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What is Prevacid? |
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Drug Uses
Prevacid influences the production of acids within the stomach by reducing them. It is primarily administered as a preventive medicine against ulcers within the stomach and intestines, but is also used to treat erosive esophagitis, and other conditions which involve an excessive build-up of acids within the stomach (like Zollinger-Ellison syndrome).
How to Take Prevacid
Prevacid capsules must be taken before meals, with water if necessary. The tablets should not be broken or crushed prior to ingestion, to prevent your body from absorbing too much of the medication at one time. If you cannot swallow a delayed-release pill, open it up and sprinkle the contents into a spoonful of nutritional drink, pudding, or yogurt. Take the mixture without chewing the granules. Take the oral-disintegration pill with dry hands and dissolve it thoroughly on your tongue, then swallow it in several gulps.
Drug Precautions
If you are taking sucralfate, do not take it simultaneously with Prevacid. Sucralfate can inhibit your body’s ability to absorb Prevacid in the usual manner. Let thirty minutes pass by after an intake of Prevacid before you ingest sucralfate. Do not take Prevacid if you bear an allergic reaction with any of its components. If you have liver disease, your dose may be adjusted accordingly, or you may need to take the medication under medical supervision. Do not administer Prevacid to children less than a year old. You Prevacid medication may include phenylalanine as one of its components; tell your physician if you have a condition called phenylketonuria.
Drug Interactions
Prevacid can contraindicate with the following medications: blood thinners like warfarin; iron, digoxin or ketoconazole; ampicillin; and theophylline. If you are taking any medications other than these, tell your doctor about them. These include prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines, as well as supplementation of vitamins and minerals, medicines recommended by other doctors, and herbal products. Do not adjust your doses if you are not instructed to do so.
Side Effects
Severe adverse conditions which result in an intake of Prevacid rarely occur. But if you acquire an allergic reaction from using the medication (as indicated by constricted sensations in the throat, labored breaths, hives, and inflamed parts of the face), discontinue your treatment and call for medical help immediately. Other common adverse effects may be experienced, but should not cause you to stop treatment: diarrhea, queasiness, headaches, abdominal pains and dizziness.
Missed Dose
If you miss an intake of Prevacid, make up for it as soon as you are reminded of the missed dose. But if the next dose on your schedule is almost due, skip the intake and follow through with your prescription.
Overdose
If you believe that you have taken Prevacid in excess, call for medical attention as soon as you can. The signs of an overdose of the medication are presently undetermined.
Storage
Store Prevacid within tight containers, and at normal room temperatures; keep it away from any source of direct heat or moisture, and immediately dispose of it upon expiration.
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