Gazigon Otc 20 mg Capsules

GAZIGON OTC contains 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. GAZIGON OTC is used for the temporary short-term relief of heartburn and to treat conditions where the stomach produces too much acid (hyperacidity).

Do not take GAZIGON OTC

• if you are hypersensitive (allergic) to omeprazole or any of the other ingredients of GAZIGON OTC (listed in section 6).
• If you are allergic to medicines that have a benzimidazole in their structure such as other proton pump inhibitors (e.g. pantoprazole, lansoprazole, rabeprazole, esomeprazole).
• if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
• if you are taking a medicines called nelfinavir and atazanavir (used for HIV infection).

Warnings and precautions

Take special care with GAZIGON OTC

GAZIGON OTC may hide the symptoms of other diseases. Therefore, if any of the following happen to you before you start taking GAZIGON OTC, or 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, tarry stools (blood-stained faeces)

Tell your doctor if you :

• experience severe or persistent diarrhoea, as GAZIGON OTC has been associated with an increased risk of infectious diarrhoea
• have kidney problems as GAZIGON OTC can cause a type of kidney problem (acute interstitial nephritis). Some people who take proton pump inhibitor (PPI) medicines, including GAZIGON OTC, may develop a kidney problem called acute nephritis that can happen at any time during treatment with GAZIGON OTC. Call your doctor right away if you have a decrease in the amount that you urinate or if you have blood in your urine.
• are taking a medicine called atazanavir or nelfinavir (see Section 2, Do not take GAZIGON OTC)
• have liver problems, therefore your doctor may want to reduce your dose
• are taking a medicine called clopidogrel (used to prevent blood clots)
• get a rash or skin reaction, especially after being exposed to the sun, after treatment with GAZIGON OTC. Sometimes the rash or skin reaction can be accompanied by other ill-effects like pain in your joints. Tell your doctor as soon as you can, as you may need to stop your treatment with GAZIGON OTC
• start suffering from stomach infections and runny tummy (diarrhoea) that does not improve.
• are due to have a specific blood test (Chromogranin A) used to diagnose tumours arising from neuroendocrine cells (nerve cells that receive messages (signals) from the nervous system and respond by making and releasing hormones). GAZIGON OTC treatment should be stopped for at least 5 days before the blood test measurements are taken as it increases the Chromogranin A levels
• are taking methotrexate, a medicine used to treat cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis
• are taking St. John’s Wort, a medicine to treat mild depression
• are taking rifampicin an antibiotic to treat tuberculosis.

You should report any new and exceptional symptoms and circumstances whenever you see your doctor.

Do not share medicines prescribed for you with any other person. Always take GAZIGON OTC exactly as instructed in this leaflet. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.

Dosage

• GAZIGON OTC is only for short-term use.
• Take one GAZIGON OTC capsule per day, before or during breakfast.
• The maximum dose is one capsule per day for a maximum period of 14 days.
• If your symptoms have not gone away after 14 days of continuous treatment, consult your doctor.
• You should not take more than three 14-day courses of GAZIGON OTC in a 12-month period without consulting your doctor as your doctor may decide to conduct further investigations.
• The use of GAZIGON OTC for longer than 14 days, or more often than three times in a 12-month period is not advised unless you are under the supervision of your doctor.
• If you have the impression that the effect of GAZIGON OTC is too strong or too weak, tell your doctor or pharmacist.

Method of administration

• It is recommended that you take GAZIGON OTC capsules in the morning.
• You can take your capsules with food or on an empty stomach.
• Swallow GAZIGON OTC capsules whole with half a glass of liquid.
• 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.

If you take more GAZIGON OTC than you should

Symptoms of overdose may include blurred vision, confusion, excessive sweating, flushing (redness of skin), headache, general feeling of being unwell, nausea (queasiness, feeling that one is about to vomit), and increased heart rate can occur. In the event of overdosage, consult your doctor or pharmacist. If neither is available, contact the nearest hospital or poison centre.

If you forget to take GAZIGON OTC

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 and continue as usual. Do not take a double dose (two doses at the same time) to make up for a forgotten individual dose.

If you stop taking GAZIGON OTC

Do not stop taking GAZIGON OTC unless your doctor tells you to.

GAZIGON OTC can have side effects. Not all side effects reported for GAZIGON OTC are included in this leaflet. Should your general health worsen or if you experience any untoward effects while taking GAZIGON OTC please consult your health care provider for advice.

