General Information
Consumer Medicine Information
What is in this leaflet
This leaflet answers some common questions about Deralin.
It does not contain all of 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 taking Deralin against the benefits expected for you.
If you have any concerns about taking this medicine, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
Keep this leaflet with your medicine. You may need to read it again.
What Deralin is used for
Deralin is used to treat or prevent a number of conditions. These are:
hypertension (high blood pressure)
angina
heart beat or heart rhythm irregularities, such as those caused by anxiety or an overactive thyroid gland
essential tremor
phaeochromocytoma, a rare tumour of the adrenal gland
(only when used in combination with another medicine)
heart attack prevention or treatment, or to reduce the risk of heart problems after a heart attack
Fallot's Tetralogy
migraine prevention.
Deralin contains the active ingredient propranolol hydrochloride, which belongs to a group of medicines called beta-blockers. These medicines work by changing the body's response to some nerve impulses, especially in the heart.
Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why Deralin has been prescribed for you. Your doctor may have prescribed Deralin for another reason.
Deralin is available only with a doctor's prescription.
Before you take Deralin
When you must not take it
Do not take Deralin if you are allergic to:
propranolol hydrochloride
any of the ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet.
Some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction may include skin rash, itching or hives; swelling of the face, lips or tongue which may cause difficulty in swallowing or breathing; wheezing or shortness of breath.
Do not take Deralin if you have:
heart failure
a very slow or very irregular heart beat
Prinzmetal's angina
severe circulation problems
certain other heart conditions
lung or breathing problems such as asthma or a past history of these problems
allergies or a history of allergic problems including hay fever
low blood pressure, also called hypotension
metabolic acidosis - a high level of acid in the blood, sometimes caused by uncontrolled diabetes
untreated phaeochromocytoma
been fasting for a prolonged period of time or have low blood sugar levels.
Do not take Deralin if you are receiving:
emergency treatment for shock or severely low blood pressure
certain anaesthetics for medical or dental procedures.
Do not take Deralin if the expiry date (EXP) printed on the pack has passed. If you take this medicine after the expiry date, it may not work as well.
Do not take Deralin if the packaging shows signs of tampering or the tablets do not look quite right.
If you are not sure whether you should start taking this medicine, talk to your doctor.
Before you start to take it
Tell your doctor if you are allergic to any other medicines, foods, dyes or preservatives.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Deralin should not be taken during pregnancy unless advised by your doctor. This medicine like other medicines in its group has been associated with unwanted effects in the unborn or newborn baby.
Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or wish to breastfeed. Like other beta-blocker medicines, Deralin passes into breast milk and is not recommended for use during breastfeeding.
Tell your doctor if you have, or have had, any medical conditions, especially the following:
asthma or breathing problems
heart problems including angina
an overactive thyroid gland
history of allergies
diabetes or a history of low blood sugar
kidney problems
liver problems
history of depression
any medical condition affecting your blood vessels or circulation.
Your doctor may want to take special care if you have any of these conditions.
Tell your doctor if you plan to have surgery, including dental surgery, especially if it requires a general anaesthetic.
If you have not told your doctor about any of the above, tell them before you start taking Deralin.
Taking other medicines
Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medicines, including any that you buy without a prescription from a pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.
Some medicines may be affected by Deralin, or may affect how well it works. These include:
clonidine and hydralazine, medicines used to treat high blood pressure
calcium channel blockers, medicines used to treat high blood pressure, angina and other heart conditions such as verapamil, diltiazem, nifedipine
medicines used to treat an irregular heart beat such as digoxin, disopyramide, quinidine, mexiletine, lignocaine, flecainide, amiodarone
guanethidine, a medicine used to relieve severe pain caused by inflammation or spasm of nerves and blood vessels
medicines for migraines such as ergotamine, dihydroergotamine
medicines used to treat diabetes including insulin
medicines used to treat arthritis, pain or inflammation such as ibuprofen or indomethacin
warfarin, a medicine used to prevent blood clots
cimetidine, a medicine used to treat reflux and stomach ulcers
theophylline, a medicine used to treat asthma
chlorpromazine and thioridazine, medicines used to treat psychiatric disorders
rifampicin, an antibiotic
adrenaline, a medicine used in emergency situations.
