She Was on Omeprazole for 11 Years. Here's How She Finally Stopped.
March 5th, 2026 · 10 min read
I get dozens of emails a week from acid reflux sufferers asking me the same question: "Is it actually possible to get off omeprazole?"
Most of the time, I point them to the research. I link to clinical studies. I recommend they talk to their gastroenterologist.
But when I met Diane R., a 52-year-old from Portland, Oregon, I decided her story was worth telling in full. Not because her case is unusual — but because it's so painfully common.
"I forgot what it felt like to not be in pain"
Diane started taking omeprazole at 41. Her doctor prescribed it after a few months of persistent heartburn, and it worked immediately. The burning stopped. She could eat normally. She forgot she even had a problem.
That lasted about two years.
The nighttime episodes were the worst part. Diane described waking up at 2 or 3 a.m. choking on acid, unable to catch her breath, heart pounding.
She propped herself up on three pillows. She stopped eating after 5 p.m. She gave up coffee — something she'd loved every morning for 25 years.
That was the moment Diane realized she was trapped.
Her gastroenterologist's answer?
Why 11 years of medication never fixed the problem
Here's what Diane didn't know — and what most chronic reflux sufferers don't realize:
PPIs like omeprazole don't heal your stomach. They shut down acid production entirely.
That sounds like a good thing, until you understand the consequences. Your stomach needs acid — to digest food, absorb nutrients like calcium, magnesium, and B12, and kill harmful bacteria. When you suppress acid for years, your body fights back.
The result? A dependency cycle. Stop the PPI, and your stomach overproduces acid to compensate — making your reflux worse than before you started. It's called rebound acid hypersecretion, and it's the reason only 27% of long-term PPI users successfully stop.
Antacids like Tums are no better — they neutralize acid for 30 to 60 minutes, then it comes right back. Diane described going through a bottle a week.
The fundamental problem with both approaches: they treat the acid as the enemy. But acid isn't the enemy. The real issue is that your stomach's natural protective lining has broken down. Acid is reaching tissue it was never supposed to touch.
That distinction changed everything for Diane.
The 2 a.m. Google search that changed everything
DGL — deglycyrrhizinated licorice root — works on a completely different principle than PPIs or antacids. Instead of suppressing or neutralizing acid, it stimulates your stomach to produce more of its own protective mucus. The same natural coating that keeps acid from burning your stomach lining.
The science is solid. In clinical trials, DGL outperformed Tagamet (a popular acid reducer) with 78% ulcer reduction versus 34% for placebo. And because it doesn't suppress acid at all, there's no rebound when you stop. No dependency. No withdrawal.
But here's the part that matters most: the form you take it in changes everything. DGL in pill or capsule form gets swallowed whole and broken down by stomach acid before it can coat anything. Chewable DGL mixes with saliva and coats your esophagus and stomach on the way down. Studies show chewable forms provide up to 4x more contact time with your digestive tract.
Diane found a DGL product in chewable gummy form: Belly Jellys by Morea Labs. She ordered a 2-pack and started taking 2 gummies before her biggest meals.
Diane's first 30 days on Belly Jellys
"I didn't trust it." Diane had been burned by supplements before. She kept taking her omeprazole alongside the gummies and waited.
"By day 4, I noticed something small. I wasn't reaching for the Tums bottle after dinner. I thought it was a coincidence."
"I slept through the night." For the first time in months, Diane didn't wake up choking. She went two nights in a row, then three.
"My husband asked me if I was feeling okay because I actually looked... rested. I couldn't remember the last time someone said that."
"I made myself a cup of coffee." This was the moment Diane calls the turning point. She sat at her kitchen table. Took a sip. Waited for the burn.
"Nothing happened. I sat there for an hour waiting for the pain and it just... didn't come. I cried. I'm not embarrassed to say that. I'd missed coffee for four years."
"I called my gastroenterologist." Diane told him about the DGL gummies. She asked about tapering off omeprazole. He was supportive.
"He said he's been seeing more patients do this. He helped me build a slow taper plan. I couldn't believe it — after 11 years, someone was finally helping me get off the medication, not just stay on it."
Note: Individual results vary. Always consult your doctor before changing medications.
Where is Diane now?
I caught up with Diane three months after our first conversation. She's been completely off omeprazole for 8 weeks — with her doctor's guidance.
