Pletal

Pletal is a prescription medication used to reduce the symptoms of intermittent claudication (pain in the legs when walking due to narrowing of blood vessels). Pletal belongs to a group of drugs called phosphodiesterase III inhibitors, which help to improve blood flow to the legs.

This medication comes in tablet form and is usually taken by mouth two times a day, at least 30 minutes before or two hours after breakfast and dinner.

Common side effects of Pletal include headache, diarrhea, dizziness, and rapid or irregular heartbeat.

Pletal can also cause dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Pletal affects you.

Pletal is a prescription medication used to reduce the symptoms of intermittent claudication (pain in the legs when walking due to narrowing of blood vessels).

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Take Pletal exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.

The Pletal dose your doctor recommends will be based on the following:

• the condition being treated
• other medical conditions you have
• other medications you are taking
• how you respond to this medication
• your age

The recommended dose range for Pletal is 50 to 100 mg twice daily.

Pletal and several of its metabolites are inhibitors of phosphodiesterase III. Several drugs with this pharmacologic effect have caused decreased survival compared to placebo in patients with class III-IV congestive heart failure. Pletal is contraindicated in patients with congestive heart failure of any severity.

Serious side effects have been reported with Pletal including the following:

• fast or irregular heartbeat
• unusual bleeding or bruising
• swelling of the arms, hand, feet, ankles, or lower legs

Pletal can cause dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how this medication affects you.

Do not take Pletal if you:

• are allergic to Pletal or to any of its ingredients
• have congestive heart failure
• have bleeding disorders or active bleeding, such as bleeding ulcers, bleeding in the brain, or bleeding from any other part of the body
• have a low platelet count

Serious side effects have been reported. See "Drug Precautions" section.

Common side effects of Pletal include the following:

• headache
• diarrhea
• heartburn
• nausea
• stomach pain
• muscle pain
• rapid or irregular heartbeat
• unusual bleeding or bruising
• swelling of the arms, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs

This is not a complete list of Pletal side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Call your doctor for medication advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• warfarin (Coumadin)
• aspirin
• antifungal medications such as fluconazole (Diflucan), itraconazole (Sporanox), ketoconazole (Nizoral), and posaconazole (Noxafil)
• antiplatelet medications such as clopidogrel (Plavix), prasugrel (Effient), and ticlopidine (Ticlid)
• clarithromycin (Biaxin)
• diltiazem (Cardizem, Dilacor, Tiazac, and others)
• erythromycin (E-mycin, Ery-Tab, and others)
• fluoxetine (Prozac)
• fluvoxamine (Luvox)
• nefazodone
• omeprazole (Prilosec)
• sertraline (Zoloft)

This is not a complete list of Pletal drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Pletal falls into category C. In animal studies, pregnant animals were given this medication and had some babies born with problems. No well-controlled studies have been done in humans, though. Therefore, this medication may be used if the potential benefits to the mother outweigh the potential risks to the unborn child.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

It is not known if Pletal crosses into human milk. Because many medications can cross into human milk and because of the possibility for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants with use of this medication, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or stop the use of this medication. Your doctor and you will decide if the benefits outweigh the risk of using Pletal.

Take Pletal at least 30 minutes before or 2 hours after breakfast and dinner.

You may not see immediate benefit from using Pletal . You may experience benefit from Pletal in 2 to 4 weeks after initiation of therapy. However, treatment for up to 12 weeks may be required before a beneficial effect is experienced.