PATIENT INFORMATION LEAFLET

Omeprazol Qualigen 40mg hard gastro-resistant capsules

Omeprazol

Read this leaflet carefully before you start taking the medicine.

• Keep this leaflet, as you may need to read it again.
• If you have any doubts, consult your doctor or pharmacist.
• This medicine has been prescribed for you and should not be given to others, even if they have the same symptoms, as it may harm them.
• If you consider that any of the side effects you are experiencing is serious or if you notice any side effect not mentioned in this leaflet, inform your doctor or pharmacist.See section 4.

1.What is Omeprazol Qualigen and for what it is used

2.What you need to know before starting to take Omeprazol Qualigen

3.How to take Omeprazol Qualigen

4.Possible side effects

1. Storage of Omeprazol Qualigen

6.Contents of the pack and additional information

Omeprazol Qualigen contains the active ingredient omeprazole. It belongs to a group of medicines called “proton pump inhibitors”. These medicines work by reducing the amount of acid produced by the stomach.

Omeprazol Qualigen is used to treat the following diseases:

In adults:

• “Gastroesophageal reflux disease” (GERD). In this disorder, stomach acid passes into the esophagus (the tube that connects the throat to the stomach), causing pain, inflammation, and heartburn.
• Ulcers in the upper part of the small intestine (duodenal ulcer) or in the stomach (gastric ulcer).
• Ulcers infected by a bacteria called “Helicobacter pylori”. If you have this disease, it is possible that your doctor will prescribe antibiotics to treat the infection and allow the ulcer to heal.
• Ulcers caused by certain medicines called NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Omeprazol Qualigen may also be used to prevent the formation of ulcers if you are taking NSAIDs.
• Excess acid in the stomach caused by a tumor in the pancreas (Zollinger-Ellison syndrome).

In children:

Children over 1 year of age and=10 kg

• “Gastroesophageal reflux disease” (GERD). In this disorder, stomach acid passes into the esophagus (the tube thatconnects the throat to the stomach), causing pain, inflammation, and heartburn.
  In children, the symptoms of the disease may include the return of stomach contents to the mouth (regurgitation), vomiting, and inadequate weight gain.

Children over 4 years of age and adolescents

• Ulcers infected by a bacteria called “Helicobacter pylori”. If your child has this disease, it is possible that your doctor will prescribe antibiotics to treat the infection and allow the ulcer to heal.

Do not take Omeprazol Qualigen

• if you are allergic (hypersensitive) to omeprazole or to any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).
• if you are allergic to medicines that contain proton pump inhibitors (e.g. pantoprazole, lansoprazole, rabeprazole, esomeprazole).
• if you are taking a medicine that contains nelfinavir (used for HIV infection).

If you are unsure, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Omeprazol Qualigen.

Warnings and precautions

Consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting to take Omeprazol Qualigen.

Omeprazol Qualigen may mask the symptoms of other diseases.Therefore, if you experience any of the following symptoms before starting to take Omeprazol Qualigen or during treatment, consult your doctor immediately:

• You lose weight significantly without apparent reason and have trouble swallowing.
• You have stomach pain or indigestion.
• You start vomiting food or vomiting blood.
• Your stools are black (stained with blood).
• You have severe or persistent diarrhea, as omeprazole has been associated with a slight increase in infectious diarrhea.
• You have severe liver problems.
• You have had a skin reaction after treatment with a similar medicine to omeprazole for reducing stomach acid.
• You are scheduled to have a specific blood test (Cromogranina A)

If you have a skin rash, especially in sun-exposed areas, consult your doctor as soon as possible, as it may be necessary to interrupt treatment with omeprazole. Remember to mention any other symptoms you may notice, such as joint pain.

When taking omeprazole, it may cause inflammation in the kidneys. The signs and symptoms may include decreased urine volume or blood in the urine and/or hypersensitivity reactions such as fever, skin rash, and joint stiffness. You should inform your doctor of these signs.

If you take omeprazole for a long period (more than 1 year), your doctor will likely perform regular check-ups. You should inform your doctor of any new or unusual symptoms and circumstances whenever you visit.

