metoprolol tartrate
Consumer Medicine Information
What is in this leaflet
This leaflet answers some common questions about Lopresor.
It does not contain all the available information. It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.
The information in this leaflet was last updated on the date listed on the final page. Some more recent information on the medicine may be available.
You should ensure that you speak to your pharmacist or doctor to obtain the most up to date information on the medicine. You can also download the most up to date leaflet from www.novartis.com.au.
Those updates may contain important information about the medicine and its use of which you should be aware.
All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you taking Lopresor against the benefits they expect it will have for you.
If you have any concerns about taking this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Keep this leaflet with the medicine.
You may need to read it again.
What Lopresor is used for
Lopressor is used:
1. to lower high blood pressure, also called hypertension
2. to prevent a type of chest pain, also called angina
4. to prevent migraine headaches
Hypertension
Everyone has blood pressure. This pressure helps to move your blood around your body. Your blood pressure may be different at various times of the day, depending on how busy you are. You have hypertension (high blood pressure) when your blood pressure stays higher than is needed, even when you are calm and relaxed. If high blood pressure is not treated it can lead to serious health problems, including stroke, heart disease and kidney failure.
There are usually no symptoms of hypertension. The only way of knowing that you have it 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. Lopresor helps to lower your blood pressure.
Angina
Angina is a pain or uncomfortable feeling in the chest, often spreading to the arms or neck and sometimes to the shoulders and back. This may be caused by too little blood and oxygen getting to the heart. The pain of angina is usually brought on by exercise or stress but it can also happen while you are resting. Lopresor helps to prevent angina from happening. It is not used to treat a sudden attack.
Reducing heart complications after heart attack
After a heart attack there is a chance of developing complications such as an irregular heartbeat (also called an arrhythmia) or another heart attack. Lopresor helps to prevent these conditions from happening.
Migraine
This is a throbbing headache, usually affecting one side of the head and often accompanied by nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light.
Lopresor belongs to a group of medicines called beta-blockers. It works by affecting the body's response to some nerve impulses, especially in the heart. As a result, it decreases the heart's need for blood and oxygen and reduces the amount of work that the heart has to do. It also widens the blood vessels in the rest of the body.
Lopresor can be used alone or in combination with other medicines to treat your condition.
Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why this medicine has been prescribed for you.
Your doctor may have prescribed it for another reason.
Lopressor is not recommended for use in children.
Lopresor is only available with a doctor's prescription.
It is not addictive.
Before you take Lopresor
When you must not take it
Do not take Lopresor if you have an allergy to:
metoprolol (the active ingredient) or to any of the other ingredients of Lopresor listed at the end of this leaflet
any other beta-blocker medicines
Some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction may include:
rash
itching or hives on the skin
swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other parts of the body
shortness of breath, wheezing or troubled breathing.
Do not take Lopresor if you have any of the following medical conditions:
sudden loss of consciousness sometimes
asthma, wheezing, difficulty breathing or other severe lung problems, or you have had these problems in the past
a history of allergic problems, including hay fever
a very slow heartbeat, less than 45 to 50 beats per minute
low blood pressure
a severe blood vessel disorder causing poor circulation in the arms and legs
severe drop in blood pressure, dizziness, fast heartbeat, rapid and shallow breathing, cold clammy skin
phaeochromocytoma (a rare tumour of the adrenal gland) which is not already being treated with other medicines
sudden and oppressive chest pain, sign of heart attack
irregular heart beat
swollen ankles and/or tiredness due to heart disease or certain other heart conditions
heart disorders
poor blood circulation in your limbs (for example, very cold, pale hands or feet, or pain in your leg muscles when you walk).
undergo an operation where an anesthetic is used during treatment with
respiratory diseases such as asthma
oculomucocutaneous syndrome (signs include severe conjunctivitis and skin rash and ear infection)
If you are not sure whether any of the above medical conditions apply to you, check with your doctor.
Do not take Lopresor after the expiry date printed on the pack or if the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering.
In that case, return it to your pharmacist.
Do not give this medicine to a child.
There is not enough information on its use in children.
Before you start to take it
Tell your doctor if you are allergic to:
any other medicines, foods, dyes or preservatives
bee or wasp stings
Your doctor will want to know if you are prone to allergies. Beta-blocker medicines can make an allergic reaction worse.
Tell your doctor if you have any of the following medical conditions:
diabetes
an overactive thyroid gland
kidney problems
liver problems
chest pain when you are at rest, or certain types of angina, such as Prinzmetal angina or variant angina
Your doctor may want to take special precautions if you have any of the above conditions.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or intend to become pregnant.
Lopresor should not be used throughout pregnancy, especially during the first 3 months of pregnancy, unless clearly necessary. Lopresor may affect your baby, especially if you take it in the last few days before your baby is born. Your doctor can discuss the risks and benefits of taking this medicine during pregnancy.
Tell your doctor if you are breast-feeding or intend to breast-feed.
The active ingredient in Lopresor passes into breast milk and there is a possibility that your baby could be affected.
