Prilosec

Prilosec is a proton pump inhibitor drug, which reduces acid production in the stomach and is used to treat acid reflux, ulcer and other disorders with which excessive amount of stomach acids are produced.

Instructions:

Read your medication guide and follow your doctor’s prescription at all times.

• Take omeprazole by mouth/orally before meals, once a day per doctor’s prescription.
• Do not break, chew or crush omeprazole and swallow it as whole with full glass of water.
• The dosage depends on your medical condition or treatment response. Do not adjust your dose without your doctor’s recommendation.
• If your doctor prescribed you to take sucralfate, take omeprazole 30 minutes before your sucralfate dose.
• Continue taking omeprazole on a regular schedule (same time of the day). Do not stop taking omeprazole abruptly without consulting your doctor and do not take it over 14 days if you are self-medicating.

Inform your doctor immediately if your condition aggravates or does not improve.

Take your missed dose as soon as. However, make sure that the interval between the missed and the next dose is not too close. Otherwise, stick with the regular schedule and leave out the missed dose. Do not double dose to cover up a missed dose. Record your missed doses and inform your doctor immediately if you missed several doses.

Interactions:

Prilosec may interact with:

• Cilostazol
• Clopidogrel
• Methotrexate
• Nelfinavir
• Rifampin
• St. John’s wort
• Warfarin
• Amphetamines
• Ampicillin
• Atazanivir
• Digoxin
• Erlotinib
• Iron supplements and
• Ketoconazole and other azole antifungal medications

Some drugs may either lessen the beneficial effects or worsen the side effects of omeprazole. Likewise, omeprazole may make some drugs less efficient or intensify their side effects.

Inform your doctor about all other drugs you are currently taking or using including prescribed and non-prescribed medications, vitamins, minerals and herbal products to check for possible drug interaction with omeprazole.

Never alter the doses of other medications while on omeprazole neither stop nor start any medicine without the doctor’s recommendation.

Side Effects:

There are no side effects known aside from a possible allergic reaction in people who have previous or unknown hypersensitivity to the drug.

Watch out for signs of allergic reactions such as:

• Rash
• Itching
• Swelling

Warnings:

Before taking Prilosec, tell your health care provider if you have/are:

• Any allergies to any substance, food or medication, particularly to omeprazole, lansoprazole, pantoprazole or other proton-pump inhibitor drugs;
• Medical history or a present condition such as:
  • Liver disease
  • Any bone disorder (i.e. osteoporosis, osteopenia) and

• Pregnant, planning to get pregnant or currently breastfeeding a baby (It is not known if omeprazole can harm the unborn child but it passes through breast milk that may harm the nursing child. The risks and benefits of using this medication during pregnancy must be discussed well with your doctor.)