Pepcid AC

Side effects of famotidine are rare. The most commonly reported minor side effects are:

• constipation,
• diarrhea,
• fatigue,
• headache,
• insomnia,
• muscle pain,
• nausea, and
• vomiting.

Other important side effects include:

• anemia,
• confusion,
• easy bruising or bleeding,
• hair loss,
• rash,

More serious side effects include:

• depression,
• hallucinations,
• irregular heartbeat,
• visual changes, and
• yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice).

Famotidine, like other drugs that reduce stomach acid, may interfere with the absorption of drugs that require acid for adequate absorption. Examples include iron salts (for example iron sulphate), itraconazole (Sporanox), and ketoconazole (Nizoral, Extina, Xolegel, Kuric).

Use of famotidine during pregnancy has not been adequately evaluated.

Famotidine is secreted into breast milk. Due to the potential but unknown harm that famotidine might cause to the infant, nursing mothers should consider discontinuing famotidine.

• McNeil Consumer Pharmaceuticals Co.

Medicines can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of famotidine there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet.

Before taking famotidine, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions. Especially tell your doctor if you have or have had:

• moderate to severely poor kidney function

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Famotidine falls into category B. Studies in animals have failed to demonstrate a risk to the unborn baby and there are no well-controlled studies in pregnant women.

Take famotidine exactly as prescribed.

Famotidine comes as a tablet that is usually taken by mouth 1 to 4 times daily, with or without food. Most conditions improve within 4 to 8 weeks and so the medication may be stopped at that time.

The suspension form should be shaken well before each use and unused liquid should be thrown away after 30 days.

If you miss a dose, take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take your next dose at the regular time. Do not take two doses of famotidine at the same time.

• Store famotidine tablets at room temperature and protect from light.
• Store famotidine dry powder and liquid suspension at room temperature.
• Famotidine powder for suspension should be mixed with the amount of water specified on the package. Shake the liquid suspension well before each use and discard unused suspension after 30 days.
• Store famotidine liquid for injection in a refrigerator.
• Keep this and all medicines out of the reach of children.

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated pediatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of famotidine in children.

Geriatric

Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of famotidine in the elderly. However, elderly patients are more likely to have age-related kidney problems, which may require an adjustment in the dose for patients receiving famotidine.

Pregnancy

Breast Feeding

There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.

Interactions with Medicines

Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.

• Amifampridine
• Amisulpride
• Bepridil
• Cisapride
• Dronedarone
• Mesoridazine
• Pimozide
• Piperaquine
• Saquinavir
• Sparfloxacin
• Terfenadine
• Thioridazine
• Ziprasidone

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

• Amiodarone
• Amprenavir
• Anagrelide
• Aripiprazole
• Aripiprazole Lauroxil
• Arsenic Trioxide
• Atazanavir
• Bupropion
• Buserelin
• Clarithromycin
• Clozapine
• Crizotinib
• Dabrafenib
• Dasatinib
• Degarelix
• Delamanid
• Delavirdine
• Deslorelin
• Deutetrabenazine
• Domperidone
• Donepezil
• Efavirenz
• Erlotinib
• Escitalopram
• Fluconazole
• Fluoxetine
• Fosamprenavir
• Foscarnet
• Gefitinib
• Gonadorelin
• Goserelin
• Histrelin
• Hydroxychloroquine
• Hydroxyzine
• Ivabradine
• Ketoconazole
• Ledipasvir
• Leuprolide
• Levofloxacin
• Methadone
• Metronidazole
• Moxifloxacin
• Nafarelin
• Ondansetron
• Panobinostat
• Pasireotide
• Pazopanib
• Pimavanserin
• Pitolisant
• Posaconazole
• Quetiapine
• Ribociclib
• Rilpivirine
• Sevoflurane
• Sotalol
• Sulpiride
• Tacrolimus
• Tizanidine
• Tolazoline
• Triptorelin
• Vandetanib
• Vemurafenib
• Vinflunine
• Vismodegib
• Zuclopenthixol

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

• Cefditoren Pivoxil
• Cefpodoxime Proxetil
• Cyclosporine

Interactions with Food/Tobacco/Alcohol

Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Other Medical Problems

The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Kidney disease, moderate or severe—Use with caution. The effects may be increased because of slower removal of the medicine from the body.