Nicorandil for angina

About nicorandil

Angina is a pain that comes from the heart. It is usually caused by the narrowing of one or more of the arteries that supply blood to your heart. This narrowing reduces the blood supply to parts of your heart muscle. When your heart needs more blood and oxygen than it can get through the narrowed arteries (for example, when you walk fast or climb stairs), you feel angina pain.

Nicorandil works by relaxing (widening) your blood vessels. This increases the supply of blood and oxygen to your heart and helps to reduce the number of angina attacks you have. It can also reduce the risk of further heart conditions. You will be prescribed nicorandil if other (more frequently used) medicines are not suitable for you, or if they have not been sufficient to control your chest pains.

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 nicorandil it is important that your doctor knows:

• Si estás embarazada o amamantando.

• If you have low blood pressure.

• If you have recently had a heart attack, or been told you have heart failure.

• If you have a problem with fluid build-up in your lungs, called pulmonary oedema.

• Si alguna vez has tenido una reacción alérgica a un medicamento.

• Si está tomando o usando otros medicamentos. Esto incluye cualquier medicamento que esté tomando y que esté disponible para comprar sin receta, así como medicamentos herbales y complementarios.

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

• Take nicorandil exactly as your doctor tells you to. It is usual to take one tablet (either 10 mg or 20 mg) twice daily, in the morning and evening. When starting your treatment your doctor may give you a smaller dose (such as half a tablet) and then increase it after a short while. This will help avoid any unwanted side-effects, particularly headache. Your doctor will tell you what dose is right for you, and this information will be printed on the label of the pack of tablets to remind you about what the doctor said to you.

• Try to take your tablets at the same times each day, as this will help you to remember to take your doses regularly. You can take nicorandil tablets either before or after meals. Swallow the tablet with a drink of water.

• Si olvida tomar una dosis, tómela tan pronto como lo recuerde (a menos que esté cerca la hora de su próxima dosis, en cuyo caso omita la dosis olvidada). No tome dos dosis juntas para compensar una dosis olvidada.
  

• Nicorandil tablets are not suitable to take to relieve pain if you are having an angina attack. Your doctor will also prescribe a nitrate medicine, such as glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), for you to take if this happens. If after using GTN your pain has not eased within a few minutes, call for an ambulance.

• Intenta mantener tus citas regulares con tu médico. Esto es para que tu médico pueda verificar tu progreso.

• Treatment with nicorandil is usually long-term unless you experience an adverse effect. Continue to take the tablets unless you are advised otherwise by your doctor.

• Nicorandil may cause you to feel faint or dizzy, particularly when you first start taking it. Do not drive and do not use tools or machines until you know how you react. It is best not to drink alcohol while you are on nicorandil, as alcohol will increase these feelings of dizziness.

• If you buy any medicines 'over the counter', please check with a pharmacist that they are suitable for you to take with your prescribed medicines, as some anti-inflammatory painkillers may not be. It is very important that you do not take any medicines for disfunción eréctil while you are on nicorandil, unless they have been prescribed by your doctor.

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 nicorandil. 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.

Si experimenta cualquier otro síntoma que crea que puede deberse a las tabletas, hable con su médico o farmacéutico para obtener más consejos.

• Mantenga todos los medicamentos fuera del alcance y la vista de los niños.

• Store in a cool, dry place, away from direct heat and light. Keep the blister strip in the outer carton. Do not transfer nicorandil tablets from the blister strips into other containers (including dosette boxes). This is because the original packaging contains a desiccant capsule to keep the tablets fresh and without it they will degrade quickly. Do not swallow the desiccant capsule by mistake.