Generic  Name:  lansoprazole
Brand Name:  Prevacid, Prevacid SoluTab

This medication description is not meant for treatment prescription without the intervention of a specialist

Common Uses:

Prevacid 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.

How to use:

Take Prevacid 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. Prevacid should be taken before eating. Do not crush or open 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 Prevacid 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 Prevacid 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 Prevacid 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 Prevacid 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 Prevacid at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

Warning and Precautions:

Before taking Prevacid, 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 this medication. Some conditions are treated with a combination of Prevacid 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 Prevacid. Sucralfate can make it harder for your body to absorb Prevacid. Wait at least 30 minutes after taking this medicine before you take sucralfate.
Take Prevacid for the entire length of time prescribed by your doctor. Your symptoms may get better before your treatment is completed.
Some forms of this medication may contain phenylalanine. Tell your doctor if you have phenylketonuria.

Important safety information:

If you also take sucralfate (Carafate), avoid taking it at the same time you take Prevacid. Sucralfate can make it harder for your body to absorb Prevacid. Wait at least 30 minutes after taking this medication before you take sucralfate.

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.
Less serious Prevacid side effects may include:

• headache;
• nausea, stomach pain;
• diarrhea; or
• constipation.

Overdose:

Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.
An overdose of Prevacid is not expected to produce life-threatening symptoms.

Do not use this medicine:

You should not use Prevacid if you are allergic to 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 Prevacid.
Some conditions are treated with a combination of Prevacid 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 Prevacid 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 Prevacid may contain phenylalanine. Tell your doctor if you have phenylketonuria. Do not give this medication to a child younger than 1 year old.

Missed Dose:

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.

Storage conditions:

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.

All information given above is a summary. You must visit your doctor, pharmacies or health care provider can provide more information about this medicine. Do not share this medicine with others for whom it was not prescribed. Do not use this medicine for other health conditions. Do not store medication with end term of storage.