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Side Effects of Carafate
Although most people have no problems with Carafate, adverse reactions are possible. The most commonly reported side effect of Carafate is constipation. Other possible reactions include indigestion, nausea, and vomiting. Notify your healthcare provider right away if you experience serious side effects, such as difficulty breathing, confusion, or unexplained swelling.
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As with any medicine, Carafate® (sucralfate) can cause side effects. However, not everyone who takes the medication will have problems. In fact, most people tolerate it quite well. If side effects do occur, in most cases, they are minor and either require no treatment or are treated easily by you or your healthcare provider.
(This article covers many, but not all, of the possible side effects with Carafate. Your healthcare provider can discuss a more complete list with you.)
Carafate is a relatively old medication, approved before it was standard practice to include highly detailed information on possible side effects in the prescribing information for medications. As a result, only vague information on adverse reactions (mostly with no percentages) is available.
Based on this limited information, the most common Carafate side effect is constipation, which occurred in 2 percent of people given the medication during clinical studies. Other reported side effects (all occurring in less than 0.5 percent of people) included:
- Diarrhea
- Dry mouth
- Gas
- Stomach discomfort
- Indigestion
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Itching
- Rash
- Dizziness
- Insomnia
- Drowsiness
- A spinning sensation (vertigo)
- Backache
- Headache.
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD