•  
  •  

ranolazine

Pronunciation: ra NOE la zeen
Brand: Ranexa

Ranexa 500 mg

oval, yellow, imprinted with CVT500

Image of Ranexa 500 mg
slide 1 of 1
    

What is the most important information I should know about ranolazine?

donot You should not take ranolazine if you have cirrhosis of the liver. There are many other drugs that should not be used together with ranolazine. Tell your doctor about all other medicines you use.

Ranolazine is not for use during an acute (emergency) attack of angina. Continue using any other medicines prescribed by your doctor (such as nitroglycerin) to treat acute angina.

Before you take ranolazine, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, especially if you have a personal or family history of Long QT syndrome.

nocrush Do not crush, chew, or break an extended-release tablet. Swallow it whole. Breaking the pill may cause too much of the drug to be released at one time.

Chronic angina is often treated with a combination of different drugs. To best treat your condition, use all of your medications as directed by your doctor. Do not change your doses or medication schedule without advice from your doctor.

What is ranolazine?

Ranolazine is an anti-anginal medication. It works by improving blood flow to help the heart work more efficiently.

Ranolazine is used to treat chronic angina (chest pain). Ranolazine is not for use during an acute (emergency) attack of angina.

Ranolazine may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

What should I discuss with my health care provider before taking ranolazine?

donot You should not take ranolazine if you have cirrhosis of the liver.

There are many other drugs that should not be used together with ranolazine, such as dexamethasone (Cortastat, Dexasone, Solurex, DexPak), St. John's wort, barbiturates such as phenobarbital, and certain medicines to treat infections, HIV or AIDS, depression, cancer, seizures, high blood pressure, heart disease, narcolepsy, tuberculosis, or pulmonary arterial hypertension. Before you take ranolazine, tell your doctor about all other medications you are using.

To make sure you can safely take ranolazine, tell your doctor if you have a personal or family history of Long QT syndrome.

nopreg FDA pregnancy category C. It is not known whether ranolazine will harm an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant while using this medication.
nobrfeed It is not known whether ranolazine passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. You should not breast-feed while you are using ranolazine.

How should I take ranolazine?

Take exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Do not take in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended. Follow the directions on your prescription label. Continue using any other medicines prescribed by your doctor (such as nitroglycerin) to treat acute angina.

Ranolazine may be taken with or without food.

Chronic angina is often treated with a combination of different drugs. To best treat your condition, use all of your medications as directed by your doctor. Do not change your doses or medication schedule without advice from your doctor.

nocrush Do not crush, chew, or break an extended-release tablet. Swallow it whole. Breaking the pill may cause too much of the drug to be released at one time.
donot Do not take more than 1000 milligrams of ranolazine two times per day.
rt Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

What happens if I miss a dose?

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. Skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next scheduled dose. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

What happens if I overdose?

emt Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.

Overdose can cause nausea, vomiting, numbness or tingling, dizziness, blurred vision, confusion, or fainting.

What should I avoid while taking ranolazine?

dizzy Ranolazine may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be alert.

Grapefruit and grapefruit juice may interact with ranolazine and lead to potentially dangerous effects. Discuss the use of grapefruit products with your doctor.

What are the possible side effects of ranolazine?

emt Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
donot Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:
  • feeling like you might pass out;
  • swelling in your hands, ankles, or feet;
  • slow, fast, or pounding heartbeats;
  • tremors or shaking;
  • blood in your urine;
  • urinating less than usual or not at all;
  • shortness of breath; or
  • skin rash, bruising, severe tingling, numbness, pain, and muscle weakness.

Less serious side effects may include:

  • mild dizziness, spinning sensation, headache;
  • dry mouth;
  • mild nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, constipation;
  • weakness; or
  • ringing in your ears.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

What other drugs will affect ranolazine?

Many drugs can interact with ranolazine. Below is just a partial list. Tell your doctor if you are using:

  • aprepitant (Emend);
  • arsenic trioxide (Trisenox);
  • chloroquine (Aralen);
  • digoxin (Lanoxin);
  • fluconazole (Diflucan);
  • lovastatin (Mevacor, Altoprev, Advicor), simvastatin (Zocor, Simcor, Vytorin);
  • tamsulosin (Flomax);
  • tolterodine (Detrol);
  • ADHD medication such as atomoxetine (Strattera), dextroamphetamine (Adderall), methamphetamine (Desoxyn), methylphenidate (Ritalin, Daytrana, Metadate, Concerta);
  • an antibiotic such as azithromycin (Zithromax), erythromycin (E.E.S., EryPed, Ery-Tab, Erythrocin, Pediazole), levofloxacin (Levaquin), moxifloxacin (Avelox), pentamidine (NebuPent, Pentam);
  • an antidepressant such as amitriptyline (Elavil, Vanatrip, Limbitrol), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), doxepin (Sinequan), duloxetine (Cymbalta), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem, Symbyax), imipramine (Tofranil), mirtazepine (Remeron), nortriptyline (Pamelor), paroxetine (Paxil), protriptyline (Vivactil), sertraline (Zoloft), venlafaxine (Effexor), and others;
  • cancer medicine such as doxorubicin (Adriamycin, Doxil), lomustine (CeeNU), tamoxifen (Soltamox);
  • cough medicine such as dextromethorphan (Delsym, Robitussin Maximum Strength, Vicks 44, and others) or dihydrocodeine (Alahist DHC, J-Max DHC, Pancof-PD, Panlor, Trezix, Welltuss EXP, and others);
  • heart or blood pressure medicine such as amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone), betaxolol (Kerlone), captopril (Capoten), carvedilol (Coreg), diltiazem (Cartia, Cardizem), dofetilide (Tikosyn), disopyramide (Norpace), dronedarone (Multaq), flecainide (Tambocor), ibutilide (Corvert), labetalol (Normodyne), metoprolol (Dutoprol, Lopressor, Toprol), mexilitene (Mexitil), nicardipine (Cardene), quinidine (Quin-G), pindolol (Visken), procainamide (Procan, Pronestyl), propafenone (Rythmol), propranolol (Inderal, InnoPran), sotalol (Betapace, Sorine), timolol (Blocadren), or verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin);
  • medicine to prevent or treat nausea and vomiting such as dolasetron (Anzemet), droperidol (Inapsine), or ondansetron (Zofran);
  • medicine to treat psychiatric disorders, such as chlorpromazine (Thorazine), clozapine (FazaClo, Clozaril), fluphenazine (Permitil), haloperidol (Haldol), pimozide (Orap), promethazine (Phenergan), perphenazine (Trilafon), risperidone (Risperdal), thioridazine (Mellaril), or ziprasidone (Geodon);
  • medicine used to prevent organ transplant rejection, such as cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune), sirolimus (Rapamune), or tacrolimus (Prograf);
  • migraine headache medicine such as sumatriptan (Imitrex, Treximet) or zolmitriptan (Zomig);
  • narcotic medication such as methadone (Methadose, Diskets, Dolophine); or
  • pain medication such as codeine (Tylenol #3), hydrocodone (Lortab, Vicodin, Vicoprofen), oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet), or tramadol (Ultram, Ultracet).
donot This list is not complete and here are many other drugs that can interact with ranolazine. Tell your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal products. Do not start a new medication without telling your doctor. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to any healthcare provider who treats you.

Where can I get more information?

Your pharmacist can provide more information about ranolazine.

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Copyright 1996-2012 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version: 9.02. Revision date: 2/14/2012.

Your use of the content provided in this service indicates that you have read, understood and agree to the End-User License Agreement, which can be accessed by clicking on this link.

This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.

Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.