Trandate

Trandate is a prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure. This medication belongs to a group of drugs called beta blockers. These work by relaxing blood vessels and slowing the heart rate to improve blood flow and decrease blood pressure.

Trandate comes in tablet form to be taken by mouth. It is usually taken 2 or 3 times a day, with or without food.

Common side effects of Trandate include nausea, tiredness, and stomach upset. Trandate can also cause dizziness and drowsiness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Trandate affects you.

Trandate is a prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure.

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

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

The dose your doctor recommends may be based on the following:

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

The recommended starting dose of Trandate is 100 mg 2 times daily. The dose is slowly increased based on individual response to the drug until the target blood pressure is reached. The usual maintenance dose of Trandate is 200 to 400 mg 2 times daily.

Serious side effects have been reported with Trandate, including the following:

• shortness of breath
• swelling of the feet and lower legs
• suddent weight gain
• chest pain

Trandate can cause dizziness and drowsiness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Trandate affects you.

Do not take Trandate if you:

• are allergic to Trandate or to any of its ingredients
• have bronchial asthma
• have overt cardiac failure
• have greater-than-first-degree heart block
• have cardiogenic shock
• have severely low heart rate
• have conditions associated with severe and prolonged low blood pressure

Beta-blockers, including Trandate, should not be used in patients with a history of obstructive airway disease, including asthma.

Do not stop taking Trandate without talking to your doctor first. If Trandate is stopped suddenly, it may cause chest pain or a heart attack in some people.

Serious side effects have been reported with Trandate. see the "Trandate Precautions" section.

Common side effects of Trandate include:

• dizziness
• nausea
• tiredness
• headache
• stuffy nose

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

Call your doctor for medical 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, vitamines, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• other medications for high blood pressure or heart disease
• cimetidine (Tagamet)
• nitroglycerin
• medications for asthma, headaches, allergies, colds, or pain
• vitamins

This is not a complete list of Trandate 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.

Trandate falls into Category C. In animal studies, pregnant animals were given this medication and had some problems related to the pregnancy. No well-controlled studies have been done in humans. 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.

Trandate has been detected in human breast milk. Because of the possibility for adverse reactions in nursing infants from Trandate, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or to stop use of this medication. The importance of the drug to the mother should be considered.