Omeprazole (oral route)
Available brands
First - Omeprazole, PriLOSEC, PriLOSEC OTC
About this medication
Omeprazole is used to treat certain conditions where there is too much acid in the stomach. It is used to treat gastric and duodenal ulcers, erosive esophagitis, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). GERD is a condition where the acid in the stomach washes back up into the esophagus. Sometimes omeprazole is used in combination with antibiotics (eg, amoxicillin, clarithromycin) to treat ulcers associated with the infection caused by the H. pylori bacteria. Omeprazole is also used to treat Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, a condition where the stomach produces too much acid. Omeprazole is also used to treat dyspepsia, a condition that causes sour stomach, belching, heart burn, or indigestion. In addition, omeprazole is used to prevent upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding in seriously ill patients. Omeprazole is a proton pump inhibitor (PPI). It works by decreasing the amount of acid produced by the stomach. This medicine is available both over-the-counter (OTC) and with your doctor's prescription. This product is available in the following dosage forms:
Before using this medication
In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered: Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully. Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated pediatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of omeprazole in children 1 to 16 years of age. Safety and efficacy have not been established in children younger than 1 month of age. . Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of omeprazole in the elderly. However, elderly patients are more sensitive to the effects of this medicine than younger adults. There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding. Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive. Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take. Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines. Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines. Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive. Using this medicine with any of the following may cause an increased risk of certain side effects but may be unavoidable in some cases. If used together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use this medicine, or give you special instructions about the use of food, alcohol, or tobacco. The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:
How to use this medication
Take this medicine only as directed by your doctor. Do not take more of it, do not take it more often, and do not take it for a longer time than your doctor ordered. If you are using this medicine without a prescription, follow the instructions on the medicine label. This medicine should come with a Medication Guide. Read and follow these instructions carefully. Ask your doctor if you have any questions. Take omeprazolecapsulesordelayed-release capsulesbefore a meal, preferably in the morning. Omeprazoletabletsmay be taken with food or on an empty stomach. Take omeprazolepowder for oral suspensionon an empty stomach at least 1 hour before a meal. For patients receiving continuous feeding through a tube, feeding should be temporarily stopped about 3 hours before and 1 hour after administration of omeprazolepowder for oral suspension. It may take several days before this medicine begins to relieve stomach pain. To help relieve this pain, antacids may be taken with omeprazole, unless your doctor tells you otherwise. If you are taking this medicine to treat an ulcer that is associated with an H. pylori infection, take it together with antibiotics (eg, amoxicillin, clarithromycin) at the same time of day. Swallow thecapsuleandtabletforms of omeprazole whole. Do not open the capsule. Do not crush, break, or chew the capsule or the tablet. If you cannot swallow the omeprazoledelayed-release capsules, you may open it and sprinkle the pellets contained in the capsule on one tablespoon of applesauce. This mixture must be swallowed immediately with a glass of cool water. The applesauce should not be hot and should be soft enough to be swallowed without chewing. Do not chew or crush the pellets. To use thepowder for oral suspension: To use thedelayed-release oral suspension: If you are using thedelayed-release oral suspensionwith a nasogastric or gastric tube: The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so. The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine. If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses. Store the medicine in a closed container at room temperature, away from heat, moisture, and direct light. Keep from freezing. Keep out of the reach of children. Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed. Ask your healthcare professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do not use.
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