Exact Answer: Three to Four Months
Lansoprazole is a medicinal drug primarily used for the reduction of acid made by the stomach. The drug is available both in the form of a capsule and a disintegrating tablet, and both can be taken orally. Moreover, it is also available as a generic drug and a brand-name drug.
Lansoprazole is a delayed-release medication implying that the medicine is not released till the medicine passes through the stomach. This property of the medicine prevents it from getting inactivated in the stomach so that the medicine is put to use where it is most needed.
How Long Can You Take Lansoprazole For?
| Condition of Patient | Drug Dosage |
| Indigestion | 15 mg a day till symptom persists |
| Acid Reflux | 30 mg a day till symptom persists |
| Duodenal Ulcer | |
| Child dosage (till 18 years) | Not recommended |
| Adult dosage (above 18 years) | 15 mg once per day for four weeks |
| Gastric Ulcers | |
| Child dosage (till 18 years) | Not recommended |
| Adult dosage (above 18 years) | 30 mg once per day for eight weeks |
| Erosive Esophagitis | |
| Child dosage (1 to 11 years) | |
| A. Children weighing less than 30 kg | 15 mg once per day for twelve weeks |
| B. Children weighing more than 30 kg | 30 mg once per day for twelve weeks |
| Child dosage (11 to 18 years) | 15 mg once per day for eight weeks |
| Adult dosage (above 18 years) | 15 mg taken once daily |
| GERD | |
| Child dosage (1 to 11 years) | |
| A. Children weighing less than 30 kg | 15 mg once per day for twelve weeks |
| B. Children weighing more than 30 kg | 30 mg once per day for twelve weeks |
| Child dosage (11 to 18 years) | 15 mg once per day for eight weeks |
| Adult dosage (above 18 years) | 15 mg once per day for eight weeks |
| Hypersecretory Conditions | |
| Child dosage (till 18 years) | Not recommended |
| Adult dosage (above 18 years) | 60 mg taken daily |
Lansoprazole is mostly available in two strengths, namely in fifteen-milligram packs and thirty-milligram packs. The dosage of the drug suggested above is subjected to common and general information available in the public domain. However, a patient’s requirements are best known by doctors so, it would be best for you to visit them.
Why Is Lansoprazole Taken For That Long?
The span for which the drug should be intake depends on a combination of a number of factors. The most important conditions which help a healthcare worker in deciding the drug course are the age of the person, the ailment being treated and its severity, reaction of the patient’s body after intaking the first dose, and any other significant health issues of the person.
The age of the patient is the primary factor in this regard. Studies have shown that people above eighteen years of age intaking lansoprazole achieve their target results. Children who did not have their first birthday should not intake it while those between one and eighteen can have the drug only for select ailments.
The ailment affecting the person is also a crucial factor in determining its dosage routine. Generally, health problems like indigestion and acid reflux can be treated within a week or two but ailments like GERD and gastric ulcers need lansoprazole treatment for two to three months.
Another significant issue that helps to determine the dose regime is the effects on the patient after intaking the first dose. Some patients may experience many harmful side effects and so, doctors may suggest dose reduction of the drug.
Conclusion
Lansoprazole is a medicine used in the reduction of acid made by the stomach. It is used for the cure and treatment of diseases like indigestion, acid reflux, GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), gastric ulcers, duodenal ulcers, erosive esophagitis, and hypersecretory conditions. Moreover, it also finds use in the treatment of Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.
The dosing routine of lansoprazole of a person is affected by a wide variety of reasons, particularly age, ailment and medical history of the person, and response to the first dose of medicine. The dose course for a person is decided keeping in mind all these factors so as to produce quick and effective results.
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