Istin 5mg Tablets
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PATIENT INFORMATION LEAFLET
Istin™ 5mg Tablets (amlodipine besilate)
This medicine is available in a higher strength of 10mg.
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 symptoms are the same as yours.
- If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.
What is in this leaflet:
1. What Istin 5mg Tablets are and what they are used for
2. What you need to know before you take Istin 5mg Tablets
3. How to take Istin 5mg Tablets
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Istin 5mg Tablets
6. Contents of the pack and other information
1. What Istin 5mg Tablets are and what they are used for
Istin 5mg Tablets contain the active substance amlodipine which belongs to a group of medicines called calcium antagonists.
Istin 5mg Tablets are used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension) or a certain type of chest pain called angina, a rare form of which is Prinzmetal’s or variant angina.
In patients with high blood pressure this medicine works by relaxing blood vessels, so that blood passes through them more easily. In patients with angina Istin 5mg Tablets work by improving blood supply to the heart muscle which then receives more oxygen and as a result chest pain is prevented. This medicine does not provide immediate relief of chest pain from angina.
2. What you need to know before you take Istin 5mg Tablets
Do not take Istin 5mg Tablets
• If you are allergic (hypersensitive) to amlodipine, or any of the other ingredients of this medicine listed in section 6, or to any other calcium antagonists. This may be itching, reddening of the skin or difficulty in breathing.
• If you have severe low blood pressure (hypotension).
• If you have narrowing of the aortic heart valve (aortic stenosis) or cardiogenic shock (a condition where your heart is unable to supply enough blood to the body).
• If you suffer from heart failure after a heart attack.
Warnings and precautions
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Istin 5mg Tablets.
You should inform your doctor if you have or have had any of the following conditions:
• Recent heart attack
• Heart failure
• Severe increase in blood pressure (Hypertensive crisis)
• Liver disease
• You are elderly and your dose needs to be increased Children and adolescents
Istin 5mg Tablets have not been studied in children under the age of 6 years. Istin 5mg Tablets should only be used for hypertension in children and adolescents from 6 years to 17 years of age (see section 3).
For more information, talk to your doctor.
Other medicines and Istin 5mg Tablets
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken any other medicines, including medicines obtained without a prescription.
Istin 5mg Tablets may affect or be affected by other medicines, such as:
• ketoconazole, itraconazole (anti-fungal medicines)
• ritonavir, indinavir, nelfinavir (so called protease inhibitors used to treat HIV)
• rifampicin, erythromycin, clarithromycin (antibiotics)
• hypericum perforatum (St. John’s Wort)
• verapamil, diltiazem (heart medicines)
• dantrolene (infusion for severe body temperature abnormalities)
• simvastatin (cholesterol lowering medicine)
• cyclosporine (an immunosuppressant)
Istin 5mg Tablets may lower your blood pressure even more if you are already taking other medicines to treat your high blood pressure.
Istin 5mg Tablets with food and drink
Grapefruit juice and grapefruit should not be consumed by people who are taking Istin 5mg Tablets. This is because grapefruit and grapefruit juice can lead to an increase in the blood levels of the active ingredient amlodipine, which can cause an unpredictable increase in the blood pressure lowering effect of Istin 5mg Tablets.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding
Pregnancy
The safety of amlodipine in human pregnancy has not been established.
If you think you might be pregnant, or are planning to get pregnant, you must tell your doctor before you take Istin 5mg Tablets.
Breast-feeding
It is not known whether amlodipine is passed into breast milk. If you are breast-feeding or about to start breastfeeding you must tell your doctor before taking Istin 5mg Tablets.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking any medicine.
Driving and using machines
Istin 5mg Tablets may affect your ability to drive or use machines. If the tablets make you feel sick, dizzy or tired, or give you a headache, do not drive or use machines and contact your doctor immediately.
Important information about some of the ingredients of Istin 5mg Tablets
This medicine contains less than 1 mmol sodium
(23 mg) per tablet, which means it is essentially ‘sodium-
free’.
3. How to take Istin 5mg Tablets
Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
The recommended initial dose is Istin 5mg Tablets once daily. The dose can be increased to Istin 10mg Tablets once daily.
This medicine can be used before or after food and drinks. You should take this medicine at the same time each day with a drink of water. Do not take Istin 5mg Tablets with grapefruit juice.
Use in children and adolescents
For children and adolescents (6-17 years old), the recommended usual starting dose is 2.5mg a day.
The maximum recommended dose is 5mg a day.
Istin 5mg Tablets can be divided into halves to provide a 2.5mg dose.
It is important to keep taking the tablets.
Do not wait until your tablets are finished before seeing your doctor.
If you take more Istin 5mg Tablets than you should
Taking too many tablets may cause your blood pressure to become low or even dangerously low.
