Does Prolonged Intake Of Omeprazole Lead To Gastrointestinal Cancer?

Posted on Thu, 18 Feb 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 18 Feb 2016 Answered on

Wed, 27 Apr 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : I have been taking Prilosec/omeprazole for years without any discomfort or adverse reactions. But recently I came across an article on the Internet by a physician who deals in "all natural" medicine and apparently eschews all drugs such as PPI's. Am I really running a risk of gastrointestinal cancers if I continue to take them? If I don't, my discomfort in the pit of my stomach invariably follows quickly! I am perfectly happy and comfortable with the medication, but would greatly value your opinion regarding continued use. (Professor) XXXXXXX XXXX

Answered by Dr. Shoaib Khan (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Haven't found or heard of even 1 reported case of malignancy with omeprazol

Detailed Answer:
Hello sir and welcome.

Thank you for writing to us.

I have gone through your query with diligence and would like you to know that I am here to help. I have personally not seen or heard of even one case of malignancy reported with long term use of omeprazole, and I went through a few sites myself and have not seen any one case reported of gastrointestinal malignancies.

So I guess you can rest assured that all is well, and you can continue using the medication, but please also make sure you report for regular checkups once every 6 months, so we can make sure all is well with you.

I hope you find my response helpful. Please do not hesitate to write back to me for any further clarifications, I would be more than happy to help.

Best wishes.

Note: For further follow up on digestive issues share your reports here and Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar