Clopidogrel 75 Mg Film-Coated Tablets
PACKAGE LEAFLET: INFORMATION FOR THE USER
SZ00000LT000
clopidogrel
Read all of this leaflet carefully before you start taking this medicine because it contains important information for you.
• Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
• If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
• This medicine has been prescribed for you only. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their signs of illness are the same as yours.
• If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.
What is in this leaflet
1. What Clopidogrel is and what it is used for
2. What you need to know before you take Clopidogrel
3. How to take Clopidogrel
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Clopidogrel
6. Contents of the pack and other information
What Clopidogrel is and what it is used for
Clopidogrel contains clopidogrel and belongs to a group of medicines called antiplatelet medicinal products. Platelets are very small structures in the blood, which clump together during blood clotting. By preventing this clumping, antiplatelet medicinal products reduce the chances of blood clots forming (a process called thrombosis).
Clopidogrel is taken by adults to prevent blood clots (thrombi) forming in hardened blood vessels (arteries), a process known as atherothrombosis, which can lead to atherothrombotic events (such as stroke, heart attack, or death).
You have been prescribed Clopidogrel to help prevent blood clots and reduce the risk of these severe events because:
• You have a condition of hardening of arteries (also known as atherosclerosis), and
• You have previously experienced a heart attack, stroke or have a condition known as peripheral arterial disease.
• You have experienced a severe type of chest pain known as ‘unstable angina’ or ‘myocardial infarction’ (heart attack). For the treatment of this condition your doctor may have placed a stent in the blocked or narrowed artery to restore effective blood flow. You should also be given acetylsalicylic acid (a substance present in many medicines used to relieve pain and lower fever as well as to prevent blood clotting) by your doctor.
• You have an irregular heartbeat, a condition called ‘atrial fibrillation’, and you cannot take medicines known as ‘oral anticoagulants’ (vitamin K antagonists) which prevent new clots from forming and prevent existing clots from growing. You should have been told that ‘oral anticoagulants’ are more effective than acetylsalicylic acid or the combined use of Clopidogrel and acetylsalicylic acid for this condition. Your doctor should have prescribed Clopidogrel plus acetylsalicylic acid if you cannot take ‘oral anticoagulants’ and you do not have a risk of major bleeding.
What you need to know before you take Clopidogrel
Do not take Clopidogrel
• If you are allergic to clopidogrel or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).
• If you have a medical condition that is currently causing bleeding such as a stomach ulcer or bleeding within the brain.
• If you suffer from severe liver disease.
If you think any of these apply to you, or if you are in any doubt at all, consult your doctor before taking Clopidogrel.
Warnings and precautions
Talk to your doctor before taking Clopidogrel if any of the situations mentioned below apply to you :
• if you have a risk of bleeding such as
-a medical condition that puts you at risk of internal bleeding (such as a stomach ulcer)
- a blood disorder that makes you prone to internal bleeding (bleeding inside any tissues, organs or joints of your body)
-a recent serious injury -a recent surgery (including dental)
- a planned surgery (including dental) in the next seven days
• if you have had a clot in an artery of your brain (ischaemic stroke) which occurred within the last seven days
• if you have kidney or liver disease
• if you have had an allergy or reaction to any medicine used to treat your disease.
While you are taking Clopidogrel:
• You should tell your doctor if surgery (including dental) is planned.
• You should also tell your doctor immediately if you develop a medical condition (also known as Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura or TTP) that includes fever and bruising under the skin that may appear as red pinpoint dots, with or without unexplained extreme tiredness, confusion, yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice) (see section 4 ‘Possible side effects’).
• If you cut or injure yourself, it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. This is linked to the way your medicine works as it prevents the ability of blood clots to form. For minor cuts and injuries e.g., cutting yourself, shaving, this is usually of no concern. However, if you are concerned by your bleeding, you should contact your doctor straightaway (see section 4 ‘Possible side effects’).
• Your doctor may order blood tests.
Children and adolescents
Do not give this medicine to children because it does not work.
Other medicines and Clopidogrel
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines.
Some other medicines may influence the use of clopidogrel or vice versa.
You should specifically tell your doctor if you take
• oral anticoagulants, medicines used to reduce blood clotting
• a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine, usually used to treat painful and/or inflammatory conditions of muscle or joints
• heparin or any other injectable medicine used to reduce blood clotting
• omeprazole, esomeprazole or cimetidine, medicines to treat upset stomach
• fluconazole, voriconazole, ciprofloxacin, or chloramphenicol, medicines to treat bacterial and fungal infections
• carbamazepine, or oxcarbazepine, medicines to treat some forms of epilepsy
• ticlopidine, other antiplatelet agent
• a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (including but not restricted to fluoxetine or fluvoxamine), medicines usually used to treat depression
• moclobemide, a medicine to treat depression.
If you have experienced severe chest pain (unstable angina or heart attack), you may be prescribed clopidogrel in combination with acetylsalicylic acid, a substance present in many medicines used to relieve pain and lower fever: An occasional use of acetylsalicylic acid (no more than 1,000 mg in any 24 hour period) should generally not cause a problem, but prolonged use in other circumstances should be discussed with your doctor.
Clopidogrel with food and drink
Clopidogrel may be taken with or without food.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding:
It is preferable not to take this product during pregnancy.
