Sucralfate

Sucralfate is used to treat ulcer in the stomach and protects from acids, enzymes and bile salts. It is used to prevent ulcers in the stomach and it can be used for many other purposes, like for the protection of stomach lining. If you want to take the medication and if you have kidney disease, then first inform your doctor, because you may require special monitoring during the treatment with sucralfate. The medication belongs to FDA pregnancy category B which states that it is harmless for unborn baby, but you should first consult with your doctor before taking the medication. It is not known that the medication passes into milk of nursing mother or not, but you should consult with your doctor before taking the medication.

Take the medication as prescribed to you by your doctor and if it is hard to understand the whole instructions, then you can take help from your pharmacist. Take the whole tablet with one full glass of water. For better effects, you should take the medication with empty stomach, one hour before or two hours after meal. Shake the suspension well before using it and you should have a measuring spoon to measure the amount of dose in order to take the correct dose.



If you miss a dose then take it as soon as you get remembered and if the time is near to next schedule dose then skip the missed dose and follow your regular schedule doses. Avoid taking double doses at the same time. If you experience overdose then you need to get the emergency help. You cannot use antacid with sucralfate or if it is necessary then take it one hour before the dose of sucralfate. Take the medication for longer time even the symptoms disappear, but keep in mind that the use of the medication should not exceed eight weeks.

If you experience the following severe side effects then stop to take the medication. These side effects include difficulty in breathing, closing of your throat, swelling of lips, tongue, and face. You can also experience some less serious side effects like nausea, upset stomach, constipation, diarrhea, dizziness, or sleepiness. In such case, there is no need to stop the medication. These are normal effects which are associated with the medication, and with the passage of time, these minor side effects will go away. Drink more water to relieve constipation. The medication can make you dizzy for a while so be careful while getting up from sitting position or on stairs.

Sucralfate can interact with other drugs and as a result, the effect of the drug could be decreased so it is necessary to take other drugs at least 2 hours before a dose of sucralfate. These drugs include warfarin, digoxin, phenytoin, ranitidine, ketoconazole, Quinidine, and fat-soluble vitamins. Sucralfate may prevent the absorption of the above drugs. The medication may reduce the absorption of quinolone antibiotics, like ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin and ofloxacin in the stomach. For more information about the medication, you can get pharmacist. Sucralfate is available under the brand name carafate.