Prevacid Side Effects

Generic name: lansoprazole

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Jan 21, 2025.

Note: This document provides detailed information about Prevacid.

Applies to lansoprazole: oral capsule delayed release, oral powder for suspension, oral tablet disintegrating delayed release Side Effects associated with lansoprazole. Some dosage forms listed on this page may not apply specifically to the brand name Prevacid.

Applies to lansoprazole: oral capsule delayed release, oral powder for suspension, oral tablet disintegrating delayed release.

Precautions

It is important that your doctor check the progress of you or your child at regular visits. This will allow your doctor to see if the medicine is working properly and to decide if you should continue to take it. Blood, urine, and other laboratory tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects. If your or your child's condition does not improve, or if it becomes worse, discuss this with your doctor.

Do not take this medicine if you are also using products that contain rilpivirine (Complera®, Edurant®). Using these medicines together may cause unwanted side effects.

Lansoprazole may cause a serious type of allergic reaction when used in patients with conditions treated with antibiotics. Call your doctor right away if you or your child has itching, trouble breathing or swallowing, or any swelling of your hands, face, or mouth.

Check with your doctor right away if you have a change in frequency of urination or amount of urine, blood in the urine, fever, joint pain, loss of appetite, skin rash, swelling of the body or feet and ankles, unusual tiredness or weakness, or unusual weight gain. These could be symptoms of a serious kidney problem called acute tubulointerstitial nephritis.

Taking this medicine for a long time may make it harder for your body to absorb vitamin B12. Tell your doctor if you have concerns about vitamin B12 deficiency.

Serious stomach conditions may occur while taking this medicine alone or together with antibiotics. Check with your doctor immediately if you or your child has stomach cramps, bloated feeling, watery and severe diarrhea which may also be bloody sometimes, fever, nausea or vomiting, or unusual tiredness or weakness.

Lansoprazole may increase your risk of having fractures of the hip, wrist, and spine. This is more likely if you have osteoporosis, if you are 50 years of age and older, if you receive high doses of this medicine, or if you use it for one year or more. Call your doctor right away if you have severe bone pain or are unable to walk or sit normally.

This medicine may cause serious skin reactions, including Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis, and drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS). Check with your doctor right away if you have black, tarry stools, blistering, peeling, or loosening of the skin, chest pain, chills, cough, diarrhea, itching, joint or muscle pain, painful or difficult urination, red irritated eyes, red skin lesions, often with a purple center, sore throat, sores, ulcers, or white spots in the mouth or on the lips, swollen glands, unusual bleeding or bruising, or unusual tiredness or weakness.

Cutaneous or systemic lupus erythematosus may occur or get worse in patients receiving a PPI. Call your doctor right away if you have joint pain or a skin rash on your cheeks or arms that gets worse when exposed to the sun.

This medicine may cause hypomagnesemia (low magnesium in the blood). This is more likely to occur if you are taking this medicine for more than one year, or if you are taking this medicine together with digoxin (Lanoxin®) or certain diuretics or "water pills". Check with your doctor right away if you have convulsions (seizures), fast, racing, or uneven heartbeat, muscle spasms (tetany), tremors, or unusual tiredness or weakness.

This medicine may increase your risk for fundic gland polyps (abnormal tissue growth in the upper part of your stomach). This is more likely if you are receiving this medicine for more than 1 year. Talk to your doctor if you have concerns.

Do not Stop taking lansoprazole (the active ingredient contained in Prevacid) without first checking with your doctor, or unless told to do so by your doctor.

Before you have any medical tests, tell the medical doctor in charge that you or your child are taking this medicine. The results of some tests may be affected by this medicine.

Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription (eg, atazanavir, nelfinavir, Reyataz®, Viracept®) or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and herbal (eg, St. John's wort) or vitamin supplements.

Serious side effects of Prevacid

Along with its needed effects, lansoprazole may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur while taking lansoprazole:

Other side effects of Prevacid

Some side effects of lansoprazole may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects.

Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

For healthcare professionals

Applies to lansoprazole: compounding powder, intravenous powder for injection, oral delayed release capsule, oral granule for reconstitution, oral suspension, oral tablet disintegrating.

General adverse events

The most commonly reported side effects include headache, dizziness, fatigue, and malaise.^[Ref]

Gastrointestinal

• Common (1% to 10%): Abdominal pain, benign fundic gland polyps, constipation, diarrhea, dry mouth, flatulence, nausea, stomachache, vomiting
• Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Candidiasis of the esophagus, glossitis, macroscopic/microscopic colitis, pancreatitis
• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Colitis, stomatitis
• Frequency not reported: Abdomen enlarged, abnormal stools, bezoar, cardiospasm, collagenous colitis, duodenitis, dyspepsia, dysphagia, enteritis, epigastric discomfort, eructation, esophageal disorder, esophageal stenosis, esophageal ulcer, esophagitis, fecal discoloration, gastric nodules/fundic gland polyps, gastritis, gastroenteritis, gastrointestinal anomaly/disorder/hemorrhage, gastrointestinal moniliasis, gum hemorrhage, halitosis, hematemesis, hiatal hernia, impaired gastric emptying, increased salivation, melena, mouth ulceration, positive fecal occult blood, protracted diarrhea, pseudomembranous colitis/Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea, rectal disorder, rectal hemorrhage, sore mouth, tenesmus, tongue disorder, ulcerative colitis, ulcerative stomatitis^[Ref]

Pseudomembranous colitis may occur with triple therapy for the eradication of H. pylori.

The majority of patients with severe/protracted cases of diarrhea who discontinued treatment had symptom resolution.^[Ref]

Dermatologic

• Common (1% to 10%): Itching, pruritus, rash, urticaria
• Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Bullous rashes, cutaneous lupus erythematosus, erythema multiforme, erythematous rashes, hair loss, hair thinning, hyperhidrosis, petechia, photosensitivity, purpura, serious dermatological reactions, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis
• Frequency not reported: Acne, alopecia, contact dermatitis, dry skin, fixed eruption, hair disorder, maculopapular rash, nail disorder, subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus, skin disorder, sweating
• Postmarketing reports: Fatal toxic epidermal necrolysis^[Ref]

Skin rashes, urticaria, and pruritus generally resolved upon discontinuation of therapy.^[Ref]

Nervous system

• Common (1% to 10%): Dizziness, headache, taste perversion
• Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Paresthesia, somnolence, taste disturbance, tremor, vertigo
• Frequency not reported: Amnesia, cerebrovascular accident/cerebral infarction, convulsion, dementia, hemiplegia, hyperkinesia, hypertonia, hypesthesia, migraine, parosmia, syncope, taste loss
• Postmarketing reports: Speech disorder^[Ref]

Hepatic

• Common (1% to 10%): Increased liver enzyme levels (alkaline phosphatase, ALT, AST, GGT)
• Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Hepatitis, jaundice
• Frequency not reported: Bilirubinemia, cholelithiasis, increased alkaline phosphatase, increased ALT, increased AST, increased GGT
• Postmarketing reports: Hepatotoxicity^[Ref]

Other

• Common (1% to 10%): Fatigue
• Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Fever
• Frequency not reported: Additional isolated laboratory abnormalities, asthenia, chills, deafness, ear disorder, malaise, otitis media, pain, tinnitus^[Ref]

Respiratory

• Common (1% to 10%): Dry throat
• Frequency not reported: Asthma, bronchitis, cough increased, dyspnea, epistaxis, hemoptysis, hiccup, hoarseness, interstitial pneumonia, lung fibrosis, pharyngitis, pleural disorder, pneumonia, respiratory disorder, rhinitis, sinusitis, sore throat, stridor, upper respiratory tract infection, upper respiratory tract inflammation, wheezing^[Ref]

A definitive relationship between use of this drug and interstitial pneumonia has not been established.^[Ref]