If any of the following happens, stop taking GAZIGON OTC and tell your doctor immediately or go to the casualty department at your nearest hospital:

• severe allergic reaction which causes sudden wheezing, swelling of the hands, feet, ankles, face, lips and mouth or throat, which may cause difficulty in swallowing or breathing or fainting
• severe skin rash, reddening of the skin with blisters or peeling, itching, or hives (elevated patches of red or pale skin that often itch) with flushing or ulcers and bleeding in the lips, eyes, mouth, nose and genitals. This may be associated with a high fever and joint pains (these are signs and symptoms of a very serious condition called Stevens-Johnson syndrome) or a severe rash with reddening and swelling that may lead to blistering and peeling of the skin and resembles burns (toxic epidermal necrolysis)
• liver inflammation (hepatitis), which may include jaundice which can cause yellow skin, dark urine and tiredness; liver failure leading to brain damage
• symptoms such as severe (bloody or repeated watery) diarrhoea, with or without fever, abdominal pain or tenderness (you may have bowel inflammation caused by a bacterial infection). These are very serious side effects. If you have them, you may have had a serious reaction to GAZIGON OTC. You may need urgent medical attention or hospitalisation.

Tell your doctor immediately or go to the casualty department at your nearest hospital if you notice any of the following:

• signs of infection, such as high temperature, chills, shivering, sore throat, mouth ulcers, headaches, sweating, flu-like symptoms or weakness, bleeding or bruising easily, pale skin and/or breathlessness. This may be the result of blood disorders (such as agranulocytosis (lack of white blood cells), neutropenia (lower-than-normal levels of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell) and pancytopenia (low counts for all three types of blood cells: red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets))
• experiencing tiredness, a lack of energy and enthusiasm, intermittent muscular spasms or cramps, mental confusion, disorientation, sudden, violent, irregular, involuntary muscle contraction, dizziness and abnormal heart rhythms. These can be symptoms of low blood sodium and low blood magnesium (which may result in low blood calcium and/or blood potassium) and can happen if you are on GAZIGON OTC for more than three months. Your doctor may decide to perform regular blood tests to monitor your levels of magnesium
• feeling nervous and irritable, confused, or depressed or aggressive
• seeing, feeling or hearing things that are not there (hallucinations)
• suddenly feeling wheezy or short of breath (bronchospasm)
• effects on your stomach or gut: Diarrhoea (If the diarrhoea is severe, it may be necessary to stop treatment with GAZIGON OTC), constipation, abdominal pain or colic, non-cancerous (benign) abnormal tissue growth (polyps) in the stomach
• yeast infections (called candidiasis or thrush) in the mouth, gullet or in the gut (intestines)
• changes in blood tests that check how the liver is working
• skin rash, itchy skin, lumpy rash (hives), skin sensitivity to light
• itchy skin rash with blood spots, bruising or discolouring of the skin leading to red patches characterised by bull's-eye-shaped lesions (erythema multiforme)
• osteoporotic bone fractures of the hip, wrist or spine (osteoporosis is a condition where certain bones become brittle), joint pains (arthralgia) or muscle pains (myalgia)
• decrease in urine volumes or if you suspect that there is blood in your urine or if you are experiencing weakness, nausea and loss of appetite as this may be due to severe kidney problems (acute interstitial nephritis). This can lead to chronic renal failure if it is not diagnosed quickly. Your doctor will likely discontinue your treatment with GAZIGON OTC
• enlargement of breasts in men
• swelling of hands, ankles or feet (peripheral oedema)

These are all serious side effects. You may need urgent medical attention.

Tell your doctor if you notice any of the following:

Frequent side effects

• trouble sleeping (insomnia)
• headache (If the headache is severe, it may be necessary to stop treatment with GAZIGON OTC)
• dizziness, tingling feelings such as “pins and needles”, feeling sleepy
• sensation of feeling off balance and that you, or the environment around you, is moving or spinning (vertigo)
• feeling sick (nausea), being sick (vomiting) or wind (flatulence)
• feeling of weakness, overall discomfort, illness, or simply not feeling well (malaise).

Less frequent side effects

• taste changes
• blurred vision
• dry mouth or an inflammation on the inside of the mouth
• hair loss
• increased sweating.

If you notice any side effects not mentioned in this leaflet, please inform your doctor or pharmacist.

Reporting of side effects

If you get side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. You can also report side effects to SAHPRA via the “6.04 Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Form”, found online under SAHPRA’s publications: https://www.sahpra.org.za/Publications/Index/8. By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of GAZIGON OTC.

• Store all medicines out of reach of children.
• Store at or below 25 °C.
• Protect from light.
• Keep the aluminium strip packs in the outer carton until required for use.
• Do not use GAZIGON OTC after the expiry date stated on the strip or carton. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
• Return all unused medicine to your pharmacist.
• Do not dispose of unused medicine in drains or sewerage systems (e.g. toilets). Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of medicines no longer required. These measures will help to protect the environment.