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What is Lanoxin
 Lanoxin
helps the heart to beat more strongly and regularly.
Lanoxin
is used to treat conditions such as congestive heart failure
and atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter (types of fast heartbeats).
Lanoxin
may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this
medication guide.
General medical information about Lanoxin
Do not stop taking Lanoxin suddenly. Stopping suddenly
could make your condition worse. Even if you feel better,
you need to keep taking this medication to help the heart
work properly. Make sure you always have enough Lanoxin
on hand for vacations and holidays.
Ask
your doctor to teach you how to monitor your heart rate and
at what heart rate you should notify them before taking any
more medication.
What you should find out before taking Lanoxin Before taking this medication, tell your doctor if
you:
- have kidney disease;
- have thyroid
disease, or
- are taking any other heart medication.
You may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring
while taking Lanoxin.
Lanoxin is in the FDA pregnancy
category C. This means that it is not known whether Lanoxin
will be harmful to an unborn baby. Do not take this medication
without first talking to your doctor if you are pregnant
or could become pregnant during treatment.
Lanoxin
passes into breast milk and may harm a nursing infant. Do
not take this medication without first talking to your doctor
if you are breast-feeding a baby.
If you are over
65 years of age, you may be more likely to experience side
effects from Lanoxin. You may require a dosage adjustment
or special monitoring.
How should take Lanoxin Take Lanoxin exactly as directed by your doctor.
If you do not understand these directions, ask your pharmacist,
nurse, or doctor to explain them to you.
Take each
dose with a full glass of water.
Try to take Lanoxin
at the same time every day.
Ask your doctor to teach
you how to monitor your heart rate and at What heart rate
you should notify them before taking any more medication.
Do not stop taking Lanoxin suddenly. Stopping suddenly
could make your condition worse. Even if you feel better,
you may need to keep taking this medication to help the
heart work properly. Make sure you always have enough Lanoxin
on hand for vacations and holidays.
Your doctor may
want to perform blood tests during treatment with Lanoxin
to monitor the amount of medication in your body.
Store this medication at room temperature away from moisture
and heat.
If you miss a dose: Take the missed dose up to 12 hours late. If more
than 12 hours have passed, skip the missed dose and take
only the next regularly scheduled dose. Do Not take a double
dose of this medication.
What happens if you overdose: Seek emergency medical attention.
Symptoms
of a Lanoxin overdose include nausea, vomiting, decreased
appetite, diarrhea, confusion, seizures, hallucinations,
light "halos" around objects, green or yellow
vision, fatigue, irregular heartbeats, and abnormally fast
or slow heartbeats.
Avoid while taking Lanoxin There are no restrictions on food, beverages, or
activity while taking Lanoxin unless otherwise directed
by your doctor.
Possible side effects of Lanoxin If you experience any of the following serious side
effects, stop taking Lanoxin and seek medical attention
or contact your doctor immediately:
- an allergic
reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of the throat; swelling
of the lips, tongue, or face; or hives);
- a severe
headache, fainting, or extreme drowsiness or dizziness;
- irregular heartbeats;
- slow heartbeats
(fewer than 60 beats per minute);
- abnormally fast
heartbeats;
- vision changes (e.g., yellow-green
or blurred vision);
- hallucinations; or
-
abnormal or psychotic behavior.
If you experience
any of the following less serious side effects, continue
to take Lanoxin and talk to your doctor if you experience
- decreased appetite and diarrhea;
- unusual
tiredness or weakness;
- depression;
- nausea
or vomiting;
- drowsiness or dizziness;
-
decreased sex drive; or
- enlarged breasts in males.
Side effects other than those listed here may also
occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems
unusual or that is especially bothersome.
What other drugs will affect Lanoxin Before taking Lanoxin, tell your doctor if you are
taking any of the following medicines:
- another
medication for irregular heartbeats, such as quinidine (Quinidex,
Quinora, Cardioquin, others), amiodarone (Cordarone), or
propafenone (Rythmol);
- an antacid or laxative that
contains aluminum, magnesium, or kaolin-pectin such as Maalox,
Rolaids, Mylanta, Milk of Magnesia, and others;
-
a beta-blocker such as atenolol (Tenormin), propranolol
(Inderal), acebutolol (Sectral), metoprolol (Lopressor),
carteolol (Cartrol), labetalol (Normodyne, Trandate), or
nadolol (Corgard);
- a calcium channel blocker such
as diltiazem (Cardizem, Dilacor XR, Tiazac), amlodipine
(Norvasc), felodipine (Plendil), nifedipine (Procardia,
Adalat), verapamil (Verelan, Calan, Isoptin, Covera-HS),
and others;
- a cancer chemotherapy drug;
-
a diuretic (water pill) such as hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ,
HydroDiuril, others), chlorothiazide (Diuril), chlorthalidone
(Hygroton, Thalitone), furosemide (Lasix), torsemide (Demadex),
bumetanide (Bumex), ethacrynic acid (Edecrin), triamterene
(Dyrenium, Maxzide, Dyazide), amiloride (Midamor), spironolactone
(Aldactone), eplerenone (Inspra), and others;
- a
steroid medicine such as prednisone (Deltasone), methylprednisolone
(Medrol, others), prednisolone (Prelone, Pediapred, others),
dexamethasone (Decadron), and others;
- a thyroid
medication;
- alprazolam (Xanax);
- amphotericin
B (Fungizone);
- cholestyramine (Questran, Prevalite)
or colestipol (Colestid);
- erythromycin (E.E.S.,
E-Mycin, Eryc, Ery-Tab, PCE, others) or clarithromycin (Biaxin);
- indomethacin (Indocin);
- itraconazole (Sporanox);
- metoclopramide (Reglan);
- rifampin (Rifadin,
Rimactane);
- sulfasalazine (Azulfidine); or
-
tetracycline (Broadspec, Emtet, Panmycin, Sumycin, Tetracap,
others).
You may require a dosage adjustment or special
monitoring if you are taking any of the medicines listed
above.
Drugs
other than those listed here may also interact with Lanoxin
or affect your condition. Talk to your doctor and pharmacist
before taking any prescription or over-the-counter medicines,
including herbal products. |
