Isoptin
Generic Name: Verapamil
Brand Name: Isoptin, Covera, Calan
Indications
Isoptin is indicated for the management of hypertension and angina.
Dosage and Administration
Calan is available for oral administration in film-coated tablets containing 40 mg, 80 mg, or 120 mg of verapamil hydrochloride.
Normal Dosage:
- Take exactly as directed by your doctor.
- Take each dose with a full glass of water.
- Calan , Isoptin , and generic sustained-release verapamil may be more likely to cause stomach upset and should be taken with food to reduce this side effect.
- Do not stop taking this medication without first talking to your doctor. If you stop taking the medication, your condition could become worse.
- Your doctor may want you to have blood tests, blood pressure monitoring, or other medical evaluations during treatment to monitor progress and side effects.
- Store the drug at room temperature away from moisture and heat.
Overdose: Overdose symptoms include dizziness, weakness, chest pain, shortness of breath.
Drug Description
Verapamil is administered as a racemic mixture of the R and S enantiomers. The structural formulae of the verapamil HCl enantiomers are:
Benzeneacetonitrile, (±)-α-[3 [[2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl) ethyl]methylamino]propyl]-3,4-dimethoxy-α- (1-methylethyl)hydrochloride.
Side effects
- If you experience any of the following serious side effects, stop taking this medication and contact your doctor immediately or seek emergency medical treatment:
- an allergic reaction
- an unusually fast or slow heartbeat
- shortness of breath (heart failure)
- abnormal behavior or psychosis
- jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes)
- swelling of the legs or ankles
- Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or is especially bothersome.
Precautions
- Avoid the use alcohol. Alcohol may further lower blood pressure and may reduce the effectiveness of this drug.
- Follow any recommendations your doctor makes about diet or exercise.
- This drug belongs to the FDA pregnancy category C. This means that it is not known whether this medication will be harmful to an unborn baby. Do not take without first talking to your doctor if you are pregnant.
Drug Interactions
Before taking this medication, tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following drugs:
- cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Neoral)
- cimetidine (Tagamet, Tagamet HB)
- carbamazepine (Tegretol, Carbatrol)
- lithium (Lithobid, Eskalith, others)
- theophylline (Theo-Dur, Theochron, Theolair, Theobid, Elixophyllin, Slo-Phyllin, others)
- rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane)
- phenobarbital (Luminal, Solfoton)
You may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring if you are taking any of the medicines listed above.
