Complete Guide to Voquenza: Side Effects, Generic, Indications, & More
speciality medications
Voquenza – a brand-name medication leveraging the active ingredient vonoprazan – is a type of medication known as a “potassium-competitive acid blocker.” You’ll see this referred to as a “PCAB.”
That’s a chemical term that puts Voquenza up with the likes of very strong proton pump inhibitors (PPIs like pantoprazole and omeprazole) in the fight against stomach acid disorders like GERD and H. Pylori infections.
If you’re looking for a prescription drug that can help inhibit or slow overactive stomach acid production, Voquenza is a good option to consider. (Especially if PPIs haven’t worked for you.)
Wondering what, uniquely and specifically, Voquenza brings to the table? And, if you’re considering taking Voquenza, curious about what that might practically look like?
We’ve got you covered. Let’s get right to it.
What Is Voquenza Used For?
Voquenza is generally used to treat acid-related gastrointestinal conditions.
There may be situations where a licensed healthcare professional recommends using it off-label for other indications, but, usually, these are the reasons a person might consider taking Voquenza.
- They have GERD–or Gastrointestinal Reflux Disease.
- They have erosive esophagitis.
- They have an H. Pylori infection.
- They have peptic ulcers.
In each of these situations, Voquenza can reduce acid production and so help a patient work towards a reduction in frustrating symptoms of their condition, including intense abdominal pain.
And—what’s more, and perhaps most importantly if you are in significant pain:
Voquenza starts working nearly immediately. This can give it a huge advantage over more traditional acid relief medications, like PPIs.
Voquenza for GERD: Is It More Effective Than PPIs?
For years, proton pump inhibitors have been considered the standard of care for GERD and similar conditions.
These medications, including options like omeprazole and lansoprazole, are safe, have years of study to back them, and are widely available.
Voquenza has benefits of its own.
As we noted above, Voquenza may have a faster onset. It can start reducing stomach acid in a matter of hours, instead of the days it can take for PPIs to reach their full effect.
Voquenza may also be able to keep acid levels in check for a longer period of time, which aids in a good user experience.
For example, Voquenza may be a better alternative for preventing reflux and subsequent pain when you’re not able to take your pills for a period (like when you’re sleeping).
However, your mileage may vary.
You may find that PPIs are a better fit for you and your specific set of symptoms and health goals. However, if you’re suffering from chronic reflux and find that PPIs aren’t working well for you, you may be able to consider Voquenza as a viable alternative.
How to Take Voquenza: A Complete User’s Guide
If you’re interested in the best possible experience with Voquenza, it’s a good idea to follow a consistent (if simple) procedure.
Your doctor will help you figure out what your ideal Voquenza dosage is.
This will usually be 10mg or 20mg once daily, and you’ll combine your Voquenza with antibiotics if you’re treating an H. Pylori infection.
When you are ready to take Voquenza, know that you can take it at any time of day, and with or without food as you desire.
If possible, it’s a good idea to take your Voquenza at the same time each day.
This keeps levels of Voquenza in your blood as consistent as possible, which will increase the efficacy of the drug and help keep your side effects low.
Voquenza Side Effects: What to Expect
Voquenza is a safe drug, and as long as you use it as intended, you shouldn’t need to worry too much about any dangerous or painful side effects.
That said, Voquena does have a few mild effects to be aware of.The most frequently reported side effects are mild and often go away on their own. They include:
- Headache
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
- Constipation
While serious effects are rare, they can include allergic reactions, severe diarrhea, liver function issues, and an increased risk of infection.
If you believe that you are experiencing a side effect triggered by your Voquenza use, talk to your healthcare provider (or call emergency services) in a timely manner.
Is Voquenza Safe?
Voquenza is a safe medication, as long as people who are directed to take it by their doctors take the medication as it is prescribed.
However, to have the safest possible experience with the drug, it’s important to take a few precautions—and realize that there are a couple of situations that could simply mean that Voquenza is not for you.
For example:
It’s not a good idea to take Voquenza if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to become pregnant, or could become pregnant. (If that seems like a very vague condition, talk to your doctor about your candidacy.)
The medical community isn’t 100% sure about Voquenza’s safety for either a birthing parent or a baby, so this is a precautionary measure.
If you have a severely impaired liver, you may need to seek alternative treatments or work carefully with your doctor to adjust your dose and keep an eye on your liver.
There are other medications that Voquenza may interact with.
When you’re talking to your doctor about Voquenza, make sure your doctor is aware of any other medications you may be taking.
Voquenza Cost: How Much Does It Cost?
Since Voquenza is a newer medication, you might wonder if it’s more expensive than older medications like well-established PPIs.
You’d be right to wonder.
While the precise sticker price you might see for Voquenza may depend on a lot of factors specific to you, like your location and insurance coverage, Voquenza is a relatively costly medication.
Depending on the dosage you require and the amount of medication you need to buy, in the United States, you can expect to pay about $740.00 for a one-month supply of the drug.
Fortunately, you do have options.
For example, you might be able to consider purchasing the generic version of the drug through an international and online Canadian pharmacy website.
