Omeprazole is a generic treatment for Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease (GORD) or acid reflux. It can treat the symptoms of GORD, control acid reflux and prevent it in the future.
We can help you choose an acid reflux treatment that suits you best. Chat to our trained clinicians online and we’ll give you recommendations. Order Omeprazole online with us and we’ll deliver it to your door, providing you with expert aftercare.
Starting from£22.95
Here’s what's included in the price:
Consultation
Answer a few questions about your health so we can get to know you better.
Free 24h delivery
Your treatment delivered in secure packaging, the very next day.
Aftercare
We’ll check in with you regularly to see how your treatment is going.
Omeprazole is a heartburn medication used to treat digestive conditions of recurring acid reflux, alongside a range of other conditions. Acid reflux occurs 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 will primarily discuss how Omeprazole works to treat GORD.
In full, however, Omeprazole is a generic medication 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).
How do Omeprazole capsules work?
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 makes and releases the acids which breaks down food. With GORD your stomach produces too much acid, causing 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. Whereas the oral suspension fluid comes in doses of 2mg/ml and 4mg/ml.
Your Omeprazole dosage will depend on 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.
When we present you with stats, data, opinion or a consensus, we’ll tell you where this came from. And we’ll only present data as clinically reliable if it’s come from a reputable source, such as a state or government-funded health body, a peer-reviewed medical journal, or a recognised analytics or data body. Read more in our editorial policy.
Omeprazole Omeprazole
How to take Omeprazole
You should use Omeprazole exactly as told by your clinician. Depending on the version of Omeprazole there’s a slight difference in how you take it.
The following guidance is for how to take Omeprazole for GORD, when used 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 on how to take it for your needs.
Take it on an empty stomach or half an hour before your meal.
How long does it take Omeprazole to work?
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 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.
What’s the best time to take Omeprazole?
It’s best to take Omeprazole in the morning. This way it works throughout the day, and by the time the medicine has metabolised and become less effective you’ll probably be asleep (so you’re less likely to be affected by symptoms of GORD or heartburn). If you need to take two doses per day, take one in the morning and one in the evening.
What should I do if I make a mistake when taking Omeprazole?
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.
When we present you with stats, data, opinion or a consensus, we’ll tell you where this came from. And we’ll only present data as clinically reliable if it’s come from a reputable source, such as a state or government-funded health body, a peer-reviewed medical journal, or a recognised analytics or data body. Read more in our editorial policy.
Omeprazole Omeprazole
Omeprazole Omeprazole
FAQ: Omeprazole
Have something specific you want to know? Search our info below, or ask our experts a question if you can’t find what you’re looking for.
What are the side effects of Omeprazole?
Answer:
The most common side effects of Omeprazole, which affect more than 1 in 100 people, include:
Headaches
Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhoea
Constipation
Stomach pain
Breaking wind (farting)
Serious side effects of Omeprazole are rare, but you should still look out for the following and contact a doctor immediately if you notice them:
your urine becomes darker, you feel more tired and your skin becomes more yellow (these can be a sign of liver problems);
you get severe or persistent diarrhoea, which can be a sign of bowel inflammation;
joint pain alongside a skin rash on places like your arms, cheeks and nose. This can be a
sign of a rare form of lupus (subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus) and tends to be more common if you’ve been taking Omeprazole for a long time.
Very occasionally, people can experience a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) from taking Omeprazole. Call 999 straight away if you get any symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, such as your lips, mouth, throat or tongue suddenly becoming swollen, or you have trouble swallowing or breathing.
For a full list of side effects, check the patient information leaflet that comes with your treatment.
Can Omeprazole cause long-term side effects?
Answer:
If you take Omeprazole for longer than three months, it can cause the levels of magnesium in your blood to fall. If this happens, it can cause symptoms like:
Tiredness
Confusion
Dizziness
Palpitations (irregular heartbeat)
Muscle twitches
Shakiness
If you get any of these symptoms, let your clinician know.
