Lansoprazole

1. About lansoprazole

Lansoprazole reduces the amount of acid your stomach makes. It’s used for indigestion, heartburn, acid reflux and gastroesophageal-reflux-disease (GORD). Lansoprazole is also taken to prevent and treat stomach ulcers.

Sometimes, lansoprazole is taken for a rare condition caused by a tumour in the pancreas or gut called Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.

Lansoprazole is only available on prescription. It comes as capsules and tablets.lansoprazole side effects,lansoprazole,lansoprazole 30mg,lansoprazole uses

2. Key facts

You’ll usually take lansoprazole once a day in the morning.
For severe illness, you can take it twice a day, in the morning and in the evening.
You should start to feel better in 2 to 3 days, but it may take up to 4 weeks for lansoprazole to fully control your acid symptoms.
Common side effects include headache, diarrhoea and stomach pain. These tend to be mild and go away when you stop taking the medicine.
Lansoprazole is not usually recommended during pregnancy.

3. Who can and cannot take lansoprazole

Most adults and children can take lansopra..

Lansoprazole is not suitable for some people. To make sure it’s safe for you, tell your doctor before taking :

have ever had an allergic reaction to lansoprazole or any other medicines
have liver problems
are pregnant, trying to get pregnant or breastfeeding
are due to have an endoscopy

If you’re going to have an endoscopy, ask your doctor if you should stop taking lansoprazole a few weeks before your procedure. This is because it may hide some of the problems that would usually be spotted during an endoscopy.

4. How and when to take lansoprazole

You’ll usually take lansoprazole once a day, first thing in the morning.

If you take it twice a day, take 1 dose in the morning and 1 dose in the evening.

Lansoprazole works best if you take it at least 30 minutes before a meal or snack. That’s because food stops some of it from getting into your system.

Dosage and strength

The usual dose to treat:

indigestion is 15mg to 30mg a day
acid reflux is 15mg to 30mg a day
stomach ulcers is 15mg to 30mg a day
Zollinger-Ellison syndrome is 60mg a day – this can increase to 120mg a day depending on how well it works for you

Doses are usually lower for children, older people and people with liver problems.

How to take it

Swallow the tablets or capsules whole with a drink of water or juice.

If you have problems swallowing capsules, you can open the capsules and mix the granules inside with a little water or fruit juice, or sprinkle them onto soft food, such as yogurt or apple puree, to help you swallow them.

It also comes as dispersible tablets that melt in your mouth.

Changes to your dose

Sometimes your doctor will increase your dose of lansoprazole if it’s not working well enough.

Depending on the reason you take it, you may take a higher dose to begin with, usually for a month or 2.

After this, your doctor may recommend that you take a lower dose.

How long to take it for

Depending on your condition, you may only need to take it for a few weeks or months. Sometimes you might need to take it for longer, even many years.

Some people do not need to take it every day and take it only when they have symptoms. Once you feel better (often after a few days or weeks), you can stop taking it.

Taking lansoprazole for a short time to treat symptoms is not suitable for everyone. Discuss with your doctor what is best for you.

If you forget to take it

If you usually take it:

once a day, take the missed dose as soon as you remember, unless it is within 12 hours of your next dose in which case skip the missed dose and take the next one at the usual time
twice a day, take the missed dose as soon as you remember, unless it is within 4 hours of your next dose in which case skip the missed dose and take the next one at the usual time

Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten one.

If you often forget doses, it may help to set an alarm to remind you. You could also ask your pharmacist for advice on other ways to remember to take your medicine.

If you take too much

It is very unlikely that taking 1 or 2 extra doses of lansoprazole will cause any problems.

If you take an extra dose, you might get some of the common side effects. If this happens or you’re concerned, contact your doctor.

5. Side effects

Most people who take lansoprazole do not have any side effects. If you do get a side effect, it is usually mild and will go away when you stop taking lansoprazole.