If you have not told your doctor about any of these things, tell him/her before you take Lopresor.
Taking other medicines
Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medicines, including medicines that you buy without a prescription from a pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.
Other medicines and Lopresor may interfere with each other. These medicines include:
other beta-blocker medicines
other medicines used to treat high blood pressure such as calcium channel blockers and clonidine
some medicines used to treat angina
adrenaline or similar substances, which are often found in eye or nose drops, or in some cough and cold medicines
other medicines used to treat irregular heart beat (arrhythmias)
medicines for diabetes
quanethidine, a medicine used to treat certain heart conditions
some local and general anaesthetics used during surgery
monoamine-oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) medicines
warfarin, a medicine used to prevent blood clots
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as COX-2 inhibitors to relieve pain or inflammation
cimetidine, a medicine for stomach ulcers
some antibiotics (e.g. rifampicin)
some antivirals (e.g. ritonavir)
some antihistamines (e.g. diphenhydramine)
some antidepressant medications (e.g. fluoxetine, paroxetine or bupropion)
some antifungals (e.g. terbinafine)
ergot alkaloids, a class of medicines used in the prevention and treatment of migraine headaches
dipyridamole, a medicine use to reduce the risk of blood clots
You may need to take 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 taking Lopresor.
How to take Lopresor
Follow the directions given to you by your doctor and pharmacist carefully.
These directions may differ from the information contained in this leaflet.
If you do not understand the instructions on the label, ask your doctor or pharmacist for help.
How much to take
High blood pressure:
The usual dose is from 50 mg to 200 mg each day, either as a single dose or divided into two doses.
Angina:
The usual dose is from 100 mg to 300 mg each day, divided into two or three doses.
After a heart attack:
The usual dose is 200 mg each day, divided into two doses.
To prevent migraine:
The usual dose is from 100 mg to 150 mg each day, divided into two doses (morning and evening).
How to take it
Swallow the tablets whole with a full glass of water or other liquid.
It does not matter if you take Lopresor before or after food, but it is important to take it in the same way each day. For example, if you always take Lopresor with food, continue taking it with food every day.
How long to take it
Continue taking Lopresor for as long as your doctor tells you to.
Lopresor helps to control your symptoms but it does not cure your condition. Your doctor will check your progress to make sure the medicine is working and will decide how long your treatment should continue.
Talk to your doctor if you are not sure how long you need to take your medicine for.
If you forget to take it
If it is almost time for your next dose (eg. within 2 or 3 hours), skip the dose you missed and take your next dose when you are meant to.
Otherwise, take the dose as soon as you remember, and then go back to taking it as you would normally.
Do not take a double dose to make up for the one that you missed.
This may increase the chance of you getting an unwanted side effect.
If you have trouble remembering when to take your medicine, ask your pharmacist for some hints.
If you take too much
Immediately telephone your doctor or Poisons Information Centre (telephone 13 11 26) for advice, or go to Accident and Emergency at your nearest hospital if you think that you or anyone else may have taken too much Lopresor. Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning.
Keep the telephone numbers for these places handy.
Symptoms of an overdose may include feeling sick and vomiting, bluish skin and nails, very low blood pressure, slow heartbeat, difficulty breathing, fainting, convulsions (fits) or coma.
While you are taking Lopresor
Things you must do
Be sure to keep all of your doctor's appointments so that your progress can be checked.
This helps your doctor to give you the best treatment and to prevent unwanted side effects from happening.
If you become pregnant while taking Lopresor, tell your doctor.
Your doctor can discuss with you the risks and benefits of taking it while you are pregnant.
If you have an allergic reaction to a food, another medicine or an insect sting while you are taking Lopresor, tell your doctor immediately.
There is a chance that Lopresor could make the allergic reaction worse or harder to treat.
If you feel light-headed, dizzy or faint when getting out of bed or standing up, get up slowly.
You may feel light-headed or dizzy when you start to take Lopresor. This is because your blood pressure is falling suddenly. If this problem doesn't go away, talk to your doctor.
To avoid symptoms of low blood pressure, here are some hints that may help:
Stand up slowly to help your body get used to the change in position and blood pressure
If you feel dizzy, sit or lie down until you feel better
If you feel faint, breathe deeply and bend forward with your head between your knees
Take extra care when exercising, driving or standing for long periods, especially in hot weather. Drink plenty of fluids, especially if you sweat a lot.
If you are being treated for diabetes, make sure you check your blood sugar regularly and report any problems to your doctor.
Lopresor may change how well your diabetes is controlled. It may also prevent some of the warning signs of low blood sugar, such as fast heart beat, and may make low blood sugar last longer. The dose of your diabetes medicines may need to be changed.
If you plan to have surgery and will need an anaesthetic, tell your doctor or dentist that you are taking Lopresor.
This will help your doctor to prevent unwanted side effects such as a sudden drop in blood pressure.
If you are about to be started on any new medicine, remind your doctor and pharmacist that you are taking Lopresor.
Tell any other doctor, dentist or pharmacist who treats you that you are taking Lopresor.
