Protonix

Protonix is an antisecretory medication used in the treatment of peptic ulcer disease. It contains the drug pantoprazole sodium. It belongs to the group of peptic ulcer medications called proton pump inhibitors. H+, K+-ATPase is called the proton pump. It helps in the secretion of acid from the stomach glands. The PPIs decrease gastric acid secretion through inhibition of H+, K+-ATPase. There are five PPI approved by FDA for the treatment of peptic ulcer disease and protonix which contains pantoprazole sodium is one of them. Pantoprazole was developed by Altana and is currently marketed under the brand name Protonix by Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories.

Composition

Protonix contains Pantoprazole sodium. It is available as film coated tablet. Each tablet contains 40 mg of pantoprazole sodium.

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Indications

Protonix is prescribed in patients in whom there is increased secretion of acid in the stomach. The various conditions which are associated with hyperacidity are:

• Gastroesophageal reflux disease
• Duodenal ulcer

Other indications include:

• Gastric ulcer
• Maintenance therapy for GERD
• Zollinger Ellison Syndrome
• Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia
• Systemic mastocytosis

Dosage

The dosage recommendation of protonix for adults is:

• Treatment of Erosive Esophagitis - 40 mg given once daily for up to 8 weeks. For those patients who have not healed after 8 weeks of treatment, an additonal 8 weeks therapy may be considered.
• For maintenance treatment of GERD - One 40 mg tablet to be taken once daily
• Healing of duodenal ulcer - One 40 mg tablet to be taken once daily after the morning meal for a period of 4 weeks. A few patients may require additional course of treatment to achieve healing.

Contraindications

Protonix (pantoprazole sodium) should be avoided if the patient is allergic to pantoprazole and other proton pump inhibitors.

Precautions

Since this medication contains sodium, precaution should be taken in patients who are on salt restricted diet like those with heart failure. Patients who are already on blood thinning agent warfarin should be careful while taking protonix as it may cause bleeding. The safety of this medication in pregnant women is not proved and hence it is not recommended for pregnant women.

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Side effects

Protonix (pantoprazole sodium) is generally well tolerated. The reported side effects of this medication are:

• Headache
• Upper abdominal pain
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Flatulence
• Nausea, vomiting
• Dizziness
• Allergic reactions
• Dry mouth
• Joint pain
• Osteoporosis

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