How Soon Can You Drink Coffee After Taking Omeprazole?

Medically reviewed by Femi Aremu, PharmD

Omeprazole (known by the brand names Prilosec and Prilosec OTC) is a medication belonging to the proton pump inhibitor (PPI) drug class. It is an oral medication available by prescription and over-the-counter (OTC).

Omeprazole is commonly taken to treat conditions like frequent heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Omeprazole works by blocking a receptor in the stomach that's responsible for producing stomach acid. Typically, omeprazole takes effect between 30 minutes to two hours after taking the medication.

Generally, waiting at least an hour after taking it is best to ensure it has time to start working before drinking an acidic beverage like coffee. However, limiting or avoiding caffeine intake altogether might be a good idea if it's a major trigger for your heartburn or GERD symptoms.

This article discusses how to take omeprazole in regard to coffee intake, why caffeine can sometimes interfere with omeprazole and other medications, and more about omeprazole's optimal usage.

What Is Omeprazole?

Omeprazole is a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) that can help reduce stomach acid. It is available with and without a prescription in both brand-name (Prilosec) and generic versions. Omeprazole comes in several oral forms: tablet, dissolving tablet, capsule, and suspension.

Adults can take OTC forms of omeprazole to help reduce heartburn that occurs multiple days per week or more frequently.

The prescription forms of omeprazole are U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved for a longer list of indications, including:

• Treating GERD in adults and children

• Treating gastric (stomach) or duodenal (intestinal) ulcers in adults

• Preventing recurrent ulcers caused by Heliobacter pylori, a bacterial infection, along with antibiotics

• Promote healing of erosive esophagitis caused by acid reflux in adults and some children

• Treating hypersecretory conditions in adults

In some cases, healthcare providers prescribe medications for reasons outside those the FDA has approved. This common practice is known as “off-label” prescribing. Healthcare providers sometimes prescribe omeprazole off-label to help prevent stomach ulcers, particularly in people with a higher risk of developing an ulcer.

Coffee and Medications: What’s the Risk?

Some foods and beverages can interact with medications. Some interactions can prevent a medication from working to treat your condition, while others can lead to potentially dangerous side effects.

Coffee is one such beverage that can interact with common medications. Though several components within coffee contribute to interactions, caffeine is the main culprit. Caffeine can interact with medications at various steps in a drug’s path through the body.

Absorption

Caffeine binds to receptors in the stomach and intestines and stimulates the digestive process. This speeds up the process, ultimately limiting the amount of time that food and medications spend in the digestive tract.

The blood often absorbs oral medications, such as tablets or capsules, through the digestive tract. But in the presence of caffeine, absorption occurs more quickly, which can increase the amount of the drug that reaches the bloodstream.

Caffeine and other components of coffee, known as chlorogenic acids, can increase stomach acid production. Certain medications, like Xanax (alprazolam), absorb faster in acidic environments, which means that caffeine increases the effect. However, some medications require less acid to be absorbed in the digestive tract. For instance, amoxicillin may be less effective when taken with caffeine.

Distribution

Caffeine can affect the way medications are distributed into the blood and tissues. Surprisingly, caffeine has the ability to limit certain drugs from reaching the brain. So, certain medications that work in the brain, such as Aricept (donepezil), may not work as well when taken with caffeine.

Elimination

Drinking coffee often results in an increased need to urinate. This occurs because coffee directly leads to higher pressure on the kidneys, resulting in faster urine production. Besides making urine, the kidney works to filter medications out of the blood for removal from the body. As such, drinking caffeine speeds up the filtration process and removes medications from the body more rapidly.

Though the table below isn't a complete list, it highlights common interactions between medications and coffee or other sources of caffeine.

Because caffeine is the component of coffee mainly responsible for most of its interactions with medications, drinking beverages with lower or no caffeine content, such as decaffeinated coffee, reduces the risk of drug interactions.

However, the acidity of decaffeinated coffee may still alter the way the body absorbs medications.

Green tea contains about 30 to 50 milligrams (mg) of caffeine per 8-ounce (oz) serving compared to 80 to 100 mg of caffeine per 8-oz serving of coffee. Similarly, caffeinated soft drinks contain about 30 to 40 mg per 12-oz serving. So, these options are less likely to interact with medications than regular coffee, though they don't completely eliminate the risk.

To prevent interactions, taking medications with plain water is best.

How Soon Can You Drink Coffee After Taking Omeprazole?

After taking omeprazole, you should wait at least an hour before drinking coffee.

Omeprazole and coffee may interact by causing opposite effects on stomach acid production. However, unlike other types of interactions between coffee and medications, coffee can reverse the acid-reduction effect of omeprazole rather than affecting the drug itself.