Other medicines and Omeprazol Qualigen

Inform your doctor or pharmacist if you are using or have recently used other medicines, including those purchased without a prescription. Omeprazol Qualigen may affect the mechanism of action of some medicines, and some medicines may affect Omeprazol Qualigen.

Do not take Omeprazol Qualigen if you are taking a medicine that contains nelfinavir (used to treat HIV infection).

Inform your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any of the following medicines:

• Ketoconazole, itraconazole, or voriconazole (used to treat fungal infections)
• Digoxin (used to treat heart problems)
• Diazepam (used to treat anxiety, relax muscles, or epilepsy)
• Phenytoin (used in epilepsy). If you are taking phenytoin, your doctor will need to monitor you when starting or stopping omeprazole treatment
• Medicines used to prevent blood clotting, such as warfarin or other vitamin K antagonists. Your doctor will need to monitor you when starting or stopping omeprazole treatment
• Rifampicin (used to treat tuberculosis)
• Atazanavir (used to treat HIV infection)
• Tacrolimus (in cases of organ transplantation)
• St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) (used to treat mild depression)
• Cilostazol (used to treat intermittent claudication)
• Saquinavir (used to treat HIV infection)
• Clopidogrel (used to prevent blood clots)

If your doctor has prescribed you the antibiotics amoxicillin and clarithromycin to treat ulcers caused by Helicobacter pylori infection, it is very important to inform your doctor of any other medicines you are taking.

Taking Omeprazol Qualigen with food and drinks

You can take your capsules with food or on an empty stomach.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

Before taking Omeprazol Qualigen, inform your doctor if you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant. Your doctor will decide if you can take Omeprazol Qualigen during this time.

Your doctor will decide if you can take Omeprazol Qualigen if you are breastfeeding.

Driving and operating machinery

Omeprazol Qualigen is unlikely to affect your ability to drive or use tools or machines. However, side effects such as dizziness and visual disturbances (see section 4) may occur. If they do, you should not drive or use machines.

Omeprazol Qualigen contains saccharose

This medicine contains saccharose. If your doctor has told you that you have an intolerance to certain sugars, consult with them before taking this medicine.

This medicine contains less than 23 mg of sodium (1 mmol) per capsule; it is essentially "sodium-free."

Follow exactly the administration instructions for Omeprazol Qualigen as indicated by your doctor. Consult your doctor or pharmacist if you have any doubts.

Your doctor will tell you how many capsules to take and for how long. This will depend on your condition and age.

The usual doses are listed below.

Adults:

Treatment of symptoms of GERD, such asheartburn and acid regurgitation:

• If your doctor checks that you have mild damage to the esophagus, the usual dose is 20mg once a day for 4‑8 weeks. Your doctor may prescribe a dose of 40mg for another 8 weeks if the esophagus has not yet healed.

• The usual dose once the esophagus has healed is 10mg once a day.
• If you do not have damage to the esophagus, the usual dose is 10mg once a day.

Treatment ofulcers in the upper part of the small intestine (duodenal ulcer):

• The usual dose is 20mg once a day for 2 weeks. Your doctor may prescribe the same dose for another 2 weeks if the ulcer has not yet healed.
• If the ulcer does not fully heal, the dose may be increased to 40mg once a day for 4 weeks.

Treatment ofstomach ulcers (gastric ulcer):

• The usual dose is 20mg once a day for 4 weeks. Your doctor may prescribe the same dose for another 4 weeks if the ulcer has not yet healed.
• If the ulcer does not fully heal, the dose may be increased to 40mg once a day for 8 weeks.

Preventionof the recurrenceofstomach and duodenal ulcers:

• The usual dose is 10 mg or 20 mg once a day. Your doctor may increase the dose to 40mg once a day.

Treatment of stomach and duodenal ulcers caused by NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs):

• The usual dose is 20 mg once a day for 4‑8 weeks.

Prevention of stomach and duodenal ulcersduring the administration ofNSAIDs:

• The usual dose is 20 mg once a day.

Treatment ofulcers causedby the infectionbyHelicobacter pyloriandprevention of their recurrence:

• The usual dose is 20 mg of omeprazole twice a day for a week.

• Your doctor will also tell you to take two antibiotics, amoxicillin, clarithromycin, and metronidazole.

