Omeprazole - delayed release?

[bobt1 29]

I see that many are taking omeprazole, but when I look at the packaging I see it is Delayed release. I thought we were to avoid meds that were any form of delayed release.

[Creekimp13 5,840]

The only reason to avoid "delayed release" meds is if you can't swallow the pills whole and need to split them.

The medicine inside is layered, and releases as it erodes. There are little barriers built into the pill that regulate how the medication is released by controlling how fast it erodes.

If you split it up the side, the barriers are broken, and all the medicine can come out at once...and that's not a good thing...you can actually have too much medicine hitting your system at once and have problems.

Omeprazole works the same way...it releases as it erodes. But instead of one big pill...it's usually a capsule with lots of little time released granules inside that are about the size of candy decoration sprinkles.

As long as you don't chew or crush the granules...you're fine. They'll time release appropriately and they won't get stuck because they're so tiny. Opening the capsule is fine....but crushing the medication inside is not.

In the early days, I'd open my capsules over a spoon full of sugar free Cool Whip...and down the hatch:) (per my surgeon's instructions)