CATAPRES Tablet

Indications:

CATAPRES lowers high blood pressure, also called hypertension. Everyone has blood pressure. This pressure helps your blood move around your body. Your blood pressure may be different at different times of the day. You have hypertension when your blood pressure stays higher than normal, even when you are calm or relaxed.

There are usually no signs of hypertension. The only way of knowing that you have hypertension is to have your blood pressure checked on a regular basis. You may feel fine and have no symptoms, but if high blood pressure is not treated, it can lead to serious health problems (such as heart disease).

CATAPRES works by relaxing and widening blood vessels and so helps to lower your blood pressure.

CATAPRES is also used to prevent migraine headache and to relieve symptoms of menopausal flushing.

Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why CATAPRES has been prescribed for you.

Your doctor may have prescribed CATAPRES for another reason.

Dosage:

Your doctor will tell you how much of your medicine you need to take every day. This depends on your condition and whether you are taking other medicines.

The usual starting dose for high blood pressure is 50 micrograms (half a tablet), two or three times a day. Your doctor may increase the daily dosage by half-tablet increments, depending on how your blood pressure responds.

For migraine and menopausal flushing the usual starting dose is 25 micrograms two times a day. Your doctor may increase this to 50 micrograms two times a day. If necessary, your doctor may increase this to a total daily dose of 150 micrograms.

Continue taking CATAPRES for as long as your doctor tells you.

CATAPRES helps to control your condition, but does not cure it.

It is important to keep taking your medicine even if you feel well.

If your doctor tells you to stop taking CATAPRES, you should reduce the dose of medicine gradually over a period of a week or more.

This is to avoid a sudden increase in your blood pressure.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any concerns.

Do not take CATAPRES if you have an allergy to:

• any medicine containing clonidine

• any of the other 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 toke CATAPRES if you have the rare hereditary condition of galactose intolerance.

Do not take CATAPRES if you have certain heart problems, such as irregular/slow heartbeat.

Do not take CATAPRES if you are pregnant.

It may affect your developing baby if you take it during pregnancy.

Do not breast-feed if you are taking this medicine.

The active ingredient in CATAPRES passes into breast milk and there is a possibility that your baby may be affected.

This medicine should not be given to a child under the age of 18 years.

Serious side effects have been observed when clonidine, the active ingredient in CATAPRES, is used with methylphenidate in children with ADHD. Therefore, CATAPRES in this combination is not recommended.

Do not take CATAPRES after the expiry date printed on the carton or blister strips 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 this medicine, talk to your doctor.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking CATAPRES.

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.

Do not be alarmed by the following list of side effects. You may not experience any of them.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have.

The more frequently reported side effects of-CATAPRES are lightheadedness when you stand up suddenly, drowsiness, dryness of the mouth, nausea and vomiting.

Less frequently reported side effects of CATAPRES include

the following:

• blurred vision

• dizziness

• confusion

• headache

• sleep disturbances

• mental depression

• irrational or abnormal thoughts

• irritability

• decreased sexual drive/ impotence

• generally feeling unwell

• thinning of hair

• rash/ hives/ itching

• constipation

• dryness of the nose and eyes

• pain in the salivary glands

• tingling or numbness of the hands or feet

• larger breasts than normal, in men

• slow or Irregular heart beat

• blood glucose increased.

Occasional reports of abnormal liver function tests and cases of hepatitis have also been reported.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you experience any side effects during or after taking CATAPRES, so that these may be properly treated.

Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some people.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice anything unusual, during or after taking CATAPRES.

If you are about to be started on any new medicine, tell your doctor and pharmacist that you are taking CATAPRES.

Tell any other doctors, dentists and pharmacists who treat you that you are taking CATAPRES.

If you are going to have surgery, tell the surgeon or anaesthetist that you are taking CATAPRES.

It may affect other medicines used during surgery.

If you become pregnant while taking CATAPRES, tell your doctor immediately.

Have your blood pressure checked as instructed by your doctor, to make sure CATAPRES Is working.

Tell your doctor if, for any reason, you have not taken CATAPRES exactly as prescribed.

Otherwise, your doctor may think that it was not effective and change your treatment unnecessarily.

Be careful driving or operating machinery until you know how CATAPRES affects you.

CATAPRES, like other medicines used to treat high blood pressure, may cause dizziness or drowsiness in some people. Make sure you know how you react to CATAPRES before you drive or operate machinery.

If you feel light-headed, dizzy or faint, get up slowly when getting out of bed or standing up.

You may feel light-headed or dizzy when you begin to take CATAPRES or if the dose is increased. This is because your blood pressure is falling suddenly. Standing up slowly will help your body get used to the change in position and blood pressure. The problem usually goes away after the first few days.