She takes 2 Belly Jellys gummies before breakfast and 2 before dinner. That's it.
Diane isn't an anomaly.
Over 2,444 people currently subscribe to Belly Jellys. 2 out of 3 reorder every month. The refund rate is under 8%. These aren't numbers you see when a product doesn't work.
At less than $2 per day, it costs less than most people spend on antacids — and it actually addresses the root cause.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
While DGL is generally considered very safe, please be aware of the following:
- Do NOT stop taking prescription medications (omeprazole, Nexium, pantoprazole, etc.) without consulting your doctor first. Abruptly stopping PPIs can cause rebound acid.
- Pregnant or nursing women should consult their healthcare provider before use.
- If you take blood thinners (warfarin, etc.), talk to your doctor first — licorice root may interact with certain medications.
- This is DGL (deglycyrrhizinated) licorice — the compound that can raise blood pressure (glycyrrhizin) has been removed. This is NOT the same as regular licorice root.
See If It Works for You
Try Belly Jellys risk-free for 60 days. If you don't feel the difference, you get your money back.
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- ✓ Less than $2/day — cheaper than most antacids
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Diane Isn't the Only One
"I was on omeprazole for 6 years. SIX. YEARS. My doctor kept refilling it like it was no big deal. After 3 weeks on Belly Jellys, I started tapering off with my doctor's help. I'm now PPI-free for the first time since 2020. I can eat tomato sauce again. I sleep through the night. This changed my life."
✓ Verified Buyer
"At my age, I was worried about the long-term effects of Nexium — the bone density thing scared me. My daughter found Belly Jellys online and honestly I thought it was snake oil. But after 2 weeks, the nighttime choking stopped. After a month, I had my first dinner out in ages where I didn't spend the drive home in pain. I'm a subscriber for life."
✓ Verified Buyer
"I'm the guy who was eating Tums like M&Ms. Seriously, I was going through a bottle a week. My wife was worried. Belly Jellys took about 10 days to really kick in, but once it did — man. I had a spicy burrito last week and felt FINE. I still keep Tums around just in case, but I haven't touched them in 3 weeks."
✓ Verified Buyer
"I've tried everything. Apple cider vinegar, baking soda, sleeping on my left side, elevating the bed. Some helped a little, most didn't. Belly Jellys is the first thing that actually addresses the ROOT cause. My stomach just feels... protected now. That's the best way I can describe it. Protected."
✓ Verified BuyerWhy Diane Chose DGL Over Everything Else
| Belly Jellys (DGL) | PPIs (Omeprazole) | Antacids (Tums) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it works | Coats & protects lining | Shuts down acid pumps | Neutralizes acid |
| Relief duration | 4+ hours per dose | 24 hours (all acid suppressed) | 30-60 minutes |
| Acid rebound risk | None | High | Low |
| Nutrient absorption | No interference | Blocks Ca, B12, Mg | Minimal |
| Long-term safety | Well-studied, safe | Bone loss, kidney risk | Generally safe |
| Dependency risk | None | High | Low |
| Taste | Berry gummy | Pill | Chalky tablet |
| Guarantee | 60-day money-back | No | No |
Diane says this is for you if...
This probably isn't for you if:
- You're happy on your current PPI and don't want to change
- You only get heartburn once or twice a year
- You're looking for an overnight miracle
- You won't take it consistently for at least 2 weeks
- You have Barrett's esophagus or Zollinger-Ellison syndrome
But it might change your life if:
- You've been on omeprazole, Nexium, or pantoprazole for more than a year
- You've tried to stop and the rebound scared you back on
- You miss foods you used to love
- You wake up at night choking on acid
- You want to work WITH your stomach, not suppress it
- You're willing to give it 2-3 weeks to see results
One last thing
I've been covering digestive health for over a decade. I've reviewed hundreds of supplements. Most of them I wouldn't recommend to a stranger, let alone my own family.
What made Diane's story worth writing about wasn't just her results — it was how many other readers have written to tell me they had the same experience.
Diane asked me to include one final thought:
"If someone had shown me this article two years ago, I would have been skeptical. I would have said 'yeah right.' But I would have tried it. Because when you've been on omeprazole for 11 years, you'll try anything that might get you off it. This actually worked."
— Diane R., 52, Portland, OR
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Digestive Health Forum