Highly effective for reflux, and one of the most over-continued medicines in the UK. Few people are ever given a stop date.
Explained by a GMC-registered GP, not a leaflet
Honest about what we can and cannot prescribe remotely
Side effects given the same weight as benefits
Your NHS records in the room, with your consent
Care led personally by Dr Khan
Attentive, unhurried care that listens properly
Five-star Google reviews from the people we have looked after
Registered with the Care Quality Commission
Omeprazole is a proton pump inhibitor, or PPI. It shuts down the pumps in the stomach lining that produce acid, reducing acid production substantially rather than simply neutralising what is already there.
Low-dose omeprazole is available over the counter for short-term use. Higher doses and longer courses are prescription-only.
Once daily, 30 to 60 minutes before your first meal of the day. This matters more than people are told — PPIs work on active acid pumps, and the pumps activate when you eat. Taken after food, or at bedtime on an empty stomach, it is considerably less effective.
Swallow capsules whole. If swallowing is difficult, some preparations can be opened onto soft food — check with a pharmacist first.
It is not an instant remedy. Full benefit takes a few days.
Do not stop a long course abruptly. Stopping suddenly causes rebound acid production that feels worse than the original problem — which is why people conclude they cannot manage without it. Taper instead.
Short term, omeprazole is generally well tolerated. Headache, diarrhoea or constipation, wind and nausea are the common complaints.
The considerations that matter are with long-term use, and they are the reason a PPI should have a review date rather than an indefinite repeat:
None of these makes omeprazole a bad drug. They make it one that should be reviewed rather than left running for a decade unexamined.
More important than a contraindication is a warning sign. Do not simply take omeprazole for indigestion if you have difficulty swallowing, unintentional weight loss, persistent vomiting, black stools, or you are over 55 with new symptoms. PPIs can mask the symptoms of something that needs investigating — these need assessment first.
Clopidogrel — omeprazole reduces its effectiveness. Lansoprazole or pantoprazole are usually preferred alongside it.
Other interactions: methotrexate, digoxin, warfarin, some antifungals, and levothyroxine — reduced acid means reduced absorption.
Monitoring for long-term users: B12, magnesium, and consideration of bone health. A periodic review of whether it is still needed is the single most useful thing.
Yes, and more usefully we can review whether you still need it.
What that involves: establishing what it was started for, whether the original problem has resolved, whether red flags are present, and whether an underlying cause — H. pylori in particular — was ever excluded.
Where a consultation adds the most value here is in stopping it safely. A structured taper, with advice on managing rebound, is something very few people are ever offered. Long-term PPI use without review is one of the commonest findings in a medication review.
What we will not do is prescribe a PPI to suppress symptoms that need investigating. Where red flags are present we will arrange endoscopy referral instead.
This page is information, not an offer to supply.
Omeprazole is available over the counter in a lower strength, and it is cheap. A pharmacy pack costs a few pounds, which for short-term reflux is almost always the sensible route.
We would rather tell you that than sell you a consultation for heartburn.
Stopping a PPI abruptly after long-term use causes rebound acid — a temporary surge that feels exactly like the original problem returning.
That is the trap. People conclude they need the drug for life, when what they are actually experiencing is a predictable withdrawal effect that settles within two to four weeks.
Some people genuinely need long-term treatment — Barrett's oesophagus, a previous bleeding ulcer, severe oesophagitis, or ongoing NSAID use with risk factors.
Long-term PPI use is not inherently wrong; unreviewed long-term use is.
Omeprazole interacts with clopidogrel, reducing its effect. Where both are needed, pantoprazole or lansoprazole are preferred — a genuinely important switch that is often missed.
Yes, where there is a reason — and that reason should be documented and reviewed.
The problem is not long-term use; it is long-term use nobody has revisited, often started for a short course years ago.
Rebound acid production. Suppressing acid for months causes the stomach to compensate, and stopping suddenly unmasks it.
It settles in two to four weeks and is not proof you need the drug. Reduce gradually rather than stopping dead.
Very probably, if you have not been. It is a common, treatable bacterial cause of ulcers and reflux.
You need to be off the PPI for two weeks before testing, otherwise the result can be falsely negative — which is a frequent and frustrating error.
Omeprazole reduces the effect of clopidogrel, which matters if you take it after a stent or stroke.
It also affects absorption of some drugs and of iron and B12. Tell any prescriber you take it — people often forget, because it feels like an over-the-counter remedy.
Long-term use is associated with a small increase in fracture risk. The association is modest and does not outweigh a genuine indication.
It is a reason to review, not to panic.
30 to 60 minutes before your first meal of the day. PPIs work on actively pumping acid pumps, so food afterwards is what makes them effective.
Taken at bedtime on an empty stomach, it works considerably less well — and this is very commonly got wrong.
Difficulty or pain swallowing, unintentional weight loss, persistent vomiting, black stools, or anaemia.
Those need investigating. Acid suppression can mask them and delay a diagnosis.
Yes. Antacids and alginates work differently and quickly, and are useful for breakthrough symptoms.
Leave a couple of hours between them and the omeprazole.
Clinically reviewed by Dr Mohammad Zubair Khan, GMC 7563469
Last reviewed
August 24, 2026
On this page
Ongoing
Time to be seen
Appointment length
Your NHS record in the room
Written treatment plan
Told when a test isn’t needed
Cost
Same day, usually
20 minutes
Yes, with your consent
Included
Yes, and told why
£40 for 20 minutes
Varies by practice
Typically 10 minutes
Yes, your full record
Not routinely
Usually
Free
Same day
Often 10 to 15 minutes
Usually not
Sometimes charged
Varies by provider
Often a subscription
Same-day access is usually available, from 6am to 10pm, seven days a week. You choose a time that suits you rather than waiting on hold at 8am.
Yes. Care is led personally by Dr Mohammad Khan, so you are not passed between clinicians. Continuity is the point of a small practice: someone who knows your history and is listening attentively rather than working through a checklist.
Yes, with your consent. We can access your Summary Care Record during the consultation, so your current medications, allergies and significant history are in the room. That means fewer questions you have already answered elsewhere, and safer prescribing.
No. We are not here to replace GPs, only to support them. Your NHS practice remains responsible for your ongoing care, and with your consent we write to them after the consultation. We are useful when you need to be seen sooner, or want more time than a standard appointment allows.
Twenty unhurried minutes and a comprehensive assessment. A written treatment plan is included, along with any prescription, sick note or referral letter arising from the consultation, at no extra charge.
£40 for 20 minutes, self-pay. Membership is optional and never required. Priced for fairness, because we are not here to charge extortionate amounts for access to a doctor.
It means the diagnosis can usually be made from your history and photographs, and that treatment can be arranged safely without examining you. Where a condition is not marked treatable online, it is because examination is the diagnosis — listening to a chest, feeling an abdomen, examining an ear or a joint — or because a procedure or device is needed.
Yes, where there is a genuine bacterial infection — cellulitis, impetigo, bacterial urine infections, confirmed strep throat. We will also frequently tell you that you do not need one. Most sore throats, coughs, colds and earaches are viral, and an antibiotic gives you the side effects with none of the benefit.
If your problem turns out to be genuinely outside what we can do remotely, the doctor will tell you straight away, point you to the right service, and refund your fee in full. We would rather do that than fill twenty minutes to justify the charge.
Call 999 or go to A&E — do not book an online appointment and do not wait for a reply to an email. For urgent problems that are not emergencies, NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, online or by phone, and can direct you to the right service.
Patient reviews