Here, through NorthWestPharmacy.com, you can buy generic vonoprazan for about $1.00 per pill, or $30.00 for a one-month supply—a savings of about 95% when compared to the sticker price for the brand-name drug.
Why Is Voquenza More Expensive Than PPIs?
There are a few reasons Voquenza is more expensive than PPIs, aside from the fact that it’s just a newer and buzzier option.
For one thing, Voquenza being newer on the scene means that it can take advantage of newer pharmaceutical tech than PPIs necessarily could.
That’s great for patients but developing that type of advanced tech requires more research time, more qualified researchers, more testing, more specialized equipment, and overall higher development costs.
Usually, manufacturers will pass these higher costs onto the end user (you).
The newer a drug is, the more likely it is that some aspects of its use are still under patent protection.
This gives the manufacturer of Voquenza some market exclusivity—and the ability to keep prices high. While generic Voquenza is available in some places, it’s not in others until all of its patents run out (which some are set to do in 2027 and 2028).
Voquenza also has limited competition as a PCAB.
While PPIs are an alternative in some ways, for people who are looking for the specific benefits a PCAB can offer, Voquenza may be the only real option they have.
Voquenza Alternatives: Other Options for Acid Reflux and Ulcers
While Voquenza is an exciting option for many people with GERD or H. Pylori infections to pursue, it’s not the only one out there.
Depending on your symptoms, medical history, and response to treatment, your doctor may recommend other potassium-competitive acid blockers (PCABs) or proton pump inhibitors (PPIs).
These may include:
Other PCAB Medications
Other PCABs and PCAB-like medications include:
- Tegoprazan (K-CAB, Xanuprant), a drug that’s been approved in select regions for GERD and acid-related disorders; and
- Fexuprazan (Gelfos-FX, Tegoprazan alternative), which is another PCAB used in certain markets for acid suppression therapy.
While these drugs aren’t widely or easily available in many American brick-and-mortar pharmacies, you may be able to purchase them as Canadian prescription medications or from international sources in just a few clicks.
PPI Alternatives to Voquenza
PCABs and PPIs work differently, but they do solve the same general problem of having too much acid swirling around in your stomach.
If you’re not quite sure about Voquenza, it may be worth checking out a proton pump inhibitor.
Some of the most well-known PPIs include:
- Prilosec (omeprazole), one of the more wisely-used PPIs
- Nexium (esomeprazole), a stronger PPI often used for severe cases of GERD
- Protonix (pantoprazole), a medication doctors often prescribe to manage GERD long-term
- Dexilant (dexlansoprazole), a drug that comes with a handy dual-release formula
- Aciphex (rabeprazole), a PPI known for rapid symptom relief
- Prevacid (lansoprazole), a PPI that can help treat H.pylori infections when combined with antibiotics.
If Voquenza isn’t in your budget or isn’t covered by your insurance, it may be worth considering one of these PPIs.
Ask your doctor to learn more about whether they’re a good fit for you and your symptoms.
Frequently Asked Questions About Voquenza
Still have a few questions about Voquenza?
(Or are you just looking for simple, to-the-point info?)
Here’s what you’re looking for:
1. Is Voquenza Better Than PPIs for GERD?
It depends on your specific situation, and what your goal is.
Voquenza isn’t a PPI; it’s a potassium-competitive acid blocker. For some people, PCABs like Voquenza can result in faster relief.
However, whether or not Voquenza will do this for you could vary. Talk to your doctor about whether Voquenza is a good option for you.
2. Does Voquenza Have a Generic Version?
Yes, there is a generic version of Voquenza. It’s simply the main ingredient in Voquenza—vonoprazan—and it should be functionally equivalent to Voquenza.
You should be able to buy vonoprazan online by working with an reputable Canadian drugstore or international pharmacy website.
3. Can You Take Voquenza Long-Term?
Yes, Voquenza is considered safe for long-term use, as long as you’re using it as intended and under a doctor’s supervision.
That said, your doctor will likely want to monitor you over the long term to make sure that you don’t have any issues related to Voquenza’s possible side effects, which can include increased infection risk and possible nutrient deficiencies.
These do not happen to everyone, but your doctor will just want to make sure you’re safe.
4. What Is the Best Time to Take Voquenza?
The best time to take Voquenza is a time that helps you take it at the same time each day.
Voquenza, unlike more traditional PPIs, can be taken at any time of the day, with or without food.
Select a time that works for you, and then, if at all possible, stick to it until it becomes an ingrained habit.
Should You Take Voquenza? (And Where Should You Buy It)
Voquenza is a fast-acting, effective, and novel treatment that can help people suffering from GERD or similar conditions achieve relief on their own terms.
It’s also a very expensive medication. Yet, if you’ve tried PPIs and determined that you need a new path forward, Voquenza can still be an option to try out—especially if you’re open to working with international and online Canadian pharmacies.
Interested in seeing just how simple it can be to order prescription medications online, through a reputable and CIPA-certified pharmacy website?
Check out our Voquenza page for more information, chat with our friendly team of customer service representatives, or browse our neatly organized online ‘aisles’ to find what you need in mere minutes. The team at NorthWestPharmacy.com looks forward to supporting you and your healthcare journey.
