Take Opel for as long as advised by your doctor. The duration of taking Opel would vary depending on your condition. Do not stop taking this medicine without talking to your doctor.

Patients with cardiac disease can take Opel as prescribed by the doctor. However, Opel can interact with certain drugs (e.g clopidogrel, digoxin) which might be used by a patient with an underlying cardiac disease. Patients taking Opel and digoxin may need to be monitored for digoxin toxicity. Opel decreases the activation of clopidogrel, thus reducing its effects. Patients taking these medicines together need to be monitored closely by a doctor.

You should not take it if you are taking a medicine containing nelfinavir (used for HIV infection). Let your doctor know if you are suffering from any liver problems, persistent diarrhea or vomiting, black stools (blood-stained stools), unusual weight loss, trouble swallowing, stomach pain or indigestion. Tell your doctor about all the other medicines you are taking because they may affect, or be affected by, this medicine. Inform your doctor if you have or ever had an allergic skin reaction with Opel. This medicine should not be given to children who are less than 1 year of age or whose body weight is less than 10 kgs. Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers should consult their doctor before taking Opel to avoid harmful effects on the baby.

Opel may cause vitamin B12 and vitamin C deficiency. When taken orally, vitamin B12 requires an acidic environment for its absorption from the stomach while Opel causes a decrease in the gastric acid secretion. You may need to take vitamin B12 supplements along with it. The clinical significance of the decrease in vitamin C levels is not known, so vitamin C supplementation is not recommended.

Opel can cause osteoporosis (thinning of bones) as it decreases the calcium absorption leading to calcium deficiency. This leads to an increased risk of bone fractures on long-term use, like hip, wrist or spine fractures. Inform your doctor if you have osteoporosis or if you are taking corticosteroids (these can increase the risk of osteoporosis) before starting your therapy. Consult your doctor on ways to prevent this. Your doctor may advise you calcium or vitamin D supplements to reduce the risk.

Opel can be safely taken with domperidone as no harmful effects have been reported clinically. A fixed-dose combination of these two medicines is also available. Domperidone works by increasing the gut motility and Opel decreases the acid production in the stomach. So, this combination is very effective in the treatment of reflux esophagitis associated with acidity, heartburn, intestinal and stomach ulcers.