Blood Pressure - Cardifen (Brand name: adalat)

INDICATIONS

Adalat is used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure) and angina (chest pain). Adalat is in a class of drugs called calcium channel blockers. Adalat relaxes (widens) your blood vessels (veins and arteries), which makes it easier for the heart to pump and reduces its workload.

INSTRUCTIONS

Take Adalat exactly as prescribed by your doctor.

• Do not take in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended.
• Your doctor may occasionally change your dose to make sure you get the best results.
• Take Adalat on an empty stomach. Do not crush, chew, or break a tablet. Swallow it whole. Breaking the pill may cause too much of the drug to be released at one time.
• Do not stop taking Adalat even if you feel fine. Stopping suddenly may make your condition worse. High blood pressure often has no symptoms. You may need to use blood pressure medication for the rest of your life.
• Your blood pressure will need to be checked often and you may need other blood tests at your doctor's office. Visit your doctor regularly.

• If you miss a dose of Adalat, take it as soon as possible. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not take 2 doses at once.

Ask your health care provider any questions you may have about how to use Adalat.

STORAGE

Store Adalat at room temperature, between 59 and 86 degrees F (15 and 30 degrees C). Store away from heat, moisture, and light. Do not store in the bathroom. Keep Adalat out of the reach of children and away from pets.

MORE INFO:

Active Ingredient: Nifedipine.

SAFETY INFORMATION

Do NOT use Adalat if:

• you are allergic to any ingredient in Adalat.

Some medical conditions may interact with Adalat. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have any medical conditions, especially if any of the following apply to you:

• if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding
• if you are taking any prescription or nonprescription medicine, herbal preparation, or dietary supplement
• if you have allergies to medicines, foods, or other substances
• if you have kidney or liver disease (especially cirrhosis), coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, or digestive problems
• if you have recently had or will be having surgery, or if you have recently stopped taking a beta-blocker (eg, propranolol).

Some medicines may interact with Adalat. Tell your health care provider if you are taking any other medicines, especially any of the following:

• acarbose (Precose);
• cimetidine (Tagamet);
• fentanyl (Actiq, Duragesic, Fentora) or other narcotic pain medications;
• digoxin (Lanoxin);
• nefazodone;
• St. John's wort;
• rifabutin (Mycobutin), rifampin (Rifadin, Rifater, Rifamate) or rifapentine (Priftin);
• a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin);
• an antibiotic such as clarithromycin (Biaxin), dalfopristin/quinupristin (Synercid), or erythromycin (E.E.S., EryPed, Ery-Tab, Erythrocin);
• antifungal medication such as fluconazole (Diflucan), itraconazole (Sporanox), or ketoconazole (Nizoral);
• a beta-blocker such as atenolol (Tenormin, Tenoretic), carvedilol (Coreg), labetalol (Normodyne, Trandate), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol), nadolol (Corgard), propranolol (Inderal, InnoPran), sotalol (Betapace), timolol (Blocadren), and others;
• a heart rhythm medication such as quinidine (Quin-G) or flecaininde (Tambocor);
• HIV/AIDS medicine such as atazanavir (Reyataz), delavirdine (Rescriptor), fosamprenavir (Lexiva), indinavir (Crixivan), nelfinavir (Viracept), or ritonavir (Norvir, Kaletra, or saquinavir (Invirase);
• medicines used to prevent organ transplant rejection, such as sirolimus (Rapamune) or tacrolimus (Prograf);
• other heart or blood pressure medications such as benazepril (Lotensin), diltiazem (Cartia, Cardizem), doxazosin (Cardura), or verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verelan); or
• seizure medication such as carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol), phenobarbital (Solfoton), or phenytoin (Dilantin).

This list is not complete and other drugs may interact with Adalat. Tell your doctor about all medications you use.

Important safety information:

• Adalat may cause dizziness or lightheadedness. These effects may be worse if you take it with alcohol or certain medicines. Use Adalat with caution. Do not drive or perform other possibly unsafe tasks until you know how you react to it.
• Proper dental care is important while you are taking Adalat. Brush and floss your teeth and visit the dentist regularly.
• Use Adalat with caution in the elderly.
• Adalat should not be used in children; safety and effectiveness in children have not been confirmed.
• Pregnancy and breast-feeding: If you become pregnant, contact your doctor. You will need to discuss the benefits and risks of using Adalat while you are pregnant. It is not known if Adalat is found in breast milk. If you are or will be breast-feeding while you use Adalat, check with your doctor. Discuss any possible risks to your baby.

SIDE EFFECTS

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction to Adalat: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect while using Adalat such as:

• worsening angina;
• feeling like you might pass out;
• feeling short of breath, swelling in your hands or feet;
• fast or pounding heartbeats;
• numbness or tingly feeling;
• jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes); or
• chest pain or heavy feeling, pain spreading to the arm or shoulder, nausea, sweating, general ill feeling.

Less serious side effects may include:

• headache, dizziness;
• drowsiness, tired feeling;
• nausea, constipation, diarrhea, stomach pain;
• sleep problems (insomnia);
• mild rash or itching;
• joint pain, leg cramps;
• warmth, redness, or tingly feeling under your skin; or
• urinating more than usual.

This is not a complete list of all side effects that may occur. If you have questions about side effects, contact your health care provider.