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Talking to Your Doctor

Diagnosing Stomach Ulcers

Visiting with your doctor is the only way to help diagnose stomach ulcer symptoms. Your doctor may use either of the following tests to help diagnose your condition.

Endoscopy is one of the best diagnostic tools that gastroenterologists have to examine the inside of your upper gastrointestinal tract. Using upper GI endoscopy, your doctor can use a tiny fiber-optic camera to visualize and take pictures of the inside of your GI tract. This procedure can also be used to take a tissue sample.

Upper GI series is a common test that x-rays the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, which includes the esophagus, the stomach and the first part of the small intestine. Before the test, you drink barium, a harmless flavored liquid. Your doctor will be able to visualize your GI tract with x-ray technology, because x-rays do not pass through the barium.

Your doctor may also test for the presence of the H. pylori bacteria by drawing a sample of your blood, giving you a breath test or taking a small piece of tissue (or biopsy) from your stomach lining.

Important Safety Information for Prevacid

If you suffer from persistent heartburn two or more days a week, despite treatment and diet changes, it could be acid reflux disease. Prescription Prevacid Capsules and Prevacid SoluTabTM (lansoprazole) Orally Disintegrating Tablets are used for the treatment of acid reflux disease including erosive esophagitis and for maintenance of healed erosive esophagitis. Your results may vary. Most erosions heal in 4–8 weeks. Prevacid may not be right for everyone and has a low occurrence of side effects such as diarrhea, abdominal pain and nausea. Symptom relief does not rule out other serious stomach conditions. Talk to your doctor or healthcare professional to see if Prevacid is right for you. Prevacid products should not be crushed or chewed.

Please see the complete Prescribing Information for more information and talk to your doctor.

Important Safety Information for Prevacid NapraPACTM(lansoprazole delayed-release capsules and naproxen tablets kit)

NSAIDs may increase the chance of a heart attack or stroke that can lead to death. Prevacid NapraPAC should not be used right before or after certain heart surgeries.

With any NSAID use, stomach or intestinal problems can occur without warning and can lead to death.

With Prescription Prevacid NapraPAC, people with a history of gastric ulcer can continue treatment for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and reduce the risk of stomach ulcer coming back. Your results may vary. Controlled studies lasted up to 12 weeks.

You should not take Naprosyn if you've had aspirin-sensitive asthma or allergic reactions to aspirin or other arthritis medicines. In rare cases, continued use of arthritis medicines may lead to serious stomach problems, such as bleeding, without warning signs. You should not take Naprosyn if you are taking other medications containing naproxen, such as Aleve® (naproxen sodium) or Anaprox® (naproxen sodium).

Tell your doctor if you have liver, kidney or fluid retention problems. Naprosyn should not be taken in late pregnancy. If you experience drowsiness or dizziness while taking Naprosyn, you should exercise caution when performing activities that require alertness.

The most frequently reported side effects of Naprosyn, with incidence between three and nine percent were constipation, heartburn, abdominal pain, nausea, headache, dizziness, drowsiness, itching, skin eruptions, ecchymosis (bruising), tinnitus (ringing in the ear), edema (excess fluid in tissues), and dyspnea (shortness of breath).

Prevacid has a low occurrence of side effects such as diarrhea, abdominal pain and nausea. Other serious stomach conditions may still exist.

Prevacid NapraPAC should only be used exactly as prescribed.

Please see the complete Prescribing Information and Medication Guide for Prevacid NapraPAC for more information and talk to your doctor.

Naprosyn and NapraPAC are trademarks of Syntex Pharmaceuticals International Ltd. Aleve and Anaprox are not trademarks of TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc.