lansoprazole

Generic Name: lansoprazole (lan SOE pra zol)

Brand names: Prevacid, Prevacid OTC, Prevacid SoluTab, Prevacid I.V.

What is lansoprazole?

Lansoprazole is a proton pump inhibitors. 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 is not for immediate relief of heartburn symptoms.

Lansoprazole may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

What is the most important information I should know about lansoprazole?

Heartburn is often confused with the first symptoms of a heart attack. Seek emergency medical attention if you have chest pain or heavy feeling, pain spreading to the arm or shoulder, nausea, sweating, and a general ill feeling.

Ask a doctor or pharmacist if it is safe for you to take lansoprazole if you have liver disease, or low levels of magnesium in your blood.

Lansoprazole is not for immediate relief of heartburn symptoms.

Some conditions are treated with a combination of lansoprazole and antibiotics. Use all medications as directed by your doctor. Read the medication guide or patient instructions provided with each medication. Do not change your doses or medication schedule without your doctor's advice.

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 this medication for the full prescribed length of time. Your symptoms may improve before the infection is completely cleared.

Prevacid 24HR should be taken only once every 24 hours for 14 days. It may take up to 4 days for full effect. Do not take more than one tablet every 24 hours.

Allow at least 4 months to pass before you start another 14-day treatment with Prevacid 24HR. Call your doctor if you have additional symptoms and need treatment before the 4 months has passed.

What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking lansoprazole?

Heartburn is often confused with the first symptoms of a heart attack. Seek emergency medical attention if you have chest pain or heavy feeling, pain spreading to the arm or shoulder, nausea, sweating, and a general ill feeling.

You should not use this medication if you are allergic to lansoprazole.

Ask a doctor or pharmacist if it is safe for you to take lansoprazole if you have liver disease, or low levels of magnesium in your blood.

Do not use over-the-counter lansoprazole (Prevacid 24HR) without the advice of a doctor if you have:

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  trouble or pain with swallowing;

  
  


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  bloody or black stools;

  
  


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  vomit that looks like blood or coffee grounds;

  
  


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  heartburn that has lasted for over 3 months;

  
  


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  frequent chest pain;

  
  


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  heartburn with wheezing;

  
  


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  unexplained weight loss;

  
  


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  nausea or vomiting;

  
  


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  stomach pain; or

  
  


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  an electrolyte imbalance or metabolic disorder.

  
  

Some conditions are treated with a combination of lansoprazole and antibiotics. Use all medications as directed by your doctor. Read the medication guide or patient instructions provided with each medication. Do not change your doses or medication schedule without your doctor's advice.

Taking a proton pump inhibitor such as lansoprazole may increase your risk of bone fracture in the hip, wrist, or spine. This effect has occurred mostly in people who have taken the medication long term or at high doses, and in those who are age 50 and older. It is not clear whether lansoprazole is the actual cause of an increased risk of fracture. Before you take this medication, tell your doctor if you have osteoporosis or osteopenia (low bone mineral density). 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 exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Do not take in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended. Follow the directions on your prescription label.

Lansoprazole is usually taken before eating. Follow your doctor's instructions.

Do not crush or break a delayed-release capsule. Swallow it whole. Breaking the pill may 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 orally disintegrating tablet should not be given with an oral syringe or given through a nasogastric (NG) feeding tube. The tablet may not dissolve completely and could clog the syringe or tube.

Prevacid 24HR should be taken only once every 24 hours for 14 days. Take the medicine in the morning before you eat breakfast. It may take up to 4 days for full effect. Do not take more than one tablet every 24 hours.

Allow at least 4 months to pass before you start another 14-day treatment with Prevacid 24HR. Call your doctor if you have additional symptoms and need treatment before the 4 months has passed.

Do not crush, chew, or break a Prevacid 24HR capsule. Swallow the pill whole. Take this medication for the full prescribed length of time. Your symptoms may improve before the infection is completely cleared. Call your doctor if your symptoms do not improve or if they get worse while you are taking this medicine. Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

What happens if I miss a dose?

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. Skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next scheduled dose. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

What happens if I overdose?

Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.

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.

Lansoprazole side effects

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. Stop using lansoprazole and call your doctor at once if you have symptoms of low magnesium:

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  dizziness, confusion;

  
  


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  fast or uneven heart rate;

  
  


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  jerky muscle movements;

  
  


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  feeling jittery;

  
  


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  muscle cramps, muscle weakness or limp feeling;

  
  


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  cough or choking feeling; or

  
  


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  seizure.

  
  

Less serious side effects may include:

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  headache;

  
  


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  nausea, stomach pain;

  
  


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  diarrhea; or

  
  


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  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.

Lansoprazole Dosing Information

Usual Adult Dose for Erosive Esophagitis:

Initial dose: 30 mg orally once a day for up to 8 weeks. Alternatively, if the patient is unable to use oral route the dose may be given as an IV infusion of 30 mg per day administered over 30 minutes for up to 7 days.

Maintenance dose: 15 mg orally once a day.

Usual Adult Dose for Duodenal Ulcer:

15 mg orally once a day 30 minutes before eating. Therapy should be continued for up to 4 weeks.