Coffee contains acidic components, such as chlorogenic acids, which increase the acidity of the stomach. In addition, the caffeine in coffee stimulates further acid production. These actions explain why coffee may sometimes cause heartburn and acid reflux.

It takes between 30 minutes and two hours for omeprazole to begin to take effect. If you drink coffee before the omeprazole has time to start working, coffee increases stomach acid production and blunts the effect of the omeprazole. However, if the omeprazole reaches its full effect before you consume coffee, it helps limit the potential acid reflux and heartburn from the coffee.

To optimize omeprazole's effectiveness, take it an hour prior to coffee, decaf coffee, or any foods or beverages besides water. The acidic components in decaf coffee can both increase stomach acid production and may reduce the success of omeprazole treatment.

Side Effects

In most cases, omeprazole is well tolerated with only mild side effects. Common side effects of omeprazole include:

• Abdominal pain

• Flatulence

• Nausea

• Vomiting

• Diarrhea

Children may experience additional mild side effects. These include:

• Cough or other respiratory symptoms

• Fever

Rarely, omeprazole use has been associated with more severe side effects, such as:

• Allergic reaction

• Higher risk of diarrhea caused by the bacteria Clostridium difficile (C. diff)

• Increased risk of esophageal cancer

• Acute interstitial nephritis (damage to a specific part of the kidney)

Long-term treatment with omeprazole should generally be avoided. When taking OTC omeprazole products, limit use to 14 days. However, healthcare providers may sometimes prescribe omeprazole for longer periods when the benefit outweighs the risk. Some potential long-term side effects of omeprazole may include:

• Low magnesium, which may occur after three months of use

• Higher risk of bone fractures when taking omeprazole for over a year

• Fundic gland polyps (benign growths on the lining of the upper part of the stomach) after more than a year of omeprazole treatment

• Vitamin B-12 deficiency after a year of taking omeprazole

When you take omeprazole for an extended period, your healthcare provider may suggest dietary supplements to take along with the medication to keep you healthy. These typically include vitamin B12, magnesium, or other mineral supplements.

Safely Taking Omeprazole

Most healthcare providers prescribe omeprazole for once-daily use. For optimal effectiveness, take omeprazole about one hour prior to a meal or non-water beverage around the same time each day. For all-day acid-reduction relief, omeprazole works best when taken prior to the first meal of the day.

Potential for Drug-Related Interactions

Some medications may interact with omeprazole. A few examples of these include:

• Blood thinners, such as Jantoven (warfarin) or Plavix (clopidogrel)

• Certain antidepressants, like Celexa (citalopram)

• Iron supplements, such as ferrous sulfate

Other medications may cause interactions with omeprazole. Before starting any prescription or OTC medication or supplement, talk to a healthcare provider to ensure each product is safe to take alongside omeprazole.

Dietary Habits Associated With Heartburn and GERD

The foods or beverages associated with heartburn and GERD vary for each individual. The specific items that frequently lead to heartburn or acid reflux symptoms for an individual are known as “triggers.” Common triggers for heartburn and GERD include:

• Coffee

• Spicy food, such as hot peppers

• Foods high in fat, including some meats, butter, and cheese

• Fried foods

• Chocolate

• Alcohol

• Acidic fruits, such as oranges, limes, and tomatoes
  

Lifestyle Habits While Taking a PPI

Though medication often provides relief for heartburn and acid reflux, changing certain aspects of daily life can also help. When an individual identifies trigger foods and beverages that commonly result in heartburn symptoms, they can work on reducing or eliminating them from their diet.

Other lifestyle changes can help to lower the frequency and severity of heartburn symptoms. These include:

• Losing weight, if overweight or obese

• Elevating the head of the bed by 6 to 8 inches to prevent overnight acid reflux

• Quitting smoking

• Eating slowly, as well as eating smaller portion sizes

• Avoiding late-night meals or snacks, especially right before bedtime
  

Summary

GERD occurs when stomach acid frequently enters the esophagus, leading to irritation and pain in the lower throat.

PPIs are a medication class often taken to treat GERD. Omeprazole is a PPI available in prescription and OTC versions. It is often taken to treat frequent heartburn, GERD, and other stomach acid-related conditions.

Drinking acidic beverages like coffee can limit the effectiveness of omeprazole. For this reason, you should wait at least one hour after taking omeprazole before drinking coffee. Caffeine itself also increases stomach acid production. Therefore, separating taking omeprazole from drinking any caffeinated beverages by at least an hour is best.

Read the original article on Verywell Health.