Proamatine (Midodrine)

It is not necessary to eat when taking PROAMATINE. However, doctors advise you to take the medication while you are awake and mostly likely to be upright and not lying down. If you are normally lying down during the day, talk to your doctor about the best way for you to take your medicine since it can increase your blood pressure if you are lying down or sleeping.

People generally take PROAMATINE three times a day with the doses spaced no less than three to four hours apart. Do not take your last dose after an evening meal or within four hours before going to bed.

To help prevent your blood pressure from rising while you are lying down, your doctor might advise you to keep your head elevated. Try checking your blood pressure when you are lying down, and then check it again with your head elevated.

If you think you have overdosed, go to the emergency room right away or contact a poison control center. Signs that you have taken too much might include difficulty urinating, feeling cold, and goosebumps.

What Happens if I Miss a Dose or Don’t Take It As Prescribed?

To help you remember to take your medicine, it’s recommended you do so at the same time each day. If you do miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember unless it is near the time of the next dose. If the missed and next doses are close together, skip the missed dose and resume your usual dosing schedule.

Common Side Effects:

Some of the more common side effects of PROAMATINE are chills, goose bumps, frequent urination, blurred vision, and burning, itching, or prickling of the scalp. Other common side effects may include an awareness of the heart pounding in the ears or a headache.

Less Common Side Effects:

While less common, patients taking PROAMATINE are known to experience confusion, dry mouth, flushing, skin rash, anxiety/nervousness, and headache or a feeling of pressure in the head.

Rare:

Other symptoms like backache, canker sores, increased dizziness or drowsiness, dry skin, or leg cramps, as well as the following:

• Trouble sleeping
• Gas, heartburn, or nausea

Contact your doctor immediately if you experience a slow heartbeat, an unusual feeling in your chest, pressure/fullness in the head, confusion, anxiety, weakness, vision problems or fainting. Get in touch with your doctor or call 911 right away if you have signs of an allergic reaction such as rash, itching/swelling, especially of the face, tongue and throat, severe dizziness, or trouble breathing.

Stop taking PROAMATINE immediately if you experience the following signs of high blood pressure while lying down:

• Pounding heartbeat or pounding in the ears
• Headache
• Blurred vision

This medication does cause a significant increase in blood pressure when you are lying on your back, so you must monitor your blood pressure closely while taking PROAMATINE.

PROAMATINE should not be taken during pregnancy since it might harm your fetus. If you become pregnant while taking this medication, tell your doctor immediately. There are no adequate studies in humans to determine whether PROAMATINE is harmful to a nursing baby, so talk to your doctor about the potential benefits and risks before deciding if it is right for you.

PROAMATINE is not right for everyone. It should only be used if your condition does not improve with other treatment options. If you have severe heart disease or an overactive thyroid, you should not use this medicine. You should also avoid this drug if you have kidney disease, an adrenal gland tumor, or are unable to urinate.

This medication can increase your blood pressure even while you’re resting. If you are someone whose blood pressure is high when lying down, you need to avoid PROAMATINE.

Don’t take this drug unless your low blood pressure is so severe that it affects your daily activities. Even if you use PROAMATINE there is no guarantee that your ability to perform tasks will improve.

In addition to taking PROAMATINE, you might also need to make lifestyle changes, like wearing support stockings on your legs and possibly get special medical care.

The drug should only be continued if you are getting better so tell your doctor if your symptoms improve or worsen.

Before using PROAMATINE, it’s important to talk to your doctor about any and all conditions you might have, including whether you might be allergic to it or if you have other allergies.

Let your doctor know if you have diabetes, liver disease, a history of kidney disease, glaucoma or other vision problems.

You must also tell your physician if you are taking the steroid medication fludrocortisone (Florinef) or if you are using drugs to treat high blood pressure or a prostate disorder like prazosin (Minipress), terazosin (Hytrin) or doxazosin (Cardura).

Blood tests may have to be performed to make sure you do not have any conditions that would prevent you from using PROAMATINE.

Other medications may impact the way PROAMATINE works and/or increase the risk of side effects. Be sure to provide your doctor with an updated list of all the medications you are taking, including over-the-counter items like vitamins and herbal products. In addition, do not make any dosage adjustments or quit taking any drug without your doctor’s approval.

Be sure to let you doctor know if you are using adrenaline-like drugs such asephedrine,phenylephrine,pseudoephedrine, or alpha blockers like doxazosin (Cardura), prazosin (Minipress) and terazosin (Hytrin).

Other drugs that could interact with PROAMATINE include those that control high blood pressure or psychiatric medications, particularly some antidepressants and antipsychotic medicines.

Tell your doctor if you are using beta-blockers like atenolol (Tenormin), metoprolol (Lopressor),digoxin (Lanoxin), or ergot alkaloids such asdihydroergotamine (Migranal) and ergotamine (Ergomar).

If your low blood pressure medication includes fludrocortisone (Florinef), be sure you monitor yourself closely, especially if you are lying down. Using this drug together with PROAMATINE will make you more likely to develop high blood pressure when lying down.

In addition, pay close attention to the labels on cough and cold products, diet aids, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as ibuprofen and naproxen since they might contain ingredients that could raise your blood pressure.

If you are using PROAMATINE, it’s recommended that you get up slowly from sitting or lying down to help reduce dizziness. In addition, limit your use of alcoholic beverages.

PROAMATINE may make you dizzy, drowsy, or cause blurred vision, so do not drive, use machinery or engage in activities that require you to be alert or have clear vision until you know if you can do so safely.

If you are going to have surgery, it’s important to let your doctor know you are using this medication.