What are the advantages of omeprazole?

Answer 1

It might be helpful to know to what you are comparing it.

In general the PPI's such as omeprazole (Prilosec), lansoparazole (Prevacid), pantoprazole (Protonix), and several brand name drugs are more effective for most people compared to H2 blockers such as ranitadine (Zantac) and famotadine (Pepcid).

Also, the PPI's and famotadine are taken once daily while ranitadine is usually taken twice daily for full effect (although once daily, usually at night, is effective for many people).

The H2's do work better for some and are sufficient for most and are usually cheaper. There are some concerns with the PPI's in the elderly and for people taking Plavix so if you have other conditions you should talk to your doctor.