Omeprazole
PrilosecPubChem CID 4594 · 3D model
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Blocks the acid pumps in the stomach lining, sharply cutting acid production to help heal and prevent reflux and ulcers.
How it works
Omeprazole works by shutting off the tiny pumps in the stomach lining that push acid into the stomach. It locks onto these pumps directly, so acid production drops sharply no matter what triggered it — food, stress, or anything else. Because the drug disables the pump rather than just blocking it for a short time, the effect lasts well beyond how long the drug itself stays in the blood, until the stomach builds new pumps to replace the disabled ones. That steady, longer-lasting drop in acid gives irritated or ulcerated tissue time to heal and eases heartburn and reflux symptoms.
What it’s used for
Omeprazole is approved to treat stomach and duodenal ulcers, to heal and manage acid reflux (GERD) and its damage to the esophagus, to help clear an H. pylori stomach infection when combined with antibiotics, and to control rare conditions in which the stomach produces far too much acid, such as Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.
- Mechanism
- Proton pump (H+/K+ ATPase) inhibitor
- Drug class
- Small molecule
- Therapeutic area
- Gastrointestinal