What happens if you take prilosec too long

This dosage information is for omeprazole oral capsule. All possible dosages and drug forms may not be included here. Your dosage, drug form, and how often you take the drug will depend on:. People of Asian descent. However, because drugs affect each person differently, we cannot guarantee that this list includes all possible dosages. Always speak with your doctor or pharmacist about dosages that are right for you.

Omeprazole oral capsule is used for short-term treatment of duodenal and gastric ulcers and gastroesophageal reflux disease GERD. They may even get worse. If you take too much: You could have dangerous levels of the drug in your body. Symptoms can include:. But if your symptoms are severe, call or go to the nearest emergency room right away. What to do if you miss a dose: Take your dose as soon as you remember. If you remember just a few hours before your next scheduled dose, take only one dose.

Never try to catch up by taking two doses at once. This could result in dangerous side effects. How to tell if the drug is working: You should have decreased pain and acid reflux symptoms.

As with all medications, the costs of omeprazole can vary. To find current prices for your area, check out GoodRx. A prescription for this medication is refillable. You should not need a new prescription for this medication to be refilled. Your doctor will write the number of refills authorized on your prescription. Your doctor should monitor certain health issues.

This can help make sure you stay safe while you take this drug. These issues include:. Not every pharmacy stocks this drug. When filling your prescription, be sure to call ahead to make sure your pharmacy carries it. Many insurance companies require a prior authorization for this drug. This means your doctor will need to get approval from your insurance company before your insurance company will pay for the prescription.

There are other drugs available to treat your condition. Some may be better suited for you than others.

Talk to your doctor about other drug options that may work for you. If you have an allergic reaction, call your doctor or local poison control center right away. If your symptoms are severe, call or go to the nearest emergency room. Taking it again could be fatal cause death. For people with liver problems: This drug may change the way your liver works. If you have severe liver problems, your doctor may decrease your dose. For people with a vitamin B deficiency: This drug reduces the amount of acid in your stomach.

You need stomach acid to absorb vitamin B Your doctor may monitor your vitamin B levels and give you vitamin B injections if needed. For people with osteoporosis : People who take multiple doses of this drug every day for a year or longer may have an increased risk of fractures. Already a member? Login ». As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content.

Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. Thanks for visiting. Don't miss your FREE gift. Sign up to get tips for living a healthy lifestyle, with ways to fight inflammation and improve cognitive health , plus the latest advances in preventative medicine, diet and exercise , pain relief, blood pressure and cholesterol management, and more.

Get helpful tips and guidance for everything from fighting inflammation to finding the best diets for weight loss Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School.

Recent Blog Articles. Health news headlines can be deceiving. In addition, omeprazole is used to prevent upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding in seriously ill patients. Omeprazole is a proton pump inhibitor PPI. It works by decreasing the amount of acid produced by the stomach. In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do.

This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered:. Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully. Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated pediatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of omeprazole in children 1 to 16 years of age.

Safety and efficacy have not been established in children younger than 1 month of age. Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of omeprazole in the elderly. However, elderly patients are more sensitive to the effects of this medicine than younger adults. There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding.

Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding. Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur.

In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take. Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines. Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you.

Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur.

Using this medicine with any of the following may cause an increased risk of certain side effects but may be unavoidable in some cases. If used together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use this medicine, or give you special instructions about the use of food, alcohol, or tobacco. The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine.

Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:. Take this medicine only as directed by your doctor. Do not take more of it, do not take it more often, and do not take it for a longer time than your doctor ordered. If you are using this medicine without a prescription, follow the instructions on the medicine label. This medicine should come with a Medication Guide. Read and follow these instructions carefully.

Ask your doctor if you have any questions. Take omeprazole capsules or delayed-release capsules before a meal, preferably in the morning. Omeprazole tablets may be taken with food or on an empty stomach. Take omeprazole powder for oral suspension on an empty stomach at least 1 hour before a meal.