famotidine complete
Pepcid Complete is a combination of three medications: famotidine (a histamine-2 antagonist, or H2 blocker), calcium carbonate (antacid), and magnesium hydroxide (antacid). It's used to treat acid reflux and heartburn caused by an upset stomach in adults and children ages 12 years and older. Pepcid Complete is available as a chewable tablet that's taken at the start of symptoms, up to 2 doses per day. This combination of medications (famotidine, calcium carbonate, and magnesium hydroxide) is also available as generics. Side effects of Pepcid Complete include headache, nausea, or stomach pain.
What is Pepcid Complete?
What is Pepcid Complete used for?
- Heartburn associated with acid indigestion and sour stomach
How Pepcid Complete works
Pepcid Complete is a combination of three medications that work together:
- Famotidine is a H2 blocker. It lowers the amount of stomach acid made in your stomach.
- Calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide are antacids that neutralize (balances) the acid in your stomach.
Drug facts
Side effects of Pepcid Complete
The following side effects may get better over time as your body gets used to the medication. Let your healthcare provider know immediately if you continue to experience these symptoms or if they worsen over time.
Common Side Effects
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
Less Common Side Effects
- Stomach pain
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Gas
- Dry mouth
The following Pepcid Complete side effects have also been reported
Side effects that you should report to your care team as soon as possible:
- Allergic reactions—skin rash, itching, hives, swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat
Side effects that usually do not require medical attention (report these to your care team if they continue or are bothersome):
- Constipation
- Dizziness
- Headache
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Pros and cons of Pepcid Complete
Pros
- Available over the counter
- Works within minutes for heartburn symptoms
- Combination of medications that work in different ways to ease heartburn
- Can be taken with or without food
Cons
- Can interact with some medications like azithromycin (Zithromax) and ketoconazole (Nizoral)
- Not used for prevention of heartburn, only for symptom relief
- Can only take 2 doses per day
- Only comes as a chewable tablet
Pharmacist tips for Pepcid Complete
- You can take Pepcid Complete with or without food. Try taking the medication with food if it upsets your stomach to help lessen any stomach side effects.
- Chew and swallow one tablet to relieve heartburn symptoms. Don't take more than 2 tablets in 24 hours, because if you take more than the recommended dose of Pepcid Complete, you can raise your risk of side effects from the medication.
- If you have heartburn with lightheadedness, sweating, dizziness, nausea, or vomiting, you should talk to your primary care provider (PCP) before taking Pepcid Complete, because you could have a more serious condition. Also ask your PCP before using this medication if you have stomach pain, unexplained weight loss, chest pain, wheezing, or kidney problems.
- Talk to your PCP if you still have heartburn after taking Pepcid Complete for 2 weeks or if you've had recurrent heartburn symptoms for 3 months. You could have a more serious condition that your PCP should check out.
- Pepcid Complete isn't a preventative heartburn medication, but you can help prevent heartburn symptoms by avoiding eating right before bed, limiting spicy meals, eating slowly, and not lying flat right after eating. Talk to your PCP for more tips on how to avoid heartburn symptoms.
- Pepcid Complete interacts with a lot of medications. Be sure your PCP and pharmacist know about all of the medications you take before you start taking Pepcid Complete.
- Don't take other famotidine-containing medications like Pepcid AC and Zantac 360 with Pepcid Complete. Doing so raises your risk for side effects.
Common questions about Pepcid Complete
After you take Pepcid Complete, you might notice your symptoms getting better within an hour. The antacids typically start working within minutes. But famotidine takes about an hour to kick in. The effects of Pepcid Complete might last several hours.
Adults and children ages 12 years and older can take 2 doses of Pepcid Complete within 24 hours. The manufacturer doesn't give specific guidance for how long you need to wait in between doses. Follow your healthcare professional's (HCP's) instructions on how often to take this medication. Ask the HCP or your pharmacist if you're not sure how often you should take Pepcid Complete.
Talk with your healthcare team before you take calcium carbonate (Tums) with Pepcid Complete. Tums contain calcium carbonate, an antacid that's already in Pepcid Complete. The maximum recommended daily dose of calcium carbonate is about 7,000 mg for most people, but less if you're pregnant or have certain health conditions. Usually it's best to avoid taking multiple medications that contain the same ingredients to prevent taking too much or to lower the risk of side effects. But because Pepcid Complete only contains 800 mg of calcium carbonate, your healthcare team might recommend additional calcium carbonate (Tums) to help with your symptoms if they think it's safe for you.
