A lansoprazole suspension is a liquid form of the drug lansoprazole. Some liquid suspensions of this medication are designed to be taken as an injection, and others can be swallowed. Using this medication helps lower the amount of hydrochloric acid that the lining of the stomach produces. Chronic cases of excessive stomach acid production can lead to serious complications in the digestive tract, including cancer.
One common way to take lansoprazole is in an oral lansoprazole suspension. In most cases, the medication will be prescribed in the form of a powder that can be mixed into water. Once the medicine and the water are combined, the patient can drink the liquid. Any small clumps of lansoprazole that are found in the liquid should be swallowed whole, rather than chewed, so that the medication is released into the body properly.
Alternatively, patients who cannot take an oral lansoprazole suspension may be prescribed a lansoprazole suspension that is formulated as an injection. A medical professional will usually administer this form of the drug. In most patients, this delivery of the medication is only used for a short period of time, usually under a week, and then the patient is switched to an oral form of the drug.
Patients are given a lansoprazole suspension in order to decrease the amount of acid produced by the lining of the stomach. In many cases, this acid climbs up the esophagus, leading to heartburn that, if chronic, can cause permanent damage to the esophagus. There are a number of conditions that cause excessive amounts of stomach acid, and lansoprazole may be used in the treatment of many of them. As with other drugs in the proton pump inhibitor class of medications, lansoprazole works by attaching to acid-producing sites in the stomach and sending them instructions to stop producing acid.
It is possible to take a lansoprazole suspension as either a short or long term solution to a condition that causes the stomach to produce too much hydrochloric acid. For many patients, a single 14-day treatment with this medication may effectively treat the underlying issue. For other patients, these treatments may need to be repeated every few months. In either case, a lansoprazole suspension is not designed to be taken continuously over a long period of time. Patients who require longer term treatment may use this drug in combination with other drugs.