Famotidine, Calcium Carbonate, and Magnesium Hydroxide

• It is used to treat heartburn and sour stomach.

• Tell all of your health care providers that you take this medicine. This includes your doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and dentists.
• Do not take famotidine, calcium carbonate, and magnesium hydroxide for more than 2 weeks unless told to do so by your doctor.
• This medicine may prevent other drugs taken by mouth from getting into the body. If you take other drugs by mouth, you may need to take them at some other time than this medicine. Talk with your doctor.
• If you have phenylketonuria (PKU), talk with your doctor. Some products have phenylalanine.
• If you are 65 or older, use famotidine, calcium carbonate, and magnesium hydroxide with care. You could have more side effects.
• Do not give this medicine to a child younger than 12 years old without first checking with the doctor.
• Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan on getting pregnant. You will need to talk about the benefits and risks of using famotidine, calcium carbonate, and magnesium hydroxide while you are pregnant.
• Tell your doctor if you are breast-feeding. You will need to talk about any risks to your baby.

• Store at room temperature.
• Store in a dry place. Do not store in a bathroom.
• Keep all drugs in a safe place. Keep all drugs out of the reach of children and pets.
• Check with your pharmacist about how to throw out unused drugs.

Heartburn: Relief of heartburn due to acid indigestion and sour stomach

OTC labeling: When used for self-medication, do not use if you are allergic to famotidine or other acid reducers; trouble or pain swallowing food; vomiting with blood; bloody or black stools; concomitant use with other acid reducers.

Tablets should NOT be swallowed whole; must be chewed completely prior to swallowing.

Protect from moisture.

Pepcid Complete: Store between 20°C and 25°C (68°F and 77°F).

Tums Dual Action: Store between 25°C and 30°C (77°F and 86°F).

Dosage form specific issues:

• Phenylalanine: Some products may contain phenylalanine.

• Tartrazine: Some products may contain tartrazine.

Other warnings/precautions:

• Self-medication (OTC use): When used for self-medication, patients should be instructed to consult their healthcare prescriber prior to using if they have had heartburn >3 months; heartburn with dizziness; heartburn or chest pain with lightheadedness or sweating; chest pain or shoulder pain with shortness of breath; frequent chest pain; chest or shoulder pain spreading to arms, neck, or shoulders; frequent wheezing associated with heartburn; unexplained weight loss; nausea or vomiting; or stomach pain. In addition, patients should contact their health care prescriber if this product is needed for >14 days or if the condition continues or worsens.

• Discuss specific use of drug and side effects with patient as it relates to treatment. (HCAHPS: During this hospital stay, were you given any medicine that you had not taken before? Before giving you any new medicine, how often did hospital staff tell you what the medicine was for? How often did hospital staff describe possible side effects in a way you could understand?)

• Patient may experience dizziness, headache, diarrhea, or constipation. Have patient report immediately to prescriber black, tarry, or bloody stools; vomiting blood; severe abdominal pain; angina; arrhythmia; confusion; bruising; bleeding; or seizures (HCAHPS).

• Educate patient about signs of a significant reaction (eg, wheezing; chest tightness; fever; itching; bad cough; blue skin color; seizures; or swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat). Note: This is not a comprehensive list of all side effects. Patient should consult prescriber for additional questions.

Intended Use and Disclaimer: Should not be printed and given to patients. This information is intended to serve as a concise initial reference for healthcare professionals to use when discussing medications with a patient. You must ultimately rely on your own discretion, experience and judgment in diagnosing, treating and advising patients.