Losec 10mg Capsules
1. WHAT LOSEC IS AND WHAT IT IS USED FOR
2. BEFORE YOU TAKE LOSEC
3. HOW TO TAKE LOSEC
PACKAGE LEAFLET: INFORMATION FOR THE USER LOSEC® 10MG CAPSULES / OMEPRAZOLE 10MG CAPSULES
(omeprazole)
This product is available in the above names and strengths but will be referred to as Losec throughout this leaflet.
This product is available in multiple strengths and all strengths will be referred to throughout this leaflet.
Please read all of this leaflet carefully before you start taking this medicine.
- Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
- If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
- This medicine has been prescribed for you. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their symptoms are the same as yours.
- If any of the side effects get serious, or if you notice any side effects not listed in this leaflet, please tell your doctor or pharmacist.
In this leaflet:
1. What Losec is and what it is used for
2. Before you take Losec
3. How to take Losec
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Losec
6. Further information
Losec contains the active substance omeprazole. It belongs to a group of medicines called 'proton pump inhibitors'. They work by reducing the amount of acid that your stomach produces.
Losec is used to treat the following conditions:
In adults:
• 'Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease' (GORD). This is where acid from the stomach escapes into the gullet (the tube which connects your throat to your stomach) causing pain, inflammation and heartburn.
• Ulcers in the upper part of the intestine (duodenal ulcer) or stomach (gastric ulcer).
• Ulcers which are infected with bacteria called 'Helicobacter pylori’. If you have this condition, your doctor may also prescribe antibiotics to treat the infection and allow the ulcer to heal.
• Ulcers caused by medicines called NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs). Losec can also be used to stop ulcers from forming if you are taking NSAIDs.
• Too much acid in the stomach caused by a growth in the pancreas (Zollinger-Ellison syndrome).
In children:
Children over 1 year of age and > 10 kg
• 'Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease' (GORD). This is where acid from the stomach escapes into the gullet (the tube which connects your throat to your stomach) causing pain, inflammation and heartburn. In children, the symptoms of the condition can include the return of stomach contents into the mouth (regurgitation), being sick (vomiting) and poor weight gain.
Children and adolescents over 4 years of age • Ulcers which are infected with bacteria called 'Helicobacter pylori’. If your child has this condition, your doctor may also prescribe antibiotics to treat the infection and allow the ulcer to heal.
Do not take Losec
• If you are allergic (hypersensitive) to omeprazole or any of the other ingredients of Losec.
• If you are allergic to medicines containing other proton pump inhibitors (e.g. pantoprazole, lansoprazole, rabeprazole, esomeprazole).
• If you are taking a medicine containing nelfinavir (used for HIV infection)
If you are not sure, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Losec.
Take special care with Losec
Losec may hide the symptoms of other diseases. Therefore, if any of the following happen to you before you start taking Losec or while you are taking it, talk to your doctor straight away:
• You lose a lot of weight for no reason and have problems swallowing.
• You get stomach pain or indigestion.
• You begin to vomit food or blood.
• You pass black stools (blood-stained faeces).
• You experience severe or persistent diarrhoea, as omeprazole has been associated with a small increase in infectious diarrhoea.
• You have severe liver problems.
If you take Losec on a long-term basis (longer than 1 year) your doctor will probably keep you under regular surveillance. You should report any new and exceptional symptoms and circumstances whenever you see your doctor.
Taking a proton pump inhibitor like Losec, especially over a period of more than one year, may slightly increase your risk of fracture in the hip, wrist or spine. Tell your doctor if you have osteoporosis or if you are taking corticosteroids (which can increase the risk of osteoporosis).
Taking other medicines
Please tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken any other medicines, including medicines obtained without a prescription. This is because Losec can affect the way some medicines work and some medicines can have an effect on Losec.
Do not take Losec if you are taking a medicine containing nelfinavir (used to treat HIV infection).
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any of the following medicines:
• Ketoconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole or voriconazole (used to treat infections caused by a fungus)
• Digoxin (used to treat heart problems)
• Diazepam (used to treat anxiety, relax muscles or in epilepsy)
• Phenytoin (used in epilepsy). If you are taking phenytoin, your doctor will need to monitor you when you start or stop taking Losec
• Medicines that are used to thin your blood, such as warfarin or other vitamin K blockers. Your doctor may need to monitor you when you start or stop taking Losec
• Rifampicin (used to treat tuberculosis)
• Atazanavir (used to treat HIV infection)
• Tacrolimus (in cases of organ transplantation)
• St John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) (used to treat mild depression)
• Cilostazol (used to treat intermittent claudication)
• Saquinavir (used to treat HIV infection)
• Clopidogrel (used to prevent blood clots (thrombi))
• Erlotinib (used to treat cancer)
• Methotrexate (a chemotherapy medicine used in high doses to treat cancer) - if you are taking a high dose of methotrexate, your doctor may temporarily stop your Losec treatment
If your doctor has prescribed the antibiotics amoxicillin and clarithromycin as well as Losec to treat ulcers caused by Helicobacter pylori infection, it is very important that you tell your doctor about any other medicines you are taking.
Taking Losec with food and drink
You can take your capsules with food or on an empty stomach.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding
Before taking Losec, tell your doctor if you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant. Your doctor will decide whether you can take Losec during this time.
Your doctor will decide whether you can take Losec if you are breast-feeding.
Driving and using machines
Losec is not likely to affect your ability to drive or use any tools or machines. Side effects such as dizziness and visual disturbances may occur (see section 4). If affected, you should not drive or operate machinery.
Important information about some of the ingredients of Losec
Losec capsules contain lactose. If you have been told by your doctor that you have an intolerance to some sugars, contact your doctor before taking this medicinal product.
Always take Losec exactly as your doctor has told you. You should check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
Your doctor will tell you how many capsules to take and how long to take them for. This will depend on your condition and how old you are.
The usual doses are given below.
Adults:
To treat symptoms of GORD such as heartburn and acid
regurgitation:
• If your doctor has found that your food pipe (gullet) has been slightly damaged, the usual dose is 20 mg once a day for 4-8 weeks. Your doctor may tell you to take a dose of 40 mg for a further 8 weeks if your gullet has not yet healed.
• The usual dose once the gullet has healed is 10 mg once a day.
• If your gullet has not been damaged, the usual dose is 10 mg once a day.
To treat ulcers in the upper part of the intestine (duodenal ulcer):
• The usual dose is 20 mg once a day for 2 weeks. Your doctor may tell you to take the same dose for a further 2 weeks if your ulcer has not yet healed.
• If the ulcer do not fully heal, the dose can be increased to 40 mg once a day for 4 weeks.
To treat ulcers in the stomach (gastric ulcer):
• The usual dose is 20 mg once a day for 4 weeks. Your doctor may tell you to take the same dose for a further 4 weeks if your ulcer has not yet healed.
• If the ulcer does not fully heal, the dose can be increased to 40 mg once a day for 8 weeks.
To prevent the duodenal and stomach ulcers from coming back:
• The usual dose is 10 mg or 20 mg once a day. Your doctor may increase the dose to 40 mg once a day.
To treat duodenal and stomach ulcers caused by NSAIDs
(Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs):
• The usual dose is 20 mg once a day for 4-8 weeks.
To prevent duodenal and stomach ulcers if you are taking NSAIDs:
• The usual dose is 20 mg once a day.
To treat ulcers caused by Helicobacter pylori infection and to stop
them coming back:
• The usual dose is 20 mg Losec twice a day for one week.
• Your doctor will also tell you to take two antibiotics among amoxicillin, clarithromycin and metronidazole.
