What is Omeprazole? Omeprazole uses!
Before omeprazole uses! Omeprazole is in a class of medicines called proton-pump inhibitors (PPI) and reduces the production of stomach acid. It works by lowering the amount of acid that’s made in the stomach.
Omeprazole is an anti-ulcer medicine used to treat conditions where the stomach produces too much acid. Stomach and duodenal ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and Zollinger-Ellison syndrome are certain problems caused by high levels of stomach acid. It relieves stress ulcers and acidity due to the intake of painkillers. Omeprazole is used in combination with antibiotics like amoxicillin and clarithromycin to prevent ulcers caused by Helicobacter pylori bacteria.
Omeprazole Indications:
Omeprazole is approved for use in the following clinical indications:
- Gastroesophagal Reflux Disease
- Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome
- Gastric and duodenal ulcers
- Helicobacter pylori Infection
- Erosive Esophagitis
Omeprazole Dosage:
Recommended dose of omeprazole is 20mg once daily before meal.
Omeprazole Side effects:
Common side effects of Omeprazole:
- Fever (especially in children)
- stomach pain/ gas
- nausea,
- vomiting,
- diarrhea,
- headache,
- Cold symptoms such as stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat (especially in children)
Serious side effects of Omeprazole:
- Signs of an Omeprazole allergy reaction, including trouble breathing or swelling of face, tongue, lips, or throat, get emergency medical attention. Feel any of the following problems, stop using this medicine and see your doctor:
- New or uncommon pain in your wrist, thigh, hip, or back
- Cold signs include a runny nose, sneezing, and a painful throat
- Blood in the urine, frequent or infrequent urination, joint pain, nausea, or a loss of appetite
- Severe stomach ache, persistent fever, watery stools,
- Skin with blisters, flakes, or bleeding; vaginal, lip, nose, mouth, or throat sores; enlarged glands; breathing difficulties; fever; or flu-like signs.
- Severe fatigue, a racing or pounding heartbeat, involuntary trembling of a body part, muscular spasms, disorientation, or convulsions
- Fundic gland polyps, which are stomach growths, can form if you take Omeprazole for an extended period of time.
- Consult your doctor about these risks. You may become vitamin B-12 deficient if you use this medication for more than three years.
Contraindications of Omeprazole:
Omeprazole is contraindicated in patients with a history of hypersensitivity to the drug or any excipients from the dosage form. Hypersensitivity reactions like anaphylactic shock, angioedema, interstitial nephritis, anaphylaxis, urticaria, and bronchospasm may occur. According to product labeling, omeprazole is contraindicated in patients taking dosage forms containing rilpivirine.
Omeprazole Warnings:
- Pregnancy:
Omeprazole is usually not recommended in pregnant women. It is not known to cause any birth defects. However, it should only be used upon your doctor’s recommendation if there are no alternatives and the benefit outweighs the risk.
- Breast-Feeding:
Omeprazole may pass into breast milk and cause side effects in breastfed babies. An alternate medicine may be preferred, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant. If required, it should only be used upon your doctor’s recommendation.
- Vitamin B12 deficiency:
Long-term treatment with Omeprazole may decrease the absorption of Vitamin B12 in the body. You should take vitamin B12 supplements if this medicine is used for more than 3 years.
- Lupus erythematosus:
Lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease that affects the skin, kidneys, brain, joints, and other organs. It occurs when the immune system of the body attacks its own tissues. Lupus may occur or gets worse while using Omeprazole. Inform your doctor immediately if you experience tiredness, painful joints, rashes, or lesions on the skin while using this medicine.
- Bone fractures:
Long term use of Omeprazole decreases the calcium absorption in the body leading to reduced bone density (thinning of bones). Calcium is essential for bone formation and its deficiency can increase the risk of bone fractures. Take calcium supplements or increase the intake of calcium in your diet to avoid bone thinning. Using Vitamin D supplements along with Omeprazole can help to increase calcium absorption in the body.
- Hypomagnesemia:
Prolonged use of Omeprazole may result in low magnesium levels in the blood (hypomagnesemia). Inform your doctor in case of dizziness, irregular heartbeat, shivering, muscle pain, seizures or fits. You may have to check magnesium levels in the blood at regular intervals.
- Atrophic gastritis:
In some patients, continuous use of Omeprazole may cause swelling of the stomach mucosa lasting for a longer duration. Hence use this medicine only for the prescribed period of time.
Other warnings & Precautions:
- In case of suspected gastric ulcer, exclude malignancy before treatment as Omeprazole may alleviate symptoms and delay diagnosis.
- Patients with severe hepatic disease should not required more than 20mg daily.
- Acute interstitial nephritis has been observed in patients taking PPIs.
- PPIs therapy may be associated with increased risk of clostridium deffcile-associated diarrhea.
Mechanism of action:
Hydrochloric acid (HCl) secretion into the gastric lumen is a process regulated mainly by the H(+)/K(+)-ATPase of the proton pump, expressed in high quantities by the parietal cells of the stomach. ATPase is an enzyme on the parietal cell membrane that facilitates hydrogen and potassium exchange through the cell, which normally results in the extrusion of potassium and formation of HCl (gastric acid).
Omeprazole is a member of a class of antisecretory compounds, the substituted benzimidazoles, that stop gastric acid secretion by selective inhibition of the H+/K+ ATPase enzyme system. Proton-pump inhibitors such as omeprazole bind covalently to cysteine residues via disulfide bridges on the alpha subunit of the H+/K+ ATPase pump, inhibiting gastric acid secretion for up to 36 hours. This antisecretory effect is dose-related and leads to the inhibition of both basal and stimulated acid secretion, regardless of the stimulus.