The NHS has issued an alert to anyone who has taken lansoprazole for three months or more. The commonly prescribed medication, which is known as a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), is used to treat conditions involving excessive stomach acid.
Among the conditions that are treated by lansoprazole are indigestion, heartburn, gastroesophageal reflux disease, stomach ulcers and Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. Like lansoprazole, omeprazole, esomeprazole, pantoprazole, and rabeprazole are all PPI’s and are used to lower the acide in your stomach. However, doctors might prescribe them in different amounts. They may also decide to give people certain drugs depending on what is working for them.
As reported by the Mirror, it can take as long as four weeks for lansoprazole to fully take effect, so some people experience some acid symptoms in this period. Some people take the medication for years but it should only be consumed with regular check-ups from a doctor.
The NHS warns that, if you take lansoprazole for more than three months, the levels of magnesium in your blood may fall. Low magnesium levels can cause fatigue, confusion, dizziness, muscle twitches, shakiness, and an irregular heartbeat.
The NHS urges anyone with these symptoms to contact their GP immediately. If you don’t have enough magnesium, it can lead to muscle cramps, feeling tired, irregular heartbeats, and long-term problems like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis.
Taking lansoprazole for more than a year may increase your chances of certain side effects. These include bone fractures, gut infections and vitamin B12 deficiency.
The NHS says: “If you take lansoprazole for longer than one year, your doctor will regularly check your health to see if you should carry on taking it. It’s not known if lansoprazole works less well the longer you take it. If you feel that lansoprazole is not working any more, talk to your doctor.”
Those that take lansoprazole should always inform their doctor all other medications, vitamins, or herbal supplements that they are taking. While the drug can interact with certain drugs like warfarin and digoxin, you should not taking antacids withing two hours of taking it.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
