Lansoprazole

Lansoprazole is suitable for most adults and children, but always check before taking it.

Lansoprazole is not suitable for some people. For example, check with your doctor if you have liver problems or are due to have an endoscopy.

Lansoprazole comes as capsules or tablets that melt in your mouth that you usually take once a day. Follow the instructions that come with it.

Common side effects of lansoprazole include headaches, feeling sick and diarrhoea. More serious side effects can happen in rare cases.

It can cause problems to take lansoprazole with some other medicines, such as antifungal or HIV medicines.

Most adults and children can take lansoprazole.

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

• 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
• have low levels of vitamin B12

If you've bought lansoprazole without a prescription, speak to your doctor before taking it if you:

• have lost weight without trying to
• keep being sick (vomiting), or are vomiting blood (this may look like dark coffee grounds)
• feel weak or your skin looks paler than usual (this may be less noticeable on brown or black skin)
• have blood in your poo (your poo may look black or like tar)
• have chest pain or stomach pain
• have diarrhoea that is severe or does not go away
• have problems with swallowing

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 lansoprazole may hide some of the problems that would usually be found during an endoscopy.

Each dispersible tablet or capsule contains 15mg or 30mg of lansoprazole.

The usual dose to treat indigestion, acid reflux or stomach ulcers is 15mg to 30mg a day.

The usual starting dose to treat Zollinger-Ellison syndrome is 60mg a day. This can be increased up to 180mg a day, depending on how well it works for you. Doses over 120mg will be split into 2 doses.

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

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 lansoprazole, you may take a higher dose to begin with, usually for 1 or 2 months.

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

How to take it

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 lansoprazole getting into your system.

If you need to take an antacid, take it at least 2 hours before or after your dose of lansoprazole. Antacids can stop lansoprazole working as well.

Swallow capsules whole with a drink of water or juice.

If you have problems swallowing capsules, you can open lansoprazole 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.

Do not crush or chew capsules, or the granules inside, as this will stop the medicine from working properly.

Lansoprazole also comes as tablets that melt in your mouth (orodispersible). If you're taking these, put the tablet on your tongue and gently suck it until it melts.

These common side effects of lansoprazole may happen in more than 1 in 100 people. There are things you can do to help cope with them:

Make sure you rest and drink plenty of fluids. It's best not to drink too much alcohol. Ask your pharmacist to recommend a painkiller.

Headaches usually go away after the first week of taking lansoprazole. Talk to your doctor if they do not go away or are severe.

Stick to simple meals and do not eat rich or spicy food.

If you're being sick, try small frequent sips of water to avoid dehydration. Signs of dehydration include peeing less than usual or having strong-smelling pee.

If you take the combined pill or progestogen-only pill and you're being sick, your contraception may not protect you from pregnancy. Check the pill packet for advice.

Drink lots of fluids, such as water or squash, to avoid dehydration. Signs of dehydration include peeing less than usual or having dark, strong-smelling pee. Do not take any other medicines to treat diarrhoea without speaking to a pharmacist or doctor.

If you take the combined pill or progestogen-only pill and you have severe, watery diarrhoea or diarrhoea that lasts for more than 24 hours, your contraception may not protect you from pregnancy. Check the pill packet for advice.

Try to rest and relax. It can help to eat and drink slowly and have smaller and more frequent meals. Putting a heat pad or covered hot water bottle on your stomach may also help. If you are in a lot of pain, speak to your pharmacist or doctor.

Get more fibre into your diet such as fresh fruit, vegetables and cereals, and drink plenty of water. Try to exercise more regularly, for example, by going for a daily walk or run.

Try not to eat foods that cause wind like lentils, peas, beans and onions. It might also help to eat smaller and more frequent meals, eat and drink slowly, and exercise regularly. Some pharmacy remedies, such as simeticone, may help relieve the symptoms of wind.

It may help to take an antihistamine which you can buy from a pharmacy. Check with the pharmacist to see what type is suitable for you.

If lansoprazole makes you feel dizzy or tired, stop what you're doing and sit or lie down until you feel better. Do not drive, cycle or use tools or machinery if you're feeling tired. Do not drink alcohol as it will make you feel worse.

Try chewing sugar-free gum or sucking sugar-free sweets.

Talk to a doctor or pharmacist if the advice on how to cope does not help and a side effect is still bothering you or does not go away.

Some medicines and lansoprazole can affect each other and make you more likely to have side effects or stop one of the medicines working as well.

Antacids can reduce the amount of lansoprazole that the body takes in so it does not work as well. To stop this happening, if you need to take an antacid, take it at least 2 hours before or after your dose of lansoprazole.

Tell your doctor before you start taking lansoprazole if you're taking any other medicines including:

• digoxin, a heart medicine
• antifungal medicines such as itraconazole or posaconazole
• methotrexate, a medicine that treats psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis
• HIV medicines
• rifampicin, an antibiotic
• warfarin, to prevent or treat blood clots
• fluvoxamine, an antidepressant
• tacrolimus, to treat eczema or after an organ transplant

These are not all the medicines that may not mix well with lansoprazole. For a full list see the leaflet inside your medicines packet.

Although lansoprazole can be taken if you're pregnant, you'll usually be offered a similar medicine called omeprazole instead. This is because there is much more information about the safety of omeprazole in pregnancy.

If your symptoms are mild, you may wish to treat them without taking medicine. You can try eating smaller meals more often, and avoiding fatty and spicy foods. Sit up straight when you eat, as this will take the pressure off your stomach.

If you get symptoms at night, you could prop your head and shoulders up when you go to bed. This helps to stop stomach acid coming up while you sleep.

Tell your doctor if you're breastfeeding.

Lansoprazole can often be used when breastfeeding, but it's best to check because the medicine can pass into your breast milk in small amounts. Your doctor will usually recommend omeprazole or pantoprazole instead.

It's rare for breastfed babies to get any side effects from medicines you're taking. But it's important to keep monitoring your baby if you're taking any medicine while breastfeeding.

Contact your healthcare professional or call 111 as soon as possible if you notice that your baby:

• is not feeding as well as usual
• has difficulty pooing (constipation), diarrhoea or is being sick (vomiting)
• is irritable or unsettled
• has difficulty sleeping

If your baby has any symptoms that are not listed, or if you're worried about them, you can also call 111 or contact any healthcare professional.