Labetalol - a beta-blocker

About labetalol

Labetalol is a medicine which works on your heart and blood vessels. It does this by blocking tiny areas (called receptors) where messages are received by your heart and blood vessels. As a result, the pressure of blood within your blood vessels is reduced, and your heart beats more slowly and with less force. When it is given by injection, it reduces blood pressure quickly, and for this reason it is used to keep blood pressure down during surgery, and in people who have had a heart attack.

Tablets of labetalol are prescribed for the treatment of high blood pressure (hypertension). Most people with high blood pressure do not feel unwell, but it is important that your high blood pressure is treated even if you feel fine. This is because high blood pressure can be damaging to your blood vessels and can put a strain on your heart. In particular, labetalol is one of the medicines of choice for treating high blood pressure during pregnancy.

Before taking labetalol

Some medicines are not suitable for people with certain conditions, and sometimes a medicine can only be used if extra care is taken. For these reasons, before you start taking labetalol it is important that your doctor knows:

• Wenn Sie schwanger sind oder stillen.

• Wenn Sie unter Asthma oder einer anderen Atemstörung leiden.

• Wenn Sie Probleme mit der Funktionsweise Ihrer Leber haben.

• If you have poor circulation.

• Wenn Sie Diabetes (Diabetes mellitus) haben.

• Wenn Sie ein Hautproblem namens Psoriasis haben.

• Wenn Sie an einer Muskelschwäche leiden, die Myasthenia gravis genannt wird.

• If you have been told you have a slow heartbeat, heart failure, or heart block (a slow and irregular heartbeat).

• If you have been told you have chest pain caused by spasms of your heart's blood vessels, called Prinzmetal's angina.

• Wenn Sie andere Arzneimittel einnehmen. Dazu gehören alle Arzneimittel, die Sie einnehmen und die rezeptfrei erhältlich sind, sowie pflanzliche und ergänzende Arzneimittel.

• Wenn Sie schon einmal eine allergische Reaktion auf ein Arzneimittel hatten oder wenn Sie schon einmal eine andere schwere allergische Reaktion hatten.

How to take labetalol

• Before you start the treatment, read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside the pack. It will give you more information about labetalol and will provide you with a full list of the side-effects which you may experience from taking it.

• Take labetalol exactly as your doctor tells you to. It is usual to take two doses a day. The directions will be printed on the label of the pack of tablets to remind you about what the doctor said to you.

• Swallow the tablet with a drink of water. Take labetalol at a mealtime, or with something to eat.

• Wenn Sie die Einnahme einer Dosis vergessen haben, nehmen Sie sie ein, sobald Sie sich daran erinnern (es sei denn, es ist fast Zeit für die nächste Dosis; in diesem Fall lassen Sie die vergessene Dosis aus). Nehmen Sie nicht zwei Dosen zusammen ein, um eine vergessene Dosis auszugleichen.

Das Beste aus Ihrer Behandlung herausholen

• Versuchen Sie, Ihre regelmäßigen Termine bei Ihrem Arzt einzuhalten. So kann Ihr Arzt Ihre Fortschritte überprüfen.

• Treatment with labetalol is often long-term. Continue to take the tablets unless your doctor tells you to stop. Stopping treatment suddenly can cause problems in some people, so your doctor may want you to reduce your dose gradually if this becomes necessary.

• If you are due to have an operation or dental treatment, it is important to tell the person carrying out the treatment that you are taking a beta-blocker. This is particularly important if you are likely to be given an anaesthetic.

• Drinking alcohol while you are on labetalol is not recommended. Alcohol will add to the blood pressure-lowering effect of labetalol which will increase the chances of you experiencing side-effects such as feeling sleepy and dizzy.

• If you buy any medicines, check with a pharmacist that they are suitable for you to take with labetalol. Some medicines may not be (including some anti-inflammatory painkillers, and cold or flu remedies).

• Ihr Arzt wird Ihnen möglicherweise Ratschläge für eine gesunde Ernährung und Lebensweise geben, damit Sie nicht rauchen und sich regelmäßig bewegen. Wenn dies der Fall ist, ist es wichtig, dass Sie die Ratschläge befolgen.

• If you have diabetes, labetalol can block the symptoms of low blood sugar. Your doctor will advise you about this.

Can labetalol cause problems?

Along with their useful effects, most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects although not everyone experiences them. The table below contains some of the ones associated with labetalol. You will find a full list in the manufacturer's information leaflet supplied with your medicine. The unwanted effects often improve as your body adjusts to the new medicine, but speak with your doctor or pharmacist if any of the following continue or become troublesome.

Wenn Sie andere Symptome haben, von denen Sie glauben, dass sie auf das Arzneimittel zurückzuführen sind, sprechen Sie mit Ihrem Arzt oder Apotheker, um weiteren Rat zu erhalten.

How to store labetalol

• Bewahren Sie alle Arzneimittel außerhalb der Reichweite und Sichtweite von Kindern auf.

• An einem kühlen, trockenen Ort aufbewahren, vor direkter Hitze und Licht schützen.

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