omeprazole

[Maisiemay13]

Can anyone advise why we take omeprazole with Apixaban please is this something we can stop taking ? Asking as I have been taking this since 2019 been told it’s to protect stomach,however since 2019 my cholesterol has been increasing LDL to now high. I am vegetarian so no animal fats,do not smoke not overweight and take regular exercise. It’s now high 6.5 and I know doctor is going to want to put me on statins,has anyone else had this issue

[wilsond]

I only had to take omeprazole for 6 weeks after my ablation, but have been on Apixaban since 2017.Worth asking questions.

[Maisiemay13 in reply to wilsond]

Thank you I will on my telephone call on Tuesday

[Cavalierrubie]

Anticoagulants can cause stomach issues such as stomach inflammation etc. The Omeprazole is given to protect and line the stomach. I already had stomach issues when l was diagnosed with AF. The anticoagulant l take worsened my symptoms so much so that l had to see a gastroenterologist and have tests. He upped my dose of omeprazole. I have managed to get back to my initial dose but need them for protection as much as l need the anticoagulant for prevention of stroke.

[richard_jw in reply to Cavalierrubie]

Ditto. One month or so after I started Apixaban (5mg BD) I started suffering from IBS V badly. I have suffered from it for 20 years, but since I started on the anticoagulant, its much worse.

I am unable to get more than 3-4 hours sleep.

I take Famotidine rather than a PPI because the 'prazoles actually upset my stomach after taking them for a year or so. Taking PPIs or famotidine is supposed to help with digestive probs, but I have no clear evidence in my case that they do.

Unfortunately Famotidine does not help my digestive probs.

Cardiologist is not looking at my need to take an anticoagulant in the hopes of stopping it.

So for me neither omeprazole not Famotidine help me.

One thing I would say, is that I did stop taking Apixaban for 10 days or so, but that did not help my digestive problems either.

So it might be risky to stop the PPI. i.e. you might get stomach issues which are difficult to get rid of

[Cavalierrubie in reply to richard_jw]

Yes. we are all different. I can’t tolerate the new anticoagulants. I have to take Warfarin. Have you tried a different anticoagulant? Expect you have. Even Warfarin gave me severe stomach pains at first until the Gastroenterologist got them under control with Omeprazole. I am sorry you have all these problems and are suffering like you are. Don’t stop your anticoagulants unless you are 100 per cent sure you will be ok. A stroke is worse than IBS. Wishing you well.😃

[Maisiemay13 in reply to Cavalierrubie]

Thank you I will not stop the anticoagulant but am going to talk about stopping the omeprazole,have been looking into what I can substitute it with !

[richard_jw in reply to Maisiemay13]

Try Famotidine. It works in a different way to Omeprazole, and helped me somewhat.

[richard_jw in reply to Cavalierrubie]

Thanks for the reply. Yes I have tried another DOAC, Rivaroxaban. Did not help. They were going to put me on warfarin, but changed their collective minds. The plan is to take me off Apixaban but only if the cardiologist feels that I have no Afib. I understand the risks, and as yet I'm not clear that I don't have short runs of afib. I don't know if a Holter would pick them up. I get different views from different people.

I am thinking of an implantable loop recorder (ILR). It is clearly more reliable than a Kardia mobile.

Glad you have had success with warfarin

[Cavalierrubie in reply to richard_jw]

The worry here Richard is that you can have AF in your sleep. Also, l have been told that once you have been diagnosed it can rear it’s ugly head at anytime and that you are never completely free of it. I still advise you to think very carefully. Personally l would not stop my anticoagulant as l would not feel safe. To me it would be like playing Russian Roulette with my life. You can insist on trying Warfarin so don’t be fobbed off. You take great care of yourself and wish you well.

[Maisiemay13 in reply to Cavalierrubie]

Has your cholesterol increased since taking omeprazole?

[Cavalierrubie in reply to Maisiemay13]

No, l have recently had blood tests and all have come back satisfactory.

[Blearyeyed]

What type of plant based fats do you eat?Palm Oil and Coconut can both cause an increase in your total cholesterol among other things.

Cholesterol can still be an issue for vegetarians and vegans.

I assume you were put on Omeprazole to protect your stomach as it is a PPI.

If you want to try not to use a PPI and it's only been prescribed as a preventative with other medication it's worth doing some preparation first by getting used to using the natural alternative.

It is possible for some people to stop using a PPI but it's better to get into the habit of taking your other medication with yoghurt or food for a month or two before trying to taper off the Omeprazole.

Increasing your water intake during the day and also during eating us also important.

You will have a certain amount of acid reflux or bloating when you come off it as your body adjusts to the chemical change and alters it's production of stomach acid. If that continues daily after a week or it gets worse rapidly you know you would probably be better to go back onto the Omeprazole.