You can take Pepcid Complete when you start to feel symptoms of heartburn caused by acid indigestion and sour stomach. Pepcid Complete shouldn't be taken as a daily preventative medication like some other heartburn medications, because the effects of antacids are only temporary and last about 30 to 60 minutes. Antacids don't prevent heartburn, they can only provide symptom relief.
You can take up to two doses of Pepcid Complete per day, but you shouldn't take this medication for more than 2 weeks at a time. If you still have heartburn or acid indigestion symptoms after 2 weeks of treatment, contact your healthcare team. You might have a more serious condition that needs more medical attention.
While famotidine and calcium carbonate are safe during pregnancy, it's not completely known how safe magnesium hydroxide is during pregnancy because it hasn't been well-studied. Don't take Pepcid Complete if you're pregnant, unless your obstetrician thinks the benefit of this medication is greater than the risk of harm to you and your baby.
Pepcid, also known as Pepcid AC, is an over-the-counter (OTC) medication that only contains famotidine. Pepcid Complete is a combination of famotidine and two antacids: calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide. Pepcid AC comes as a oral solution or tablet, and Pepcid Complete comes as a chewable tablet. Pepcid Complete is only approved to treat heartburn, but Pepcid AC can be used for heartburn as well as some other conditions like ulcers in the stomach and small intestines and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
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Risks and warnings for Pepcid Complete
Pepcid Complete can cause some serious health issues. This risk may be even higher for certain groups. If this worries you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about other options.
Medication interactions
- Risk factors: Taking multiple medications
Pepcid Complete lowers the amount of acid in your stomach. Because of this, it can interact with medications that need acid in the stomach in order to be absorbed. Examples of these medications include fosamprenavir (Lexiva), atazanavir (Reyataz), and ketoconazole (Nizoral). Pepcid Complete can also attach to certain medications in the stomach, like azithromycin (Zithromax) and levofloxacin (Levaquin), and prevent them from working as well. Talk to your primary care provider before combining Pepcid Complete with any other medications.
Heartburn with other symptoms
- Risk factors: Heartburn symptoms for over 3 months
If you’ve had heartburn symptoms for over 3 months, or have heartburn with lightheadedness, sweating, dizziness, wheezing, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, chest or shoulder pain, or pain spreading to arms, neck or shoulders you should talk to your primary care provider before taking Pepcid Complete. If you have trouble or pain when swallowing food, vomiting with blood, or bloody or black stools you shouldn't take Pepcid Complete, and you should talk to your primary care provider. These symptoms could be a sign of a more serious condition.
Central nervous system side effects
- Risk factors: Age 65 years or older | Kidney problems
Pepcid Complete can cause confusion, hallucinations, disorientation, agitation, seizures, and lack of energy in some people. People ages 65 years or older and people with kidney disease are at higher risk for these side effects. If you have kidney problems, talk to your primary care provider before taking Pepcid Complete.
Pepcid Complete dosage
Chewable tablet| Dosage | Quantity | Price as low as | Price per unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10mg/800mg/165mg | 30 chewable tablets | $16.76 | $0.56 |
Typical dosage for Pepcid Complete
Different manufacturers make combination medications containing famotidine, calcium carbonate, and magnesium hydroxide. Read the instructions of your particular product for specific directions.
For example:
Each tablet of Pepcid Complete contains 10 mg of famotidine, 800 mg of calcium carbonate, and 165 mg of magnesium hydroxide.
-
Ages 12 years and older: Chew one tablet completely before swallowing to relieve heartburn symptoms. Don't take more than two tablets in 24 hours.
-
Ages under 12 years old: Check with your child’s pediatrician.
How much does Pepcid Complete cost?
Pepcid Complete contraindications
Contraindications are specific health conditions or situations in which a person should not take a medication due to safety concerns. If you have any of the following conditions or if any of the following apply to you, let your healthcare provider know because Pepcid Complete will not be safe for you to take.
- Trouble or pain when swallowing food
- Vomiting with blood
- Bloody or black stools
- Taking other acid-lowering medications
What are alternatives to Pepcid Complete?
