IVABRADINE

COMMON BRAND NAME(S): Corlanor

GENERIC NAME(S): IVABRADINE HCL

Description: Ivabradine is a heart rate lowering agent that works through selective and specific inhibition of the cardiac pacemaker I_fcurrent. I_f current controls the spontaneous diastolic depolarisation in the sinus node and regulate heart rate.

Uses

This medication lessens the chance of being hospitalized due to worsening of a certain heart problem (chronic heart failure) by making your heart beat more slowly. It should not be used if you have a slow resting heartbeat (less than 60 beats per minute) before starting ivabradine, low blood pressure, or if your heart failure symptoms have recently gotten worse.

How to use ivabradine

Read the Medication Guide provided by your pharmacist before you start taking ivabradine and each time you get a refill. If you have any questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Take this medication by mouth with a meal as directed by your doctor, usually twice daily. The dosage is based on your medical condition and response to treatment. To reduce your risk of side effects, your doctor may direct you to start this medication at a low dose and gradually increase your dose. Other medications are usually used along with ivabradine to treat heart failure. Carefully follow your doctor’s directions for taking all your medications.

Use this medication regularly to get the most benefit from it. To help you remember, take it at the same times each day.

Avoid eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice while using this medication unless your doctor or pharmacist says you may do so safely. Grapefruit can increase the chance of side effects with this medicine. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more details.

Tell your doctor if your condition does not improve or if it worsens.

Warnings

not available

Side Effects

Tell your doctor or pharmacist promptly if dizziness or tiredness persists or worsens.

Ivabradine may rarely cause vision changes such as brief increased brightness, or seeing halos or colored bright lights. They usually start within the first 2 months and may go away during treatment or after stopping this medication.

Tell your doctor right away if you have slow/fast/irregular heartbeat or fainting.

A very serious allergic reaction to this drug is rare.

This is not a complete list of possible side effects. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.

Precautions

Precautions

Allergic reaction to this medication
Patients with medical history of liver problems or other heart problems (such as sick sinus syndrome, heart block, pacemaker use)
This drug may make you dizzy or cause vision changes
Tell your doctor or dentist about all the products you use (including prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and herbal products) before having surgery
This medication is not recommended for use during pregnancy
Consult your doctor before breast-feeding

Consult your doctor regarding the precautions mentioned above.

Interactions

Other medications may affect how ivabradine works. Examples include:

azole antifungals (such as itraconazole, ketoconazole)
macrolide antibiotics (such as clarithromycin, telithromycin)
diltiazem
HIV protease inhibitors (such as nelfinavir, ritonavir)
Nefazodone
rifamycins (such as rifabutin, rifampin)
John’s wort
Verapamil
drugs used to treat seizures (such as carbamazepine, phenobarbital, phenytoin)

Overdose & Brands

Overdose

If overdose is suspected, contact a poison control center or emergency room right away. Symptoms of overdose may include: very slow heartbeat.

Notes

Do not share this medication with others.

Laboratory and/or medical tests (such as pulse, blood pressure) should be performed periodically to monitor your progress or check for side effects. Consult your doctor for more details.

Missed Dose

If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is near the time of the next dose, skip the missed dose and resume your usual dosing schedule. Do not double the dose to catch up.

Storage

Store at room temperature away from light and moisture. Do not store in the bathroom. Keep all medications away from children and pets.

Do not flush medications down the toilet or pour them into a drain unless instructed to do so. Properly discard this product when it is expired or no longer needed. Consult your pharmacist or local waste disposal company.

Brands

There are no brands containing this molecule