Omeprazol and AF Does anyone have any information with regard to newspaper reports that the medication Omeprazol can cause AF.

[goodall]

I have AF and I have been taking Omeprazol for a number of years

to treat gastric reflux.and I am concerned that the reports are true.

[reme]

I also have been on 20mg omeprazole for about 10 years & was diagnosed with AF 2years ago. I tried gaviscon which does seem to be worth trying but did not seem to make any differance.having had about 5 bad reflux episodes over the years (throat went into spasm &could not breath) Istill need medication

[Marion62]

Hi.

Are you able to post a link to the report please.?

I have been on and off lansoprazole for many years so would be interested in reading it.

Thanks

Marion

[smw112]

I am interested to hear this news. I was on omeprazole for nearly ten years. I stopped taking it about three months ago after losing weight to see how I would be without it. I have been ok so far. I was diagnosed with AF at the end of June which was a complete shock. Now I wonder if the omeprazole could have been a factor!

[dirose]

I would very much like to know more about these reports too. have been on Omeparazole for ten years or more. Had AF about the same time, it was cured with anoperation on the left ventricle, seven years ago, and has recently returned. Is there a connection between Omeprazole and AF?

[MissL]

That's interesting I am going to look this up, I too am on omeprazole and have been for probably 15+ years. But also have a sister who's been on it for longer than I have and is 10 yrs older but doesn't have AF

[cbsrbpm]

I have had paroxysmal AF for 12 years and have always suffered with acid reflux. I started taking Omeprazole about a year ago but have not noticed any difference in the occurrence of AF episodes. Do sometimes think it was the acid reflux being more likely to be responsible for episodes. I must say I wish I had gone to the Doctor earlier about the acid reflux as the tablets are working a treat.

[SRMGrandma Volunteer]

There is certainly a lot of chatter about this and that is a really smart question. From what I have read, a couple big things stand out. First of all there is a huge leap in incidence of AF on omeprazole in individuals over age 60. Secondly, from what I've read, the reason for this is low magnesium levels that occur when PPI's are taken (PPI is proton pump inhibitor, the class of medication that omeprazole falls under) Last but not least, this class of drug was designed more for short term treatments lasting about 2 weeks for only a few times per year. The fact that the drug is OTC means that a lot of people take it more often than recommended. It seems to me that since so many of us with AF also have gastric reflux problems we should all be paying attention to drugs that may make it worse. I took magnesium supplements for a while but they disagreed with me. Low magnesium and low potassium can trigger my AF.

There are other classes of medications for gastric reflux. The H2 blockers like Pepcid don't seem to have any link to AF and can still be quite effective. Maybe it is worth the switch.