Product Details

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU TAKE SOTALOL TABLETS

Do not take Sotalol Tablets: • if you are allergic to sotalol hydrochloride or any of the other ingredients in this medicine (listed in section 6). • if you suffer from asthma, attacks of wheezing or any other lung disease. • if you have a very slow heart beat or low blood pressure. • if you suffer from a condition causing discolouration (white or purple) of the hands and feet (Raynaud’s syndrome). • if you suffer from any severe circulation disorders. • if you have suffered from heart disease (such as untreated heart failure) or had a recent heart attack that your doctor does not know about. • if you suffer from a condition called metabolic acidosis. • if you suffer from an untreated tumour of the adrenal gland • if you suffer from kidney failure. If you are affected by any of the above you should tell your doctor before taking this medicine. Warning and precautions Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Sotalol tablets. Your doctor may wish to check the level of potassium and magnesium in your blood before you start taking Sotalol tablets. Regular blood tests may be required during your treatment with Sotalol tablets. You must tell your doctor: • if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant or are breast-feeding. • if you have any kidney problems, as your dose of Sotalol tablets may need to be changed. • if you suffer from diabetes, as it may be necessary to change the dose of insulin or any other medicines you take to treat your diabetes. Sotalol tablets may also hide or reduce the warning signs of low levels of sugar in your blood (hypoglycaemia). • if you have an overactive thyroid, as Sotalol tablets can hide the symptoms or make them worse if treatment with Sotalol tablets is stopped suddenly. • if you suffer from, or have recently suffered from diarrhoea, or if you have recently had severe diarrhoea, or an attack that lasted a long time. This is because it can affect the levels of potassium and magnesium in the body, and you may not be able to take Sotalol tablets. • if you suffer from psoriasis (a skin disease that causes itchy, red, sore patches of skin). • if you suffer from liver problems. If you need to have surgery, you should tell the doctor or anaesthetist that you are taking Sotalol tablets as it can affect anaesthetics. You may have to stop taking Sotalol tablets before surgery and it should be gradually stopped over a period of one week. Your doctor will tell you if this is necessary. Children Sotalol tablets are not recommended for use in children. Other medicines and Sotalol Tell your doctor if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines, including those obtained without a prescription. Some medicines can have an effect on each others actions. It is especially important that you tell your doctor if you are taking the following medicines: Ÿ for the treatment of high blood pressure, heart failure or an irregular heartbeat (e.g. digoxin, amiodarone, verapamil) Ÿ floctafenine (medicine used for the short term treatment of mild to moderate pain) Ÿ for the treatment of certain infections (e.g. amphotericin B, pentamidine, halofantrine) Ÿ steroids Ÿ laxatives Ÿ clonidine (sometimes used to treat hot flushes or headaches) Ÿ for the treatment of hypertension (e.g. reserpine, guanethidine or alpha methyldopa) Ÿ for the treatment of diabetes (e.g. metformin or insulin) Ÿ for the treatment of asthma and other diseases of the lung (e.g. ventolin inhalers) Ÿ for depression, anxiety, nervous disorders and mental disturbances (e.g. methyldopa) Ÿ for allergies such as hay fever (e.g. antihistamines) Ÿ antibiotics Ÿ water tablets (diuretics) Sotalol with food, drink and alcohol Moderate amounts of alcohol will not affect Sotalol, however you should check with your doctor first to see if drinking is advisable for you. Pregnancy, breast-feeding and fertility If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor for advice before taking this medicine. You should not be given Sotalol tablets during pregnancy unless your doctor thinks it is essential. You should not breastfeed while you are being treated with Sotalol tablets. Driving and using machines Sotalol does not usually affect your ability to drive. However, if you feel lightheaded or dizzy, do not drive or operate machinery. Sotalol tablets contain sodium This medicine contains less than 1mmol sodium (23mg) per tablet, which is to say essentially ‘sodium free’