Pantoprazole Krka 20 Mg Gastro-Resistant Tablets
PACKAGE LEAFLET
Package leaflet: Information for the user
Pantoprazole Krka 20 mg gastro-resistant tablets
Pantoprazole
Read all of this leaflet carefully before you start taking this medicine because it contains important information for you.
Always take this medicine exactly as described in this leaflet or as your doctor or pharmacist has told you.
- Keep this leaflet. Y ou may need to read it again.
- Ask your pharmacist if you need more information or advice.
- If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.
- You must talk to a doctor if you do not feel better or if you feel worse after 2 weeks.
What is in this leaflet
1. What Pantoprazole Krka is and what it is used for
2. What you need to know before you take Pantoprazole Krka
3. How to take Pantoprazole Krka
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Pantoprazole Krka
6. Contents of the pack and other information
1. What Pantoprazole Krka is and what it is used for
Pantoprazole Krka contains the active substance pantoprazole, which blocks the ‘pump’ that produces stomach acid. Hence it reduces the amount of acid in your stomach.
Pantoprazole Krka is used for the short-term treatment of reflux symptoms (for example heartburn, acid regurgitation) in adults.
Reflux is the backflow of acid from the stomach into the gullet (“foodpipe”), which may become inflamed and painful. This may cause you symptoms such as a painful burning sensation in the chest rising up to the throat (heartburn) and a sour taste in the mouth (acid regurgitation).
You may experience relief from your acid reflux and heartburn symptoms after just one day of treatment with Pantoprazole Krka, but this medicine is not meant to bring immediate relief. It may be necessary to take the tablets for 2-3 consecutive days to relieve the symptoms.
You must talk to a doctor if you do not feel better or if you feel worse after 2 weeks.
2. What you need to know before you take Pantoprazole Krka Do not take Pantoprazole Krka:
- if you are allergic to pantoprazole or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6),
- if you are taking a medicine containing atazanavir (for the treatment of HIV-infection),
- if you are under 18 years of age,
- if you are pregnant or breast-feeding.
Warnings and precautions
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Pantoprazole Krka.
Talk to your doctor first if:
- you have been treated for heartburn or indigestion continuously for 4 or more weeks
- you are over 55 years old and taking non-prescription indigestion treatment on a daily basis
- you are over 55 years old with new or recently changed symptoms
- you have previously had a gastric ulcer or stomach surgery
- you have liver problems or jaundice (yellowing of skin or eyes)
- you regularly see your doctor for serious complaints or conditions
- you are due to have an endoscopy or a breath test called a C-urea test.
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 (not related to a diet or an exercise programme)
- 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 Pantoprazole Krka has been associated with a small increase in infectious diarrhoea.
Your doctor may decide that you need some tests.
If you are due to have a blood test, tell your doctor that you are taking this medicine.
You may experience relief from your acid reflux and heartburn symptoms after just one day of treatment with Pantoprazole Krka, but this medicine is not meant to bring immediate relief. You should not take it as a preventive measure.
If you have been suffering from repetitive heartburn or indigestion symptoms for some time, remember to see your doctor regularly.
Other medicines and Pantoprazole Krka
Pantoprazole Krka may stop certain other medicines from working properly. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are using any medicines containing one of the following active substances:
- ketoconazole (used for fungal infections).
- warfarin and phenprocoumon (used to thin blood and prevent clots). You may need further blood tests.
- atazanavir (used to treat HIV-infection). You must not use Pantoprazole Krka if you are taking atazanavir.
- methotrexate (used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and cancer) - if you are taking methotrexate your doctor may temporarily stop your Pantoprazole Krka treatment.
Do not take Pantoprazole Krka with other medicines which limit the amount of acid produced in your stomach, such as another proton pump inhibitor (omeprazole, lansoprazole or rabeprazole) or an H2 antagonist (e.g. ranitidine, famotidine).
However, you may take Pantoprazole Krka with antacids (e.g.magaldrate, alginic acid, sodium bicarbonate, aluminium hydroxide, magnesium carbonate, or combinations thereof), if needed.
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 also includes herbal or homeopathic remedies.
Pantoprazole Krka with food and drink
The tablets should be swallowed whole with liquid before a meal.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding
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.
Do not take Pantoprazole Krka if you are pregnant, think you may be pregnant, or are breast-feeding. Driving and using machines
If you experience side effects like dizziness or disturbed vision, you should not drive or operate machines.
Pantoprazole Krka contains sorbitol (E420). If you have been told by your doctor that you have an intolerance to some sugars, contact your doctor before taking this medicinal product.
3. How to take Pantoprazole Krka
Always take this medicine exactly as described in this leaflet or as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
Take one tablet a day. Do not exceed this recommended dose of 20 mg pantoprazole daily.
You should take this medicine for at least 2-3 consecutive days. Stop taking Pantoprazole Krka when you are completely symptom-free. You may experience relief from your acid reflux and heartburn symptoms after just one day of treatment with Pantoprazole Krka, but this medicine is not meant to bring immediate relief.
