Anagrelide Glenmark 0.5 mg Capsule, hard

Anagrelide

Anagrelide Glenmark 0.5 mg Capsule, hard contains the active substance, anagrelide.

Anagrelide Glenmark 0.5 mg Capsule, hard is a medicine which interferes with the development of platelets. It reduces the number of platelets produced by the bone marrow, which results in a decrease in the platelet count in the blood towards a more normal level. For this reason it is used to treat patients with essential thrombocythaemia.

Essential thrombocythaemia is a condition which occurs when the bone marrow produces too many of the blood cells known as platelets. Large numbers of platelets in the blood can cause serious problems with blood circulation and clotting.

Always take Anagrelide Glenmark 0.5 mg Capsule, hard exactly as your doctor has told you.

Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.

The amount of Anagrelide Glenmark 0.5 mg Capsule, hard that people take can be different, and this depends on your condition. Your doctor will prescribe the best dose for you.

The usual starting dose of Anagrelide Glenmark 0.5 mg Capsule, hard is 1 mg. You take this dose as one capsule of 0.5 mg twice a day, for at least a week. After this time, your doctor may either increase or decrease the number of capsules that you take to find the dose best suited to you and which treats your condition most effectively.

Your capsules should be swallowed whole with a glass of water. Do not crush the capsules or dilute the contents in a liquid. You can take the capsules with food or after a meal or on an empty stomach. It is best to take the capsule(s) at the same time every day.

Do not take more or less capsules than your doctor has recommended. Do not stop taking the medicine without first talking to your doctor. You should not suddenly stop taking this medicine on your own.

Your doctor will ask you to have blood tests at regular intervals to check that your medicine is working effectively and that your liver and kidneys are working well.

Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. If you are worried, speak to your doctor.

Serious side effects:

Uncommon: Heart failure (signs include shortness of breath, chest pain, swelling of the legs due to fluid build-up), severe problem with the rate or rhythm of the heart beat (ventricular tachycardia, supraventricular tacycardia or atrial fibrillation), inflammation of the pancreas which causes severe abdominal and back pain (pancreatitis), vomiting blood or passing bloody or black stools, severe reduction in blood cells which can cause weakness, bruising, bleeding or infections (pancytopenia), pulmonary hypertension (signs include shortness of breath, swelling in legs or ankles, and lips and skin can turn bluish colour).

Rare: Kidney failure (when you pass little or no urine), heart attack.

If you notice any of these side effects, contact your doctor immediately.

Very common side effects: may affect more than 1 in 10 people

Headache.

Common side effects: may affect up to 1 in 10 people

Dizziness, tiredness, rapid heart beat, irregular or strong heartbeat (palpitations), feeling sick (nausea), diarrhoea, stomach pain, wind, being sick (vomiting), reduction in red blood cell count (anaemia), fluid retention or rash.

Uncommon side effects: may affect up to 1 in 100 people

A feeling of weakness or feeling unwell, high blood pressure, irregular heart beat, fainting, chills or fever, indigestion, loss of appetite, constipation, bruising, bleeding, swelling (oedema), weight loss, muscle aches, painful joints, back pain, decreased or loss of feeling or sensation such as numbness, especially in the skin, abnormal feeling or sensation such as tingling and ‘pins and needles’, sleeplessness, depression, confusion, nervousness, dry mouth, loss of memory, breathlessness, nosebleed, serious lung infection with fever, shortness of breath, cough, phlegm; hair loss, skin itching or discolouration, impotence, chest pain, reduction in blood platelets, which increases the risk of bleeding or bruising (thrombocytopenia), accumulation of fluid around the lungs or an increase in liver enzymes.

Your doctor may do a blood test which may show an increase in your liver enzymes.

Rare side effects: may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people

Bleeding gums, weight gain, severe chest pain (angina pectoris), heart muscle disease, (signs include fatigue, chest pain and palpitations), enlarged heart, accumulation of fluid around the heart, painful spasm of the blood vessels on the heart (while resting, usually at night or early morning) (Prinzmetal angina), loss of coordination, difficulty in speaking, dry skin, migraine, visual disturbances or double vision, ringing in the ears, dizziness on standing up, (especially when getting up from a sitting or lying position), increased need to pass water at night, pain, ‘flu-like’ symptoms, sleepiness, widening of blood vessels, inflammation of the large bowel (signs include: diarrhoea, usually with blood and mucus, stomach pain, fever), inflammation of the stomach (signs include: pain, nausea, vomiting), area of abnormal density in the lung, increased creatinine level in blood tests, which may be a sign of kidney problems.

The following side effects have been reported but it is not known exactly how often they occur:

• Potentially life-threatening, irregular heart beat (torsade de pointes);
• Inflammation of the liver, symptoms include nausea, vomiting, itching, yellowing of the skin and eyes, discoloration of stool and urine (hepatitis);
• Lung inflammation (signs include fever, coughing, difficulty breathing, wheezing; which causes scaring of the lungs) (allergic alveolitis, including interstitial lung disease, pneumonitis);
• Inflammation of the kidneys (Tubulointerstitial nephritis);
• Stroke (see section 2).

Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.

Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the carton and bottle label after EXP. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.

Do not store above 30°C. Store in the original package in order to protect from moisture.

After first opening use within 100 days, keep the bottle tightly closed and store at dry conditions.

If your doctor stops your medicine, do not keep any leftover capsules unless your doctor tells you to. Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.