Treatment of excess acid in the stomach caused by atumor in the pancreas (Zollinger-Ellison syndrome):

• The usual dose is 60 mg a day.
• Your doctor will adjust the dose according to your needs and will also decide how long you should take the medication.

Use in children and adolescents:

Treatment of symptoms of GERD, such asheartburn and acid regurgitation

• Children over one year of age who weigh more than10 kgcan take omeprazole. The dose for children is based on body weight, and your doctor will decide the correct dose.

Treatment ofulcerscausedby the infectionbyHelicobacter pyloriand prevention of their recurrence:

• Children over 4 years old can take omeprazole. The dose for children is based on body weight, and your doctor will decide the correct dose.
• Your doctor will also prescribe two antibiotics, amoxicillin, and clarithromycin, for your child.

How to take this medication

• It is recommended to take the capsules in the morning.
• You can take your capsules with food or on an empty stomach.
• Swallow the capsules whole with half a glass of water. Do not crush or chew the capsules, as they containcoated granulesthat prevent the medication from breaking down in the stomach acid. It is essential not to damage thegranules.

What to do if you or your child have trouble swallowing the capsules

• If you or your child have trouble swallowing the capsules:
• • Open the capsules and swallow the contents directly with half a glass of water or pour the contents into a glass of water without gas, a sour fruit juice (e.g., apple, orange, or pineapple), or a compote of apple.
  • Always shake the mixture just before drinking it (the mixture will not be transparent). Then, drink the mixture immediately or within 30 minutes.
  • To ensure that all the medication has been taken, fill the glass with water to the halfway point, rinse it well, and drink the water. The solid parts contain the medication; do not chew or crush them.

If you take more Omeprazol Qualigen than you should

If you have taken more Omeprazol Qualigen than prescribed by your doctor, consult your doctor or pharmacist immediately. You can also call the Toxicological Information Service, phone91 562 04 20, indicating the medication and the amount ingested.

If you forget to take Omeprazol Qualigen

If you forget to take a dose, take it as soon as you remember. However, if there is little time left for the next dose, skip the missed dose. Do not take a double dose to make up for the missed doses.

Like all medicines, this medicine may cause side effects, although not everyone will experience them.

If you experience any of the following rare but serious side effects, stop taking Omeprazol Qualigen and consult your doctor immediately:

• Sudden hissing sounds while breathing (sudden sibilance), swelling of the lips, tongue, and throat or body, skin rash, dizziness, or difficulty swallowing (severe allergic reaction).
• Redness of the skin with blistering or peeling. Blisters may also appear intensely and bleeding may occur in the lips, eyes, mouth, nose, and genitals. This may be a "Stevens-Johnson syndrome" or "toxic epidermal necrolysis."
• Yellowing of the skin, dark urine, and fatigue, which may be symptoms of liver problems.

Side effects may occur with certain frequencies, which are defined as follows:

Other side effects are:

Common side effects

• Headache.
• Effects on the stomach or intestines: diarrhea, stomach pain, constipation, and gas (flatulence), benign polyps in the stomach.
• Nausea or vomiting.

Uncommon side effects

• Swelling of the feet and ankles.
• Sleep disorders (insomnia).
• Dizziness, tingling sensation, drowsiness.
• Sensation of spinning (vertigo).
• Abnormal blood test results that check liver function.
• Skin rash, hives, and itching.
• General feeling of discomfort and lack of energy.

Rare side effects

• Blood disorders, such as a decrease in white blood cells or platelets. This may cause weakness or bruising and increase the risk of infection.
• Allergic reactions, sometimes very intense, including swelling of the lips, tongue, and throat, fever, and sibilance.
• Low sodium levels in the blood. May cause weakness, vomiting, and cramps.
• Agitation, confusion, or depression.
• Changes in taste.
• Visual problems, such as blurred vision.
• Sudden sensation of difficult breathing (bronchospasm).
• Dry mouth.
• Inflammation of the inside of the mouth.
• Infection called "candidiasis" that can affect the intestines and is caused by a fungus.
• Liver problems, such as jaundice, which may cause yellowing of the skin, dark urine, and fatigue.
• Hair loss (alopecia).
• Skin rash with exposure to sunlight.
• Joint pain (arthralgias) or muscle pain (myalgias).
• Severe kidney problems (interstitial nephritis).
• Increased sweating.

