Sucralfate: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Sucralfate is an aluminum complex sold in the U.S. under 2 brand and generic names, for duodenal ulcer, esophagitis and gastritis. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Aluminum Complex
- Treats (across its forms)
- Duodenal Ulcer, Esophagitis and Gastritis
- Available as
- Tablet · Suspension
- Sold as
- 2 products — Carafate and Sucralfate
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $5 for a 30-count supply — not your price
How sucralfate is dosed
From the FDA label for Carafate (application NDA018333). Other sucralfate products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Active Duodenal Ulcer : The recommended adult oral dosage for duodenal ulcer is 1 g four times per day on an empty stomach. Antacids may be prescribed as needed for relief of pain but should not be taken within one-half hour before or after sucralfate. While healing with sucralfate may occur during the first week or two, treatment should be continued for 4 to 8 weeks unless healing has been demonstrated by x-ray or endoscopic examination. Maintenance Therapy: The recommended adult oral dosage is 1 g twice a day. Elderly: In general, dose selection for an elderly patient should be cautious, usually starting at the low end of the dosing range, reflecting the greater frequency of decreased hepatic, renal, or cardiac function, and of concomitant disease or other drug therapy (See PRECAUTIONS Geriatric Use ). Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to Greenstone LLC at 1-800-438-1985 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.
Sucralfate side effects
Adverse reactions to sucralfate in clinical trials were minor and only rarely led to discontinuation of the drug. In studies involving over 2,700 patients treated with sucralfate tablets, adverse effects were reported in 129 (4.7%). Constipation was the most frequent complaint (2%). Other adverse effects reported in less than 0.5% of the patients are listed below by body system: Gastrointestinal: diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, gastric discomfort, indigestion, flatulence, dry mouth Dermatological: pruritus, rash Nervous System: dizziness, insomnia, sleepiness, vertigo Other: back pain, headache Post-marketing : cases of hypersensitivity have been reported with the use of sucralfate tablets, including dyspnea, lip swelling, pruritus, rash, and urticaria. Cases of anaphylactic reactions, bronchospasm, laryngeal edema, edema of the mouth, Pharyngeal edema, respiratory tract edema and swelling of the face have been reported with an unknown oral formulation of sucralfate. Bezoars have been reported in patients treated with sucralfate. The majority of patients had underlying medical conditions that may predispose to bezoar formation (such as delayed gastric emptying) or were receiving concomitant enteral tube feedings. Inadvertent injection of insoluble sucralfate and its insoluble excipients has led to fatal complications, including pulmonary and cerebral emboli. Sucralfate is not…
Who shouldn’t take sucralfate
Sucralfate is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity reactions to the active substance or to any of the excipients.
Sucralfate drug interactions
Some studies have shown that simultaneous sucralfate administration in healthy volunteers reduced the extent of absorption (bioavailability) of single doses of the following: cimetidine, digoxin, fluoroquinolone antibiotics, ketoconazole, l-thyroxine, phenytoin, quinidine, ranitidine, tetracycline, and theophylline. Subtherapeutic prothrombin times with concomitant warfarin and sucralfate therapy have been reported in spontaneous and published case reports. However, two clinical studies have demonstrated no change in either serum warfarin concentration or prothrombin time with the addition of sucralfate to chronic warfarin therapy. The mechanism of these interactions appears to be nonsystemic in nature, presumably resulting from sucralfate binding to the concomitant agent in the gastrointestinal tract. In all case studies to date (cimetidine, ciprofloxacin, digoxin, norfloxacin, ofloxacin, and ranitidine), dosing the concomitant medication 2 hours before sucralfate eliminated the interaction. Because of the potential of Sucralfate to alter the absorption of some drugs, Sucralfate should be administered separately from other drugs when alterations in bioavailability are felt to be critical. In these cases, patients should be monitored appropriately.
Every sucralfate product we track (2)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 72/100 | Prescription | Tablet | Generic | $5 | View → | |
| 2 | 62/100 | Prescription | Tablet | Generic | $5 | View → |
What sucralfate pills look like
Imprint codes, colour and shape from the FDA’s labelling data. Match the imprint on your pill — or search any imprint.
| Imprint | Strength | Colour | Shape | Maker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 675 | 1 g | white | capsule | — |
| TEVA;22;10 | 1 g | white | oval | — |
| TEVA;22;10 | 1 g | white | oval | — |
| TEVA;22;10 | 1 g | white | oval | — |
Sucralfate recalls
From the FDA Enforcement database. A recall covers specific lots — not the drug as a whole.
Sucralfate Tablets
CGMP Deviations: The recalling firm filed for Chapter 11 on September 30, 2024. As a result, it cannot monitor the quality program and hence cannot assure that products meet the identity, strength, quality, and purity characteristics that they are purported or represented to possess, rendering the products adulterated.
Amerisource Health Services LLC · Oct 9, 2025
Sucralfate Tablets
CGMP Deviations: The recalling firm filed for Chapter 11 in September 2024. As a result, it cannot monitor the quality program and hence cannot assure that products meet the identity, strength, quality, and purity characteristics that they are purported or represented to possess, rendering the products adulterated.
Amerisource Health Services LLC · Jul 29, 2025
Sucralfate Tablets
CGMP Deviations: The recalling firm filed for Chapter 11 in September 2024. As a result, it cannot monitor the quality program and hence cannot assure that products meet the identity, strength, quality, and purity characteristics that they are purported or represented to possess, rendering the products adulterated.
Nostrum Laboratories, Inc. · Jul 11, 2025
Sucralfate and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for sucralfate: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadNo data are available on sucralfate use during breastfeeding; however, it is virtually unabsorbed orally. Most authorities consider sucralfate acceptable to use during breastfeeding. No special precautions are required, including following application to the nipples in a skin cream.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised August 16, 2021. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about sucralfate
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 14,956 reports naming sucralfate, and the FDA flagged 71% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- nausea1,485 reports
- diarrhoea1,098 reports
- fatigue1,063 reports
- headache944 reports
- vomiting859 reports
- dyspnoea835 reports
- chronic kidney disease669 reports
- weight decreased668 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean sucralfate caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved August 26, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is sucralfate?
Sucralfate Tablets contain sucralfate and sucralfate is an α-D-glucopyranoside, β-D-fructofuranosyl-, octakis-(hydrogen sulfate), aluminum complex. Tablets for oral administration contain 1 g of sucralfate. Also contain: D & C Red #30 Lake, FD&C Blue #1 Lake, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, and starch. Therapeutic category: antiulcer. Sucralfate Tablets contain sucralfate and sucralfate is an α-D-glucopyranoside, β-D-fructofuranosyl-, octakis-(hydrogen sulfate), aluminum complex.
What kind of drug is sucralfate?
The FDA classifies sucralfate as an aluminum complex. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.
Can you take sucralfate with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run sucralfate against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is sucralfate sold under?
We track 2 sucralfate-containing products in the U.S.: Carafate and Sucralfate. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does sucralfate come in?
Across the brands we track, sucralfate is currently marketed as tablet and suspension, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic sucralfate?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic sucralfate product alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.
Has sucralfate been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement database lists 3 recall records whose product description mentions sucralfate. The most recent: Sucralfate Tablets (Oct 9, 2025). A recall applies to specific lots, not to the drug as a whole — check the record for the affected lot numbers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Sucralfate: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/sucralfate
- MLA
- “Sucralfate: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/sucralfate.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for sucralfate on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.