Pantolev Special Precautions

In presence of alarm symptoms: In the presence of any alarm symptom (e.g. significant unintentional weight loss, recurrent vomiting, dysphagia, haematemesis, anaemia or melaena) and when gastric ulcer is suspected or present, malignancy should be excluded, as treatment with pantoprazole may alleviate symptoms and delay diagnosis.
Further investigation is to be considered if symptoms persist despite adequate treatment.
Hepatic impairment: In patients with severe liver impairment, the liver enzymes should be discontinued.
Co-administration with atazanavir: Co-administration of atazanavir with proton pump inhibitors is not recommended. If the combination of atazanavir with a proton pump inhibitor is judged unavoidable, close clinical monitoring (e.g. virus load) is recommended in combination with an increase in the dose of atazanavir to 400 mg with 100 mg of ritonavir. A pantoprazole dose of 20 mg per day should not be exceeded.
Gastrointestinal infections caused by bacteria: Pantoprazole, like all proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), might be expected to increase the counts of bacteria normally present in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Treatment with pantoprazole may lead to a slightly increased risk of gastrointestinal infections caused by bacteria (e.g. Salmonella and Campylobacter and C. difficile).
Subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE): Proton pump inhibitors are associated with very infrequent cases of SCLE. If lesions occur, especially in sun-exposed areas of the skin, and if accompanied by arthralgia, the patient should seek medical help promptly and the healthcare professional should consider stopping Pantoprazole. SCLE after previous treatment with a proton pump inhibitor may increase the risk of SCLE with other proton pump inhibitors.
Interference with laboratory tests: Increased Chromogranin A (CgA) level may interfere with investigations for neuroendocrine tumours. To avoid this interference, Pantoprazole 40 mg, powder for solution for injection treatment should be stopped for at least 5 days before CgA measurements. If CgA and gastrin levels have not returned to reference range after initial measurement, measurements should be repeated 14 days after cessation of proton pump inhibitor treatment.
Sodium: This medicinal product contains less than 1 mmol (23 mg) sodium per dose, i.e. essentially "sodium-free".