Health and Nutrition >
Medicines >
P
Health Centres - Pepcidtwo
How does it work?This medicine contains three active ingredients, famotidine, magnesium hydroxide and calcium carbonate.
Famotidine is a type of medicine called an H2-receptor antagonist. It works by blocking H2 receptors that are found on the cells in the stomach lining. Blocking these receptors prevents histamine, which is a chemical produced naturally throughout the body, from binding to them. Normally, when histamine binds to the H2 receptors on the cells in the stomach lining, it causes them to produce stomach acid. Famotidine therefore reduces the amount of stomach acid produced by these cells.
Stomach acid is present as a normal part of the digestive process. However, if large amounts of stomach acid are produced this can cause pain in the abdomen, commonly known as indigestion. The excess acid may also flow back into the food pipe (oesophagus) causing pain and a burning sensation known as heartburn. Famotidine decreases the amount of acid produced by the stomach, and as a result helps relieve the symptoms of indigestion and heartburn.
Magnesium hydroxide and calcium carbonate are medicines called antacids. They work by binding to excess acid produced by the stomach. This neutralises the acid and decreases the acidity of the stomach contents.
These medicines work in combination to reduce stomach acidity, and therefore relieve indigestion and heartburn. The antacids reduce the acidity as soon as they reach the stomach, while famotidine has a more prolonged effect, decreasing acidity for up to 12 hours.
What is it used for?
- Excess acid in the stomach (hyperacidity)
-
Heartburn
- Indigestion
-
Indigestion symptoms related to excess stomach acid
Warning!
- If symptoms persist despite treatment, seek medical advice from your doctor or pharmacist.
- Indigestion and heartburn can sometimes be symptoms of more serious conditions such as stomach ulcers or stomach cancer. For this reason, you should consult your doctor before taking this medicine if any of the following apply to you: you are middle aged or older and your indigestion symptoms are new or recently changed; you have difficulty swallowing; you have persistant stomach pain or unintended weight loss associated with indigestion; you are taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), eg aspirin, ibuprofen, diclofenac, indometacin, naproxen, azapropazone, piroxicam, ketoprofen.
- Do not take more than two tablets in 24 hours.
- Do not use this medicine for more than 6 days without the advice of a doctor or pharmacist.
- This medicine can mask the symptoms of stomach cancer and therefore delay diagnosis of this condition.
For this reason, the possibility of stomach cancer should be excluded by your doctor before you start treatment with this medicine, particularly if you are middle aged or over and have new or recently changed indigestion symptoms.
- People with kidney or liver disease should consult their doctor before using this medicine. People with kidney disease will need to have the amount of calcium in their blood monitored while they are taking this medicine.
- If you suffer from any other illness or are taking any other medicines you should consult your doctor before using this medicine.
Use with caution in
.
-
Kidney failure
- Severely decreased liver function
Not to be used in
-
Breastfeeding
- Children under 16 years of age
- Deficiency of lactase in the gut, leading to intolerance to lactose in the diet
- Inherited deficiency of sucrase and isomaltase in the gut, leading to intolerance to sugars in the diet
- Inherited inability to absorb the sugars glucose and galactose (glucose-galactose malabsorption)
- Inherited inability to metabolise galactose in the diet (galactosaemia)
- Intolerance to the sugar fructose in the diet
This medicine should not be used if you are allergic to one or any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy.
If you feel you have experienced an allergic reaction, stop using this medicine and inform your doctor or pharmacist immediately.
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Certain medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, other medicines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine.
- This medicine is not recommended for use in pregnancy unless considered essential by your doctor. Seek medical advice from your doctor.
- This medicine passes into breast milk. Breastfeeding mothers should therefore either stop breastfeeding while taking this medicine, or not take this medicine. Seek medical advice from your doctor.
Side effects
Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Because a side effect is stated here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.
- Headache
- Dry mouth
- Excess gas in the stomach and intestines (flatulence)
- Thirst
- Pins and needles (paraesthesia)
- Dizziness
- Alteration in taste
- Bloating
- Nervousness
- Disturbances of the gut such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or abdominal pain
The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the drug's manufacturer.
© Copyright 1998 - 2009 NetDoctor.co.uk - All rights reserved 