If you have no symptom-relief after taking this medicine for 2 weeks continuously, consult your doctor.
Do not take Pantoprazole Krka tablets for more than 4 weeks without consulting your doctor.
Take the tablet before a meal, at the same time every day. You should swallow the tablet whole with some water. Do not chew or break the tablet.
Use in children and adolescents
Pantoprazole Krka should not be used by children and young people under 18 years of age.
If you take more Pantoprazole Krka than you should
Tell your doctor or pharmacist straight away. If possible take your medicine and this leaflet with you. There are no known symptoms of overdose.
If you forget to take Pantoprazole Krka
Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose. Take your next, normal dose, the next day, at your usual time.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
4. Possible side effects
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
Tell your doctor immediately or contact the casualty department at your nearest hospital, if you get any of the following serious side effects. Stop taking this medicine straight away, but take this leaflet and/or the tablets with you.
- Serious allergic reactions (rare): Hypersensitivity reactions, so-called anaphylactic reactions, anaphylactic shock and angioedema. Typical symptoms are: swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue and/or throat, which may cause difficulty in swallowing or breathing, hives (nettle rash), severe dizziness with very fast heartbeat and heavy sweating.
- Serious skin reactions (frequency not known): rash with swelling, blistering or peeling of the skin, losing skin and bleeding around eyes, nose, mouth or genitals and rapid deterioration of your general health, or rash when exposed to the sun.
- Other serious reactions (frequency not known): yellowing of the skin and eyes (due to severe liver damage), or kidney problems such as painful urination and lower back pain with fever.
Side effects may occur with certain frequencies, which are defined as follows:
- very common: affects more than 1 user in 10
- common: affects 1 to 10 users in 100
- uncommon: affects 1 to 10 users in 1,000
- rare: affects 1 to 10 users in 10,000
- very rare: affects less than 1 user in 10,000
- not known: frequency cannot be estimated from the available data.
- Uncommon side effects:
headache; dizziness; diarrhoea; feeling sick, vomiting; bloating and flatulence (wind); constipation; dry mouth; bellyache and discomfort; skin rash or hives; itching; feeling weak, exhausted or generally unwell; sleep disorders; increase in liver enzymes in a blood test.
- Rare side effects:
distortion or complete lack of the sense of taste; disturbances in vision such as blurred vision; pain in the joints; muscle pains; weight changes; raised body temperature; swelling of the extremities; allergic reactions; depression; increased bilirubin and fat levels in blood (seen in blood tests); breast enlargement in males; high fever and a sharp drop in circulating granular white blood cells (seen in blood tests).
- Very rare side effects:
disorientation; reduction in the number of blood platelets, which may cause you to bleed or bruise more than normal; reduction in the number of white blood cells, which may lead to more frequent infections; coexisting abnormal reduction in the number of red and white blood cells, as well as platelets (seen in blood tests).
- Frequency not known:
hallucination, confusion (especially in patients with a history of these symptoms); decreased level of sodium in blood; decreased level of magnesium in blood.
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via:
United Kingdom
Yellow Card Scheme
Website: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard
By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
5. How to store Pantoprazole Krka
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the packaging after EXP. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
Store in the original package in order to protect from moisture.
Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
6. Contents of the pack and other information
What Pantoprazole Krka contains
- The active substance is pantoprazole. Each gastro-resistant tablet contains 20 mg pantoprazole as pantoprazole sodium sesquihydrate.
- The other ingredients are mannitol, crospovidone (type B), anhydrous sodium carbonate, sorbitol (E420) and calcium stearate in the tablet core, and hypromellose, povidone, titanium dioxide (E171), yellow iron oxide (E172), propylene glycol, methacrylic acid - ethyl acrylate copolymer (1:1) dispersion 30 per cent, sodium laurilsulfate, polysorbate 80, macrogol 6000 and talc in the film-coating.
What Pantoprazole Krka looks like and contents of the pack
The 20 mg gastro-resistant tablets are light yellowish brown, oval (3 mm x 9 mm), slightly biconvex
film-coated tablets.
Pantoprazole Krka is available in boxes of 7 and 14 gastro-resistant tablets in blister packs of 7 or 14
tablets.
Not all pack sizes may be marketed.
Marketing Authorisation Holder and Manufacturer
KRKA, d.d., Novo mesto, Smarjeska cesta 6, 8501 Novo mesto, Slovenia
This leaflet was last revised in 10/2013
The following recommendations for lifestyle and dietary changes may also help to relieve heartburn or acid related symptoms.
- Avoid large meals
- Eat slowly
- Stop smoking
- Reduce alcohol and caffeine consumption
- Reduce weight (if overweight)
- Avoid tight-fitting clothing or belts
- Avoid eating less than three hours before bedtime
- Elevate bedhead (if you suffer from nocturnal symptoms)
- Reduce intake of food that can cause heartburn. These might include: Chocolate, peppermint, spearmint, fatty and fried food, acidic food, spicy food, citrus fruits and fruit juices, tomatoes.