Usual Adult Dose for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease:

15 mg orally once a day. Therapy should be continued for up to 8 weeks.

Usual Adult Dose for Gastric Ulcer:

30 mg orally once a day 30 minutes before eating. Therapy should be continued for 4 to 8 weeks.

Usual Adult Dose for Multiple Endocrine Adenomas:

60 mg orally once a day. Doses up to 90 mg orally 2 times a day have been used. The manufacturer reports that some patients have been treated continuously for as long as four years.

Usual Adult Dose for Systemic Mastocytosis:

60 mg orally once a day. Doses up to 90 mg orally 2 times a day have been used. The manufacturer reports that some patients have been treated continuously for as long as four years.

Usual Adult Dose for Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome:

60 mg orally once a day. Doses up to 90 mg orally 2 times a day have been used. The manufacturer reports that some patients have been treated continuously for as long as four years.

Usual Adult Dose for Helicobacter pylori Infection:

Triple therapy: lansoprazole 30 mg is combined with 1 g of amoxicillin and 500 mg of clarithromycin given orally every 12 hours for 10 or 14 days. Most investigators recommend treatment with at least two antimicrobial agents in order to achieve eradication. Monotherapy with lansoprazole is ineffective and should be avoided.

Dual therapy: lansoprazole 30 mg is combined with 1 gram of amoxicillin given orally every 8 hours for 14 days. Refer to the monograph for amoxicillin and/or clarithromycin for dosing information specific to elderly or renally-impaired patients.

Usual Adult Dose for Duodenal Ulcer Prophylaxis:

15 mg orally once a day 30 minutes before eating. Studies evaluating maintenance therapy for duodenal ulcers have not extended beyond 12 months.

Usual Adult Dose for NSAID-Induced Gastric Ulcer:

30 mg orally once a day for 8 weeks.

Usual Adult Dose for NSAID-Induced Ulcer Prophylaxis:

15 mg orally once a day for up to 12 weeks.

Usual Pediatric Dose for Aspiration Pneumonia:

Study (n=120)
Greater than 3 to 11 years: 30 mg at 9 p.m. the night before surgery, and 30 mg at 5:30 a.m. the day of surgery.

Usual Pediatric Dose for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease:

Short term treatment of GERD (up to 12 weeks):
1 to 11 years:
Less than or equal to 30 kg = 15 mg once daily
Greater than 30 kg = 30 mg once daily

12 to 17 years: 15 mg once daily for up to 8 weeks

Usual Pediatric Dose for Erosive Esophagitis:

Short term treatment (up to 12 weeks):
1 to 11 years:
Less than or equal to 30 kg = 15 mg once daily
Greater than 30 kg = 30 mg once daily, up to 30 mg twice daily.

Short term treatment (up to 8 weeks):
12 to 17 years: 30 mg once daily
An additional 8 weeks may be tried in those patients who fail to respond or for a recurrence.
Maintenance: 15 mg once daily

What other drugs will affect lansoprazole?

Tell your doctor about all other medicines you use, especially:

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  ampicillin (Principen, Unasyn);

  
  


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  atazanavir (Reyataz);

  
  


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  digoxin (Lanoxin, Lanoxicaps);

  
  


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  ketoconazole (Nizoral);

  
  


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  a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven);

  
  


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  a diuretic (water pill);

  
  


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  iron (Feosol, Mol-Iron, Fergon, Femiron, others); or

  
  


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  theophylline (such as Elixophyllin, Respbid, Slo-Bid, Theobid, Theoclear, Theo-Dur, Uniphyl).

  
  

This list is not complete and other drugs may interact with lansoprazole. Tell your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal products. Do not start a new medication without telling your doctor.

More lansoprazole resources

• Lansoprazole Side Effects (in more detail)
• Lansoprazole Use in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
• Drug Images
• Lansoprazole Drug Interactions
• Lansoprazole Support Group
• 27 Reviews for Lansoprazole - Add your own review/rating

• lansoprazole Advanced Consumer (Micromedex) - Includes Dosage Information


• Lansoprazole Monograph (AHFS DI)


• Lansoprazole MedFacts Consumer Leaflet (Wolters Kluwer)


• Lansoprazole Prescribing Information (FDA)


• Lansoprazole Professional Patient Advice (Wolters Kluwer)


• Prevacid Prescribing Information (FDA)


• Prevacid Consumer Overview


• Prevacid Delayed-Release Capsules MedFacts Consumer Leaflet (Wolters Kluwer)


• Prevacid SoluTab Orally Disintegrating Tablets MedFacts Consumer Leaflet (Wolters Kluwer)

Compare lansoprazole with other medications

• Aspiration Pneumonia
• Barrett's Esophagus
• Duodenal Ulcer
• Duodenal Ulcer Prophylaxis
• Erosive Esophagitis
• GERD
• Helicobacter Pylori Infection
• Multiple Endocrine Adenomas
• NSAID-Induced Gastric Ulcer
• NSAID-Induced Ulcer Prophylaxis
• Stomach Ulcer
• Systemic Mastocytosis
• Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome

Where can I get more information?

• Your pharmacist can provide more information about lansoprazole.

See also: lansoprazole side effects (in more detail)