omeprazole

Question
I had gastric bypass urgery in 2006 and have been taking omeprazole every day since my surgery with no gastric problems as per my surgeon's instructions. A friend of mine who is a pediatrician told me there is a recent study (2011) revealing  long term use of omeprazole can increase one's chance of stomach cancer as nit alters the stomach's normal ph. Is that true? Should I cease taking the med? I have never had any problems with gastric reflux or h-pylori. Thank you.

Answer
I am pretty sure that the concern about stomach cancer and long term use of omeprazole came only from animal studies done very early in the development of the drug, and that there has been no sign of increased gastric cancer in humans.

Having said that, since you have had no symptoms of trouble it would be perfectly reasonable for you to ask your gastric bypass surgeon if you still need to take the omeprazole.

Best wishes,
Dr JP

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