Musculoskeletal

• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Arthralgia, fracture of the hip/wrist/spine, myalgia
• Frequency not reported: Arthritis, back pain, bone disorder, bone fracture, joint disorder, leg cramps, myasthenia, musculoskeletal pain, neck pain, neck rigidity, synovitis, systemic lupus erythematosus
• Postmarketing reports: Myositis^[Ref]

Hematologic

• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Eosinophilia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia
• Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Agranulocytosis, anemia, hematological effects, neutropenia, pancytopenia
• Frequency not reported: Abnormal albumin globulin (AG) ratio, abnormal platelets, abnormal RBC, abnormal WBC, bruising, contusion, decreased platelets, decreased WBC, hemoglobin decreased, hemolysis, increased globulins, increased platelets, increased WBC, lymphadenopathy
• Postmarketing reports: Aplastic anemia, hemolytic anemia, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura^[Ref]

Psychiatric

• Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Confusion, hallucination, insomnia, restlessness
• Frequency not reported: Abnormal dreams, abnormal thinking, agitation, anxiety, apathy, depersonalization, emotional lability, hostility aggravated, libido increased/decreased, nervousness, neurosis, sleep disorder, visual hallucinations^[Ref]

Cardiovascular

• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Edema
• Frequency not reported: Angina, arrhythmia, bradycardia, chest pain (not otherwise specified [NOS]), hypertension, hypotension, myocardial infarction, palpitations, peripheral edema, shock/circulatory failure, tachycardia, vasodilation^[Ref]

Metabolic

• Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Anorexia, hypomagnesemia
• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Hyponatremia, increased cholesterol/triglyceride levels
• Frequency not reported: Avitaminosis, blood potassium increased, cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12) deficiency), decreased cholesterol, dehydration, diabetes mellitus, gout, hunger, hyperglycemia, hyperlipemia, hypoglycemia, increased appetite, increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), increased/decreased electrolytes, thirst, weight gain/loss^[Ref]

A definitive relationship between use of this drug and hyponatremia has not been established.^[Ref]

Genitourinary

• Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Erectile dysfunction, impotence
• Frequency not reported: Abnormal menses, albuminuria, breast enlargement, breast pain, breast tenderness, crystal urine present, dysmenorrhea, dysuria, hematuria, leukorrhea, menorrhagia, menstrual disorder, pelvic pain, penis disorder, polyuria, testis disorder, urethral pain, urinary frequency, urinary retention, urinary tract infection, urinary urgency, urination impaired, vaginitis^[Ref]

Hypersensitivity

• Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Angioedema
• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Anaphylactic reaction, anaphylactic shock
• Frequency not reported: Allergic reaction
• Postmarketing reports: Anaphylactoid reactions^[Ref]

Ocular

• Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Visual disturbances
• Frequency not reported: Abnormal vision, amblyopia, blepharitis, blurred vision, cataract, conjunctivitis, diplopia, dry eyes, eye disorder, eye pain, glaucoma, photophobia, ptosis, retinal degeneration/disorder, visual field defect^[Ref]

Renal

• Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Interstitial nephritis
• Frequency not reported: Acute interstitial nephritis, blood urea increased, kidney calculus, kidney pain, glycosuria, increased creatinine, renal dysfunction, renal failure^[Ref]

Some cases of interstitial nephritis resulted in renal failure.^[Ref]

Endocrine

• Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Gynecomastia
• Frequency not reported: Goiter, hypothyroidism, increased gastrin levels, increased glucocorticoids^[Ref]

Oncologic

• Frequency not reported: Carcinoma, laryngeal neoplasia, metaplasia, skin carcinoma^[Ref]

Immunologic

• Frequency not reported: Candidiasis, flu syndrome, infection NOS^[Ref]

See also:

Further information

Prevacid side effects can vary depending on the individual. Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.

Note: Medication side effects may be underreported. If you are experiencing side effects that are not listed, submit a report to the FDA by following this guide.

Medical Disclaimer