So I had hip surgery last week, this time last week as it happens, and was discharged with aspirin for dvt prevention, and Omeprazole to protect from that obvs.
My question is, as I have low stomach acid anyway, could I afford to drop the Omeprazole? I’m not a fan of any of these “counter” medications, and quite aware that if I wasn’t absorbing much from my food before, I sure as h*ll aren’t now!
I’m on the aspirin for 6 weeks….. I cant afford to lose 6 weeks of nutrients.
Thoughts? Thank you 😊
I've never understood in what way PPIs are supposed to 'protect' the stomach, and no-one has ever been able to explain it to me. I was in much the same position, 9 years ago, and too ill to protest that I didn't want to take PPIs. And, they messed up my gut completely. 9 years later, my gut still hasn't completely recovered. I would never, ever take them again under any circumstances. And, yes, I did suffer from malnutrition - which doctors completely ignored - and all my hair dropped out - which, they said, was due to my age!
I’ve got bursitis hip pain now in my groin area also( on going for 18months) steroid injections only offers temporary relief. I’ve just spoken to a new GP at my surgery , and he has referred me , and in the mean time re prescribed Etoricobix and omeprazole until I can see someone, I said I wasn’t going to take the omeprazole as it will interfere with my Thyroid meds ( T3 & thyroxine ) he got quite stroppy and said to speak to the pharmacist and they will reassure me there will be no problems I need the pain relief but I’m very reluctant to take omeprazole I only intend to take it when the pain is really bad 🤷🏼♀️
Just goes to show how much he understands about all this! I don't think they realise the implications of half the stuff they prescribe, And don't bother to check it out.
You should have seen me trying to work out some sort of schedule with the 8 drugs I had to fit in around my T3!!
I did it though, and now I’ve dropped a few it’s easier again. Only the aspirin to worry about..
I can imagine. Hope it's all worth it. 
humanbean just for clarity, I’m taking two dispersible aspirin once a day.
It doesn’t feel like a major assault on my tummy.
The other strong NSAIDs I just asked to come off however, were a different beast. I have never felt so nauseous, I could stand it any longer. The aspirin feels much more “natural” in comparison, dare I say!
Perhaps the flow chart I linked in my earlier reply can help you decide whether you need a PPI?
I don't want to say that you are right or wrong to stop the PPI because my knowledge is just based on my own experience of NSAIDs and PPIs.
no, not at all, that’s fair enough thank you.
This is the thing, everyone is different
thanks gg.
I feel like I worked really hard to get myself in as good form as I could before this op, knowing it would take quite a lot out of me, whether it felt like it or not.
Getting my iron up in particular is a major effort, in fact I’ve never quite got it where I’d like it!
So to undo any of that, and potentially make it worse just seems mad to me. I get the dvt thing - I’m not taking that risk - but if I can avoid ruining my gut that would be good!!
Dispersible aspirin and then lunch…? Seems not too bad 🤷🏼♀️
Well, I'm no expert, but I do know that my mother practically lived on aspirin for years, before PPIs were invented - aspirin was the only available painkiller in those days, and she suffered from migrains. And, as far as I can tell, it had no adverse effect on her stomach.
Myself, I took 4+ ibuprofen for years, for muscle pain - before I discovered the problem was low zinc - and didn't have any problems. But taking that wretched PPI when taking a daily aspirin, to supposedely 'protect' my stomach, really messed things up. If anybody were able to explain to me in what way PPIs 'protect' the stomach, I might reconsider my thinking. But so far, no-one has been able to do this, and certainly not the doctors that prescribed it!
My question is, as I have low stomach acid anyway, could I afford to drop the Omeprazole?
I would suggest that you keep taking the Omeprazole. I don't know the nuts and bolts behind it, but NSAIDs like aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen damage the stomach lining. And in some way I don't understand PPIs protect the stomach from the NSAID.
I developed a duodenal ulcer from taking ibuprofen without a PPI in my 20s, and my stomach/gut has never been the same since. I still have a temperamental stomach that I have to treat very carefully and I'm in my 60s now.
I started taking Naproxen for pain about 6 or 7 years ago and I've been on Lanzoprazole (a PPI) along with it ever since.
Murphysmum,
It’s a gamble isn’t it, as you can read from the previous replies. My input is I took aspirin for 6 weeks after my stroke, dropping the omeprazole immediately I was out of hospital.
PPI’s not only stop the proton pump mechanism from secreting gastric acid, but can make unwanted changes such as lesions within the gastric cell mucosa changing the way it functions forever. Also they are not sure how but the clinical findings are PPI’s reduce bone mass density in some people.
My rational was I take Betaine HCL + pepsin most days (supplemented gastric acid) which I obviously couldn’t take with omeprazole so I stopped the Betaine HCL and (never really started the omeprazole) and just took aspirin instead, and my gut is fine.
I think it depends how much gastric acid you produce and the state of your microbiome, and I think taking the aspirin is important.
Hi Murphysmum,
I've taken enteric coated aspirin 75mg daily for 10yrs. I was on PPI's earlier than that due to hiatus hernia and was still taking them until last year when I had a coeliac dx and looked into them a bit more. I have been fine still taking the aspirin without the PPI's, but we are all different. I personally would take them for short term only now.
In my experience PPI won’t protect your stomach from Aspirin use.
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