Sildenafil for pulmonary arterial hypertension

About sildenafil for pulmonary arterial hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a condition where there is too high a blood pressure in the arteries which supply blood to your lungs from your heart. The arteries become narrowed so your heart has to work harder to pump blood to your lungs.

Sildenafil relaxes the muscles in the walls of the arteries, allowing the blood vessels to become wider. This reduces the pressure in the arteries and allows blood to flow more easily through them. In turn, this increases the supply of blood to your lungs and improves your ability to do physical activities. Sildenafil will be prescribed for you by a doctor who is a specialist.

Another brand of sildenafil tablets called Viagra® is used by men for a completely different condition called erectile dysfunction. There is another medicine leaflet called Sildenafil for erectile dysfunction which gives more information about this.

Before taking sildenafil for PAH

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 sildenafil it is important that your doctor knows:

• Wenn Sie schwanger sind oder stillen.

• If you have any other heart or blood vessel disease.

• Wenn Sie einen niedrigen Blutdruck haben.

• Wenn Sie eine Erkrankung haben, die Blutungen verursacht, wie z. B. ein Magengeschwür.

• Wenn Sie eine Augenerkrankung hatten, die zu einem Sehverlust geführt hat.

• Wenn Sie Probleme mit der Funktionsweise Ihrer Leber oder mit der Funktionsweise Ihrer Nieren haben.

• Wenn Sie einen Schlaganfall oder einen Herzinfarkt erlitten haben.

• Wenn Sie eine Krankheit, Verletzung oder Missbildung Ihres Penis haben.

• Wenn Sie die Sichelzellkrankheit haben.

• Wenn Sie jemals an Knochenmarkkrebs oder Leukämie erkrankt waren.

• If you are taking or using any other medicines. This includes any medicines you are taking which are available to buy without a prescription, as well as herbal and complementary medicines. It is important that your doctor knows if you are using a nitrate medicine to treat angina pain, or if you are using a recreational drug called a 'popper'.

• Wenn Sie schon einmal eine allergische Reaktion auf ein Arzneimittel hatten.

How to take sildenafil tablets for PAH

• Before you start the treatment, read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside the pack, along with any information you have been given by your hospital. The manufacturer's leaflet will give you more information about Revatio® and will provide you with a full list of the side-effects which you may experience from taking it.

• Take sildenafil exactly as your doctor tells you to. The usual dose for adults is one 20 mg tablet three times daily (6-8 hours apart), but your doctor will tell you what dose is right for you. Try to take your doses at the same times of day each day, as this will help you to remember to take the tablets regularly.

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

• Wenn Sie die Einnahme einer Dosis vergessen haben, holen Sie sie nach, sobald Sie sich daran erinnern. Versuchen Sie, jeden Tag die richtige Anzahl von Dosen einzunehmen, aber nehmen Sie nicht zwei Dosen gleichzeitig ein, um eine vergessene Dosis auszugleichen.

• If you are giving sildenafil liquid medicine to your child, shake the bottle well before you measure out the dose. Use the oral dose syringe provided in the pack to give the correct dose. The mixture will have been made up freshly by your pharmacy when it is supplied to you. Store the bottle in a refrigerator. It will keep for four weeks.

Instructions for using the dosing syringe with Revatio® oral suspension

1. Shake the bottle well for at least 10 seconds.

2. Remove the bottle cap and make sure the plastic adaptor is fitted into the top of the open bottle.

3. Insert the tip of the dosing syringe into the adapter.

4. Drehen Sie die Flasche (mit der daran befestigten Spritze) auf den Kopf.

5. Ziehen Sie den Kolben der Spritze vorsichtig heraus, so dass die Lösung die Spritze bis zu der Markierung füllt, die Ihrer Dosis entspricht.

6. Turn the bottle the correct way up again and remove the syringe from the bottle.

7. Put the tip of the syringe into your (or your child's) mouth and gently push the plunger so that the liquid is released.

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• Try to keep your regular appointments with your doctor so your progress can be checked.

• Do not drink grapefruit juice while you are on sildenafil. This is because a chemical in grapefruit juice is thought to increase the amount of sildenafil in your bloodstream. This makes side-effects more likely.

• Each time you collect a new supply of tablets from your pharmacy, check to make sure that the tablets look to be the same as you have had before. There is another brand of sildenafil tablets available for a different condition and these are not suitable for you. If you are unsure about your supply, please ask your pharmacist to check the tablets for you.

• Treatment with sildenafil for PAH is usually long-term. Continue to take the tablets unless you are advised otherwise by your doctor. Stopping treatment suddenly can cause problems, so if it becomes necessary for you to stop taking sildenafil, your doctor may want you to reduce your dose gradually.

• Women with pulmonary hypertension should avoid becoming pregnant as pregnancy can lead to serious worsening of your condition. Women of childbearing potential must use effective contraception during treatment with sildenafil. Speak with your doctor about which contraceptive methods are suitable for you.

• If you are due to have an operation or some other medical treatment, it is important that you tell the person carrying out the treatment that you are on sildenafil.

• If you buy any medicines 'over the counter', always check with a pharmacist that they are suitable for you to take with sildenafil.

Can sildenafil 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 sildenafil. 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.

If you experience any other symptoms which you think may be due to sildenafil, please speak with your doctor or pharmacist for further advice.

How to store sildenafil

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

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

• If you have been given liquid medicine, this will have been made up by the pharmacy and lasts for four weeks stored in a fridge. Make sure you check the expiry date on the bottle and do not use it after this date.

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