Comparing Pentoxifylline vs Trental

For Intermittent Claudication It took about 9 weeks of use for it to kick in , but the pain was then reduced by at least 90% making it bearable to wait out the tests and appointments and scans which have taken several months already to try to determine the cause. Only side effect is drowsiness and occasional nausea which lasts a few minutes . I can't seem to sleep enough to catch up. I have been on it for 5 months now. Swelling suddenly came up in November 2015 and was finally prescribed Pentoxifylline in April 2016 after 5 months of real pain, then 2 more months before it took effect.

For Intermittent Claudication I experienced what is described as "blue/purple finger(s)" in my left hand. After an intensive vascular examination, this was determined to be caused by vascular spasms. After being prescribed Trental by my doctor. The blue/purple condition of my hand fingers returned to normal skin color in about two or three days. There were no noticeable side effects and when I stopped taking the medication, the condition did not return to "blue/purple" and to date remains a normal skin color.

For Intermittent Claudication I have had significant leg pain for a long time. This medication took about 1-2 months to start working, but then it was great. I could run on the treadmill at much faster speeds and for much longer - when previously I'd have cramps. Also, standing stationary used to be painful after 5-10 minutes - but this also improved. The only problem is that this medication can cause anxiety and insomnia since it is derived from xanthine (chemical "cousin" of caffeine). This is listed as a rare side effect on the drug insert, but I have heard it is more common from my doctor. I was actually given this for Peyronie's disease (off-label), but it didn't do much for that. It is supposed to inhibit TGF-beta (a cytokine) - decreasing scar tissue.