Ranexa

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Treatment & Uses
Side Effects
Treating Overdose
Safety Information
Before Using

Generic Name: ranolazine (ra NOE la zeen)
Brand Names: Ranexa

What is Ranexa?

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Ranexa is an anti-anginal medication. It works by improving blood flow to help the heart work more efficiently.

Ranexa is used to chronic treat angina (chronic chest pain) when other medications have not helped the condition. It should be used in combination with another medicine (eg, amlodipine, beta-blockers, nitrates).

Ranexa may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Important information about Ranexa

You should not take Ranexa if you have liver disease. Ranexa should not be taken together with certain medicines to treat heart rhythm disorders, infections, HIV or AIDS, seizures, mental illness, pain, cancer, or stomach disorders. Before you take Ranexa, tell your doctor about all other medications you are using.

Ranexa is not for use during an acute (emergency) attack of angina. Continue using any other medicines prescribed by your doctor (such as nitroglycerin) to treat acute angina.

Before you take Ranexa, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, especially if you have a personal or family history of "Long QT syndrome." Also tell your doctor about all other medications you use regularly.

Chronic angina is often treated with a combination of different drugs. To best treat your condition, use all of your medications as directed by your doctor. Do not change your doses or medication schedule without advice from your doctor.

Before taking Ranexa

Ranexa is not for use during an acute (emergency) attack of angina. Continue using any other medicines prescribed by your doctor (such as nitroglycerin) to treat acute angina.

If you have certain conditions or take certain medications, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely use this medication. Before you take Ranexa, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, especially if you have a personal or family history of "Long QT syndrome." Also tell your doctor about all other medications you use regularly.

FDA pregnancy category C. It is not known whether Ranexa is harmful to an unborn baby. Before taking this medication, tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment. It is not known if ranolazine passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use Ranexa without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

How should I take Ranexa?

Take Ranexa exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take it in larger doses or for longer than recommended by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label.

Ranexa may be taken with or without food.

Do not crush, chew, or break an extended-release tablet. Swallow the pill whole. It is specially made to release medicine slowly in the body. Breaking the pill would cause too much of the drug to be released at one time. Do not take more than 1000 milligrams of Ranexa two times per day. Store Ranexa at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

What happens if I miss a dose?

If you miss a dose or forget to take your medicine, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at the next regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

What happens if I overdose?

Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.

Overdose can cause nausea, vomiting, numbness or tingling, dizziness, blurred vision, confusion, or fainting.

What should I avoid while taking Ranexa?

Ranexa can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.

Grapefruit and grapefruit juice may interact with Ranexa and lead to potentially dangerous effects. Discuss the use of grapefruit products with your doctor. Do not increase or decrease the amount of grapefruit products in your diet without first talking to your doctor.

Ranexa side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

feeling like you might pass out;
swelling in your hands, ankles, or feet;
slow, fast, or pounding heartbeats;
tremors or shaking;
blood in your urine;
urinating less than usual or not at all;
shortness of breath; or
skin rash, bruising, severe tingling, numbness, pain, and muscle weakness.

Less serious Ranexa side effects may include:

dizziness, spinning sensation, headache;
dry mouth;
mild nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, constipation;
weakness; or
blurred vision, ringing in your ears.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

What other drugs will affect Ranexa?

Many drugs can interact with Ranexa. Below is just a partial list. Tell your doctor if you are using:

aprepitant (Emend);
cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune, Gengraf);
digoxin (Lanoxin);
diltiazem (Cardizem, Tiazac);
itraconazole (Sporanox), ketoconazole (Nizoral);
seizure medicine such as carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol), phenytoin (Dilantin);
simvastatin (Zocor);
St. John's wort;
verapamil (Verelan, Calan, Isoptin, Covera);
an antibiotic such as azithromycin (Zithromax), clarithromycin (Biaxin), erythromycin (E-Mycin, E.E.S., Ery-Tab), rifabutin (Mycobutin), rifampin (Rifadin, Rifamate), rifapentin (Priftin), or troleandomycin (Tao);
an antifungal medication such as fluconazole (Diflucan); itraconazole (Sporanox), or ketoconazole (Nizoral);
an antidepressant such as amitriptyline (Elavil), doxepin (Adapin, Sinequan), nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor), imipramine (Tofranil), or paroxetine (Paxil);
a barbiturate such as amobarbital (Amytal), butabarbital (Butisol), mephobarbital (Mebaral), secobarbital (Seconal), or phenobarbital (Solfoton);
medicine to treat a mental illness, such as thioridazine (Mellaril), ziprasidone (Geodon);
heart rhythm medicine such as amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone), quinidine (Cardioquin, Quinidex, Quinaglute), dofetilide (Tikosyn), sotalol (Betapace, Sorine); or
HIV medicines such as amprenavir (Agenerase), tipranavir (Aptivus), indinavir (Crixivan), saquinavir (Invirase, Fortovase), lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra), fosamprenavir (Lexiva), ritonavir (Norvir), atazanavir (Reyataz), or nelfinavir (Viracept).

This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with Ranexa. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

Where can I get more information?

Your pharmacist can provide more information about Ranexa.

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use Ranexa only for the indication prescribed.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects.