Does Omeprazole Help With Gas?

Almost everyone has gas in their digestive tract, but some people experience severe discomfort and other associated symptoms. Research suggests that around 16% to 31% of people experience bloating.

Another survey suggests that around 80% of the respondents showed gas-related symptoms affecting their lives. So, this is a problem that needs our attention.

Some people claim a conflicting solution with omeprazole. But, there are still doubtful questions among many who ask, does omeprazole help with gas?

We have tried to dig deeper into this claim and are trying to give a genuine verdict with an answer to this question.

What is Gas?

Gas is part of your normal digestion process. The entire digestive system comprises several processes while it works towards breaking down food substances.

In normal habits, the human body removes excessive gas by burping or passing gas. It’s a normal behavior of our body and causes no discomfort.

The problem arises when gas doesn’t move well in your digestive system and can’t escape your body through natural behaviors. Trapped gas in your body will trigger immense pain and discomfort.

It mostly occurs when we consume food items or follow a diet with a higher chance of producing gas in our bodies. You can often overcome this pain by changing your diet or omitting the consumption of gas-causing food items.

But, if there is some underlying health disorder, such as celiac disease or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), it indicates your digestive system is weak. Along with the direct symptoms of these conditions, an increase in gas or gas pain will also be a concern.

Symptoms of Extreme Gas

To help you realize that your gastric problem is worsening, here are a few symptoms you should observe closely:

• Frequent burping
• Abnormal tightening of your stomach
• Cramps and pain in the abdomen region
• Passing gas frequently, even after passing stool
• Very bloated belly or observable bulk in the size of your stomach
• The feeling of fullness, heaviness, or pressure around the abdomen area (Bloating)

If these symptoms persist for a long time, you can conclude that you need medical attention on priority.

Gas and Omeprazole

Before we tell you if omeprazole is the right treatment for gas or not, you must learn about what causes gas. Only then will you be able to understand the working methodology of omeprazole.

What Are the Causes of Gas Problems?

Gas or gas pain in your stomach triggers, possibly due to swallowing enough air while drinking or eating food. Most of such gas is released as a natural body response when you burp after meals.

Gas is formed within your large intestine or colon when the bacteria ferment the carbohydrates. Fermentation happens with carbohydrates that weren’t digested in the small intestine. Bacteria handling the fermentation process absorb some of that gas, but the rest escapes your body through natural means.

Some of the food items and dietary factors that cause gas and gas pain are:

• Excessive consumption of carbonated beverages such as beer or soda.

• Consumption of fiber supplements such as Metamucil is responsible for increasing colon gas.

• Bad habit of eating too quickly or drinking through a straw also leads your body to trap more air.

• Excessive consumption of high-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, peas, and beans increases the gas production in your body.

• Sugar alternatives or artificial sweeteners such as xylitol, mannitol, sorbitol, and others in food and drinks contribute to an increase in colon gas. You can check does sugar cause bloating.

Apart from food and dietary causes, some medical conditions are of primary concern for the patients.

If you’re going through any of the below health adversity, your gastric problems might worsen until you fix the root cause or take a prescribed medication. The medical conditions that aggravate gas and gas pain are:

• Constipation
• Food intolerances
• Chronic intestinal disease
• Small bowel bacterial overgrowth

What Leads to Bloating?

Excessive gas in your stomach will indicate your body surrendering to bloating symptoms. Swallowing air, constipation, food intolerance, Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), overeating, reflux, weight gain, and menstruation in women are a few direct causes of bloating due to gas.

These are not the only causes for your body to experience bloating!

Medical conditions such as infection, inflammation, IBS, ovarian tumors, obesity, pregnancy, diabetes, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), Crohn’s disease, liver disease, and certain medications can also cause bloating, which has nothing to do with gas.

How Can Omeprazole Help?

You must know that it’s not an anti-gas medication. Instead, it reduces stomach acid. It doesn’t directly treat gas problems in your digestive tract but treats the bloating symptoms.

You need to visit a doctor and get your diagnosis done for the bloating and gas pain symptoms. If the root cause of your bloating is excessive gas, then omeprazole might not be the right pick for you.

But, if your body is experiencing bloating due to medication conditions such as IBS, functional dyspepsia, or other such adversities, then omeprazole has properties to treat both your gas and bloating symptoms.

Omeprazole reduces the acid levels in our bodies. Hence, this helps our body with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) or indigestion symptoms.

But you’ll possibly see the effects after a few days of regular dosage. Doctors recommend patients consume it only once a day and 30 to 60 minutes before having a meal.

What Conditions Does Omeprazole Treat?

Omeprazole has evidence of treating bloating conditions and curing it from the roots.

But there are limitations on consuming it based on the causes of your bloating condition. Omeprazole can help treat your bloating symptoms in conditions such as:

• Peptic ulcers
• Chronic gastritis
• Functional bloating
• Functional dyspepsia
• Gastritis caused by H.pylori bacteria

How To Avoid Side Effects of Omeprazole?

Now that you know the purpose of omeprazole for your gas and bloating symptoms let’s try and understand its properties, side effects, and ways to avoid them. Omeprazole does have side effects.

