Aciphex 20mg

Drug Class And Mechanism:
Aciphex is an oral drug that is used for the treatment of conditions caused by acid. It is in a class of drugs called proton pump inhibitors or PPIs which block the production of acid by the stomach.
Aciphex is used to treat symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and other conditions involving excessive stomach acid such as Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. It is also used to promote healing of erosive esophagitis (damage to your esophagus caused by stomach acid). Aciphex may also be given with an antibiotic to prevent gastric ulcer caused by infection with helicobacter pylori (H. pylori).

How to take:
Take Aciphex exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Do not take in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended. Follow the directions on your prescription label.
Aciphex is usually given for 4 to 8 weeks only. Your doctor may recommend a second course of treatment if you need additional healing time. When treating H. pylori infection, Aciphex may be needed for only 7 days. Follow your doctor's instructions. Take this medicine with a full glass (8 ounces) of water. Aciphex may be taken with or without food.

Side effects:

• headache;
• upset stomach or diarrhea;
• insomnia or nervousness; or
• a rash or itching.

Dosing:
For healing ulcerative or erosive GERD, the recommended dose for adults is 20 mg daily for 4-8 weeks. If healing does not occur after 8 weeks, another 8 week course may be considered. The recommended maintenance dose is 20 mg daily.
Heartburn due to GERD is treated with 20 mg daily for 4 weeks and an additional 4 weeks if symptoms do not resolve.
Ulcers are treated with 20 mg daily for 4 weeks.

For the management of Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome, the starting dose for adults is 60 mg daily, and the dose is adjusted based on improvement in symptoms, healing of ulcers, or the effectiveness of acid suppression. Doses of 100 mg per day and 60 mg twice daily have been used in some patients with Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome.
The regimen for eradication of Helicobacter pylori is rabeprazole 20 mg, clarithromycin 500 mg, amoxicillin 1000 mg all given twice daily (morning and evening) for 7 days.
Tablets should be swallowed whole and should not be crushed, split or chewed. Rabeprazole can be taken with or without meals since food has little effect on its absorption.