Your doctor can tell you what to do if you are taking any of these medicines.
If you are not sure whether you are taking any of these medicines, check with your doctor or pharmacist.
Your doctor and pharmacist have more information on medicines to be careful with or avoid while taking Deralin.
How to take Deralin
Follow all directions given to you by your doctor and pharmacist carefully. They may differ from the information contained in this leaflet.
If you do not understand the instructions on the bottle, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
How much to take
The dose varies from person to person.
Your doctor will tell you how many tablets you need to take each day and when to take them.
Your dose will depend on the condition being treated and whether or not you are taking any other medicines. The dose for children will also depend on the child's weight.
The elderly and people with liver or kidney problems may need smaller doses.
How to take Deralin
Swallow the tablets with a glass of water.
When to take Deralin
Deralin can be taken with or without food.
If you forget to take Deralin
If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the dose you missed and take your next dose when you are meant to.
Otherwise, take the missed dose as soon as you remember, and then go back to taking your tablets as you would normally.
Do not take a double dose to make up for the dose you missed.
If you are not sure what to do, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
How long to take Deralin for
To properly control your condition, Deralin must be taken every day.
Keep taking Deralin for as long as your doctor recommends. Do not stop taking Deralin, or lower the dose, without checking with your doctor.
If you take too much Deralin (overdose)
Immediately telephone your doctor, or the Poisons Information Centre (telephone 13 11 26), or go to Accident and Emergency at the nearest hospital, if you think you or anyone else may have taken too much Deralin.
Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning. You may need urgent medical attention.
If you take too much Deralin, you may feel faint, very tired, have a slow heart beat or have difficulty breathing.
While you are taking Deralin
Things you must do
Before starting any new medicine, tell your doctor or pharmacist that you are taking Deralin.
Tell all the doctors, dentists and pharmacists who are treating you that you are taking Deralin.
If you become pregnant while taking Deralin, tell your doctor immediately.
Since Deralin is meant to be taken regularly every day, keep a continuous supply of medicine so you don't run out, especially over weekends or on holidays.
If you are being treated for diabetes, make sure you check your blood glucose level regularly.
Deralin may affect how well your diabetes is controlled.
Deralin may hide some signs of low blood glucose levels (hypoglycaemia) such as a fast heart beat. It may also prolong the blood glucose lowering effect of your diabetic medicine or increase the time it takes for your body to recover from low blood glucose. Your doctor therefore may need to adjust the dose of your insulin or diabetic medicines.
If you have or have had a severe allergic reaction to foods, medicines or insect stings, tell your doctor immediately. If you have a history of allergies, there is a chance that Deralin may cause allergic reactions to be worse and harder to treat.
If you plan to have surgery (including dental surgery) that requires a general anaesthetic, tell your doctor or dentist that you are taking Deralin.
Visit your doctor regularly so they can check on your progress.
Things you must not do
Do not stop taking Deralin, or lower the dose, without checking with your doctor. Stopping Deralin suddenly may worsen your angina or cause other heart complications to occur. Your doctor will tell you how to gradually reduce the amount of Deralin you are taking before stopping completely.
Do not use Deralin to treat any other conditions unless your doctor tells you to.
Do not give Deralin to anyone else, even if they have the same condition as you.
Things to be careful of
Be careful driving or operating machinery until you know how Deralin affects you. Deralin is unlikely to affect your ability to drive or operate machinery. However, as dizziness or fatigue have occasionally occurred in some people, do not drive, operate machinery or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how Deralin affects you.
Be careful drinking alcohol while taking Deralin. Combining Deralin and alcohol can make you more dizzy or lightheaded.
Be careful getting up from a sitting or lying position. Dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting may occur, especially when you get up quickly. Getting up slowly may help.
Make sure you drink enough water in hot weather and during exercise, especially if you sweat a lot. If you do not drink enough water while taking Deralin, you may feel faint, lightheaded or sick. This is because your blood pressure is dropping suddenly. If you continue to feel unwell, tell your doctor.
