Carafate: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects
When sucralfate is administered orally, small amounts of aluminum are absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. Concomitant use of sucralfate with other products that contain aluminum, such as aluminum-containing antacids, may increase the total body burden of aluminum. Patients with normal renal function receiving the recommended doses of sucralfate and aluminumcontaining products adequately excrete aluminum in the urine. Patients with chronic renal failure or those receiving dialysis have impaired excretion of absorbed aluminum. In addition, aluminum does not cross dialysis membranes because it is bound to albumin and transferrin plasma proteins.
The timing of meals relative to your oral levothyroxine dose can affect the absorption of the medication. Therefore, levothyroxine should be taken on a consistent schedule with regard to time of day and relation to meals to avoid large fluctuations in blood levels, which may alter its effects. In addition, absorption of levothyroxine may be decreased and/or delayed by foods such as soybean flour, cotton seed meal, walnuts, dietary fiber, calcium, calcium fortified juices and grapefruit or grapefruit juice.
sucralfate food
Aluminum accumulation and toxicity (aluminum osteodystrophy, osteomalacia, encephalopathy) have been described in patients with renal impairment. Sucralfate should be used with caution in patients with chronic renal failure. Concomitant use of levothyroxine and sucralfate may result in reduced levothyroxine efficacy, which may result in hypothyroidism. If concurrent use is necessary, separate administration of these agents by at least 4 hours.
What Are Side Effects of Carafate?
Using multivitamin with minerals together with levothyroxine may decrease the effects of levothyroxine. You should separate the administration of levothyroxine and multivitamin with minerals by at least 4 hours. If your doctor does prescribe these medications together, you may need a dose adjustment or special test to safely use both medications.
CARAFATE Oral Suspension is contraindicated for patients with known hypersensitivity reactions to the active substance or to any of the excipients. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when sucralfate is administered to a nursing woman. Our Carafate Side Effects Drug Center provides a comprehensive view of available drug information on the potential side effects when taking this medication.
- Our Carafate Side Effects Drug Center provides a comprehensive view of available drug information on the potential side effects when taking this medication.
- In general, it is not necessary to discontinuethe drug that is reducing levothyroxineabsorption (see box above right).
- It’s important that you are monitored closely and you potentially may need to make adjustments in your treatment plan or drug dosage to maintain optimal health.
- Individual drug-drug interaction detail pages contain references specific to that interaction.
- Taking it on an empty stomach results in the best absorption of the drug from the intestine.
Report Problems to the Food and Drug Administration
Episodes of hyperglycemia have been reported in diabetic patients. Close monitoring of glycemia in diabetic patients treated with CARAFATE Oral Suspension is recommended. Adjustment of the anti-diabetic treatment dose during the use of CARAFATE Oral Suspension might be necessary. These drugs, generally, should not be used together simultaneously due to the high risk of severe adverse effects. Combining these medications can lead to dangerous health outcomes and should be strictly avoided unless otherwise instructed by your provider. Sucralfate contains a considerableamount of aluminum, and this probablyaccounts for its ability to reduce levothyroxineabsorption.
Consider monitoring TSH levels and/or other measures of thyroid function when sucralfate is initiated or discontinued during levothyroxine treatment. In fact, it is recommended to separate the administration of these medicines from levothyroxine by 4 hours. Clinical studies of CARAFATE Oral Suspension did not include sufficient numbers of subjects aged 65 and over to determine whether they respond differently from younger subjects. Other reported clinical experience has not identified differences in responses between the elderly and younger patients.
Active Duodenal Ulcer
Taking it on an empty stomach results in the best absorption of the drug from the intestine. Other drugs may interact with sucralfate, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Tell your doctor about all your current medicines and any medicine you start or stop using. The liquid form of this medicine should never be injected through a needle into the body, or death may occur.
Sometimes drug interactions cannot be avoided because both medicines may be very important to your treatment. In the case of levothyroxine, you may need more frequent testing of thyroid stimulating hormone and T4 levels when other medications are added or removed from your treatment regimen. After another drug has been added to or removed from your regimen, you should report worsening of any disease symptoms or medication side effects to your doctor.
Patients on hemodialysis may needtreatment with drugs that can bindphosphate in the gut, synthroid.com/truebalance thus reducing theirphosphate load. The phosphate bindersevelamer (Renagel) has been shown toincrease thyrotropin concentrations inpatients on levothyroxine; hypothyroidsymptoms have been reported. Calciumcarbonate also can be used as a phosphatebinder and it also interacts withlevothyroxine, but limited clinical evidencesuggests that calcium acetate maynot affect levothyroxine absorption. Other drugs that have been reportedto reduce levothyroxine absorptioninclude ciprofloxacin (Cipro), raloxifene(Evista), and caffeine in coffee. Morestudy is needed to establish whetherthese interactions are likely to be clinicallyimportant. The effectiveness of levothyroxine therapy is measured by monitoring your symptoms and by checking the amount of two main thyroid-related hormones—thyroid stimulating hormone and T4—in the blood.
