Ranexa

Generic Name: ranolazine (ra NOE la zeen)
Brand Names: Ranexa

What is Ranexa?

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Ranexa is an anti-anginal medication. It works by improving blood flow to help the heart work more efficiently.

Ranexa is used to chronic treat angina (chronic chest pain) when other medications have not helped the condition. It should be used in combination with another medicine (eg, amlodipine, beta-blockers, nitrates).

Ranexa may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Important information about Ranexa

You should not take Ranexa if you have liver disease, hypokalemia (low levels of potassium in your blood), or a personal or family history of "Long QT syndrome." Ranexa should not be taken together with certain medicines to treat heart rhythm disorders, malaria, infections, mental illness, pain, cancer, or stomach disorders. Before you take Ranexa, tell your doctor about all other medications you are using.

Ranexa is not for use during an acute (emergency) attack of angina. Continue using any other medicines prescribed by your doctor (such as nitroglycerin) to treat acute angina.

Chronic angina is often treated with a combination of different drugs. To best treat your condition, use all of your medications as directed by your doctor. Do not change your doses or medication schedule without advice from your doctor.

Do not crush, chew, or break an extended-release tablet. Swallow the pill whole. It is specially made to release medicine slowly in the body. Breaking the pill would cause too much of the drug to be released at one time.

Before taking Ranexa

Ranexa is not for use during an acute (emergency) attack of angina. Continue using any other medicines prescribed by your doctor (such as nitroglycerin) to treat acute angina.

FDA pregnancy category C. Ranexa may be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment. It is not known if Ranexa passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

How should I take Ranexa?

Take Ranexa exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take it in larger doses or for longer than recommended by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label.

Ranexa may be taken with or without food.

To be sure Ranexa is helping your condition, your heart function will need to be tested with an electrocardiograph or ECG (sometimes called an EKG) on a regular basis. This machine measures electrical activity of the heart. Do not miss any scheduled appointments.

Do not take more than 1000 milligrams of Ranexa two times per day.

What happens if I miss a dose?

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at the next regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

What happens if I overdose?

Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.

Overdose symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, numbness or tingling, dizziness, blurred vision, or confusion.

What should I avoid while taking Ranexa?

Ranexa can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.

Grapefruit and grapefruit juice may interact with Ranexa and lead to potentially dangerous effects. Discuss the use of grapefruit products with your doctor. Do not increase or decrease the amount of grapefruit products in your diet without first talking to your doctor.

Ranexa side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

seizure (convulsions);
feeling like you might pass out;
swelling in your hands, ankles, or feet;
fast or pounding heartbeats;
tremors or shaking;
numbness or tingly feeling;
blood in your urine; or
shortness of breath.

Less serious side effects may include:

dizziness, headache, blurred vision;
dry mouth;
nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, constipation;
weakness; or
ringing in your ears.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect.

What other drugs will affect Ranexa?

Many drugs can interact with Ranexa. Below is just a partial list. Tell your doctor if you are using:

diltiazem (Cardizem, Tiazac);
ketoconazole (Nizoral);
cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune, Gengraf);
an antidepressant such as amitriptyline (Elavil), nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), imipramine (Tofranil);
simvastatin (Zocor);
digoxin (Lanoxin);
medicine to treat a mental illness, such as thioridazine (Mellaril), ziprasidone (Geodon);
heart rhythm medicine such as quinidine (Cardioquin, Quinidex, Quinaglute), dofetilide (Tikosyn), sotalol (Betapace, Sorine);
verapamil (Verelan, Calan, Isoptin, Covera);
antibiotics such as erythromycin (E-Mycin, E.E.S., Ery-Tab, clarithromycin (Biaxin), azithromycin (Zithromax), or troleandomycin (Tao); or
HIV medicines such as amprenavir (Agenerase), tipranavir (Aptivus), indinavir (Crixivan), saquinavir (Invirase, Fortovase), lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra), fosamprenavir (Lexiva), ritonavir (Norvir), atazanavir (Reyataz), or nelfinavir (Viracept).

This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with Ranexa. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

Where can I get more information?

Your pharmacist can provide more information about Ranexa.

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use Ranexa only for the indication prescribed.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.