Does Omeprazole Help With Gas Pain?

Answer

Hi Mohamad and thanks for reaching out to us. 

Before we begin to go over some options, are you positive that this is gas-related pain? Sometimes, pain from gas and a heart attack or chest pain can have very similar symptoms. If you are not positive that you are having gas-related pains, I would advise seeking immediate medical attention, just to be sure. If you are feeling a radiating pain that spreads to your arms, back, or jaw, experiencing shortness of breath, cold sweats, or sudden dizziness; these are common heart attack symptoms. Please seek immediate medical attention if this is the case.

Assuming that you are truly having gas issues and gastrointestinal discomfort, omeprazole, a proton pump inhibitor, does work for most individuals for gastrointestinal discomfort, but it may not be the best choice if the only issue is excess gas.

Omeprazole For Gas Pain

Omeprazole helps to reduce acid levels, helping with indigestion or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) symptoms, but it can take some time to start working. Not only does it typically need to be taken once a day, 30-60 minutes before a meal, it usually needs to be taken for at least 3 days for it to begin to work properly. It does not work immediately. If you are taking it occasionally for stomach-related issues, it’s not going to help.

Reduce Gas From The Start

Going back to issues with gas, do you know what foods make the gas pain worse? If not, you might want to begin to keep a food journal, and see if you have symptoms after having a certain type of food. For example, I’ve discovered that I don’t do so well after eating deep-fried food. I can have a small serving, but anything beyond that, and my GI system stays angry at me for a day or two. I would recommend keeping a food journal for a week or two to see if you discover any type of foods that seem to make things worse.

One good option to treat excess gas try might be the over-the-counter drug simethicone (sold under several different brand names, including Gas-X). Simethicone doesn’t reduce gas from being produced, but it can help break it up which helps with the discomfort and pain. In the short term, this might be a good option until you get a better idea what is causing the gas related pains.

All of this isn't to say omeprazole won't work for some people who are producing excess gas, it just might not be the safest (long-term use of drugs like omeprazole is associated with some negative side effects, like increased cardiovascular risk and osteoporosis) or most effective option.

Final Words

I hope this helps! Feel free to write us again in the future.