Nimodipine tablets

About nimodipine

Subarachnoid haemorrhage is bleeding around the brain. It is usually the result of bleeding from an aneurysm, which is an area of weakness in a blood vessel wall. The weakness allows the blood vessel to bulge, and this can then rupture and bleed.

Nimodipine works by causing blood vessels in your head to relax. This helps to prevent spasm in the blood vessels and reduces the risk of damage caused by insufficient blood flow to the brain after the bleeding.

Before taking nimodipine

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

• If you have any heart problems such as angina, or if you have had a heart attack recently.

• If you have problems with the way your liver works or the way your kidneys work.

• Wenn Sie einen niedrigen Blutdruck haben.

• Wenn Sie schwanger sind oder stillen.

• If you have a rare blood disorder called porphyria.

• 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 nimodipine

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

• Take nimodipine exactly as your doctor tells you to. It is usual to be prescribed two 30 mg tablets to take every four hours. The dose will be printed on the label of the pack to remind you of what your doctor said.

• Swallow the tablet with a drink of water. You can take nimodipine either before or after food.

• If you forget to take a dose, take it as soon as you remember and then continue to take two tablets every four hours as before. It is important that you leave four hours between each dose.

• A course of treatment lasts for 21 days in total. This includes the time you have been given nimodipine as an injection while in hospital.

Das Beste aus Ihrer Behandlung herausholen

• Denken Sie daran, Ihre regelmäßigen Termine bei Ihrem Arzt wahrzunehmen. So kann Ihr Arzt Ihre Fortschritte überprüfen.

• Do not drink grapefruit juice while you are on nimodipine. This is because a chemical in grapefruit juice can increase the amount of nimodipine in your bloodstream and this increases the risk of side-effects. This effect can last for at least four days.

• Wenn Sie Alkohol trinken, fragen Sie Ihren Arzt um Rat. Ihr Arzt kann Ihnen empfehlen, während der Einnahme dieses Arzneimittels keinen Alkohol zu trinken, da dies das Risiko von Nebenwirkungen wie Schwindelgefühl oder Benommenheit erhöhen kann.

• Wenn Sie Medikamente kaufen, fragen Sie Ihren Apotheker, ob sie mit Ihren anderen Medikamenten eingenommen werden können.

• If you need to have an operation or any medical treatment, remember to tell the person carrying out the treatment which medicines you are taking. Nimodipine and some anaesthetics can interact, meaning that unwanted effects are more likely.

Can nimodipine 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 nimodipine. 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.

Important: if you experience any unusual or unexplained bleeding or bruising, speak with your doctor straightaway. This could be caused by a reduced number of platelets in your blood, which is a rare side-effect of nimodipine.

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 nimodipine

• 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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