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Pantoprazole (Protonix)

Proton Pump Inhibitorprescriptionoral · predicted

Proton pump inhibitor that irreversibly inhibits H+/K+-ATPase in gastric parietal cells. Despite its short plasma half-life (~1.5 hours), acid suppression lasts 24+ hours because the drug covalently binds to the proton pump, new pumps must be synthesized. Less CYP2C19-dependent than omeprazole, resulting in fewer drug interactions. Used for GERD, erosive esophagitis, and ZES. Available oral and IV.

Projected serum levels — 40 mg, once daily

Pantoprazole (Protonix)
Pantoprazole (Protonix) modeled serum levels, 40 mg once daily over 15 days Population-based pharmacokinetic estimate. Steady state reached after approximately 1 days. 0 5 10 15 20 Day 0 Day 4 Day 8 Day 11 Day 15 Time on a regular schedule ≈ steady state · day 1

Maintenance schedule: 40 mg once daily (oral).

Modeled steady state after ~1 days: peak ≈ 14.7 mg, trough ≈ 0.000 mg body load. Population-based estimate over 15 days for a 40 mg dose at a 70 kg reference body mass — the interactive app scales curves to your doses, timing, and body mass.

Key facts

Category
Proton Pump Inhibitor
Route modeled
Oral
Model confidence
predicted
Half-life
1.1 h
Common dose
40 mg
Suggested maximum
80 mg/day
Reference dose range
20–80 mg (single dose)
Suggested cadence
once daily
Validated against
40 mg oral — Cmax 2 mg/L at 2.5 h

Documented interactions

  • danger
    Carbamazepine (Tegretol) + Pantoprazole (Protonix) CYP induction

    Carbamazepine (Tegretol) inducer of CYP3A4 predicted to change Pantoprazole (Protonix) AUC by ~0.45x

  • danger
    Efavirenz (Sustiva) + Pantoprazole (Protonix) CYP induction

    Efavirenz (Sustiva) inducer of CYP3A4 predicted to change Pantoprazole (Protonix) AUC by ~0.32x

  • danger
    Levothyroxine (Synthroid) + Pantoprazole (Protonix) Protein binding

    Pantoprazole (Protonix) may displace Levothyroxine (Synthroid) from plasma protein binding sites, transiently raising free drug concentration. This drug has a narrow therapeutic index; free…

  • danger
    Phenobarbital + Pantoprazole (Protonix) CYP induction

    Phenobarbital inducer of CYP2C19 predicted to change Pantoprazole (Protonix) AUC by ~0.45x

  • danger
    Rifampin + Pantoprazole (Protonix) CYP induction

    Rifampin inducer of CYP3A4 predicted to change Pantoprazole (Protonix) AUC by ~0.32x

  • danger
    Tacrolimus (Prograf) + Pantoprazole (Protonix) Protein binding

    Pantoprazole (Protonix) may displace Tacrolimus (Prograf) from plasma protein binding sites, transiently raising free drug concentration. This drug has a narrow therapeutic index; free concentration…

Serum checks 216 modeled interaction pairings for pantoprazole (protonix) across your whole stack — absorption conflicts, enzyme inhibition, and nutrient depletion included.

Research behind this entry

  1. Pantoprazole versus omeprazole in the treatment of erosive esophagitis: a randomized, double-blind, comparative trial Scholten T et al. · Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 2003 DOI

    Large RCT (636 patients) demonstrating pantoprazole 40 mg equivalent to omeprazole 20 mg for erosive esophagitis healing (89% vs 87% at 8 weeks), with comparable symptom relief and tolerability.

  2. Clinical pharmacology of pantoprazole: a review Huber R et al. · Clinical Pharmacokinetics, 1996 DOI

    Comprehensive PK review establishing pantoprazole half-life of 1-1.9 hours, 77% bioavailability, minimal CYP2C19 polymorphism effect (unlike omeprazole), and low drug interaction potential via CYP system.

2 published studies referenced in the app, each with a plain-language summary.