clonidine hydrochloride
Consumer Medicine Information
What is in this leaflet
This leaflet answers some common questions about Catapres Ampoule.
It does not contain all the available information.
It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.
All medicines have benefits and risks. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you using Catapres against the benefits they expect it will have for you.
If you have any concerns about being treated with Catapres, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
This leaflet was last updated on the date at the end of this leaflet. More recent information may be available. The latest Consumer Medicine Information is available from your pharmacist, doctor.
Keep this leaflet.
You may need to read it again.
What Catapres Ampoule is used for
Catapres lowers high blood pressure, also called hypertension.
Everyone has blood pressure. This pressure helps your blood move around your body. Your blood pressure may be different at different times of the day. You have hypertension when your blood pressure stays higher than normal, even when you are calm or relaxed.
There are usually no signs of hypertension. The only way of knowing that you have hypertension is to have your blood pressure checked on a regular basis. You may feel fine and have no symptoms, but if high blood pressure is not treated, it can lead to serious health problems (such as heart disease).
Catapres works by relaxing and widening blood vessels and so helps to lower your blood pressure.
Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why this medicine is being given to you.
Your doctor may have prescribed it for another reason.
Before you are given Catapres Ampoule
When you should not be given it
You should not be given Catapres if you have an allergy to:
any medicine containing clonidine
any of the ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet.
Some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction may include:
shortness of breath
wheezing or difficulty breathing
swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other parts of the body
rash, itching or hives on the skin.
Catapres should not be given to you if you have certain heart problems, such as irregular/slow heartbeat.
You should not be given this medicine if you are pregnant.
It may affect your developing baby if you are given it during pregnancy.
Do not breast-feed if you are given this medicine.
The active ingredient in Catapres passes into breast milk and there is a possibility that your baby may be affected.
This medicine should not be given to a child under the age of 18 years of age.
Serious side effects have been observed when clonidine, the active ingredient in Catapres, is used with methylphenidate in children with ADHD. Therefore, Catapres in this combination is not recommended.
Catapres must not be used after the expiry date printed on the pack or ampoule or if the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering.
If you are not sure whether you should be given this medicine, talk to your doctor.
Before you are given it
Tell your doctor if you have allergies to any other medicines, foods, preservatives or dyes.
Tell your doctor if you have or have had any of the following medical conditions:
heart failure or any heart or circulation problem
stroke, or transient ischaemic attack (TIA)
mental depression
sugar diabetes
nerve damage, which may lead to weakness in the arms and legs
constipation
phaeochromocytoma (a rare tumour of the adrenal gland)
any problems with your kidneys.
If you are uncertain as to whether you have, or have had, any of these conditions you should raise those concerns with your doctor.
If you have not told your doctor about any of the above, tell him/her before you are given Catapres.
Taking other medicines
Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medicines, including any that you get without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.
Some medicines and Catapres may interfere with each other. These include:
other medicines for high blood pressure
medicines for heart problems
alcohol
medicines used to control mood swings and some types of depression
medicines used to relieve pain, swelling or other symptoms of inflammation.
These medicines may be affected by Catapres, or may affect how well it works. You may need different amounts of your medicines, or you may need to take different medicines.
Your doctor and pharmacist have more information on medicines to be careful with or avoid while being given this medicine.
How Catapres Ampoule is given
How it is given
Catapres Ampoule can be given as an injection into a muscle or as a slow injection into a vein .
Catapres Ampoule must only be given by a doctor or nurse in a setting where appropriate equipment is readily available for diagnosis and patient monitoring.
Catapres Ampoule should only be given to patients in a lying position.
Your doctor will decide what dose of Catapres Ampoule you will receive.
If you are given too much (overdose)
As Catapres Ampoule is given to you under the supervision of your doctor, it is very unlikely that you will receive too much.
Symptoms of an overdose may include slow heartbeat, drowsiness, temporarily stopping breathing and coma. Other signs include dizziness, weakness, lethargy, feeling cold, vomiting, looking pale, or having an irregular heartbeat.
Tell your doctor or nurse immediately if you experience any signs of overdose, or, if you are not in hospital, go to the Emergency department at your nearest hospital.
You may need urgent medical attention.
While you are being given Catapres Ampoule
Things you must do
Tell any other doctors, dentists, and pharmacists who treat you that you have been given this medicine.
Side effects
Tell your doctor or nurse as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are being given Catapres Ampoule.
All medicines can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. You may need medical attention if you get some of the side effects.
Do not be alarmed by the following lists of side effects. You may not experience any of them.
Ask your doctor or nurse to answer any questions you may have.
The more frequently reported side effects of Catapres are light-headedness when you stand up suddenly, drowsiness, dryness of the mouth, nausea and vomiting.
Less frequently reported side effects of Catapres include the following:
blurred vision
dizziness
confusion
headache
sleep disturbances
mental depression
irrational or abnormal thoughts
irritability
decreased sexual drive / impotence
generally feeling unwell
thinning of hair
rash / hives / itching
constipation
dryness of the nose and eyes
pain in the salivary glands
tingling or numbness of the hands or feet
larger breasts than normal, in men
slow or irregular heart beat
blood glucose increased.
Occasional reports of abnormal liver function tests and cases of hepatitis have also been reported.
Tell your doctor or nurse as soon as possible if you experience any side effects during or after treatment with Catapres, so that these may be properly treated.
Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some people.
Tell your doctor or nurse if you notice anything unusual, during or after treatment with Catapres Ampoule.
After being given Catapres Ampoule
Catapres Ampoule will be stored in the pharmacy or ward below 30°C. Each ampoule can only be used once and unused contents of opened ampoules must be discarded.
Product Description
What it looks like
Catapres Ampoule is a clear, colourless solution. It comes in a glass ampoule.
Ingredients
Each Catapres 150 Ampoule contains 150 micrograms clonidine hydrochloride as the active ingredient in 1 mL of solution. It also contains sodium chloride, hydrochloric acid and water for injections.
