PANTOPRAZOLE

(pan TOE pra zole) Brand: Protonix

What is the most significant information I must know about pantoprazole?

• Heartburn is often confused with the first symptoms of a heart onslaught. Search abnormal medical attention if you have chest pain or hard feeling, pain spreading to the hand or shoulder, nausea, sweating, and a common ill feeling.

• You must not use this medicine if you are allergic to pantoprazole or to any another benzimidazole medicine such as albendazole (Albenza), or mebendazole (Vermox).

• Pantoprazole is not for immediate relief of heartburn symptoms.

• Take this medicine for the full predesigned length of time. Your symptoms may improve till the condition is fully treated.

• Pantoprazole must not be taken together with atazanavir (Reyataz) or nelfinavir (Viracept). Speak your doctor if you are taking either of these medications to treat HIV or AIDS.

• Some conditions should be treated long-term with pantoprazole. The chronic use of pantoprazole has caused stomach cancer in animal research, but it is not known if this medicine would have the same effects in humans. Conversation with your doctor about your specific risk of developing stomach cancer.

• Long-term treatment with pantoprazole may also create it harder for your body to absorb vitamin B-12, resulting in a deficiency of this vitamin. Conversation with your doctor if you need long-term pantoprazole treatment and you have concerns about vitamin B-12 deficiency.

What is pantoprazole?

• Pantoprazole is in a group of drugs called proton exhaust inhibitors. It decreases the amount of acid produced in the stomach.

• Pantoprazole is used to treat erosive esophagitis (damage to the esophagus from stomach acid), and another conditions inclusion excess stomach acid such as Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.

• Pantoprazole is not for immediate relief of heartburn symptoms.

• Pantoprazole may also be used for purposes not listed in this medicine guide.

What must I discuss with my healthcare provider till taking pantoprazole?

• You must not take this medicine if you are allergic to pantoprazole or to any another benzimidazole medicine such as albendazole (Albenza), or mebendazole (Vermox).

• To create certain you can safely take pantoprazole, speak your doctor if you low levels of magnesium in your blood.

• Taking a proton exhaust inhibitor such as pantoprazole may magnify your risk of bone fracture in the hip, wrist, or spine. This effect has occurred mostly in people who have taken the medicine long term or at tall doses, and in those who are age 50 and older. It is not clear whether pantoprazole is the actual reason of an heighten risk of fracture. Till you take this medicine, speak your doctor if you have osteoporosis or osteopenia (low bone mineral density).

• Long-term treatment with pantoprazole may also create it harder for your body to absorb vitamin B-12, resulting in a deficiency of this vitamin. Symptoms of a vitamin B-12 deficiency may develop slowly and include pale skin, weakness, weary feeling, shortness of breath, and a quick heart course. Conversation with your doctor if you need long-term pantoprazole treatment and you have concerns about vitamin B-12 deficiency.

• FDA pregnancy category B. This medicine is not expected to be deleterious to an unborn child. Speak your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.

• Pantoprazole can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing child. Do not use this medicine without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

How must I take pantoprazole?

• Take exactly as predesigned by your doctor. Do not take in larger or less amounts or for longer than recommended. Follow the directions on your prescription label.

• Pantoprazole tablets can be taken with or without food. Pantoprazole oral granules must be taken 30 minutes till a meal.

• Do not crush, chew, or interrupt the tablet. Swallow it intact. The enteric-coated pill has a particular coating to protect your stomach. Breaking the pill will hurt this coating.

• The oral granules must be mixed only with applesauce or apple juice to create swallowing light. Do not use any another type of liquid or soft food. Sprinkle the granules directly onto a teaspoon of applesauce and swallow this mixture right away without chewing. Or pour the granules into a cup with 1 teaspoon of apple juice, stir for 5 seconds and swallow right away. To create certain you get the entire doze, add a few more apple juice to the same glass, swirl gently and drink right away. Do not save the granule mixture for later use.

• To give pantoprazole granules through a nasogastric (NG) feeding tube:

· Attach a 60-milliliter syringe to the NG pipe and remove the plunger. Keep the syringe tall satis to prevent any bends in the tube.

· Sprinkle the pantoprazole granules into the syringe body and mix in 2 teaspoons of apple juice. Gently tap or shake the syringe as it empties into the tube.

· Add other 2 teaspoons of apple juice to the syringe to help rinse the granules through and to create certain the entire pantoprazole doze is given. Tap or shake the syringe as the juice empties into the tube.

· Repeat the rinse with 2 teaspoons of apple juice at least twice more, gently shaking the syringe as it empties into the pipe. Create certain there are no granules remaining in the syringe or NG tube.

• This medicine can reason you to have a false positive drug-screening test. If you provide a urine sample for drug-screening, speak the laboratory staff that you are taking pantoprazole.

• Take this medicine for the full predesigned length of time. Your symptoms may improve till the condition is fully treated.

• 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 doze as soon as you remember. Skip the missed doze if it is nearly time for your following scheduled doze. Do not take extra medication to create up the missed dose.

What happens if I overdose?

• Search abnormal medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.

What must I avoid while taking pantoprazole?

• This medicine can reason diarrhea, which may be a sign of a new infection. If you have diarrhea that is watery or bloody, stop taking pantoprazole and call your doctor. Do not use anti-diarrhea medication unless your doctor tells you to.

What are the possible side effects of pantoprazole?

• Get abnormal medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your person, lips, tongue, or throat.

• Stop using pantoprazole and call your doctor at once if you have symptoms of low magnesium such as:

· quick or uneven heart rate;

· jerking muscle movements;

· feeling jittery;

· diarrhea that is watery or bloody;

· muscle cramps, muscle weakness or limp feeling;

· cough or choking feeling; or

· headache, trouble concentrating, memory problems, weakness, loss of appetite, feeling unsteady, confusion, hallucinations, fainting, seizure, or shallow breathing.

• Smaller serious side effects are more likely to occur, such as:

· weight changes;

· nausea, vomiting, mild diarrhea;

· gas, stomach pain;

· dizziness, drowsiness, weary feeling;

· joint pain; or

· sleep problems (insomnia).

• This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may message side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

What another drugs will affect pantoprazole?

• Pantoprazole must not be taken together with atazanavir (Reyataz) or nelfinavir (Viracept). Speak your doctor if you are taking either of these medications to treat HIV or AIDS.

• Speak your doctor about all another medicines you use, especially:

· ampicillin (Principen, Unasyn);

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

· digoxin (Lanoxin, Lanoxicaps);

· a diuretic (water pill);

· ketoconazole (Nizoral);

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

· methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Trexall).

• This list is not complete and another drugs may interact with pantoprazole. Speak your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal commodity. Do not start a new medicine without telling your doctor.

Where can I get more information?

• Your pharmacist can provide more information about pantoprazole.

Remember, hold this and all another medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medicine only for the indication prescribed.

Disclaim: Each effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses external of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way must be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safety, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the help of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

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