Dipyridamole
Consumer Medicine Information
What is in this leaflet
This leaflet answers some common questions about Persantin 100.
It does not contain all available information.
It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.
This leaflet was last updated on the date at the end of this leaflet. More recent information may be available. The latest Consumer Medicine Information is available from your pharmacist, doctor, or from www.medicines.org.au and may contain important information about the medicine and its use of which you should be aware.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any concerns or questions about taking this medicine,
Keep this leaflet with your tablets. You may need to read it again.
What Persantin 100 is used for
Persantin 100 used in combination with other medicines helps to prevent blood clots in patients with prosthetic heart valves.
The ability of Persantin 100 to prevent blood clots is due to its effect on blood cells known as platelets.
Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why this medicine has been prescribed for you. Your doctor may have prescribed it for another reason
Before you take Persantin 100
When you must not take it
Do not take Persantin 100 if you have an allergy to:
- Persantin 100 or other medicines containing dipyridamole
- Any of the ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet
Some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction may include:
- shortness of breath
- wheezing or difficulty breathing
- swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other parts of the body
- rash, itching or hives on the skin
Do not take this medicine if you are pregnant. It may affect your developing baby if you take it during pregnancy
Do not breastfeed if you are taking this medicine. The active ingredient in Persantin 100 passes into breast milk.
Do not give this medicine to a child. There is limited information about the use of Persantin 100 in children.
Do not take this medicine after the expiry date printed on the pack or if the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering. If it has expired or is damaged, return it to your pharmacist for disposal.
If you are not sure whether you should start taking Persantin 100, talk to your doctor.
Before you start to take it
Tell your doctor if you have allergies to any other medicines, foods, preservatives or dyes.
Tell your doctor if you have or have had any of the following medical conditions:
- any heart condition (e.g. angina, heart attack or failure, heart valve problems)
- severe muscle disease (myasthenia gravis)
- gallstones
If you are uncertain as to whether you have, or have had, any of these conditions you should tell your doctor.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant or are breast-feeding.
Your doctor can discuss with you the risks and benefits involved.
Taking other medicines
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any other medicines, including any that you get without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.
Some medicines and Persantin 100 may interfere with each other.
In particular you must tell your doctor if you are taking:
- aspirin
- medicines used to thin your blood such as warfarin
- medicines used to treat high blood pressure
- neostigmine, distigmine and related medicines (used, for example, in the treatment of myasthenia gravis).
These medicines may be affected by Persantin 100 or may affect how well it works. You may need different amounts of your medicines, or you may need to take different medicines.
Your doctor and pharmacist have more information on medicines to be careful with or avoid while taking this medicine.
How to take Persantin 100
Follow all directions given to you by your doctor or pharmacist carefully. They may differ from the information contained in this leaflet.
If you do not understand the instructions on the box, ask your doctor or pharmacist for help.
How much to take
The recommended dose for adults is one tablet (100mg) four times a day.
If your doctor has prescribed a different dose, you should ask for further information from your doctor or pharmacist.
When to take it
Take your medicine at about the same time each day. Taking it at the same time each day will have the best effect. It will also help you remember when to take it.
Take your medicine on an empty stomach, for example, 1 hour before food. Food can interfere with the absorption of this medicine.
How long to take it
Continue taking your medicine for as long as your doctor tells you.
Discuss with your doctor how long you should take this medicine.
If you forget to take it
If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. However, if you remember when it is almost time for your next dose skip the dose you missed and take your next dose when you are meant to.
Do not take a double dose to make up for the dose that you missed. This may increase the chance of you getting an unwanted side effect.
If you are not sure what to do, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
If you have trouble remembering to take your medicine, ask your pharmacist for some hints.
If you take too much (Overdose)
Immediately telephone your doctor or the Poisons Information Centre (telephone 13 11 26) for advice, or go to Emergency at the nearest hospital, if you think that you or anyone else may have taken too much Persantin 100.
Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning. You may need urgent medical attention.