If you are pregnant, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine. If you become pregnant while taking clopidogrel, consult your doctor immediately as it is recommended not to take clopidogrel while you are pregnant.
Common, affects 1 to 10 per 100 users
• diarrhoea, abdominal pain, indigestion or heartburn
Uncommon, affects 1 to 10 per 1,000 users
• headache, dizziness, sensation of tingling and numbness
• stomach ulcer, vomiting, nausea, constipation, excessive gas in stomach or intestines
• rashes and itching
You should not breast-feed while taking this medicine.
If you are breast-feeding or planning to breast-feed, ask your doctor for advice before taking this medicine.
Driving and using machines
Clopidogrel is unlikely to affect your ability to drive or to use machines.
Clopidogrel contains hydrogenated castor oil
This may cause stomach upset or diarrhoea.
3 How to take Clopidogrel
Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
If you have experienced severe chest pain (unstable angina or heart attack), your doctor may give you 300 mg of clopidogrel (4 tablets of Clopidogrel) once at the start of treatment.
Then, the recommended dose is one tablet of Clopidogrel per day to be taken orally with or without food, and at the same time each day.
You should take Clopidogrel for as long as your doctor continues to prescribe it.
If you take more Clopidogrel than you should
Contact your doctor or the nearest hospital emergency department because of the increased risk of bleeding.
Rare, affects 1 to 10 per 10,000 users
• vertigo
Very rare, affects less than 1 per 10,000 users
• jaundice, severe abdominal pain with or without back pain (inflammation of the pancreas, bowel inflammation)
• fever
• breathing difficulties sometimes associated with cough
• generalised allergic reactions (for example, overall sensation of heat with sudden general discomfort until fainting), swelling in the mouth, blisters of the skin, skin allergy
• sore mouth (stomatitis)
• decrease in blood pressure
• inflammation of blood vessels, often with skin rash
• confusion, hallucinations
• joint pain, muscular pain
• changes in taste of food
In addition, your doctor may identify changes in your blood or urine test results.
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via Yellow Card Scheme: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
5
How to store Clopidogrel
If you forget to take Clopidogrel
If you forget to take a dose of Clopidogrel, but remember within 12 hours of your usual time, take your tablet straightaway and then take your next tablet at the usual time.
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
If you forget for more than 12 hours, simply take the next single dose at the usual time. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten tablet.
If you stop taking Clopidogrel
Do not stop the treatment unless your doctor tells you
so. Contact your doctor or pharmacist before stopping.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the carton and on the blister after EXP. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
Do not store above 25°C.
Store in the original package.
Do not use this medicine if you notice any visible sign of deterioration.
Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
4 Possible side effects
Contents of the pack and other information
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
Contact your doctor immediately if you experience:
• fever, signs of infection or extreme tiredness. These may be due to rare decrease of some blood cells.
• signs of liver problems such as yellowing of the skin and/or the eyes (jaundice), whether or not associated with bleeding which appears under the skin as red pin point dots, and/or confusion (see section 2 ‘Warnings and precautions’).
• swelling in the mouth or skin disorders such as rashes and itching, blisters of the skin. These may be the signs of an allergic reaction.
The most common side effect reported with clopidogrel is bleeding.
Bleeding may occur as bleeding in the stomach or bowels, bruising, haematoma (unusual bleeding or bruising under the skin), nose bleed, blood in the urine. In a small number of cases, bleeding in the eye, inside the head, the lung or the joints have also been reported.
If you experience prolonged bleeding when taking Clopidogrel
If you cut or injure yourself, it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. This is linked to the way your medicine works as it prevents the ability of blood clots to form. For minor cuts and injuries e.g., cutting yourself, shaving, this is usually of no concern. However, if you are concerned by your bleeding, you should contact your doctor straightaway (see section 2 ‘Warnings and precautions’).
Other side effects include:
What Clopidogrel contains
• The active substance is clopidogrel.
Each film-coated tablet contains 75 mg of clopidogrel (as hydrochloride).
• The other ingredients are (see section 2 'Clopidogrel contains hydrogenated castor oil’)
- Tablet core: microcrystalline cellulose low-substituted hydroxypropyl cellulose hydrogenated castor oil -Tablet coating:
Opadry pink 03B54942 containing hypromellose (E464), titanium dioxide (E171), macrogol 400 and red iron oxide (E172).
What Clopidogrel looks like and contents of the pack
Clopidogrel are pink colored, film coated, round shaped tablets, plain on both sides.
OPA/ALU/PVC//Alu blisters containing: 7, 10, 14, 28, 30, 56, 84, 90, 98 and 100 film-coated tablets.
Not all pack sizes may be marketed.
Marketing Authorisation Holder
Sandoz Limited, Frimley Business Park, Frimley,
Camberley, Surrey, GU16 7SR, UK.
Manufacturer
Lek Pharmaceuticals d.d. Verovskova 57,1526 Ljubljana, Slovenia or Salutas Pharma GmbH, Otto-von-Guericke-Allee 1,39179 Barleben, Germany or Salutas Pharma GmbH, Dieselstrasse 5, 70839 Gerlingen, Germany.
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This leaflet was last revised in 11/2014. SZ00000LT000