Before Using This Medicine

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 lansoprazole, the following should be considered:

Allergies—Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to lansoprazole. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy—Studies have not been done in humans. However, studies in animals have not shown that lansoprazole causes harm to the fetus.

Breast-feeding—Lansoprazole may pass into the breast milk. Since this medicine has been shown to cause unwanted effects such as tumors in animals, it may be necessary for you to take another medicine or to stop breast-feeding during treatment. Be sure you have discussed the risks and benefits of the medicine with your doctor.

Children—There is no specific information comparing the use of lansoprazole in children with use in other age groups.

Older adults—In studies done to date that have included older adults, lansoprazole did not cause different side effects or problems than it did in younger adults.

Other medicines—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 lansoprazole, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:

• Sucralfate (e.g., Carafate)—Lansoprazole should be taken at least 30 minutes before sucralfate so that lansoprazole will be properly absorbed