Description

Product Overview

What is Hydralazine?

Hydralazine hydrochloride relaxes blood vessels which helps to lower blood pressure. Hydralazine hydrochloride also helps to reduce the amount of work that the heart has to do to pump blood around the body and so it can be used to treat heart failure.

When to take your medicine

Some medicines work best if they are taken at a specific time of day. Getting the most benefit from your medicine can also be affected by what you eat, when you eat and the times at which you take other medicines.

Specific information on when to take Hydralazine hydrochloride can be found in the Patient Information Leaflet that comes with this medicine or on the medicine label. You can also ask your doctor or pharmacist for information about when to take your medicine.

How to take your medicine

Some medicines have specific instructions about how to take them. This is because they work better when taken correctly. These instructions can include getting the right dose and special instructions for preparing the medicine.

Specific information on how to take Hydralazine hydrochloride can be found in the Patient Information Leaflet that comes with this medicine or on the medicine label. Alternatively, you can request information about how to take your medicine from your doctor or pharmacist.

If you are having problems taking this form of Hydralazine hydrochloride, you should talk to your prescriber or pharmacist. They may be able to give you advice on other ways to take your medicine or other preparations that are easier for you to take.

Taking too much of your medicine

Taking extra doses of some medicines can be harmful. In some cases even one extra dose can cause you problems. If you take extra doses of your medicine, you must get medical advice immediately. You may need a test to assess the effect of taking extra doses. This is because the effects of taking too much medicine are very complex so it is very important that you seek medical advice.

Contact your prescriber, pharmacist, specialist clinic or call 111 for advice.

Make sure you take all of your medicine containers with you if you are advised to go to hospital.

Stopping your medicine

If you are not having any problems taking this medicine then do not stop taking it, even if you feel better, unless advised to do so by your prescriber. If, however, you find that this medicine is causing you problems then you should talk to your prescriber about your concerns.

If your medical team decides that it is best that you do not take this medicine any more, they may advise that you do not stop Hydralazine hydrochloride abruptly. This is because, in some instances, stopping Hydralazine hydrochloride abruptly can cause withdrawal symptoms or cause your original condition to return. In these instances, reducing the dose of Hydralazine hydrochloride gradually over time may reduce the chances of having these problems.

If you are in any doubt, contact your prescriber, pharmacist, specialist clinic or call 111.

Side-effects

A medicine is only made available to the public if the clinical trials have shown that the benefits of taking the medicine outweigh the risks.

Once a medicine has been licensed, information on the medicine’s effects, both intended and unintended, is continuously recorded and updated.

Some side-effects may be serious while others may only be a mild inconvenience.

Everyone’s reaction to a medicine is different. It is difficult to predict which side-effects you will have from taking a particular medicine, or whether you will have any side-effects at all. The important thing is to tell your prescriber or pharmacist if you are having problems with your medicine.

Very common: More than 1 in 10 people who take Hydralazine hydrochloride

faster heart rate
headaches
palpitations

Common: More than 1 in 100 people who take Hydralazine hydrochloride

angina or worsening of angina
diarrhoea
flushing
gastrointestinal problems
joint swelling
lowered blood pressure
muscle pain or tenderness
nausea
side effects that may occur if Hydralazine hydrochloride is taken at a high dose for a long period of time. These may include kidney problems or lupus or lupus-like problem which may be fatal. Seek immediate medical advice if you develop a skin rash or rashes with a fever or joint pain or blood in your urine
vomiting

Rare: More than 1 in 10,000 people who take Hydralazine hydrochloride

abnormal laboratory test results
anorexia
blocked nose
blood and bone marrow problems
breathing difficulties
chest pain
eye or eyesight problems
feeling agitated
feeling anxious
feeling dizzy
general feeling of being unwell
heart problems
hypersensitivity reactions such as itching, urticaria or vasculitis
increased tear production
jaundice
liver problems
oedema
proteinuria
unexplained or easy bruising of the skin or mucous membranes
weight loss

Very rare: Fewer than 1 in 10,000 people who take Hydralazine hydrochloride

depression
enlarged spleen
hallucinations
lymphadenopathy
neuritis
paradoxical effect of increased blood pressure
paraesthesiae
urinary retention

Taking other medicines

If you are taking more than one medicine they may interact with each other. At times your prescriber may decide to use medicines that interact, in other cases this may not be appropriate.

The decision to use medicines that interact depends on your specific circumstances. Your prescriber may decide to use medicines that interact, if it is believed that the benefits of taking the medicines together outweigh the risks. In such cases, it may be necessary to alter your dose or monitor you more closely.

Tell your prescriber the names of all the medicines that you are taking so that they can consider all possible interactions. This includes all the medicines which have been prescribed by your GP, hospital doctor, dentist, nurse, health visitor, midwife or pharmacist. You must also tell your prescriber about medicines which you have bought over the counter without prescriptions.

The following medicines may interact with Hydralazine hydrochloride:

adrenaline
diazoxide
propranolol

The following types of medicine may interact with Hydralazine hydrochloride:

ACE inhibitors
anaesthetics
antihypertensives
beta-blockers
calcium antagonists
diuretics
medicines which depress the CNS
monoamine oxidase inhibitors
nitrates
non-steroidal anti-inflammatories
oestrogens
tranquillisers
tricyclic antidepressants
vasodilators

If you are taking Hydralazine hydrochloride and one of the above medicines or types of medicines, make sure your prescriber knows about it.