Anyone using Omeprazole (Prilosec) or other proton pump inhibitors to slow motility?

Hi Gang,

Just want to see if anyone else uses or is experimenting with taking a proton pump inhibitor to slow their motility? I was turned on to this trick a while back by someone on here, but couldn't implement it until now due to the data I was tracking on my weight stability. I'm on day 4 of taking a 20mg tab of Omeprazole in the morning and the results have been impressive. I've stopped taking my normal motility meds, Loperamide and Diphen-Atropine, and find a single Omeprazole tab once a day works much better. Of course, this is all preliminary, but would like to hear from anyone who's gone down this path, whether the experience was good or bad.

Thanks,

Bob

Bob - you may want to Google the following: Omeprazole vs. Pantoprazole. I was put on the latter (Rx only) when Ranitidine (Rx Zantac) was taken off the market 3 years ago. I have had good results with Pantoprazole with no side effects such as a B12 deficiency/headaches that Omeprazole can cause. Best

Thanks, Bryce! I'll check that out as soon as I finish experimenting with the Omeprazole!

Regards,

Bob

Pantoprazole (Protonix) works for me. Omeprazole was not as effective for me. I take a 40 mg tablet of Pantoprazole every day. In any case, it seems you are on the right track. 😊

I haven't heard of it being used to slow motility. Can't wait to hear more about your experiment.

How to Manage Ostomy Leaks with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

Hi WI,

Yeah, it's interesting. Someone on here (sorry, but I forgot who) mentioned it when we were PM'ing about short gut stuff some time ago. So I tried it off the cuff back then and noticed it did reduce my number of bag emptyings. I talked to my small bowel transplant doc about it and she mentioned that all alpha blockers seem to have the effect of reducing motility... and they were pretty much harmless in terms of long-term side effects... but they didn't know why (as usual). So I had it on my radar to investigate further, and the time has come. Today was my fourth day taking one 20 mg tab in the morning, about 15 mins before I eat breakfast... and so far I'm seeing a pretty drastic reduction in the number of times I need to empty my bag. My output is thicker too, obviously, and I've completely stopped taking my normal motility meds. Then again it could also be Crapster's Rice Krispy Treats, which I've been binge making every night for the past week. No, just kidding... it's not those. But they do taste good.

So I plan to stick with the Omeprazole for a bit and then check out others' recommendations. I did a little digging and there have been a few investigations into whether Omeprazole affects motility... and the answer was no, but it did improve gastric myoelectrical activity, which I haven't fully digested yet. Stay tuned... more to come.

;O)

Hi Bob

I use Omeprazole PRN when I have an acid imbalance - but I only take it upon retiring to sleep - i.e., when going down in the prone position when I have an out-of-balance acidic reaction. Usually, I am fortunate to be able to manage my diet fairly well. This may change in the event I become 'short-gutted' following my next surgical intervention in the event I have bowel puncture or fistula development owing to adhesions, which are becoming more extensive as the number of surgeries progresses ;-(.

Clearly, Bob, you must self-manage quite carefully. The very fact you were able to be weaned off deep-line feeding says a lot for your own strength of purpose and application, I guess. We are best able to help ourselves by being 'favored, as one who is prepared,' i.e., pertinent knowledge and continual self-assessment is probably the most useful aspect for those of us who are capable of applying emotional intelligence along with practical mind over matter because we are at our best when able to apply good self-management!

[Occasionally we [meaning I in this instance] can be our own worst enemy, but hell, sometimes, we just have to say WTF and let ourselves have a certain amount of freedom, albeit that this can be short-lived!

I 'enjoy' reading your informative posts, Bob. You have a good sharing attitude. Thank you for being an active member of the site.

I too will be interested to learn of the outcome of your experimentation as regards the inhibitor mechanism of this drug/other drugs.

Positive best wishes for helpful advancement and self-management outcome.

Best regards

Jayne

Bryce,

Do I take it you have used Omeprazole/Pantoprazole long term?

BW

Regards

Jayne

I take 20 mg a day but not for the output. Personally, I have not noticed a difference, but I do notice my Zyrtec allergy pill will slow it down. Proton pump inhibitors can put people in general at more risk of getting C. diff. I've always been worried about that.

Hi J,

I hope you don't get short-gutted anytime soon... it's not fun, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Well... maybe one or two pop into my mind... but I digress. My weaning off TPN was as much the efforts of a really good home infusion team and their dietician as mine. I was lucky enough to work with a team that focuses on getting patients off TPN rather than maximizing profits. They really were amazing. I also have a friend who needed a liver transplant and almost died waiting for it... so I had no plans of watching my liver degrade from the long-term use of TPN and go down the same road he did. Let's just say I was VERY motivated to get off TPN as soon as practical. It's a shame everyone needing it doesn't work with a home infusion company like the one I used... or even know they exist.