Things you must not do
Do not stop taking Lopresor without telling your doctor first.
Your doctor may want to gradually reduce the amount of Lopresor you are taking before stopping it completely. This helps to reduce the chance of your condition becoming worse or keep other unwanted heart problems from happening.
Do not use Lopresor to treat any other complaints unless your doctor says you can.
Do not give this medicine to anyone else, even if their symptoms seem to be similar to yours.
Things to be careful of
Be careful driving, operating machinery or doing jobs that require you to be alert while you are taking Lopresor until you know how it affects you.
As with other beta-blocker medicines, Lopresor may cause dizziness, light-headedness or decreased alertness in some people.
If you have any of these symptoms, do not drive or do anything else that could be dangerous.
Be careful to dress warmly during cold weather, especially if you will be outside for a long time.
Like other beta-blocker medicines, Lopresor may make you more sensitive to cold temperatures, especially if you have problems with your blood circulation. These medicines tend to decrease blood circulation in the skin, fingers and toes.
Side effects
Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking Lopresor.
All medicines have side effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. You may need medical treatment if you get some of the side effects. If you are over 65 years of age, you may have an increased chance of getting side effects.
Do not be alarmed by this list of possible side effects. You may not experience any of them.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have.
Tell your doctor if you notice any of the following side effects and they worry you:
tiredness, drowsiness, decreased alertness
dizziness, spinning sensation (vertigo), light-headedness or fainting
headache or other aches and pains
difficulty sleeping, nightmares
depression or other changes in mood
confusion or loss of memory
stomach ache or upset, nausea (feeling sick) or vomiting
diarrhoea or constipation
dry or irritated eyes, blurred vision
buzzing or ringing in the ears, or other difficulty hearing
dry mouth
increased sweating
runny or blocked nose
problems with sexual function
numbness, tingling in the extremities
weight gain
hair thinning
worsening of psoriasis
muscle cramps or painful joints
a tingling sensation
abnormal triglycerides or cholesterol values, or liver function tests sleepiness during the day or troubled sleep
diarrhoea or constipation
Tell your doctor immediately or go to Accident and Emergency at your nearest hospital if you notice any of the following:
signs of allergy such as swelling of the face, lips or tongue which may cause problems with swallowing or breathing
chest tightness, wheezing, rattly breathing
shortness of breath, sometimes with tiredness, weakness or reduced ability to exercise
swelling of the feet or legs due to fluid build-up
coldness, burning, numbness or pain in arms and legs
chest pain
pain behind the breastbone (different from angina)
changes in heart rate (fast, slow, irregular)
yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice), sometimes with pain in the abdomen
constant "flu-like" symptoms (chills, fever, sore throat, aching joints, swollen glands, tiredness or lack of energy)
unusual bleeding or bruising
skin reactions (rash, itching, worsening of psoriasis)
symptoms of sunburn (redness, itching, swelling, blistering) that happen much more quickly than normal
abnormal thinking or hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not there)
breathlessness, difficulty breathing when lying down, swelling of the feet or legs, signs of heart disorders
The above side effects could be serious. You may need urgent medical attention.
Tell your doctor if you notice anything else that is making you feel unwell.
Other side effects not listed above may happen in some people.
After taking Lopresor
Storage
Keep your tablets in the original container until it is time to take them.
Store the tablets in a cool dry place.
Do not store Lopresor or any other medicine in the bathroom or near a sink.
Do not leave the tablets in the car or on window sills.
Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines. Lopresor will keep well if it is cool and dry.
Keep this medicine where children cannot reach it.
A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.
Disposal
If your doctor tells you to stop taking Lopresor or the expiry date on the medicine has passed, ask your pharmacist what to do with any tablets that are left over.
Product description
What it looks like
Lopressor comes in two types of tablets:
Lopresor 50 - rose pink, heart- shaped, film coated tablet, marked HM on one side and CIBA on the other; one carton contains 100 tablets.
Lopresor 100 - light blue, heart- shaped, film coated, scored tablet, marked IP on one side and CIBA on the other; one carton contains 60 tablets.
Ingredients
Active Ingredient
Lopresor 50 - 50 mg metoprolol tartrate per tablet
Lopressor 100 - 100 mg metoprolol tartrate per tablet .
Inactive Ingredients
Lopresor 50 also contains:
silica-colloidal anhydrous
cellulose-microcrystalline (E 460)
povidone (E1201)
sodium starch glycollate
magnesium stearate (E 572)
hypromellose (E 464)
titanium dioxide (E 171)
talc-purified (E 553b)
lactose
polysorbate 80
iron oxide red CI77491 (E 172)
Lopressor 100 also contains:
silica-colloidal anhydrous
cellulose-microcrystalline (E 460)
povidone (E1201)
sodium starch glycollate
magnesium stearate (E 572)
hypromellose (E 464)
titanium dioxide (E 171)
shellac (E 904)
indigo carmine CI73015 (E 132)
Lopressor tablets do not contain sucrose, tartrazine or any other azo dyes.
