Eplerenone

Generic name: Eplerenone
Brand names: Inspra
Dosage form: oral tablet (25 mg; 50 mg)

Usage of Eplerenone

Eplerenone is used to lower the risk of death from heart failure after a heart attack.

Eplerenone is also used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension).

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

Eplerenone side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives; severe stomach pain; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Eplerenone may cause serious side effects. Call your doctor at once if you have:

a light-headed feeling, like you might pass out;

diarrhea, vomiting;

little or no urination;

fast or irregular heartbeats;

trouble breathing;

swelling in your feet or lower legs; or

high potassium--nausea, weakness, tingly feeling, chest pain, irregular heartbeats, loss of movement.

Common side effects of eplerenone may include:

high potassium;

headache; or

dizziness.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Before taking Eplerenone

You may not be able to take this medicine if you are allergic to eplerenone, or if you have:

high potassium levels in your blood (hyperkalemia);

severe kidney disease; or

type 2 diabetes with increased levels of albumin (a protein) in your urine.

Some medicines can cause unwanted or dangerous effects when used with eplerenone. Your doctor may change your treatment plan if you also use:

nefazodone;

a potassium supplement;

an antibiotic--clarithromycin, telithromycin;

antifungal medicine--itraconazole, ketoconazole;

a diuretic or "water pill"--amiloride, spironolactone, triamterene; or

antiviral medicine to treat HIV/AIDS--indinavir, nelfinavir, ritonavir, saquinavir.

Tell your doctor if you have ever had:

kidney disease;

diabetes;

liver disease;

high cholesterol or triglycerides; or

if you take other heart or blood pressure medications.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

It is not known whether eplerenone will harm an unborn baby. However, having high blood pressure during pregnancy may cause complications such as diabetes or eclampsia (dangerously high blood pressure that can lead to medical problems in both mother and baby). Heart failure can get worse during pregnancy and may cause complications such as premature birth. The benefit of treating hypertension or heart failure may outweigh any risks to the baby.

This medicine may affect fertility (ability to have children) in men.

How to use Eplerenone

Usual Adult Dose for Congestive Heart Failure:

Initial dose: 25 mg orally once a day; titrate to the target dose preferably within 4 weeks as tolerated.Target dose: 50 mg orally once a dayUse: To improve survival of stable patients with symptomatic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (40% or less) after an acute myocardial infarction.

Usual Adult Dose for Hypertension:

Initial dose: 50 mg orally once a dayMaintenance dose: 50 mg orally once or twice a dayMaximum dose: 100 mg/dayComments:-Full therapeutic effect is apparent within 4 weeks.-Patients with inadequate blood pressure response to the initial dose may be increased to 50 mg twice a day.

Warnings

You may not be able to take eplerenone if you have severe kidney disease, high potassium levels in your blood, or type 2 diabetes with increased levels of albumin (a protein) in your urine.

Tell your doctor about all your current medicines and any you start or stop using. Many drugs can interact, and some drugs should not be used together.

What other drugs will affect Eplerenone

Tell your doctor about all your current medicines. Many drugs can affect eplerenone, especially:

lithium;

heart or blood pressure medicine--amiodarone, Benazepril, diltiazem, dronedarone, enalapril, lidocaine, lisinopril, olmesartan, valsartan, verapamil, and others; or;

NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)--aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve), Celecoxib, Diclofenac, indomethacin, meloxicam, and others.

This list is not complete and many other drugs may affect eplerenone. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible drug interactions are listed here.

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com'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. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com 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.