We're always our own worst enemy... it's human nature. I just got done reading the most up-to-date info on long-term side effects of proton pump inhibitors and it's not as good news as I was led to believe. So the proton pump inhibitor thing may be short-lived. But I will give it a good go so I know if it works or not to modify my motility. If I can figure out why it does that, there may be other safer things that could be used for the same task. Time will tell. I've attached a link to the info on side effects if anyone is interested. It doesn't appear to be turning into a hyperlink, so you may need to cut and paste into your browser to view. Hopefully, it will change when I submit this reply.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10248387/#:~:text=The%20long%2Dterm%20use%20of%20PPIs%20is%20associated%20with%20some,(hepatocellular%20carcinoma)%2C%20fractures%2C

;O)

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 you!

BUT... and there's always a 'BUT'... it actually works too well! 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 of 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 1:00 am or so, then hydrating around 2:30 am and hitting the sack around 4:00 am, 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 dosage 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)

Bob,

Re: Motility using Omneprazole

Thanks for the detailed feedback of 2 x 20mg Omneprazole at the beginning of the day over 7 days.

It will be interesting to compare 1 x 20mg at the beginning of the day.

Noted the inability to totally empty/predict clear system that you were formerly able to achieve - that must have been useful!

Regards,

Jayne

Hello Jayne,

I was on ranitidine (Rx form of Zantac) for many years to counteract the effects of the prednisone that was used to treat Crohn's. I liked the ranitidine better as it was not enteric coated and you could use it prophylactically if necessary. Pantoprazole seems to work well enough taken nightly, with no side effects and lasts 24 hours. Still on 5 mg per day of prednisone and have been for 30 years - no colos or ileos here but urostomy from bladder cancer for the last 15 years. Trust all is well with you, enjoy your posts.

Cheers,

Bryce

My bad... I forgot to mention one thing. The other thing I sort of expected, but wasn't sure would result from taking the Omeprazole (20mg), was decreased digestion. I mean, it's a medication designed to reduce acid in your stomach. Less acid means food doesn't get broken down as much, which means bigger chunks of undigested food going through my small bowel, which are too big to absorb, and then end up ultimately in my bag. And that's exactly what I got. So taking Omeprazole is like being on a see-saw. On one hand, it slows (or modifies) motility, which is good, but on the other, it also decreases how efficiently one digests. For us short-gutters, we need the best digestion we can get so what little small bowel we have can actually absorb as many nutrients as possible. I guess there really is no free lunch! I meant to mention this and totally forgot, but remembered this morning when I emptied my bag and saw some nice big chunks!

;O)

40 mg a day works for my acid reflux.

Hi J,

Slight correction... I had completed 1 x 20 mg at the beginning of the day over 7 days and am now on 1 x 10 mg (half a tablet) and on Day 3. I can just imagine what 40 mg would have done!

😮

I take it, 2mg, and Imodium twice a day to slow my high output ileostomy. It works. Mine is temporary. After reading the comments about B12, etc., I might research more if it was permanent. I'll stick with the status quo for now. I do take two B complex a day since things rush through my system so fast. I wait for about an hour after I take the O and I before I take my other meds/supplements.

I make this comment not as a short-gutted person as I have a little more than 2.3 meters of small intestine left with which I work [no large intestine and no rectum]. But I do have extensive adhesions from multiple surgeries.

Yes, max absorption from the remaining small bowel we have is essential. So much so I find when [and this is only on a PRN basis when my own acid balance is disturbed from lack of diet choice or very late times of eating] I take omeprazole - I do so just before prone position when about to sleep - that way there is max time of less movement and thus max absorption within the small intestine prior to emptying.

By no way foolproof - but I find that taking omeprazole in the morning or during the day does just what Bob has underlined - it seems to increase more non-digested food being passed into the bag.

Sorry, just noticed the caps

Now reverted to lower case - was not shouting.

Best regards

Jayne

Thanks, Bryce, for this input.

Yes, I do use omeprazole prophylactically. Only just read your post, Bryce. I take no steroids and only take anti-inflammatory medication on a PRN basis for a short length of time for joint/eye flares. Generally, I try to keep the pharma to a minimum, notwithstanding an antibiotic is required from time to time. On these occasions, the defined course is completed.

Generally, I look into the site on a periodic basis, but just lately, I have had a phase where I have looked in on a more regular basis.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Waves from the Pembrokeshire coast ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I wish you good fortune.

Kind regards,

Jayne

Hi Jayne - Sorry for the tardy response. I have taken Pantoprazole 40mg daily for about 3 years now with no ill effects. The main reason for taking it is to counteract the upset stomach that can occur with Prednisone, which I have been on for 35 years due to Crohn's. I used Ranitidine (Zantac Rx) prior, but it was taken off the market for a while - one of those 1 in 46 billion chances of the 'filler' causing cancer situations. Best