Lercastad 20

Rx

Indications

• Treatment of mild to moderate essential hypertension.

Dosage

• The recommended dosage is 10 mg (1/2 tablet) once daily, increased if necessary, after at least 2 weeks, to 20 mg (1 tablet) daily.
• Elderly: Special care should be exercised when initiating treatment in the elderly.
• Renal or hepatic dysfunction: Special care should be exercised when treatment is commenced in patients with mild to moderate renal or hepatic dysfunction. Although the usually recommended dose schedule may be tolerated by these subgroups, an increase in dose to 20 mg daily must be approached with caution. The antihypertensive effect may be enhanced in patients with hepatic impairment and consequently an adjustment of the dosage should be considered.

Usage

• Lercastad 20 is administered orally at least 15 minutes before meals.

• Hypersensitivity to lercanidipine, to any dihydropyridine or to any of the excipients.
• Pregnancy and lactation; Women of child-bearing potential unless effective contraception is used; Patients with severe hepatic impairment or in patients with severe renal impairment; Patients under the age of 18 years.
• Left ventricular outflow tract obstruction; Untreated congestive cardiac failure; Unstable angina pectoris; Within 1 month of a myocardial infarction.
• Co-administration with strong inhibitors of CYP3A4, cyclosporin, grapefruit juice.

• Headache, dizziness, peripheral oedema, tachycardia, palpitations, flushing.

• Special care should be exercised when lercanidipine is used in patients with sick sinus syndrome (if a pacemaker is not in situ), in patients with left ventricular dysfunction. It has been suggested that some short- acting dihydropyridines may be associated with increased cardiovascular risk in patients with ischaemic heart disease. Although lercanidipine is long-acting caution is required in such patients.
• Patients with rare hereditary problems of galactose intolerance, total lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption should not take this medicine.
• Patients should be aware of how they react to drug before driving or operating machinery.