Lansoprazole

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About lansoprazole Key facts Who can and cannot take lansoprazole How and when to take lansoprazole Side effects How to cope with side effects of lansoprazole Pregnancy and breastfeeding Cautions with other medicines Common questions about lansoprazole Lansoprazole reduces the amount of acid your stomach makes. It's used for indigestion, heartburn, acid reflux and gastroesophageal-reflux-disease (GORD). Lansoprazole is also taken to prevent and treat stomach ulcers. Sometimes, lansoprazole is taken for a rare condition caused by a tumour in the pancreas or gut called Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. Lansoprazole is only available on prescription. It comes as capsules and tablets. You'll usually take lansoprazole once a day in the morning. For severe illness, you can take it twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. You should start to feel better in 2 to 3 days, but it may take up to 4 weeks for lansoprazole to fully control your acid symptoms. Common side effects include headache, diarrhoea and stomach pain. These tend to be mild and go away when you stop taking the medicine. Lansoprazole is not usually recommended during pregnancy. Most adults and children can take lansoprazole. Lansoprazole is not suitable for some people. To make sure it's safe for you, tell your doctor before taking lansoprazole if you: have ever had an allergic reaction to lansoprazole or any other medicines have liver problems are pregnant, trying to get pregnant or breastfeeding are due to have an endoscopy If you're going to have an endoscopy, ask your doctor if you should stop taking lansoprazole a few weeks before your procedure. This is because lansoprazole may hide some of the problems that would usually be spotted during an endoscopy. You'll usually take lansoprazole once a day, first thing in the morning. If you take lansoprazole twice a day, take 1 dose in the morning and 1 dose in the evening. Lansoprazole works best if you take it at least 30 minutes before a meal or snack. That's