Update time. So does Omeprazole slow motility? Well, in my case it's a definite YES! I took it for 7 days at 20mg/day, first thing in the morning about 15 minutes before I ate breakfast. And for the first time since becoming an ostomate some 9 years ago............I've actually experienced 'pancaking'! Very interesting sensation. So for me........the number of times I need to empty my bag has dropped significantly........and my output has changed from liquid to moist oatmeal! Sorry all you oatmeal lovers.......I couldn't think of a better analogy. So for me........it works! Of course your mileage may vary, and probably will.......or it might not do anything for ya!
BUT........and there's always a 'BUT'.........it actually works too good! I say that for a couple of reasons. First, on my old motility meds (which didn't work real well) I could plan for times of the day when I knew my bowels were empty....meaning I'd have no output.......and do things without any worry of needing to empty my bag. Now for me having empty bowels means I'm burning energy and not replacing it, so I'm losing weight. But when I had to be somewhere where emptying might be a challenge, or I would be in a situation where I didn't want to have to empty a couple times in an hour or two (like on a date), I came to like the fact that I controlled the timing. With Omeprazole all bets were off, and although I certainly had far fewer emptyings........I was no longer in control of when or how much. Second, I'm used to eating until 1:00am or so, then hydrating around 2:30am and hitting the sack around 4:00am, knowing my bowels were empty. This wasn't so much a 'don't want a blowout while I'm sleeping" thing, but fit my morning schedule when I got up. Normally the first thing I do in the morning is weigh myself. And I do that knowing my bowels are empty. But with Omeprazole I found my bowels weren't empty, and I really wanted an accurate weight before I started eating breakfast. So I stopped eating earlier figuring that would solve it, but it didn't. I still wasn't completely empty when I woke up. And lastly, I wasn't a happy camper when I read about the long term side effects of being on Omeprazole for more than 14 days.
So what I'm doing now is cutting my daily doseage in half, hoping that's a happy medium. Less output, but a bit more control. We'll see how that goes. But that's where I am right now. I'll report back after a week of being on only 10mg of Omeprazole, and maybe that will be the happy medium..........and reduce the chance of those ugly side effects. Or maybe not. Stay tuned, tomorrow is Day 3.
;O)