Lacidipine tablets for high blood pressure

About lacidipine

Lacidipine is prescribed to treat högt blodtryck (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.

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:

• Om du är gravid eller ammar.

• If you have any problems with the way your liver works.

• If you have a heart condition, or angina chest pain, or if you have recently had a heart attack.

• If you have a rare inherited blood disorder called porphyria.

• Om du tar eller använder några andra läkemedel. Detta inkluderar alla läkemedel du tar som finns att köpa utan recept, samt växtbaserade och komplementära läkemedel.

• Om du någonsin har haft en allergisk reaktion mot en medicin.

• 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.

• If you forget to take a dose at your usual time, take it as soon as you remember. If you do not remember until the following day, leave out the missed dose. Do not take two doses together to make up for a forgotten dose.

• Försök att hålla dina regelbundna möten med din läkare. Detta är så att din läkare kan följa upp din utveckling.

• 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.

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.

Om du upplever några andra symtom som du tror kan bero på tabletterna, tala med din läkare eller apotekare för vidare råd.

• Förvara alla läkemedel utom räckhåll och synhåll för barn.

• Förvara på en sval, torr plats, borta från direkt värme och ljus.