Omeprazole 20mg Capsules (Pack of 28)

Omeprazole reduces the amount of acid your stomach makes. It's widely used to treat indigestion and heartburn, and acid reflux. It's also taken to prevent and treat stomach ulcers.

Omeprazole is a type of medicine called a proton pump inhibitor (PPI). Proton pumps are enzymes in the lining of your stomach that help it make acid to digest food. Omeprazole prevents proton pumps working properly which reduces the amount of acid the stomach makes.

Sometimes, omeprazole is taken for a rare condition caused by a tumour in the pancreas or gut called Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.

Omeprazole comes as capsules, tablets and as a liquid that you swallow.

All types of omeprazole are available on prescription.

The following conditions are treated with omeprazole:

• Ulcers are brought on by NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Medications), a class of medications. If you are using NSAIDs, omeprazole can also be used to prevent ulcers from developing.
• Stomach or duodenal ulcers are ulcers in the upper part of the gut (gastric ulcer).
• ‘Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease’ (GORD).  Here, stomach acid escapes into the gullet, the tube connecting your throat to your stomach, producing discomfort, inflammation, and heartburn.
• Ulcers that are 'Helicobacter pylori' bacterially infected. Your doctor may also recommend antibiotics if you have this problem in order to treat the infection and promote the healing of the ulcer.
• Excessive stomach acid is brought on by pancreatic growth (Zollinger-Ellison syndrome).

These common side effects of omeprazole happen in more than 1 in 100 people. There are things you can do to help cope with them.

• Constipation 
• Being sick (vomiting) or diarrhoea 
• Headaches 
• Feeling sick (nausea)
• Stomach pain 
• Flatulence

If this advice does not help and any of these side effects continue to bother you, tell your doctor or pharmacist.

Serious side effects are rare and happen in less than 1 in 1,000 people.

Call a doctor or contact 111 straight away if:

• you get joint pain along with a red skin rash, especially on parts of your body exposed to the sun, such as your arms, cheeks and nose – these can be signs of a rare condition called subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus. This can happen even if you have been taking omeprazole for a long time
• your skin becomes more yellow (although this may be less obvious on brown or black skin), your pee becomes darker and you feel more tired – these can be signs of liver problems
• severe or persistent diarrhoea – this can be a sign of an inflamed bowel

Go to 111.nhs.uk or call 111

If you need advice for a child under the age of 5 years, call 111.

Reporting of side effects

If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects
not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme

Website: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or
Apple App Store. By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of
this medicine.

Before taking any medication, it is important to read the Patient Information Leaflet. You can find information leaflets for your medicines by typing them into the search bar at medicines.org, or by contacting us.

Patient Information Leaftlet for Omeprazole 20mg

You’ll usually take omeprazole once a day, first thing in the morning. If you take omeprazole twice a day, take 1 dose in the morning and 1 dose in the evening. It can be taken with or without food.

Swallow tablets and capsules whole with a drink of water or squash.

If you have difficulty swallowing tablets you can open the capsules and dissolve the granules in water or squash.

If you forget to take a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it’s 12 hours or less to your next dose, do not take it.

Warnings and precautions

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Omeprazole. Omeprazole may hide the symptoms of other diseases. Therefore, if any of the following happen to you before you start taking Omeprazole 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 stools (blood-stained faeces)
• you experience severe or persistent diarrhoea, as omeprazole has been associated with a small increase in
  infectious diarrhoea
• you have severe liver problems
• if you have ever had a skin reaction after treatment with a medicine similar to Omeprazole that reduces stomach acid
• you are due to have a specific blood test (Chromogranin A)

If you take Omeprazole on a long-term basis (longer than 1 year) your doctor will probably keep you under regular surveillance. You should report any new and exceptional symptoms and circumstances whenever you see your doctor.

Taking a proton pump inhibitor like Omeprazole, 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).

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 Omeprazole. Remember to also mention any other ill-effects like pain in your joints.

Children

Some children with chronic illnesses may require long-term treatment although it is not recommended.

Do not give this medicine to children under 1 year of age or < 10 kg.

The active substance is omeprazole. Each gastro-resistant capsule, hard contain 10 mg, 20 mg or 40 mg of omeprazole.

The other ingredients are:

Content: hypromellose, maize starch, methacrylic acid-ethyl acrylate copolymer (1:1) dispersion 30% (sodium lauryl
sulphate, polysorbate 80, methacrylic acid-ethyl acrylate copolymer), disodium phosphate dihydrate, sucrose, talc,
triethyl citrate, titanium dioxide (E-171).

Capsule: gelatine, titanium dioxide (E-171).

Printing ink: potassium hydroxide, strong ammonia solution, propylene glycol, shellac, black iron oxide (E-172).