What is lansoprazole?
Lansoprazole decreases the amount of acid produced in the stomach.
Lansoprazole is used to treat and prevent stomach and intestinal ulcers, erosive esophagitis
(damage to the esophagus from stomach acid), and other conditions involving excessive stomach acid
such as Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.
Lansoprazole may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.
What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking lansoprazole?
You should not use this medication if you are allergic to lansoprazole.
Before taking lansoprazole, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have
any type of liver disease. You may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely take lansoprazole.
Some conditions are treated with a combination of lansoprazole and antibiotics. To best treat
your condition, use all of your medications as directed by your doctor.
Be sure to read the
medication guide or patient instructions provided with each of your medications.
Do
not change your doses or medication schedule without advice from your doctor.
FDA pregnancy category B. This medication is not expected to be harmful to an unborn
baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.
It is not known whether lansoprazole passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing
baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
Some forms of lansoprazole may contain phenylalanine. Tell your doctor if you have
phenylketonuria.
Do not give this medication to a child younger than 1 year old.
How should I take lansoprazole?
Take this medication exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take the medication in larger
amounts, or take it for longer than recommended by your doctor. Follow the directions on your
prescription label.
Take each dose with a full glass (8 ounces) of water.
Lansoprazole should be taken before eating.
Do not crush or break a
delayed-release capsule
. Swallow the pill
whole. It is specially made to release medicine slowly in the body. Breaking or opening the pill would
cause too much of the drug to be released at one time.
If you are unable to swallow a delayed-release capsule whole: Open the capsule and sprinkle
the medicine into a spoonful of pudding, applesauce, yogurt, cottage cheese, strained pears, or a
nutritional drink such as Ensure. Swallow this mixture right away without chewing. Do not save the
mixture for later use. Discard the empty capsule.
You may also dissolve the medicine from a lansoprazole capsule in 2 ounces (1/4 cup) of apple
juice, orange juice, or tomato juice. Stir this mixture and drink all of it right away. To make sure you
get the entire dose, add a little more juice to the same glass, swirl gently and drink right away.
Dissolve the
oral granules
in 2 tablespoons of water. Use only water when
mixing lansoprazole oral granules. Stir this mixture and drink all of it right away. To make sure you get
the entire dose, add a little more water to the same glass, swirl gently and drink right away.
To take lansoprazole
orally disintegrating tablet
: Use dry hands to remove
the tablet and place it in your mouth. It will begin to dissolve right away. Allow the tablet to dissolve in
your mouth without chewing, swallowing several times as it dissolves.
The lansoprazole orally disintegrating tablet may be taken with an oral syringe as follows: Place
the dry tablet into a 15-milliliter oral syringe and draw 10 milliliters of water into the syringe. Shake
until the tablet is dissolved and then empty the syringe into your mouth. Refill the syringe with water,
shake gently, and empty into your mouth.
The disintegrating tablet can also be given through a nasogastric (NG) feeding tube as follows:
Place a 15-milligram tablet in a syringe and draw up 4 milliliters of water (or 10 milliliters of water if
using a 30-milligram tablet). Shake until the tablet is dissolved. Attach the syringe to the NG tube and
push the plunger down to empty the syringe into the tube. Then flush the tube with more water to wash
the contents down.
It is important to use lansoprazole regularly to get the most benefit. Get your prescription
refilled before you run out of medicine completely.
Take this medication for the entire length of time prescribed by your doctor. Your
symptoms may get better before your treatment is completed.
Store lansoprazole at room temperature away from moisture and heat.
What happens if I miss a dose of lansoprazole?
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the
missed dose and take the medicine at the next regularly scheduled time.
Do not
take
extra medicine to make up the missed dose.
Where can I get more information about lansoprazole?
Your pharmacist has information about lansoprazole written for health professionals that you may read.
What are the possible side effects of lansoprazole?
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these
signs of an allergic
reaction:
hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Less serious side effects may include:
-
headache;
-
nausea, stomach pain;
-
diarrhea; or
-
constipation.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your
doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at
1-800-FDA-1088. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
What is the most important information I should know about lansoprazole?
Before taking this medication, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have
any type of liver disease. You may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely take lansoprazole.
Some conditions are treated with a combination of lansoprazole and antibiotics. To best treat
your condition, use all of your medications as directed by your doctor.
Be sure to read the
medication guide or patient instructions provided with each of your medications.
Do
not change your doses or medication schedule without advice from your doctor.
If you also take sucralfate (Carafate), avoid taking it at the same time you take lansoprazole.
Sucralfate can make it harder for your body to absorb lansoprazole. Wait at least 30 minutes after
taking lansoprazole before you take sucralfate.
Take lansoprazole for the entire length of time prescribed by your doctor. Your symptoms
may get better before your treatment is completed.
Some forms of lansoprazole may contain phenylalanine. Tell your doctor if you have
phenylketonuria.
What should I avoid while taking lansoprazole?
If you also take sucralfate (Carafate), avoid taking it at the same time you take lansoprazole.
Sucralfate can make it harder for your body to absorb lansoprazole. Wait at least 30 minutes after
taking lansoprazole before you take sucralfate.
What other drugs will affect lansoprazole?
Before taking lansoprazole, tell your doctor if you are using any of the following drugs:
-
ampicillin (Omnipen, Principen);
-
atazanavir (Reyataz);
-
clopidogrel (Plavix);
-
digoxin (Lanoxin, Lanoxicaps);
-
ketoconazole (Nizoral);
-
a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin);
-
iron (Feosol, Mol-Iron, Fergon, Femiron, others); or
-
theophylline (such as Elixophyllin, Respbid, Slo-Bid,
Theobid, Theoclear, Theo-Dur, Uniphyl).
This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with
lansoprazole. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use.
This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start
using a new medication without telling your doctor.
What happens if I have an overdose of lansoprazole?