What Is Famotidine Used For? -- An Overview
Famotidine (
Pepcid®) is a medication that is available both in prescription and over-the-counter forms. It is used to treat conditions related to the esophagus, stomach, and intestines. Some specific famotidine uses include the treatment or prevention of the following conditions:
- Duodenal ulcers
- Gastric ulcers (stomach ulcers)
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Pathological hypersecretory conditions (which occur when too much stomach acid is produced), such as Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.
Famotidine is also approved for the following conditions in people ages 12 years and older:
Famotidine Uses for Ulcers
Ulcers can occur in several places in the digestive tract.
One common place is in the duodenum (the upper part of the intestine just after the stomach). This type of ulcer is called a duodenal ulcer. Another common place to have an ulcer is the stomach. This is called a stomach ulcer or gastric ulcer. "Peptic ulcer" is a term that includes both duodenal ulcers and stomach ulcers.
There are many causes of ulcers, including medications, infections, and diseases. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (
NSAIDs) such as aspirin or
ibuprofen are a common cause of stomach ulcers. The bacteria
Helicobacter pylori (or
H. pylori) can also cause ulcers. Certain conditions that cause increased stomach acid production cause ulcers as well.
Some common ulcer symptoms include abdominal pain (or stomach pain) and
heartburn symptoms -- both of which are especially common at night -- and loss of appetite. Symptoms of bleeding ulcers can include dizziness, vomiting blood, and blood in the stool (seen as dark-colored stools). However, some people may not have any symptoms of an ulcer.
Famotidine is approved to help heal both duodenal and stomach ulcers. However, duodenal ulcers are the only type of ulcers that famotidine is approved to help prevent.
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