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Lanoxin
This page contains drug information on Lanoxin.
The information provided includes the following:
- what is Lanoxin
- the possible side effects of Lanoxin
- what happens if you miss a dose of Lanoxin
- what happens if you overdose with Lanoxin
- the most important information about Lanoxin
- how to use Lanoxin
- other drugs that may affect Lanoxin
- what to avoid while using Lanoxin
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Generic Name: digoxin (oral) (di JOX in)
Brand Names:
Cardoxin, Digitek, Lanoxicaps, Lanoxin |
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What is the most important information I should know about digoxin?
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Do not stop taking digoxin suddenly. Stopping suddenly could make
your condition worse. Even if you feel better, you need to keep taking
this medication to help the heart work properly. Make sure you always
have enough digoxin on hand for vacations and holidays. |
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Ask your doctor to teach you how to monitor your heart rate and at
what heart rate you should notify them before taking any more medication. |
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Digoxin helps the heart to beat more strongly and regularly. |
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Digoxin is used to treat conditions such as congestive heart failure
and atrial fibrillation/ atrial flutter (types of fast heartbeats). |
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Digoxin may also be used for purposes other than those listed in
this medication guide. |
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What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking
digoxin?
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Before taking this medication, tell your doctor if you: |
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have thyroid disease, or |
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are taking any other heart medication. |
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You may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring while
taking digoxin. |
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Digoxin is in the FDA pregnancy category C. This means that it is
not known whether digoxin will be harmful to an unborn baby. Do not take
this medication without first talking to your doctor if you are pregnant
or could become pregnant during treatment. |
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Digoxin passes into breast milk and may harm a nursing infant. Do
not take this medication without first talking to your doctor if you are
breast-feeding a baby. |
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If you are over 65 years of age, you may be more likely to
experience side effects from digoxin. You may require a dosage
adjustment or special monitoring. |
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How should I take digoxin?
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Take digoxin exactly as directed by your doctor. If you do not
understand these directions, ask your pharmacist, nurse, or doctor to
explain them to you. |
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Take each dose with a full glass of water. |
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Try to take digoxin at the same time every day. |
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Ask your doctor to teach you how to monitor your heart rate and at
what heart rate you should notify them before taking any more medication. |
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Do not stop taking digoxin suddenly. Stopping suddenly could make
your condition worse. Even if you feel better, you may need to keep
taking this medication to help the heart work properly. Make sure you
always have enough digoxin on hand for vacations and holidays. |
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Your doctor may want to perform blood tests during treatment with
digoxin to monitor the amount of medication in your body. |
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Store this medication at room temperature away from moisture and
heat. |
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What happens if I miss a dose?
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Take the missed dose up to 12 hours late. If more than 12 hours have
passed, skip the missed dose and take only the next regularly scheduled
dose. Do Not take a double dose of this medication. |
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What happens if I overdose?
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Seek emergency medical attention. |
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Symptoms of a digoxin overdose include nausea, vomiting, decreased
appetite, diarrhea, confusion, seizures, hallucinations, light "halos"
around objects, green or yellow vision, fatigue, irregular heartbeats,
and abnormally fast or slow heartbeats. |
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What should I avoid while taking digoxin?
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There are no restrictions on food, beverages, or activity while
taking digoxin unless otherwise directed by your doctor. |
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What are the possible side effects of digoxin?
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If you experience any of the following serious side effects, stop
taking digoxin and seek medical attention or contact your doctor
immediately: |
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an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of the throat;
swelling of the lips, tongue, or face; or hives); |
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a severe headache, fainting, or extreme drowsiness or dizziness; |
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slow heartbeats (fewer than 60 beats per minute); |
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abnormally fast heartbeats; |
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vision changes (e.g., yellow-green or blurred vision); |
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abnormal or psychotic behavior. |
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If you experience any of the following less serious side effects,
continue to take digoxin and talk to your doctor if you experience |
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decreased appetite and diarrhea; |
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unusual tiredness or weakness; |
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drowsiness or dizziness; |
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decreased sex drive; or |
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enlarged breasts in males. |
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Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to
your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is
especially bothersome. |
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What other drugs will affect digoxin?
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Before taking digoxin, tell your doctor if you are taking any of the
following medicines: |
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another medication for irregular heartbeats, such as quinidine (Quinidex,
Quinora, Cardioquin, others), amiodarone (Cordarone), or propafenone (Rythmol); |
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an antacid or laxative that contains aluminum, magnesium, or
kaolin-pectin such as Maalox, Rolaids, Mylanta, Milk of Magnesia, and
others; |
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a beta-blocker such as atenolol (Tenormin), propranolol (Inderal),
acebutolol (Sectral), metoprolol (Lopressor), carteolol (Cartrol),
labetalol (Normodyne, Trandate), or nadolol (Corgard); |
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a calcium channel blocker such as diltiazem (Cardizem, Dilacor XR,
Tiazac), amlodipine (Norvasc), felodipine (Plendil), nifedipine (Procardia,
Adalat), verapamil (Verelan, Calan, Isoptin, Covera-HS), and others;
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a cancer chemotherapy drug; |
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a diuretic (water pill) such as hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ,
HydroDiuril, others), chlorothiazide (Diuril), chlorthalidone (Hygroton,
Thalitone), furosemide (Lasix), torsemide (Demadex), bumetanide (Bumex),
ethacrynic acid (Edecrin), triamterene (Dyrenium, Maxzide, Dyazide),
amiloride (Midamor), spironolactone (Aldactone), eplerenone (Inspra),
and others; |
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a steroid medicine such as prednisone (Deltasone),
methylprednisolone (Medrol, others), prednisolone (Prelone, Pediapred,
others), dexamethasone (Decadron), and others; |
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amphotericin B (Fungizone); |
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cholestyramine (Questran, Prevalite) or colestipol (Colestid); |
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erythromycin (E.E.S., E-Mycin, Eryc, Ery-Tab, PCE, others) or
clarithromycin (Biaxin); |
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indomethacin (Indocin); |
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itraconazole (Sporanox); |
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metoclopramide (Reglan); |
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rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane); |
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sulfasalazine (Azulfidine); or |
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tetracycline (Broadspec, Emtet, Panmycin, Sumycin, Tetracap, others). |
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You may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring if you are
taking any of the medicines listed above. |
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Drugs other than those listed here may also interact with digoxin or
affect your condition. Talk to your doctor and pharmacist before taking
any prescription or over-the-counter medicines, including herbal
products. |
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Where can I get more information?
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Your pharmacist has additional information about digoxin written for
health professionals that you may read. |
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Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of
children, never share your medicines with others, and use this
medication only for the indication prescribed. |
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Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided
by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete,
but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained
herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for
use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and
therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States
are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug
information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend
therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed
to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients
and/ or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and
not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of
healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or
drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug
or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given
patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of
healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The
information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses,
directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions,
or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking,
check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. |
Copyright 1996-2004 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version: 6.04. Revision date: 7/
30/ 04. |
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