Side Effects of Nicorandil
Angina is a medical condition marked by chest pain and caused by a restriction of blood flow to your heart, which is due most commonly to coronary artery disease. The United Kingdom's National Health Service reports that approximately 10 to 15 percent of women and 10 to 20 percent of men aged 65 and over in the United Kingdom suffer from angina. Doctors rely upon a number of treatments to ease the pain caused by angina, including the prescription drug Ikorel or nicorandil, which is available in the UK. Despite its effectiveness, nicorandil is not for everyone as it presents several risks for side effects and complications in some patients.
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Significant Side Effects
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Found in more than 10 percent of users, the most common side effect of nicorandil is headaches. You are most likely to develop a headache during the first days of nicorandil treatment with symptoms diminishing as your body grows accustomed to the drug. Nausea and vomiting are also common side effects. Additionally, many patients taking the drug report dizziness, weakness and rectal bleeding.
Types of Other Side Effects
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Nicorandil has the potential to cause a number of other rare side effects, some of which are serious. For example, some patients develop serious allergic reactions, which causes symptoms from minor skin rashes to difficulty breathing to, even, anaphylactic shock. With high doses, drops in blood pressure levels and increases in heart rate are possible. Inflammation or damage to your liver is also possible while taking nicorandil.
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Ulceration
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Infrequently, use of nicorandil results in the formation of uclers. These open sores appear in a number of possible places, including your mouth, skin, genitals, stomach or intestines. Stomach or intestinal ulcers are of particular concern because ulcers found in the gastrointestinal tract have the potential to develop into perforations or holes. If perforation occurs, food and chemicals passing through your digestive system may leak out into your body, causing a number of problems. For this reason it is important to seek medical attention as soon as you develop signs of ulceration. Side effects to look for include vomiting blood or bloody stools.
Drug Interactions
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There are some medications that produce unwanted side effects when used in conjunction with nicorandil. For example, drugs for impotence, such as Viagra, Cialis and Levitra have the potential to cause dangerous drops in blood pressure when taken with nicorandil. Heart drugs like calcium-channel blockers, blood pressure drugs, tricyclic antibiotics and MAOI Inhibitors frequently cause dizziness when combined with nicornadil. When taken with nicorandil, corticosteroids like prednisone increase your risk of developing gastrointestinal ulcers or bleeding.
Considerations
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Because there is not yet sufficient evidence that nicorandil has no unwanted effects upon the fetus, doctors typically do not prescribe the drug for pregnant women. Additionally, nicorandil is not used to treat children under the age of 18. Using alcohol while taking nicorandil increases your risk for developing drowsiness and dizziness. If you have a history of hypovolaemia, edema, heart failure or low blood pressure, your doctor is not likely to recommend nicorandil for you due to its potential side effects. Since it has the potential to cause dizziness and drowsiness, you should not operate a motor vehicle or heavy machinery until you know how nicorandil will affect you.
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