Dress warmly during cold weather, especially if you will be outside for a long time. Beta-blocker medicines tend to decrease blood circulation in the skin, fingers and toes. This may make you more sensitive to cold temperatures.
Side effects
Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking Deralin. Deralin helps most people and is usually well tolerated, but it may have unwanted side effects in some people.
All medicines can 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.
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 and they worry you:
tiredness
dizziness
sleeping problems, nightmares
feeling sick (nausea), vomiting
diarrhoea
stomach pain
loss of appetite.
The above list includes the milder side effects of your medicine.
Tell your doctor immediately if you notice any of the following:
dry or irritated eyes, blurred vision, conjunctivitis
ringing in the ears, difficulty hearing
numbness, tingling and colour changes in the fingers and toes when exposed to the cold
unusual bleeding or bruising under the skin
changes in mood such as depression, confusion, hallucinations
signs of frequent infections such as fever, severe chills, sore throat or mouth ulcers
signs of low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) such as sweating, weakness, hunger, dizziness, trembling, headache, flushing or paleness, numbness
sexual problems
trouble passing urine.
The above list includes serious side effects which may require medical attention.
Tell your doctor immediately or go to Accident and Emergency at the nearest hospital if you notice any of the following:
any type of skin rash
swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat which may cause difficulty in swallowing
chest tightness, difficulty breathing, wheezing
fast, slow or irregular heart beat
continued dizziness or fainting
shortness of breath (sometimes with tiredness, weakness and reduced ability to exercise), which may occur together with swelling of the feet or legs due to fluid build up.
The above list includes very serious side effects. You may need urgent medical attention or hospitalisation.
This medicine may cause low blood sugar levels (hypoglycaemia) in some people.
This may occur in people being treated with insulin and other medicines for diabetes, but occasionally can also occur in the newly born, infants, children, the elderly, people who are fasting, undergoing haemodialysis, suffering from chronic liver disease or from an overdose.
Tell your doctor if you notice anything that is making you feel unwell.
This is not a complete list of all possible side effects.
Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some people.
After taking Deralin
Storage
Keep Deralin 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.
Keep your tablets in the bottle until it is time to take them. If you take the tablets out of the bottle they will not keep well.
Keep your tablets in a cool dry place where the temperature stays below 30 °C.
Do not store Deralin or any other medicine in the bathroom or near a sink.
Do not leave Deralin in the car or on window sills. Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines.
Disposal
If your doctor tells you to stop taking Deralin, or your tablets have passed their expiry date, ask your pharmacist what to do with any that are left over.
Product description
What it looks like
Deralin tablets are available in 3 strengths:
Deralin 10 - round red tablet marked "PP/10" on one side and "G" on the other. Each bottle contains 100 tablets.
Deralin 40 - round red tablet marked "PP/40" on one side and "G" on the other. Each bottle contains 100 tablets.
Deralin 160 - round red tablet marked "PP/160" on one side and "G" on the other. Each bottle contains 50 tablets.
Ingredients
The active ingredient in Deralin is propranolol hydrochloride.
Each Deralin 10 tablet contains 10 mg of propranolol hydrochloride.
Each Deralin 40 tablet contains 40 mg of propranolol hydrochloride.
Each Deralin 160 tablet contains 160 mg of propranolol hydrochloride.
The tablets also contain the
following inactive ingredients:
calcium carbonate
croscarmellose sodium
gelatin
pregelatinised maize starch
magnesium stearate
Opadry Red OY-7601.
The tablets are gluten free.
Manufacturer
Deralin is made in Australia by:
Alphapharm Pty Limited
(ABN 93 002 359 739)
Chase Building 2
Wentworth Park Road
Glebe NSW 2037
Phone: (02) 9298 3999
Medical Information
Phone: 1800 028 365
www.alphapharm.com.au
Australian registration numbers:
Deralin 10 - AUST R 17612
Deralin 40 - AUST R 17614
Deralin 160 - AUST R 17613
This leaflet was prepared on
27 January 2005.