And taking it for a year or more can increase your chances of gut infections, vitamin B12 deficiency and bone fractures. If you are taking Omeprazole long-term, your clinician will arrange regular check-ups with you to monitor your health and assess whether you still need to take it.
Can I drink alcohol while taking Omeprazole?
Answer:
You can, but it’s best to avoid it if possible. That’s because alcohol causes increased levels of acid in the stomach, which can worsen your symptoms.
Can you take Omeprazole while pregnant?
Answer:
Omeprazole is safe to take while pregnant, however it’s best to try and alleviate your symptoms without medicine where possible. If you’re just suffering from indigestion, for example, try eating smaller meals more often, and avoid fatty or spicy foods. You should also avoid eating while laying down.
How is Omeprazole different to other treatments for GORD?
Answer:
There are other treatments for GORD or to reduce acid in the stomach available in the market, but not all treatments come as an oral solution. This can be good if you don’t like taking tablets or capsules.
Omeprazole is also a generic treatment, which means it’s usually less expensive than other branded treatments. It’s a cheaper option if you’re looking to try out some treatments for GORD.
Is Omeprazole similar to any other heartburn medication?
Answer:
Acid reflux treatments tend to be proton pump inhibitors, so they often work similarly to reduce the amount of acid your stomach produces. They can contain different active ingredients though, so you can try a few different ones if one doesn’t work for you.
Losec, one other heartburn medication, is the branded form of Omeprazole capsules or tablets. This means it contains the same active ingredient, but it will cost you more. They should work in the same way and can be used to treat the same conditions.
Which dose of Omeprazole should I use?
Answer:
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.
Similarly, the dose 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 Omeprazole at a low dose for GORD and find you’re still struggling, talk to a clinician about raising your dosage until you feel relief.
How effective is Omeprazole?
Answer:
Numerous clinical trials have shown that Omeprazole can provide early and sustained reduction in heartburn symptoms, as well as effective treatment of other symptoms caused by GORD, like stomach pain caused by excess acid.
In patients taking a daily dose of Omeprazole there was no heartburn in:
62% cases by day 7
74% cases by day 27
Another study showed that 86% of patients suffering with severe swelling of the food pipe (esophagitis) healed within 12 weeks of using 40mg Omeprazole.
Do I need a prescription for Omeprazole?
Answer:
Omeprazole can be ordered without a prescription in low doses, for a short period of time. If you want to order a higher dose or a longer treatment time for Omeprazole, you will need a prescription. This is just to make sure the treatment is the best one for you.
Why should I buy Omeprazole online with Treated?
Answer:
At Treated, we can help you find the right GORD treatment. Talk to our expert clinicians online and we can recommend the best treatments for you to pick from. Once ordered, we’ll deliver to your door with convenient and flexible plans. We’ll touch base with you to make sure everything with your treatment is working out and provide all the aftercare you need.
Quick and efficient service, delivered discreetly the next day. Thank you.
Barbara W.
551
Effective
Lucia W.
551
Great service, no wait time
Melinda E.
551
Great
Nova S.
551
Quick assessing for medicine suitability. Quick delivery and good communication throughout.
Barry H.
551
Straightforward and quick service!
Katarzyna S.
551
Good however communication could sometimes be better
Claire B.
551
Easy and good procedure to get treatment
Torsten B.
551
Excellent product
Lukas R.
551
Excellent service!!! Ordered what I needed sent a picture of my prescription and the parcel arrived the next day!!! Will definitely order again and have recommended to others!!!
Hazel F.
551
Fast shipping
Siobhan S.
551
Very quick service all round
Jill F.
551
So quick and simple. Recommend
Karen B.
551
Great
Valerie C.
551
Very convenient hassle free service.
Daniela M.
551
Easy to use good communication and fast shipping
Laura F.
551
Great service
Les Y.
551
Efficient no issues re delivery
Sarah H.
551
Fabulous service
LEAH A.
551
Brilliant service. Not a bad word to say!
Ann-Louise E.
551
It was fast, professional and it's the right med for what I selected in there.
Disclaimer: The information provided on this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any questions or concerns about your health, please talk to a doctor.