Ranola 500mg Tablets

Ranolazine is used to treat chronic angina, which is chest pain or pressure that happens when the heart muscle does not get enough oxygen.

It can be used on its own or with other angina medicines. It helps control angina but does not cure it, and it is not for stopping a sudden angina attack.

Take ranolazine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist tells you. Your doctor may start with a low dose and raise it slowly.

• You can take it with or without food.
• Swallow the tablets whole. Do not break, chew or crush them.
• Avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice.
• Keep taking it even when you feel well, and do not stop without talking to your doctor.
• If you miss a dose, skip it and take the next one at the usual time. Never take a double dose.
• Follow your doctor's plan for sudden angina attacks; ranolazine will not stop them.

Common side effects include:

• dizziness
• headache
• feeling sick
• constipation

Get medical help straight away if you have:

• a fast, pounding or irregular heartbeat
• fainting
• difficulty breathing

Check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking it if you:

• have liver or kidney disease
• have a heart rhythm problem, including a long QT interval, or an abnormal ECG
• have low potassium in your blood
• are pregnant, planning a baby or breastfeeding
• take any other medicines or herbal remedies, especially St John's wort. Some medicines must not be taken with ranolazine and others may need a dose change.

Keep it in the original, tightly closed container at room temperature, away from heat and moisture (not in the bathroom), and out of the reach of children. Do not flush unused medicine; ask your pharmacist how to dispose of it.

Ranolazine can make you dizzy or light-headed. Do not drive or use machines until you know how it affects you.

If your chest pain gets worse or happens more often, contact your doctor straight away.