioritised for high-risk groups.<\/p>\n
Yet it\u2019s odd, is it not, that none of these constraints applies to the ever-expanding immunisation programme for children?<\/p>\n
Many of us who are caring for patients feel aggrieved that<\/p>\n
Shingrix is not universally available to all over 50s, and I strongly disagree with the Government\u2019s policy, which flies directly in the face of medical ethics.<\/a><\/p>\nIn the meantime, you could consider paying for it privately \u2013 it costs about \u00a3230 for each dose (you do need the two) and is available on the High Street.<\/p>\n
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\n I’ve been taking acid reflux pills and have developed a cripping side-effect that’s ruining my life: DR MARTIN SCURR reveals the answer… and what to do next<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By DR MARTIN SCURR Published: 07:14 EDT, 4 August 2025 | Updated: 07:20 EDT, 4 August 2025 I…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":43412,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[97,59,102,104,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-43411","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-dailymail","9":"tag-gb","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-nhs","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom","14":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43411"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43411\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}