Every good gas bloating relief medication, when consumed without a proper dosage or guidelines, will trigger side effects. We always prefer to research possible side effects to ensure that you don’t make mistakes in your dosage patterns.

Omeprazole is often taken in the form of tablets or capsules. It treats heartburn, GRD, gastric ulcers, H.pylori infections, duodenal ulcers, and other medical conditions.

As people have permission to buy this medicine without a prescription, the incorrect dosage triggers some mild and serious omeprazole side effects.

Common Side Effects:

• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Headache
• Flatulence
• Constipation
• Abdominal pain
• Upper Respiratory Infection

Serious Side Effects:

• Lupus
• Weight gain
• Liver disease
• Low magnesium
• Allergic reactions
• Increased risk of fractures
• Clostridium Difficile Infection (CDI)

The serious side effects will occur only if you take omeprazole for a prolonged period without a doctor’s advice. Omeprazole is meant to be consumed in the lowest possible dosages and for a short period of time.

What Are the Better Gas and Bloating Remedies?

With such unguided risks, omeprazole might not be your go-to option without a proper doctor’s prescription. It’s a good medication, but uncontrolled consumption will lead to repercussions.

Therefore, it’s good to be on a prescribed omeprazole dosage. But apart from that, here are some better alternative gas and bloating remedies that will comfort you all the same:

1. Treatment of the Underlying Cause

Go to your doctor and make an appointment to diagnose the root cause. The first and the most effective way of treating gas and bloating symptoms is to know what you’re dealing with.

Don’t just start taking omeprazole when you feel the first instance of bloating symptoms. If it’s just gas, you’re unnecessarily dosing yourselves with omeprazole.

Let your doctor tell you if the cause of your bloating problem is just gas or if there lies some functional cause. Once identified, you’ll be prescribed the right set of medications to treat the cause.

2. Changing Your Eating Habits and Diet

As stated earlier, the common reason for bloating in most individuals is eating too many gassy foods and adding those dishes to the regular diet. So, changing your taste and diet will help you beat bloating and gas symptoms easily.

Some of those healthy food and diet habits you can adopt are:

• Prefer a Low FODMAP diet for a faster cure
• Maintain a usual exercise routine to improve digestion
• Restrict the consumption of alcohol and other carbonated beverages
• Avoid beans, onions, carrots, bananas, prunes, pretzels, bagels, and other gassy foods.

3. Activated Charcoal and Simethicone

If you want an effective medication to treat the excessive gas trapped in your colon, there is no better option than simethicone. It’s an anti-gas medication that treats both gas and bloating symptoms. It has proven results and can be bought directly from over the counter.

Similarly, activated charcoal does a miraculous job while inside your stomach. It adsorbs all the excessive gas from your gut and intestine that the body fails to excrete naturally. Activated charcoal is created by the process of heating plain charcoal. The intention is to make it more porous.

Thus, the extra spaces in activated charcoal work towards trapping the gas molecules. Hence, the amount of gas that leads to bloating reduces gradually. Activated charcoal is available in the form of supplements.

4. Probiotics

Probiotics are supplements that help the body heal from health adversities by introducing live bacteria to the gut to improve digestive function.

One such successful probiotic supplement is Optima Healthy Gut Solution. It has all the necessary ingredients that work towards improving your digestive health.

It will not just help you get rid of gas and bloating but will ensure that your body absorbs sufficient nutrients to remain healthy and fit.

It targets the causes of inflammation and shields the stomach lining. To add clarity, you can conclude that the right probiotics are of utmost help to cure gas and bloating symptoms.

Does Acid Reflux Medicine Help With Gas?

No, acid reflux medicines or antacids aren’t typically formulated for treating or preventing gas symptoms. You should try Simethicone to ease your gas pain symptoms by breaking down the molecules in your digestive system.

Can Holding in Gas Cause GERD?

Yes, holding in gas can trigger GERD conditions. When you hold your fart or gas, you tighten the sphincter muscles in your anal part. As a result, the gas within your digestive system experiences pressure and causes immediate pain, heartburn, and bloating, which are symptoms of GERD.

Does Omeprazole Help With Digestive Problems?

Yes, omeprazole helps with some serious digestive problems. It reduces stomach acid and treats heartburn, indigestion, and acid reflux symptoms. Omeprazole also heals stomach ulcers and heals the stomach lining.

Conclusion

Now you’re quite aware of the composition of omeprazole. You know it won’t heal your gastritis or bloating problems caused due to poor diet, food, and lifestyle habits. Instead, it will heal your bloating and gas symptoms caused by severe health disorders.

As most bloating cases are due to general causes of consuming gassy foods and following a poor diet, we have discussed alternative treatment procedures in the article to help you overcome the symptoms.

Irrespective of your condition and the remedies you prefer, Optima Healthy Gut Solution can be your all-time probiotic supplement. You don’t have to be sick to start with this supplement. You can start dosing on it to prevent adverse digestive health symptoms such as leaky gut and inflammation.

Also, check our post about watermelon and H. pylori.