Community Chat

[NickNack]

@Jordan2    You can buy omeproazole over the counter, but it's probably cheaper with Good RX.  I have taken omeprazole for Gerd for many years.  The gastroenterologist told me it would be dangerous for me not to take it because of the risk of some type of cancer.

I am not overweight and tried many different things with diet before seeing a gastroenterologist.  I pay $1 for a 90 day prescription with my health insurance.

I don't understand why your insurance would say that.  I would try to get your doctor to get a prior approval for it.  

[FlyersGirl]

@Jordan2 

Hoping you can get this resolved/covered by your insurance.

In the interim, there are generic brands of omeprazole that you can get for $15 or less at 20 mg/42 pills. Sometime these are even cheaper when on sale. Since Walmart/Target etc all have generics, so you do not have to take the OTC name brand Prilosec. So for about $30/2 boxes of 20 mg-42 pills,  you could get 42 days of dosage. Better value than the GoodRX deal, at least for now. (assuming the GoodRX deal is for a 30 day supply)

[catmama]

@Jordan2  - are you taking Vitamin C?  This is not a medical diagnose, but I want to tell you my story.  Last fall I ran out of Andrew Lessman's Vit C which I have been taking for years.  Ran to the vitamin store and purchased a bottle of what I assumed was a good quality Vit C.  A a few weeks later I started having issues with my throat, coughing and burping.  Thought it might be GERD or heartburn.  Stopped drinking sparking water, wine and anything acidic.  But it didn't clear up.  Was about to contact the dr when I watched Andrew on HSN early last month and he was talking about Vit C and the fact that most brands use ascorbic acid, which is acid and can cause issues such as I was experiencing.  Looked at my brand and sure enough it was ascorbic acid.  Quit taking it, ordered Andrew's and a month later, my issues have cleared up.  

[sidsmom]

I would do anything to figure out the cause & to eliminate that cause immediately.  All the stress can have detrimental effects, especially

in this day/age of COVID-19.  Greater than 0 chance it's food related. 

[SeaMaiden]

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@goldensrbest wrote:

Why not buy over the counter?

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Try using GoodRX.... I have a prescription cream that insurance will not cover....it costs $90 out of pocket.....$51 using GoodRX.  

[Imaoldhippie]

@Kachina624 .........no they are not unrelated, they both are for acid reflux (GERD).  I am educated in these 2 drugs since I worked for a gastroenterologist for 6 years and have GERD which I take Omeprazole for.

Just heard where FDA has ordered Zantac off the market.

[Kachina624]

@Imaoldhippie    Yes, there's a thread on Zantac.  It disappeared off the shelves several months ago so don't know what the big deal is today.

[noodleann]

FDA Requests Removal of All Ranitidine Products (Zantac) from the Market

FDA Advises Consumers, Patients and Health Care Professionals After New FDA Studies Show Risk to Public Health

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced it is requesting manufacturers withdraw all prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) ranitidine drugs from the market immediately. This is the latest step in an ongoing investigation of a contaminant known as N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in ranitidine medications (commonly known by the brand name Zantac). The agency has determined that the impurity in some ranitidine products increases over time and when stored at higher than room temperatures and may result in consumer exposure to unacceptable levels of this impurity. As a result of this immediate market withdrawal request, ranitidine products will not be available for new or existing prescriptions or OTC use in the U.S.

[Jordan2]

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@catmama wrote:

@Jordan2  - are you taking Vitamin C?  This is not a medical diagnose, but I want to tell you my story.  Last fall I ran out of Andrew Lessman's Vit C which I have been taking for years.  Ran to the vitamin store and purchased a bottle of what I assumed was a good quality Vit C.  A a few weeks later I started having issues with my throat, coughing and burping.  Thought it might be GERD or heartburn.  Stopped drinking sparking water, wine and anything acidic.  But it didn't clear up.  Was about to contact the dr when I watched Andrew on HSN early last month and he was talking about Vit C and the fact that most brands use ascorbic acid, which is acid and can cause issues such as I was experiencing.  Looked at my brand and sure enough it was ascorbic acid.  Quit taking it, ordered Andrew's and a month later, my issues have cleared up.  

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@catmama  I do take vitamin c, have been for eons, no problem. I really think this is stress related. Hopefully I won't have to take the medication for too long. The CVS brand Omeprazole 20 mg was $24.50, so it was a no brainer to use the GoodRX coupon for the prescription. It also bothers me, if people don't know about GoodRX, they are probably paying at least double what I paid.

[depglass]

I am fortunate to have a friend who is a Pharm D.  (doctorate in pharmacy)  She told me Omeprazole has a rebound affect, which is part of the reason I had been taking it for years and years.  She suggested a switch to Zantac generic, ranitadine.  Worked great.  Then they pulled ranitadine and I went back to my old standby, Alka Seltzer.  I don't have symptoms very much at all anymore, and the Alka Seltzer deals with it just fine.  I also think my original issue was stress, it all started back in my working life.  Now its just the occasional spicy meal.