Omeprazol Actavis
Package leaflet: Information for the patient
Omeprazol Actavis 10 mg gastro-resistant capsules, hard
Omeprazol Actavis 20 mg gastro-resistant capsules, hard
omeprazole
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, pharmacist or nurse has told you.
- Keep this leaflet. You 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, pharmacist or nurse. 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 14 days.
What is in this leaflet
1. What Omeprazol Actavis is and what it is used for
2. What you need to know before you take Omeprazol Actavis
3. How to take Omeprazol Actavis
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Omeprazol Actavis
6. Contents of the pack and other information
1. What Omeprazol Actavis is and what it is used for
Omeprazol Actaviscontains the active substance omeprazole. It belongs to a group of medicines called ‘proton pump inhibitors’. They work by reducing the amount of acid that your stomach produces.
Omeprazol Actavis is used in adults for the short-term treatment of reflux symptoms (for example, heartburn and acid regurgitation).
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).
It might be necessary to take the capsules for 2-3 consecutive days to achieve improvement of symptoms.
You must talk to a doctor if you do not feel better or if you feel worse after 14 days.
2. What you need to know before you take Omeprazol Actavis
Do not take Omeprazol Actavis:
if you are allergic to omeprazole or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).
if you are allergic to medicines containing other proton pump inhibitors (e.g. pantoprazole, lansoprazole, rabeprazole, esomeprazole).
if you are taking a medicine containing nelfinavir (for HIV infection).
If you are not sure, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Omeprazol Actavis.
Warnings and precautions
Talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse before taking Omeprazol Actavis.
Do not take Omeprazol Actavisfor more than 14 days without consulting a doctor. If you do not experience relief, or if you experience a worsening of symptoms, consult your doctor.
Omeprazol Actavismay hide the symptoms of other diseases. Therefore, if any of the following happen to you before you start taking Omeprazol Actavisor while you are taking it, talk to your doctor straight away:
You lose a lot of weight for no reason and have problems swallowing.
You get stomach pain or indigestion.
You begin to vomit food or blood.
You pass black stools (blood-stained faeces).
You experience severe or persistent diarrhoea, as omeprazole has been associated with a small increase in infectious diarrhoea.
You have had previous gastric ulcer or gastrointestinal surgery.
You are on continuous symptomatic treatment of indigestion or heartburn for 4 or more weeks.
You continuously suffer from indigestion or heartburn for 4 or more weeks.
You have jaundice or severe liver disease.
You are aged over 55 years with new or recently changed symptoms.
If you have ever had a skin reaction after treatment with a medicine similar to Omeprazol Actavis 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 Omeprazol Actavis. Remember to also mention any other ill-effects like pain in your joints.
Patients should not take omeprazole as a preventative medication.
Other medicines and Omeprazol Actavis
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines. This is because Omeprazol Actaviscan affect the way some medicines work and some medicines can have an effect on Omeprazol Actavis.
Do not take Omeprazol Actavisif you are taking a medicine containing nelfinavir (used to treat HIV infection).
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any of the following medicines:
Ketoconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole or voriconazole (used to treat infections caused by a fungus).
Digoxin (used to treat heart problems)
Diazepam (used to treat anxiety, relax muscles or in epilepsy).
Phenytoin (used in epilepsy). If you are taking phenytoin, your doctor will need to monitor you when you start or stop taking Omeprazol Actavis.
Medicines that are used to thin your blood, such as warfarin or other vitamin K blockers. Your doctor may need to monitor you when you start or stop taking Omeprazol Actavis.
Rifampicin (used to treat tuberculosis)
Atazanavir (used to treat HIV infection)
Tacrolimus (in cases of organ transplantation)
St John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) (used to treat mild depression)
Cilostazol (used to treat intermittent claudication)
Saquinavir (used to treat HIV infection)
Clarithromycin (used to treat infections caused by bacteria)
Clopidogrel (used to prevent blood clots (thrombi))
Erlotinib (used to treat cancer)
Methotrexate (used to treat cancer) – if you are taking a high dose of methotrexate, your doctor may temporarily stop your Omeprazol Actavis treatment
Omeprazol Actavis with food and drink
See section 3 ‘How to take Omeprazol Actavis’
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 for advice before taking this medicine. Your doctor will decide whether you can take Omeprazol Actavisduring this time.
Driving and using machines
Omeprazol Actavisis not likely to affect your ability to drive or use any tools or machines. Side effects such as dizziness and visual disturbances may occur (see section 4). If affected, you should not drive or operate machinery.
Omeprazol Actavis contains sucrose
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 Omeprazol Actavis
Always take this medicine exactly as described in this leaflet or as your doctor, pharmacist or nurse has told you. Check with your doctor, pharmacist or nurse if you are not sure.
The recommended dose is one 20 mg capsule ortwo 10 mg capsules once a day for 14 days. Contact your doctor if you are not free from symptoms after this period.
It might be necessary to take the capsules for 2-3 consecutive days to achieve improvement of symptoms.
Taking this medicine
It is recommended that you take your capsules in the morning.
The capsules should be taken before a meal (such as breakfast) or fasting.
Swallow your capsules whole with half a glass of water. Do not chew or crush the capsules. This is because the capsules contain coated pellets which stop the medicine from being broken down by the acid in your stomach. It is important not to damage the pellets.
What to do if you have trouble swallowing the capsules
If you have trouble swallowing the capsules:
- Open the capsules and swallow the contents directly with half a glass of water or put the contents into a glass of still (non-fizzy) water, any acidic fruit juice (e.g. apple, orange or pineapple) or apple sauce.
