Famotidine is used for:

Treating and preventing ulcers; treating and preventing heartburn associated with acid indigestion and sour stomach. It is also used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), conditions that cause increased acid secretion, and esophagitis. It also may be used for other conditions as determined by your doctor.

Famotidine is an H₂ (histamine) blocker. It reduces stomach acid by blocking one of the chemicals (histamine) that stimulates the release of acid into the stomach.

Do NOT use Famotidine if:

• you are allergic to any ingredient in Famotidine or other acid reducers (H₂ blockers)

Contact your doctor or health care provider right away if any of these apply to you.

Before using Famotidine :

Some medical conditions may interact with Famotidine. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have any medical conditions, especially if any of the following apply to you:

• if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding
• if you are taking any prescription or nonprescription medicine, herbal preparation, or dietary supplement
• if you have allergies to medicines or other substances
• if you have kidney or liver problems

Some MEDICINES MAY INTERACT with Famotidine. However, no specific interactions with Famotidine are known at this time.

This may not be a complete list of all interactions that may occur. Ask your health care provider if Famotidine may interact with other medicines that you take. Check with your health care provider before you start, stop, or change the dose of any medicine.

How to use Famotidine :

Use Famotidine as directed by your doctor. Check the label on the medicine for exact dosing instructions.

• Famotidine may be taken with or without food.
• Take Famotidine with a glass of water.
• Take Famotidine at least 2 hours before or after taking cephalosporins (eg, cephalexin), itraconazole, or ketoconazole.
• Ask your doctor before taking Famotidine with other acid reducers (antacids).
• If a dose is missed, take it as soon as possible. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not take 2 doses at once.

Ask your health care provider any questions you may have about how to use Famotidine.

Important safety information:

• Famotidine may cause dizziness. Do not drive, operate machinery, or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how you react to this medicine. Using Famotidine alone, with certain other medicines, or with alcohol may lessen your ability to drive or perform other potentially dangerous tasks.
• If your symptoms do not improve or if they become worse, check with your doctor.
• Notify your doctor if you have any symptoms of a bleeding ulcer, such as black, tarry stools or vomit that looks like coffee grounds.
• If pain continues or you need to take Famotidine for more than 14 days for heartburn symptoms, stop use and contact your doctor.
• You may need to make significant diet and lifestyle changes to help treat and prevent ulcers and other digestive problems, including stress-reduction programs, exercise, and diet changes.
• LAB TESTS may be performed to monitor your progress. Be sure to keep all doctor and lab appointments.
• Use Famotidine with caution in the ELDERLY because they may be more sensitive to its effects.
• PREGNANCY and BREAST-FEEDING: Do not use Famotidine if you are pregnant. If you suspect that you could be pregnant, contact your doctor immediately. If you are or will be breast-feeding while you are using Famotidine , check with your doctor or pharmacist to discuss the risks to your baby.

Possible side effects of Famotidine :

All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome:

Constipation; diarrhea; dizziness; headache.

Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur:

Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); bloody or black stools; convulsions (seizures); difficulty or pain upon swallowing.

What is the shelf life of the pills?

• The expiry date is mentioned on each blister. It is different for different batches. The shelf life is 2 years from the date of manufacture and would differ from batch to batch depending on when they were manufactured.

Other Useful Information:

Radiation: 1. Rays of energy. Gamma rays and X-rays are two of the types of energy waves often used in medicine. 2. The use of energy waves to diagnose or treat disease.

Replantation: 1. Literally, the act of planting again. 2. In surgery, the restoration of any part of the body to its original site. Also known as reimplantation.

The Chinese surgeon Zhong Wei Chen (1929-2004) was the "father of replantation." Dr. Chen was the first to reattach a severed hand with success which he did in 1963. Dr. Chen also developed many microsurgical procedures including techniques for preserving severed extremities, reattaching amputated fingers and thumbs, reconstructing muscles and repairing nerves and blood vessels.

Rheumatism: Rheumatism is an older term, used to describe any of a number of painful conditions of muscles, tendons, joints, and bones.

Rheumatism conditions have been classified as either localized, regional, or generalized. Localized rheumatism conditions include bursitis and tendinitis. Regional rheumatism conditions include chest wall pain, temporomandibular joint pain, and myofascial pain syndromes. Generalized rheumatism conditions include fibromyalgia.

Another category of rheumatism is psychogenic rheumatism. With this term it is understood that the patient is reporting inconsistent pains of muscles and joints that do not correspond to true anatomy and physiology. The patient is felt to have underlying psychological causes for the symptoms.

Rheumatology: A subspecialty of internal medicine that involves the non-surgical evaluation and treatment of the rheumatic diseases and conditions. Rheumatic diseases and conditions are characterized by symptoms involving the musculoskeletal system. Many of the rheumatic diseases and conditions feature immune system abnormalities. Therefore, rheumatology also involves the study of the immune system. Classical rheumatology training includes 4 years of medical school, 1 year of internship in internal medicine, 2 years of internal medicine residency, and 2 years of rheumatology fellowship. There is a subspecialty board for rheumatology certification. The American College of Rheumatology is the official organization acting on behalf of the field of rheumatology in the United States.

T cell: A type of white blood cell that is of key importance to the immune system and is at the core of adaptive immunity, the system that tailors the body's immune response to specific pathogens. The T cells are like soldiers who search out and destroy the targeted invaders.

Immature T cells (termed T-stem cells) migrate to the thymus gland in the neck, where they mature and differentiate into various types of mature T cells and become active in the immune system in response to a hormone called thymosin and other factors. T-cells that are potentially activated against the body's own tissues are normally killed or changed ("down-regulated") during this maturational process.

There are several different types of mature T cells. Not all of their functions are known. T cells can produce substances called cytokines such as the interleukins which further stimulate the immune response. T-cell activation is measured as a way to assess the health of patients with HIV/AIDS and less frequently in other disorders.

T cell are also known as T lymphocytes. The "T" stands for "thymus" -- the organ in which these cells mature. As opposed to B cells which mature in the bone marrow.

Teleology: The study of the ultimate purpose of the design of something in nature.

For example, "what is the true purpose of the nose?" is a teleological question and, to say that all evolutionary changes occur for a definite purpose is a teleological explanation of evolution.

"Teleology" comes from ancient Greek roots but it (and teleological) did not enter English until the 18th century. It is a compound of the Greek "tele-, telos," meaning "end or purpose" + the ending "logos" meaning "the science or study of" = the study of the ends or purposes.

Testosterone: A "male hormone" -- a sex hormone produced by the testes that encourages the development of male sexual characteristics, stimulates the activity of the male secondary sex characteristics, and prevents changes in them following castration. Chemically, testosterone is 17-beta-hydroxy-4-androstene-3-one.

Testosterone is the most potent of the naturally occurring androgens. The androgens cause the development of male sex characteristics, such as a deep voice and a beard; they also strengthen muscle tone and bone mass.

High levels of testosterone appear to promote good health in men, for example, lowering the risks of high blood pressure and heart attack. High testosterone levels also correlate with risky behavior, however, including increased aggressiveness and smoking, which may cancel out these health benefits.

Testosterone may be given to treat medical conditions, including female (but not male) breast cancer, hypogonadism (low gonadal function) in the male, cryptorchism (nondescent of the testis into the scrotum), and menorrhagia (irregular periods).