I am on Omeprazole which I believe is the generic of Prilosec. My prescription is for 40mg twice a day but I look at the otc Prilosec and it is 150mg. My appt with my dr is not for another month so will wait and ask her when I see her but thought maybe someone could explain the difference in dosage. I have major acid reflux and am shocked now that I realize my dosage is so low.
Actually, many people only take 20mg/day of the Omeprazole. For the people on this board, 40 mg is fairly standard. It is not a low dosage. In fact, 40 mg is the highest prescription dosage in a single capsule.
For people with LPR, they may be prescribed 40 mg twice a day if the once a day dosage doesn't work.
Each PPI is different so don't worry about comparing dosages of differing medications.
My GI doc has always had me stay on a PPI for at least 4-6 weeks before determining the effectiveness and re-considering other options. It takes time for your body to start healing after beginning the medication.
Acid reflux is caused when your lower esophageal sphincter allows acid to come up into your esophagus. There is no cure or fix for this. What the PPI's do is try to suppress some of the acid production so you don't feel the symptoms of the acid as badly.
There are some other thing you can do in the meantime. Make sure the waistbands you wear are loose, try to avoid bending over too often, raise the headboard on your bed about 4-6 inches (bricks work well), sleep on your left side, reduce weight if you are overweight and modify your diet. Things to avoid include: greasy or high fat food, spicy food, acidic food like citrus and tomatoes, onions, mint, caffeine, carbonation, chocolate, coffee, etc... If you know a food causes you problems, avoid it.
Also, you can supplement with Zantac, Pepcid or Gaviscon while on the PPI's. I prefer the Gaviscon because you chew it up and it foams to help create a barrier for the acid. They all work differently though so you need to find what works for you.
I'm not sure where you are getting your information. The OTC Omeprazole is the equivalent of 20mg as well. At least, that is how they are advertising it. Hopefully that will ease your mind.
There are some other OTC acid medicines, like Zantac or Pepsid, where you might take 150 mg at a time, but those drugs are in a completely different family.
40 mg twice a day is a very high dose of Prilosec.
Thanks everyone. I guess I must have misread the label. I could have sworn it said 150 mg on the package of prilosec. Thanks for setting me straight. (:
