Product Details

What you need to know before you take Pantoprazole

Do not take Pantoprazole – If you are allergic to pantoprazole or to any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6). – If you are allergic to medicines containing other proton pump inhibitors. Warnings and precautions Talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse before taking Pantoprazole – If you have severe liver problems. Please tell your doctor if you have ever had problems with your liver in the past. Your doctor will check your liver enzymes more frequently, especially when you are taking Pantoprazole as a long-term treatment. In the case of a rise of liver enzymes the treatment should be stopped. 2 – If you need to take medicines called NSAIDs continuously and receive Pantoprazole because you have an increased risk of developing stomach and intestinal complications. Any increased risk will be assessed according to your own personal risk factors such as your age (65 years old or more), a history of stomach or duodenal ulcers or of stomach or intestinal bleeding. – If you have reduced body stores or risk factors for reduced vitamin B12 and receive long-term treatment with pantoprazole. As with all acid reducing agents, pantoprazole may lead to a reduced absorption of vitamin B12. – If you are taking HIV protease inhibitors such as atazanavir (for the treatment of HIV-infection) at the same time as pantoprazole, ask your doctor for specific advice. – Taking a proton pump inhibitor like pantoprazole, 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 (reduced bone density) or if you have been told that you are at risk of getting osteoporosis (for example, if you are taking steroids). – If you are on Pantoprazole for more than three months it is possible that the levels of magnesium in your blood may fall. Low levels of magnesium can be seen as fatigue, involuntary muscle contractions, disorientation, convulsions, dizziness or increased heart rate. If you get any of these symptoms, please tell your doctor promptly. Low levels of magnesium can also lead to a reduction in potassium or calcium levels in the blood. Your doctor may decide to perform regular blood tests to monitor your levels of magnesium. – If you have ever had a skin reaction after treatment with a medicine similar to Pantoprazole that reduces stomach acid. – If you get a rash on your skin, especially in areas exposed to the sun tell your doctor as soon as you can, as you may need to stop your treatment with Pantoprazole. Remember to also mention any other ill-effects like pain in your joints. – If you are due to have a specific blood test (Chromogranin A). Tell your doctor immediately, before or after taking this medicine, if you notice any of the following symptoms, which could be a sign of another, more serious, disease: – An unintentional loss of weight – Vomiting, particularly if repeated – Vomiting blood; this may appear as dark coffee grounds in your vomit – You notice blood in your stools; which may be black or tarry in appearance – Difficulty in swallowing or pain when swallowing – You look pale and feel weak (anaemia) – Chest pain – Stomach pain – Severe and/or persistent diarrhoea, because this medicine has been associated with a small increase in infectious diarrhoea. Your doctor may decide that you need some tests to rule out malignant disease because pantoprazole also alleviates the symptoms of cancer and could cause delay in diagnosing it. If your symptoms continue in spite of your treatment, further investigations will be considered. If you take Pantoprazole 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. Children and adolescents Pantoprazole is not recommended for use in children as it has not been proven to work in children below 12 years of age. Other medicines and Pantoprazole 3 Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines, including medicines obtained without a prescription. This is because Pantoprazole may influence the effectiveness of other medicines, so tell your doctor if you are taking: – Medicines such as ketoconazole, itraconazole and posaconazole (used to treat fungal infections) or erlotinib (used for certain types of cancer) because Pantoprazole may stop these and other medicines from working properly. – Warfarin and phenprocoumon, which affect the thickening, or thinning of the blood. You may need further checks. – Medicines used to treat HIV-infection, such as atazanavir. – Methotrexate (used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and cancer) – if you are taking methotrexate your doctor may temporarily stop your Pantoprazole treatment because pantoprazole can increase levels of methotrexate in the blood. – Fluvoxamine (used to treat depression and other psychiatric diseases) – if you are taking fluvoxamine your doctor may reduce the dose. – Rifampicin (used to treat infections). – St John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) (used to treat mild depression). Pregnancy and breast-feeding and fertility There are no adequate data from the use of pantoprazole in pregnant women. Excretion into human milk has been reported. If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine. You should use this medicine, only if your doctor considers the benefit for you greater than the potential risk for your unborn child or baby. Driving and using machines Pantoprazole has no or negligible influence on the ability to drive and use machines. If you experience side effects like dizziness or disturbed vision, you should not drive or operate machines. Pantoprazole contains sodium This medicine contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per tablet, that is to say essentially ‘sodium-free’.