You may feel dizzy, lightheaded, faint or weak. If blood pressure drop is severe enough shock can occur. Your skin could feel cool and clammy and you could lose consciousness. Seek immediate medical attention if you take too many Istin tablets.
If you forget to take Istin 5mg Tablets
Do not worry. If you forget to take a tablet, leave out that dose completely. Take your next dose at the right time.
Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed dose.
If you stop taking Istin 5mg Tablets
Your doctor will advise you how long to take this medicine. Your condition may return if you stop using this medicine before you are advised.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
4. Possible side effects
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
Visit your doctor immediately if you experience any of the following side effects after taking this medicine.
• Sudden wheeziness, chest pain, shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing
• Swelling of eyelids, face or lips
• Swelling of the tongue and throat which causes great difficulty breathing
• Severe skin reactions including intense skin rash, hives, reddening of the skin over your whole body, severe itching, blistering, peeling and swelling of the skin, inflammation of mucous membranes (Stevens Johnson Syndrome) or other allergic reactions
• Heart attack, abnormal heart beat
• Inflamed pancreas which may cause severe abdominal and back pain accompanied with feeling very unwell
The following very common side effect has been reported. If this causes you problems or if it lasts for more than one week, you should contact your doctor.
Very common: may affect more than 1 in 10 people
Ankle swelling (oedema)
The following common side effects have been reported. If any of these cause you problems or if they last for more than one week, you should contact your doctor.
Common: may affect up to 1 in 10 people
• Headache, dizziness, sleepiness (especially at the beginning of treatment)
• Palpitations (awareness of your heart beat), flushing
• Abdominal pain, feeling sick (nausea)
• Altered bowel habits, diarrhoea, constipation, indigestion
• Tiredness, weakness
• Visual disturbances, double vision
• Muscle cramps
Other side effects that have been reported include the following list. If any of these get serious, or if you notice any side effects not listed in this leaflet, please tell your doctor or pharmacist.
Uncommon: may affect up to 1 in 100 people
• Mood changes, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness
• Trembling, taste abnormalities, fainting, weakness
• Numbness or tingling sensation in your limbs, loss of pain sensation
• Ringing in the ears
• Low blood pressure
• Sneezing/running nose caused by inflammation of the lining of the nose (rhinitis)
• Cough
• Dry mouth, vomiting (being sick)
• Hair loss, increased sweating, itchy skin, red patches on skin, skin discolouration
• Disorder in passing urine, increased need to urinate at night, increased number of times of passing urine
• Inability to obtain an erection, discomfort or enlargement of the breasts in men
• Pain, feeling unwell
• Joint or muscle pain, back pain
• Weight increase or decrease
Rare: may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people
• Confusion
Very rare: may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people
• Decreased numbers of white blood cells, decrease in blood platelets which may result in unusual bruising or easy bleeding (red blood cell damage)
• Excess sugar in blood (hyperglycaemia)
• A disorder of the nerves which can cause weakness, tingling or numbness
• Swelling of the gums
• Abdominal bloating (gastritis)
• Abnormal liver function, inflammation of the liver (hepatitis), yellowing of the skin (jaundice), liver enzyme increase which may have an effect on some medical tests
• Increased muscle tension
• Inflammation of blood vessels, often with skin rash
• Sensitivity to light
• Disorders combining rigidity, tremor, and/or movement disorders
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at: 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 Istin 5mg Tablets
Keep out of the sight and reach of children Do not store above 25 °C.
Do not use your medicine after the expiry date which is stamped on the pack. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
Medicines should not be disposed of via wastewater of household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of medicines no longer required. These measures will help to protect the environment.
If the tablets become discoloured or show any signs of deterioration, you should seek the advice of your pharmacist.
6. Contents of the pack and other information What Istin 5mg Tablets contain
- Each tablet contains amlodipine besilate, equivalent to 5mg amlodipine.
- The other ingredients are microcrystalline cellulose, calcium hydrogen phosphate, sodium starch glycollate (type A) and magnesium stearate.
What Istin 5mg Tablets look like and contents of the pack
Istin 5mg Tablets are white to off-white, emerald shaped tablets engraved AML 5 and breaker score on one side and Pfizer logo on the other side.
Istin 5mg Tablets come in packs of 30 tablets.
Manufacturer: Pfizer Manufacturing Deutschland GmbH, Heinrich-Mack-Strasse 35, 89257 Illertissen, Germany
Procured from within the EU and repackaged by:
Amimed Direct Ltd, Hendon, London, NW9 6AQ.
Product Licence Holder: Sam Pharma Ltd, Unit 20, Garrick Industrial Estate, Irving Way, Hendon, London, NW9 6AQ.
PL No: 33902/0309 POM
This leaflet was approved: 05/03/2015
Istin™ is a registered trademark of Pfizer Ltd.
S0309-30-PL-PIL-05.03.2015