- Always stir the mixture just before drinking it (the mixture will not be clear). Then drink the mixture straight away or within 30 minutes.
- To make sure that you have drunk all of the medicine, rinse the glass very well with half a glass of water and drink it. The solid pieces contain the medicine - do not chew or crush them.
If you take more Omeprazol Actavis than you should
If you take more Omeprazol Actavisthan recommended, talk to your doctor or pharmacist straight away.
If you forget to take Omeprazol Actavis
If you forget to take a dose, take it as soon as you remember it. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor, pharmacist or nurse.
4. Possible side effects
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
If you notice any of the following rare but serious side effects, stop taking Omeprazol Actavis and contact a doctor immediately:
Sudden wheezing, swelling of your lips, tongue and throat or body, rash, fainting or difficulties in swallowing (severe allergic reaction).
Reddening of the skin with blisters or peeling. There may also be severe blisters and bleeding in the lips, eyes, mouth, nose and genitals. This could be ‘Stevens-Johnson syndrome’ or ‘toxic epidermal necrolysis’.
Yellow skin, dark urine and tiredness which can be symptoms of liver problems.
Other side effects include:
Common side effects (may affect up to 1 in 10 people)
Headache.
Effects on your stomach or gut: diarrhoea, stomach pain, constipation, wind (flatulence).
Feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting).
Uncommon side effects (may affect up to 1 in 100 people)
Swelling of the feet and ankles.
Disturbed sleep (insomnia).
Dizziness, tingling feelings such as “pins and needles”, feeling sleepy.
Spinning feeling (vertigo).
Changes in blood tests that check how the liver is working.
Skin rash, lumpy rash (hives) and itchy skin.
Generally feeling unwell and lacking energy.
Rare side effects (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people)
Blood problems such as a reduced number of white cells or platelets. This can cause weakness, bruising or make infections more likely.
Allergic reactions, sometimes very severe, including swelling of the lips, tongue and throat, fever, wheezing.
Low levels of sodium in the blood. This may cause weakness, being sick (vomiting) and cramps.
Feeling agitated, confused or depressed.
Taste changes.
Eyesight problems such as blurred vision.
Suddenly feeling wheezy or short of breath (bronchospasm).
Dry mouth.
An inflammation of the inside of the mouth.
An infection called “thrush” which can affect the gut and is caused by a fungus.
Liver problems, including jaundice which can cause yellow skin, dark urine, and tiredness.
Hair loss (alopecia).
Skin rash on exposure to sunshine.
Joint pains (arthralgia) or muscle pains (myalgia).
Severe kidney problems (interstitial nephritis).
Increased sweating.
Very rare side effects (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people)
Changes in blood count including agranulocytosis (lack of white blood cells).
Aggression.
Seeing, feeling or hearing things that are not there (hallucinations).
Severe liver problems leading to liver failure and inflammation of the brain.
Sudden onset of a severe rash or blistering or peeling skin. This may be associated with a high fever and joint pains (Erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis).
Muscle weakness.
Enlarged breasts in men.
Not known (frequency cannot be estimated from the available data)
Inflammation in the gut (leading to diarrhoea)
Low levels of magnesium in the blood (hypomagnesaemia)
Rash, possibly with pain in the joints.
Omeprazol Actavismay in very rare cases affect the white blood cells leading to immune deficiency. If you have an infection with symptoms such as fever with a severely reduced general condition or fever with symptoms of a local infection such as pain in the neck, throat or mouth or difficulties in urinating, you must consult your doctor as soon as possible so that a lack of white blood cells (agranulocytosis) can be ruled out by a blood test. It is important for you to give information about your medicine at this time.
Reporting of side effects
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5. How to store Omeprazol Actavis
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 label, carton and blister after EXP. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
Capsule containers:Do not store above 30°C. Keep the container tightly closed in order to protect from moisture.
Blister packs:Do not store above 25°C. 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 Omeprazol Actavis contains
- The active substance is omeprazole. Each capsule contains 10 mg or 20 mgof omeprazole.
- The other ingredients are sugar spheres (sucrose, maize starch, water), methacrylic acid-ethyl acrylate co-polymer (1:1) dispersion,hypromellose, talc, mannitol, macrogol 6000, titanium dioxide (E171), polysorbate 80, disodium phosphate anhydrous, sodium lauryl sulphate.
Capsule shell:Gelatine, water, titanium dioxide (E171), quinoline yellow (E104).
What Omeprazol Actavis looks like and contents of the pack
10 mg: opaque yellow capsule
20 mg: opaque yellow capsule
The capsules contain off-white (ivory) to cream-white spherical microgranules.
Pack sizes:
Blister packs: 7, 14, 15, 28, 30 capsules
Capsule containers: 7, 14, 28, 30 capsules
Not all pack sizes may be marketed.
Marketing Authorisation Holder
<[To be completed nationally]>
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Actavis Group PTC ehf.
Reykjavikurvegi 76-78
IS-220 Hafnarfjordur
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Manufacturer
LABORATORIOS LICONSA, S.A.
Avda. Miralcampo, Nº 7. Polígono Industrial Miralcampo,
19200 Azuqueca de Henares, (GUADALAJARA)
SPAIN
MPF B.V. (Manufacturing Packaging Farmaca)
Neptunus 12
8448 CN Heerenveen
The Netherlands
MPF B.V. (Manufacturing Packaging Farmaca)
Appelhof 13
8465 RX Oudehaske
The Netherlands
This leaflet was last revised in 2015-12-02