People's Pharmacy

Prilosec

Generic Name:omeprazole

Revised:4/1/2000

Table of Contents

Side Effects and Interactions

Prilosec is generally well tolerated. However, headache, diarrhea, stomachache, muscle weakness and rash have been reported.

Other adverse reactions that have been reported less commonly include constipation, cough, fatigue, sore throat and vomiting. Report any symptoms or suspected reactions to your physician promptly.

Prilosec slows the elimination of several drugs that must be processed by the liver, including the anxiety medicine Valium, the anti-epileptic Dilantin and the blood thinner Coumadin.

Blood levels of these drugs may rise and side effects become a problem. If you take both Prilosec and Coumadin, tell your doctor right away if you experience any unusual bruising, bleeding, reddish urine or blackened stools. Prilosec is also reported to blood levels of Sandimmune or Antabuse.

Many other prescription drugs require acidity for absorption. Prilosec can interfere with such medicines, which include Nizoral, ampicillin and iron supplements, among others.

People taking acid-suppressing drugs such as Prilosec should not take enteric-coated peppermint oil. The enteric coating is designed to keep the oil from being absorbed until it reaches the more alkaline lower intestine. But when there is very little stomach acid, the enteric coating may dissolve prematurely, releasing the oil into the stomach.

In older people with too little stomach acid or in patients taking a strong acid suppressor such as Prilosec, vitamin B12 absorption may be impaired. Cranberry juice appears to improve the absorption of this crucial vitamin in such cases.

Be sure to check with your pharmacist and physician about potential interactions before taking any other medication or herb in combination with Prilosec.