Weaning Omeprazole

How and when to wean Omeprazole.

The “when” should be decided in consultation with your child’s medical professional and would generally be after a period of “settled” time.  How long this period is, may depend on the age of the child.

When Omeprazole is withdrawn, there is often a rebound of acid for about a week.  For this reason, we recommend reducing the dose of Omeprazole slowly and no more often than every two weeks, allowing this rebound acidity to settle in-between each reduction.  The easiest way to work out how much to reduce by at a time, is probably half a capsule (depending on the dose the child is on), although some children may need a slower withdrawal.

If reflux symptoms return, remember this may be a rebound of acid which is common with withdrawal, but if they do not settle within one to two weeks contact your health professional.  It may be that you need to increase to the lowest effective dose and try weaning again at a later date.

During this time, you may want to talk to your medical professional about using Gaviscon Infant on an “as required basis”.  Please note, that analgesics such as Paracetamol or Ibuprofen, or even stronger analgesics have no or little effect on pain caused by acid, and are not generally indicated for the relief of pain associated with gastric reflux.  Ibuprofen/Nurofen can worsen GORD.  If you have further queries about using analgesics during this time period, please discuss this with your medical professional – but any advice given in this regard is for your child.

References:

http://www.bpac.org.nz/BPJ/2010/April/stopguide.aspx#Acid
http://www.bpac.org.nz/BPJ/2011/february/dyspepsia.aspx (Reference for NSAIDs eg Ibuprofen)

Acknowledgements:

An undisclosed analgesic manufacturer

© Roslyn Ballantyne (RN), National Coordinator 2013 – 2020, Gastric Reflux Support Network New Zealand for Parents of Infants and Children Charitable Trust’s Newsletter March 2014.  Adapted and published on Crying Over Spilt Milk May 2015.
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