Very rare side effects

• Blood count abnormalities, such as agranulocytosis (lack of white blood cells).
• Aggression.
• Seeing, feeling, or hearing things that do not exist (hallucinations).
• Severe liver problems that cause liver failure and brain inflammation.
• Sudden appearance of intense rash, blistering, or peeling of the skin. May be accompanied by high fever and joint pain (erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis).
• Muscle weakness.
• Enlargement of the breasts in men.

In very rare cases, omeprazole may affect white blood cells in the blood and cause immunodeficiency. If you have an infection with symptoms such as fever with a very poor general condition or fever with symptoms of local infection, such as neck pain, throat pain, or mouth pain or difficulty urinating, you should consult your doctor as soon as possible to perform a blood test and rule out a lack of white blood cells (agranulocytosis). It is essential to provide information about the medication you are taking at that time.

Unknown frequency

If you are taking omeprazole for more than three months, it is possible that magnesium levels in the blood may decrease. Low magnesium levels may cause fatigue, involuntary muscle contractions, disorientation, seizures, dizziness, and increased heart rate. If you experience any of these symptoms, see your doctor immediately. Low magnesium levels may also cause a decrease in potassium and calcium levels in the blood. Your doctor may decide to perform periodic blood tests to monitor magnesium levels.

If you are taking proton pump inhibitors such as Omeprazol Qualigen 20 mg, especially for a period of more than one year, it may slightly increase the risk of hip, wrist, and spinal fractures. Inform your doctor if you have osteoporosis or if you are taking corticosteroids (they may increase the risk of osteoporosis).

Skin rash, possibly with joint pain.

Do not worry about this list of possible side effects. You may not experience any of them. If you consider any of the side effects you experience to be severe or if you experience any side effect not mentioned in this prospectus, inform your doctor or pharmacist.

Reporting side effects

If you experience any type of side effect, consult your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse, even if it is a possible side effect not listed in this prospectus. You can also report them directly through theSistema Español de Farmacovigilancia de medicamentos de Uso Humano: https://www.notificaram.es.By reporting side effects, you can contribute to providing more information about the safety of this medication.

• Keep this medication out of the sight and reach of children.

• Do not use Omeprazol Qualigen after the expiration date that appears on the packaging after CAD. The expiration date is the last day of the month indicated.

• Store below 30°C.
• Keep thecontainerperfectly closed to protect it from moisture.

• Medicines should not be thrown into the drains or trash. Dispose of the containers and medicines you no longer need at theSIGREcollection pointofthepharmacy. If in doubt, ask your pharmacist how to dispose of the containers and medicines you no longer need.This will help protect the environment.

Composition of Omeprazol Qualigen

• The active ingredient is omeprazole. Omeprazol Qualigen capsules contain 40 mg of omeprazole.

• The other components (excipients) are sugar spheres (sucrose and cornstarch), carboxymethylstarch sodium of potato, sodium lauryl sulfate, povidone (E-1201), sodium hydroxide (E-524), trisodium phosphate, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (E-464), copolymer of methacrylic acid and ethyl acrylate, triethyl citrate, titanium dioxide, talc.

• The gelatin capsule is composed of: gelatin, titanium dioxide (E-171), quinoline yellow (E-104), indigo carmine (E-132), erythrosine (E-127).

• The ink is composed of: shellac, anhydrous ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, propylene glycol (E-1520), n-butanol, povidone, sodium hydroxide, and titanium dioxide (E-171).

Appearance of the product and contents of the packaging

Omeprazol Qualigen 40 mg capsules contain granules with enteric coating.

Package sizes:

HDPE bottles with 14 or 28 capsules.

Aluminum blister packs with 14 or 28 capsules.

Only some package sizes may be commercially available.

Marketing authorization holder and responsible manufacturer

Marketing authorization holder

Neuraxpharm Spain, S.L.U. Avda. Barcelona, 69

08970 Sant Joan Despí (Barcelona)

Spain

Responsible manufacturer

Teva Pharma, S.L.U.

c/ C, nº4 Polígono Malpica

50016 Zaragoza (Spain)

Last review date of this leaflet: March 2023

Detailed and updated information on this medication is available on the website of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS) http://www.aemps.gob.es/