Lacidipine tablets for high blood pressure

About lacidipine

Lacidipine is prescribed to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). Although people with high blood pressure often do not feel unwell, if left untreated, high blood pressure can harm the heart and damage blood vessels, and could lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Lacidipine is known as a calcium-channel blocker because it works by affecting the way calcium passes into certain muscle cells in your blood vessels. The muscle cells need calcium to contract. Lacidipine reduces the amount of calcium that goes into these muscle cells. This causes the muscle cells to relax, which widens your blood vessels and lowers your blood pressure.

Before taking lacidipine

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 lacidipine it is important that your doctor knows:

• Wenn Sie schwanger sind oder stillen.

• Wenn Sie Probleme mit der Funktionsweise Ihrer Leber haben.

• Wenn Sie eine Herzerkrankung oder Angina pectoris haben oder kürzlich einen Herzinfarkt erlitten haben.

• Wenn Sie eine seltene vererbte Blutkrankheit namens Porphyrie haben.

• Wenn Sie andere Arzneimittel einnehmen oder verwenden. 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.

How to take lacidipine

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

• Take lacidipine exactly as your doctor tells you to. The usual starting dose is 2 mg daily (one tablet), taken preferably in the morning. If it becomes necessary, your doctor will increase your dose after a few weeks to 4 mg daily, and it may be increased further to 6 mg daily. Lacidipine is available in two strengths of tablet - 2 mg and 4 mg. Your doctor will tell you what dose is right for you, and this information will also be printed on the label of the pack of tablets.

• Swallow the tablet with a drink of water. You can take lacidipine either with or without food.

• Try to take your doses at the same time of day, each day. Having a routine will help you to remember to take your doses regularly.

• Wenn Sie vergessen haben, eine Dosis zur gewohnten Zeit einzunehmen, nehmen Sie sie ein, sobald Sie sich daran erinnern. Wenn Sie sich erst am nächsten Tag daran erinnern, 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.

• Do not drink grapefruit juice while you are on lacidipine. This is because a substance in grapefruit juice increases the amount of lacidipine in your bloodstream and this increases the risk of side-effects.

• If you drink alcohol, ask your doctor for advice. Your doctor may recommend that you do not drink alcohol while you are on lacidipine as the chance of side-effects (such as feeling dizzy and light-headed) is increased.

• If you buy any medicines, check with a pharmacist that they are suitable for you to take alongside your prescribed medicines. This is because a number of medicines can interfere with lacidipine and so may not be recommended for you.

• If you are due to have an operation or any dental treatment, tell the person carrying out the treatment that you are taking lacidipine tablets. Lacidipine and some anaesthetics can interact, meaning that unwanted effects can be more likely.

• Treatment with lacidipine is usually long-term. Continue to take the tablets unless you are advised otherwise by your doctor. If it becomes necessary for you to stop treatment, your doctor may want you to reduce your dose gradually over a few days, as stopping taking lacidipine suddenly can cause problems.

Can lacidipine 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 most common ones associated with lacidipine. 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 die Tabletten zurückzuführen sind, sprechen Sie mit Ihrem Arzt oder Apotheker, um weiteren Rat zu erhalten.

How to store lacidipine

• 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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