How and when to take pantoprazole

Each tablet contains 20mg or 40mg of pantoprazole.

You can buy pantoprazole 20mg tablets from pharmacies. These are suitable for the short-term treatment of heartburn and acid reflux in adults.

The usual dose to treat:

• heartburn and acid reflux is 20mg a day
• gastro-oesophageal reflux disease is 20mg to 40mg a day
• stomach ulcers is 40mg a day
• Zollinger-Ellison syndrome is 80mg a day at first – this can increase to 160mg a day depending on how well it works for you

Doses are usually lower for people with liver problems.

You'll usually take pantoprazole 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.

Changes to your dose

Sometimes your doctor will increase your dose of pantoprazole if it's not working well enough.

Depending on the reason you take pantoprazole, you may take a higher dose to begin with, usually for a month or two. After this, your doctor may recommend that you take a lower dose.

How to take it

It's best to take pantoprazole an hour before a meal. Swallow the tablets whole with a drink of water.