Signs of overdose may include feeling warm, flushing, sweating, restlessness, weakness and dizziness. There may be effects on the heart and circulation causing chest pain, an increase in pulse rate and a drop in blood pressure.
While you are taking Persantin 100
Things you must do
Tell any other doctors, dentists, and pharmacists who treat you that you are taking this medicine.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you begin taking any other medicine while you are taking Persantin 100. This applies to all medicines obtained with or without a doctor’s prescription.
If you plan to have ‘pharmacological stress testing’ tell your doctor that you are taking Persantin 100.
Things you must not do
Do not take Persantin 100 to treat any other complaints unless your doctor tells you to.
Do not give your medicine to anyone else, even if they have the same condition as you.
Do not stop taking your medicine or lower the dosage without checking with your doctor.
Things to be careful of
Be careful driving or operating machinery while you are taking Persantin 100 until you know how it affects you. Persantin 100 may cause dizziness and light-headedness in some people.
Make sure you know how you react to Persantin 100 before you drive a car, operate machinery, or do anything else that could be dangerous if you are dizzy or light-headed.
If this occurs do not drive.
Side effects
Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking Persantin 100. This medicine helps most people, but it may have unwanted side effects in a few people. All medicines can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. You may need medical attention if you get some of the side effects.
Ask for the advice of your doctor or pharmacist if you have any concerns about the effects of taking this medicine.
If side effects occur, they are usually mild and transient when Persantin 100 is used at the recommended dose. In most cases, side effects reduce or disappear as treatment is continued.
The following side effects have been reported with Persantin 100:
- Headache, dizziness
- Stomach upset, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting
- Muscle aches and pains
- Hot flushes
- Low blood pressure (dizziness, lightheadedness), fast heart beat
- Gallstones
- Reduction in blood platelet count (thrombocytopenia), which may result in unusual bruising or bleeding
- Increased bleeding during or after surgery
There have also been rare reports of worsening of heart disease after the use of Persantin 100.
Tell your doctor as soon as possible if you experience any side effects during or after using Persantin 100, so that these may be properly treated.
Allergic reactions have been reported. Symptoms of an allergic reaction may include:
- Skin rash, hives or itching
- Swelling of the face, lips or tongue
- Difficulty in breathing
Tell your doctor immediately if you have an allergic reaction.
You may require urgent medical attention.
In addition, unexpected effects, not listed above, can occur with any medicine.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice anything unusual, during or after taking Persantin 100.
After taking Persantin 100
Storage
Leave all tablets in the blister pack until it is time to take a dose. The blister packaging protects the tablets.
Persantin 100 should be kept in a cool, dry place where the temperature stays below 30°C. For example, do not leave your tablets in a car or store them in the bathroom. Heat and dampness will damage the tablets.
Keep Persantin 100 tablets where children cannot reach them. A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.
Disposal
If your doctor tells you to stop taking this medicine or the expiry date has passed, ask your pharmacist what to do with any medicine that is left over.
Product Description
What it looks like
Persantin 100 tablets are shiny and white. Persantin 100 is sold to the pharmacist in blister packs of 100 tablets.
Ingredients
Persantin 100 contains 100mg of dipyridamole as the active ingredient.
The excipients are:
- calcium hydrogen phosphate
- maize (corn) starch
- colloidal silica (silicon dioxide)
- magnesium stearate.
Ingredients used in the sugar coating are
- sucrose
- purified talc
- acacia
- titanium dioxide
- macrogol 6000
- white beeswax
- carnauba wax.
Manufacturer
Persantin 100 is made in France and supplied in Australia by:
Boehringer Ingelheim Pty Limited
(ABN 52 000 452 308)
78 Waterloo Road
NORTH RYDE NSW 2113
AUST R 61589
This leaflet was updated in August 2011.
Persantin is a registered trademark of Boehringer Ingelheim
© Boehringer Ingelheim Pty Limited 2011
Published by MIMS March 2012