Omeprazole Oral Dose for Reflux and Ulcers
Omeprazole guidance for gastro-oesophageal reflux and adult gastric or duodenal ulcers, with age-weight dosing and interaction precautions.
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Source reviewed
source date listed on the source page
Guide category
Oral drugs
Safety boundary
Prescription medicine information for clinician-guided use.
Kenza Health Hub presents this medicine page as structured health education. Check dose, route, interactions, pregnancy or breast-feeding considerations, and local protocol with a qualified clinician or pharmacist. Read our medical editorial policy.
Quick clinical summary
| Item | Summary |
|---|---|
| Drug | Omeprazole |
| Class | Proton pump inhibitor |
| Common forms | 10 mg dispersible gastro-resistant tablet; 20 mg capsule |
| Key uses | Gastro-oesophageal reflux; adult gastric or duodenal ulcers |
| Usual timing | Once daily in the morning in the source guidance |
| Key caution | Interactions with medicines affected by stomach acidity or metabolism |
| Monitoring | Symptom response, treatment duration, hepatic impairment, and interacting medicines |
Clinical context from Kenza
The sections below add practical explanation around the source-derived monograph. They are educational context and do not replace local protocols or clinician review.
How omeprazole helps reflux and ulcers
Omeprazole reduces stomach acid production. That can help acid-related symptoms and allows damaged tissue in reflux disease or ulcers to heal, but the right duration depends on the indication and clinical review.
Short course vs longer treatment
The source separates short-term reflux symptom relief from longer reflux or ulcer treatment. That distinction matters because persistent, recurrent, severe, or alarm symptoms should not be hidden by repeated self-directed acid suppression.
Why interactions are highlighted
By changing stomach acidity and interacting with some medicines, omeprazole can affect treatment plans for drugs such as atazanavir, itraconazole, diazepam, phenytoin, digoxin, and raltegravir. Clinicians and pharmacists should review the full medicine list.
Therapeutic action
Antiulcer and gastric antisecretory agent (proton pump inhibitor).
Indications
- Gastro-oesophageal reflux.
- Gastric and duodenal ulcers in adults.
Forms and strengths
- 10 mg dispersible gastro-resistant tablet.
- 20 mg gastro-resistant capsule.
Dose
Gastro-oesophageal reflux
- Child under 5 kg: 0.7 to 1.4 mg/kg once daily in the morning, maximum 2.8 mg/kg daily.
- Child 5 to 10 kg: 5 mg once daily in the morning.
- Child 10 to 20 kg: 10 mg once daily in the morning.
- Child over 20 kg and adult: 20 mg once daily in the morning.
Gastric and duodenal ulcers
- Adult: 20 mg once daily in the morning.
- In severe or recurrent cases, the dose can be increased to 40 mg once daily if necessary.
Duration
- Gastro-oesophageal reflux: 3 days for short-term relief of symptoms or 4 to 8 weeks for long-term treatment.
- Gastric and duodenal ulcers: 7 to 10 days or up to 8 weeks in severe or recurrent cases.
Contra-indications, adverse effects, precautions
- Once dissolved, dispersible tablets should be administered within 30 minutes.
- Do not exceed 0.7 mg/kg daily, maximum 20 mg daily, in patients with severe hepatic impairment.
- May cause headache, diarrhoea, constipation, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, skin rash, and fatigue.
- Monitor combination with atazanavir, itraconazole, diazepam, phenytoin, digoxin, and raltegravir.
- Pregnancy: no contra-indication.
- Breast-feeding: no contra-indication.
- Do not open capsules.
Dosage
| Age | Weight | (a) 1 mg/ml sol. | (b) 10 mg tablet | 20 mg capsule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| < 2 months | < 5 kg | 3 ml | - | - |
| 2 months to < 1 year | 5 to < 10 kg | 5 ml | - | - |
| 1 to < 6 years | 10 to < 20 kg | - | 1 tab | - |
| ≥ 6 years and adult | ≥ 20 kg | - | - | 1 cap |
Frequently Asked Questions
Omeprazole oral dose and administration questions
What is omeprazole oral used for?
This guide lists omeprazole oral for gastro-oesophageal reflux and gastric or duodenal ulcers in adults.
What strengths of omeprazole oral are listed?
The listed forms are 10 mg dispersible gastro-resistant tablets and 20 mg gastro-resistant capsules.
What is the omeprazole dose for reflux?
For reflux, the guide lists once-daily morning dosing based on weight: 0.7 to 1.4 mg/kg for children under 5 kg, 5 mg for 5 to 10 kg, 10 mg for 10 to 20 kg, and 20 mg for children over 20 kg and adults.
How long is omeprazole used for reflux or ulcers?
The guide lists 3 days for short-term reflux symptom relief or 4 to 8 weeks for long-term reflux treatment. For gastric and duodenal ulcers, it lists 7 to 10 days or up to 8 weeks in severe or recurrent cases.
Source
MSF Essential drugs practical guidelines (January 2026)
This page combines source-derived medicine reference sections with Kenza editorial context, while leaving out the Storage and Remarks sections from the source batch.
Additional medical references
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