Diltiazem Uses
Diltiazem is employed to treat high blood pressure and to manage angina (chest pain). diltiazem is in a class of medicines referred to as calcium-channel blockers. It works by relaxing the blood vessels that the heart doesn’t have to pump as hard. It additionally increases the availability of blood and oxygen to the heart, generally used to treat abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmia).It was approved by the US FDA in 1982.
Mechanism
- Diltiazem, like calcium blocker, inhibits the flow of extracellular calcium across both the heart muscle and vascular smooth muscle cell membranes. The resultant inhibition of the contractile processes of the myocardial smooth muscle cells results in dilation of the coronary and systemic arteries and improved oxygen delivery to the heart muscle tissue.
Side Effects
- The more common side effects that occur with diltiazem include dizziness, fluid buildup or swelling, headache, nausea, slow heartbeat, weakness, rash while Serious side effects include: liver problems, skin problems, heart issues.
Precautions
- Before you start taking diltiazem it’s necessary that your doctor knows:If you’ve got any problems with your kidneys or liver,If you’ve got high blood glucose levels (diabetes mellitus),If you’ve got ever had an hypersensitive reaction to this or to the other drugs, If you’re pregnant, attempting for a baby or breastfeeding, If you’ve got a cardiovascular disease (such as heart failure, an abnormal cardiac rhythm, or if you have had a coronary failure recently), If you’ve got a rare familial blood dyscrasia referred to as porphyria.
Dosage
- Adult oral doses for chest pain or high blood pressure (hypertension) vary between 120 and 540 mg daily. Dosing varies depending on formulation and use.Immediate release tablets are administered up to 4 times daily.Injectable forms are used for treating atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, and paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia.Extended-release formulations are administered once daily at about the same time on a daily basis and will not be crushed or chewed.
Diltiazem in Pregnancy
- Diltiazem Is an FDA Pregnancy category C Drug And For people that are pregnant, this drug might not be safe. this is based on animal studies that checked out the effects of diltiazem throughout pregnancy