Some people whom aren't on it everyday also keep some as a pill in pocket for times when their stomach is more sensitive or unsettled for other reasons.

[Maisiemay13 in reply to Blearyeyed]

I generally have veg and grains also use quorn which is low in saturate, porridge with fruit for breakfast. Have to say do have occasional cake and biscuit and love Greek yogurt.

I will talk to GP on Tuesday as never had any stomach issues

[exmouth]

I take Emeprazole with Apixaban, I was given the stomach tablets because I have reflux cough. I wasn’t told I should take them because of the Apixaban. I take a statin too, my cholesterol is only 3.5 I don’t have a problem with statins but my husband and brother in law have real problems taking them.

[BrotherThomas]

I started on apixaban about two years ago but there was no mention of taking omeprazole too. I haven't experienced any stomach problems from the apixaban.

[Peony4575]

I wasn’t given a PPI. No problems so far with Edoxaban

[CDreamer]

I don’t take it - period! I do not understand prescribing before you know whether or not you may get a reaction. I was automatically prescribed a PPI for two medications and never used the script. It is your choice to refuse a treatment or medication.

PS - never had a problem with either of the meds I was supposed to take it for.

[Alphakiwi]

Best to not take it. I stopped it long ago at the advice of my chemist friend

[Ppiman]

I gather that the gastro-intestinal tract is unusually well supplied with blood vessels that are near the surface. If one of these ruptures (you can tell how sensitive the tract is as haemorrhoids bleed very easily - this is still the GI tract), it will normally resolve itself quickly but if you take a "blood thinner", the bleeding might not stop so easily. The omeprazole reduces the acidity of the stomach contents and I believe that trials show it to offer protection against these tiny haemorrhages.

Why you in particular have been prescribed it you will need to ask your specialist or GP.

Steve

[bassets]

I was never given Omeprazole when I had an ablation, and stopped taking it years ago as I was diagnosed with osteoporosis and found it can make this condition worse. I suppose the doctor wanted no complications.

[Vonnegut]

I was prescribed Omeprazole when it was discovered that I had a hiatus hernia but I rarely take it now as I read that it was not suitable for us as it prevented the absorption of potassium and magnesium which are necessary for us.

Whenever a blood test shows my cholesterol is high though, like you, I have a healthy diet, have never been overweight etc, I take red yeast rice capsules until the next blood test when my cholesterol is always “normal”! I get mine online but I think you can get them from shops that sell health supplements.

[Maisiemay13 in reply to Vonnegut]

I will look at this thank always very cautious with what I take with Apixaban

[RoyMacDonald]

Some people on here recommended taking Double Strength Gaviscon instead of Omeprazole for stomach issues. I have IBS and a hiatus hernia but I've never felt the Apixaban caused enough disturbance to my stomach to take either, although it does make me want to visit the WC sometimes after I take it.

All the best

Roy

[55zuzanka61]

The reason to take PPI or famotidine while on anticoagulant is to prevent possibly dangerous gastrointestinal bleeding from gastric erosions or small or larger ulcerations,that can form in stomach or duodenum due to stress,excess of acid,medications(mainly NSAID like ibuprofen,aspirin,and others) and multiple other reasons.Being on anticoagulants means that bleeding might be more severe and harder to control.Thus protection with PPIs and famotidine.

Jerryczech

[TopBiscuit]

Well, this is the first time I've heard of Apixaban potentially causing gastric problems. Yet another reason for my avoiding it! When I was prescribed Apixaban at my initial diagnosis of AF no-one said anything about taking a gastric med. I have coeliac disease and long term delicate digestion and am currently taking Lansoprazole short term for stomach pain while awaiting (another) endoscopy. As someone else said, Lansaprozole is contra indicated for anyone with osteoporosis (which I also have, prob courtesy of coeliac disease) and I won't be volunteering to take Apixaban any time soon.

Thank you for the heads up!

There's no end to it really, is there? Take this medication to counteract the effects of that medication which might cause some other problem while fixing the original problem.

[Kendalghost]

When I had a stroke I was put on Clopidogrel and I needed omeprazole to calm my stomach. After they found that the stroke was caused by AF my medication changed to Apixaban. I took omeprazole for several years and a pharmacist said that I didn't need it. I discussed this with my GP and reduced and then stopped the omeprazole. I have been fine without it for several years now.

[Maisiemay13 in reply to Kendalghost]

Thank you that interesting to hear.

[Hilianna]

I have taken edoxaban for 4 years for a fib. No digestive problems that I am aware of.

[Ducky2003]

I'm on Apixaban and only had Omeprazole for a 6 week period following my ablation.