Timolol tablets - a beta-blocker

About timolol tablets

Timolol belongs to the group of medicines known as beta-blockers. It is a medicine which is used to treat several different medical conditions. It works on the heart and blood vessels.

Timolol slows down the activity of your heart by stopping messages sent by some nerves to your heart. It does this by blocking tiny areas (called beta-adrenergic receptors) where the messages are received by your heart. As a result, your heart beats more slowly and with less force. This allows the pressure of blood within your blood vessels to be reduced if you have high blood pressure (hypertension), and helps to prevent abnormally fast heart rhythms (arrhythmias). Because your heart is using less energy, this helps to reduce chest pain if you have angina. Timolol can also help to protect the heart following a heart attack.

Timolol is also prescribed to help prevent migraines. It can be helpful for people who find other treatments for reducing the number of migraine attacks unsuitable.

Timolol is also available in combination with medicines known as diuretics (often referred to as 'water tablets'). These combination tablets are only used for the treatment of high blood pressure.

Eye drops which contain timolol are available for the treatment of glaucoma. There is a separate medicine leaflet available called Timolol eye drops for glaucoma which gives more information about this.

Before taking timolol tablets

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 timolol it is important that your doctor or pharmacist knows:

• Si está embarazada, esperando un bebé o en período de lactancia.

• Si padece asma o cualquier otro trastorno respiratorio.

• Si tiene algún problema con el funcionamiento del hígado o de los riñones.

• Si tiene la tensión baja o mala circulación.

• Si tiene niveles elevados de azúcar en sangre (diabetes mellitus).

• Si tiene un problema cutáneo llamado psoriasis.

• Si padece una enfermedad que causa debilidad muscular, llamada miastenia gravis.

• Si le han dicho que tiene ritmo cardiaco lento o bloqueo cardiaco (ritmo cardiaco lento e irregular).

• If you have been told you have chest pain called Prinzmetal's angina (caused by spasms of your heart's blood vessels).

• Si está tomando otros medicamentos. Esto incluye cualquier medicamento que esté tomando y que pueda adquirirse sin receta, así como medicamentos a base de plantas y complementarios.

• Si ha tenido alguna vez una reacción alérgica a un medicamento, o si ha tenido alguna otra reacción alérgica grave.
  

How to take timolol tablets

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

• Take timolol exactly as your doctor tells you to. It is usual to take one or two doses each day. Your doctor may prescribe you a small dose initially (5-10 mg). As this may mean taking half a tablet, the tablets are scored so that they can be divided into two. If necessary, your doctor will increase your dose slowly over the next few weeks. Increasing your dose slowly allows your doctor to make sure that you have the dose that helps your condition but prevents unwanted side-effects.

• You can take the tablets before or after your meals, but try to take your doses at the same time of day each day, as this will help you to remember to take timolol regularly.

• If you do forget to take a dose, take it as soon as you remember unless your next dose is due. If your next dose is due then take the tablet which is due but leave out the forgotten one. Do not take two doses together to make up for a forgotten dose.

Aproveche al máximo su tratamiento

• Procure acudir a las citas periódicas con su médico. Así podrá comprobar su evolución.

• Treatment with timolol can often be long-term. Continue to take the tablets unless your doctor tells you to stop. Stopping treatment suddenly can cause problems in some people, so your doctor may want you to reduce your dose gradually if this becomes necessary.

• If you are due to have an operation or dental treatment, it is important to tell the person carrying out the treatment that you are taking a beta-blocker. This is because some anaesthetics may increase the risk of unwanted effects.

• If you drink alcohol, ask your doctor for advice about taking timolol and alcohol. Alcohol will add to the blood pressure-lowering effect of timolol and so may not be recommended for you.

• If you buy any medicines, check with a pharmacist that they are suitable for you to take. Some medicines (including some cough, cold and flu remedies) may not be.

• Es posible que su médico le dé consejos dietéticos y de estilo de vida sobre cómo seguir una dieta sana, no fumar y hacer ejercicio con regularidad. Si es así, es importante que siga los consejos que le den.

• If you have diabetes, timolol can block the symptoms of low blood sugar. Your doctor will advise you about this.

Can timolol tablets 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 timolol. 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 los comprimidos, hable con su médico o farmacéutico para que le aconsejen.

How to store timolol

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

• Almacenar en un lugar fresco y seco, lejos del calor y la luz directos.
  

Información importante sobre todos los medicamentos