Rabeprazole tablets are used for:

·        Active duodenal ulcer or active benign gastric/stomach ulcer (peptic ulcers).

·        Symptomatic erosive or ulcerative gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) commonly referred to as inflammation of the gullet caused by acid and associated with heartburn, or for long-term treatment of GORD (GORD maintenance).

·        The symptomatic treatment of moderate to very severe gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (symptomatic GORD) also associated with heartburn.

·        Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, a rare condition in patients whose stomachs make extremely high amounts of acid.

·        In combination with two antibiotics (Clarithromycin and Amoxycillin), Rabeprazole sodium tablets are used for the eradication of H pylori infection in patients with peptic ulcer disease.

Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure

YOU MUST SWALLOW THE RABEPRAZOLE GASTRO-RESISTANT TABLET WHOLE. DO NOT CRUSH OR CHEW IT.

The dosages below are those usually recommended for adults and the elderly. Do not change the dose or length of the treatment yourself.

The usual dose is one Rabeprazole sodium 20 mg tablet once a day.

If you take more Rabeprazole than you should

Do not take more tablets each day than you are prescribed. If you accidentally take more tablets than the prescribed dose, please consult your doctor or go to the hospital straight away. Always take the tablets and the carton with you to the hospital so that the doctor knows what has been taken.

If you forget to take Rabeprazole

If you forget to take a dose, just take it immediately when you remember, and then continue as usual. If you forget to take your medicine for more than 5 days, call your doctor before taking any more medicine. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose

If you stop taking Rabeprazole

Do not change the dosage or stop the medication without discussing it with your doctor first.

If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Other medicines and Rabeprazole

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist:

·        if you are taking ketoconazole or itraconazole (drugs used to treat fungal infections)

·        if you are taking atazanavir (a drug used to treat HIV)

Like all medicines, this can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.

Stop taking Rabeprazole sodium and see a doctor straight away if you notice 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”.

Other possible side effects:

• Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people):

Infection

Insomnia (difficult sleeping)

Headaches, dizziness

Cough, pharyngitis (sore throat), rhinitis (runny nose)

Diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, constipation (costiveness), flatulence (wind)

Pain without any known cause, back pain

Asthenia (weakness), flu-like syndrome

• Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people):

Nervousness or drowsiness

Bronchitis, sinusitis

Dyspepsia (indigestion), dry mouth, eructation (belching)

Skin rash, redness of the skin

Muscle or joint pain, leg cramps, fracture of the hip, wrist or spine

Urinary tract infection

Chest pain

Chills, fever

Do not take Rabeprazole if You are:

·        if you are allergic to rabeprazole sodium

·        if you are pregnant, you think you might be pregnant or if you are breastfeeding (please see Pregnancy and breast-feeding)

Warnings and precautions:

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Rabeprazole sodium. Tell your doctor or pharmacist:

·        if you are allergic to other proton pump inhibitors

·        if you have been told you have a stomach tumour

·        if you have a history of liver disease

·        if you are taking atazanavir (a drug used to treat HIV)

·        If you are taking this medicine for a long time, your doctor will want to monitor you.

• Blood and liver problems have been seen in some patients but often get better when rabeprazole treatment is stopped.

• If you experience severe (watery or bloody) diarrhoea with symptoms such as fever, abdominal pain or tenderness, stop taking Rabeprazole sodium and see a doctor straight away.

Taking a proton pump inhibitor like Rabeprazole sodium, especially over a period of more than one year, may slightly increase your risk of fracture in the hip, wrist or spine. Tell your doctor if you have osteoporosis or if you are taking corticosteroids (which can increase the risk of osteoporosis).

Children and adolescents

Rabeprazole sodium should not be used in children.

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 Rabeprazole sodium tablets if you are pregnant or think you may be pregnant.

• Do not take Rabeprazole sodium tablets if you are breast-feeding or planning to breast-feed.