Patients suffering from erosive esophagitis or non-erosive gastro-esophageal reflux disease frequently receive treatment with members of a class of medication known as proton pump inhibitors to which the drug Dexilant® belongs. Closely related to lansoprazile, Dexilant® was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for these conditions in 2009. Also known by the generic name of dexlansoprazole, the medication is believed to work by interfering with the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach at a cellular level, reducing the symptoms of heartburn and some types of ulcers. While the recommended Dexilant® dosage is relatively stable in all patient populations with a particular condition, it may be advisable to limit the total daily Dexilant® dosage to 30 mg in patients with more than mild impairments to healthy liver function.
Patients receiving treatment for symptomatic non-erosive gastro-esophageal reflux disease are generally recommended to take a 30 mg Dexilant® dosage once daily. The standard duration of treatment in adults is four weeks. When determining the appropriate Dexilant® dosage to administer for this condition, the trials explored the drug only as an acute treatment for the disease and did not study its effects when taken for a period greater than six months.
The standard adult dose for the treatment of erosive esophagitis is higher than that needed to control the symptoms of non-erosive gastro-esophageal reflux disease. Patients should receive a one daily oral Dexilant® dosage of 60 mg for an eight week period. Once the condition is adequately controlled, a maintenance dose may be given if needed. The recommended Dexilant® dose for the maintenance of erosive esophagitis in remission is 30 mg given once per day. Though as of 2011 the effects of the medication when given for periods longer than six months still have not been adequately studied.
The side effects of the medication are not considered to be severe. The most common side effects are diarrhea, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, gas and an increased incidence of infections of the upper respiratory tract. In extremely rare cases, Dexilant® may cause severe cardiac side effects, such as chest pain, water retention, heart palpitation, irregular heart beat, angina or heart attack. Some drugs are also believed to interact with Dexilant®. These include but are not limited to ampicillin, atazanavir, clopidogrel, digoxin, ketoconazole, tacrolimus and warfarin. In addition to these, supplemental iron and certain diuretic medications may also interact with the action of Dexilant®.
