Sucralfate Dosages: Your GoodRx Guide

GoodRx Health

If you've been diagnosed with a duodenal ulcer, you may have been prescribed sucralfate (Carafate). Sucralfate protects your intestinal lining and helps your ulcer heal. It can also be used off-label for a number of other health conditions. This includes gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), mouth sores from cancer treatment, and other types of ulcers.

Here, we'll look at sucralfate dosages and answer commonly asked questions. Keep in mind, these are manufacturer-recommended dosages. Your prescriber may have written a different dosage for you. Always follow your healthcare team's instructions when taking sucralfate.

Sucralfate dosage forms

Sucralfate comes as a 1 gram oral tablet and a 1 gram per 10 mL oral liquid. Take both the tablet and liquid on an empty stomach - at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after a meal. Shake the liquid well each time before you take the medication. Do not take antacids, such as calcium carbonate (Tums) or calcium carbonate / magnesium hydroxide (Rolaids), within 30 minutes of sucralfate.

Sucralfate can prevent you from absorbing many other medications. In general, you'll want to space out sucralfate from other oral medications by at least 2 hours. This is especially important if you are taking narrow therapeutic index drugs - those with a small difference between an effective dose and toxic dose - such as warfarin (Coumadin) and levothyroxine (Synthroid). Check with your pharmacist about your specific medications.

What's the typical sucralfate dosage?

Sucralfate is FDA approved to treat duodenal ulcers in adults. The recommended sucralfate dosage for an active duodenal ulcer is 1 gram by mouth 4 times daily. You'll continue this dosage for 4 to 8 weeks, to give time for the ulcer to fully heal.

From there, the usual maintenance dosage is 1 gram by mouth twice daily. The maintenance dosage prevents the ulcer from coming back. It also prevents a new ulcer from forming.

Is sucralfate safe during pregnancy or while nursing?

Your body absorbs very little sucralfate after you take it. So if you're pregnant or nursing, it's unlikely your baby is exposed to much of the medication.

Sucralfate is considered safe for pregnancy. In fact, it's a first-choice medication for heartburn during pregnancy. Sucralfate is also considered safe while nursing because it's not concentrated in breast milk. But if you are pregnant or nursing, it's best to talk to your healthcare team before starting any new medication.

What happens if you miss a dose of sucralfate?

If you miss a dose of sucralfate, take it as soon as you remember. But if it's close to your next scheduled dose, take only the scheduled dose. Do not take two doses to make up for the missed dose.

Taking any medication four times daily can be hard to keep up with. And sucralfate needs to be taken on an empty stomach, too. All this can be even harder if you take other interacting medications that you need to space out.

Talk to your pharmacist or prescriber about how to schedule sucralfate into your daily routine. They can help you come up with a plan. They can also help you figure out if you need to take your other medications at a different time of the day. After you have a plan, a medication reminder app may help you remember to take each dose.

What should you do if you take too much sucralfate?

Sucralfate is unlikely to cause serious side effects, even with large doses. But you may experience more side effects, such as an upset stomach, abdominal pain, and nausea.

Sucralfate contains aluminum. If you're an older adult or have kidney problems, large doses of sucralfate can cause aluminum to build up in your body. While rare, this can lead to aluminum overload. Symptoms of aluminum overload include confusion, slurred speech, and seizures.

If you or a loved one have taken a large dose of sucralfate, contact your prescriber right away or reach out to Poison Control online or by phone at 1-800-222-1222. If you think you may be experiencing aluminum overload, seek emergency care right away.

How to save on sucralfate

There are ways to save on sucralfate, which is available as both a brand-name medication (Carafate) and lower-cost generics. With GoodRx, you could pay as little as $12.91for the generic tablets and $50.79for the generic suspension.

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