Generic Cardizem (Diltiazem Hcl)

Cardizem

Generic name: Diltiazem

What are diltiazem tablets?

DILTIAZEM (Cardizem®) is a calcium-channel blocker. It affects the amount of calcium found in your heart and muscle cells. This results in relaxation of blood vessels, which can reduce the amount of work the heart has to do. Diltiazem relieves different types of chest pain (angina); it is not a cure. Generic diltiazem tablets are available.

What should I tell my health care provider before I take this medicine?

They need to know if you have any of these conditions:

• heart problems, low blood pressure, irregular heartbeat
• liver disease
• previous heart attack
• an unusual or allergic reaction to diltiazem, other medicines, foods, dyes, or preservatives
• pregnant or trying to get pregnant
• breast-feeding

How should I take this medicine?

Take diltiazem tablets by mouth. Follow the directions on the prescription label. Swallow the tablets with a drink of water. Take diltiazem tablets on an empty stomach, at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after food. Do not significantly increase grapefruit juice intake while taking this drug, or avoid grapefruit juice if possible. Take your doses at regular intervals. Do not take your medicine more often then directed. Do not stop taking except on your prescriber's advice.

What if I miss a dose?

If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you can. If it is almost time for your next dose, take only that dose. Do not take double or extra doses.

What drug(s) may interact with diltiazem?

Do not take Diltiazem with any of the following:

• astemizole
• cisapride
• grapefruit juice
• pimozide
• terfenadine

Diltiazem may also interact with the following medications:

• alfuzosin
• alosetron
• antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen)
• aspirin
• barbiturates such as phenobarbital
• bosentan
• certain antibiotics (clarithromycin, erythromycin, telithromycin, troleandomycin)
• certain medicines used to treat cancer
• certain medicines to treat migraine (ergotamine, dihydroergotamine, methysergide)
• cevimeline
• cilostazol
• cimetidine
• clonidine
• cyclosporine
• doxercalciferol
• fentanyl
• galantamine
• herbal or dietary supplements such as ginger, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, hawthorn, ma huang (ephedra), melatonin, St. John's wort, red yeast rice
• lithium
• local anesthetics or general anesthetics
• medicines for anxiety or difficulty sleeping (examples: alprazolam, buspirone, midazolam, triazolam)
• medicines for depression or mental problems (imipramine, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, nefazodone, ziprasidone)
• medicines for fungal infections (fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole, voriconazole)
• medicines for heart-rhythm problems (amiodarone, digoxin, disopyramide, dofetilide, encainide, flecainide, moricizine, procainamide, quinidine)
• medicines for high cholesterol (atorvastatin, cerivastatin, colesevelam, lovastatin, simvastatin)
• medicines for high blood pressure or heart problems
• medicines for HIV infection or AIDS
• medicines for prostate problems
• medicines for seizures (carbamazepine, clonazepam, ethosuximide, phenobarbital, phenytoin, primidone, zonisamide)
• methadone
• monoamine oxidase inhibitors (Azilect®, Eldepryl®, Emsam®, Marplan®, Nardil®, Parnate®, Zelapar.)
• paricalcitol
• rifampin, rifabutin, or rifapentine
• sildenafil
• sirolimus
• tacrolimus
• theophylline or aminophylline
• water pills (diuretics)
• yohimbine
• zafirlukast
• zileuton

Tell your prescriber or health care professional about all other medicines you are taking, including non-prescription medicines, nutritional supplements, or herbal products. Also tell your prescriber or health care professional if you are a frequent user of drinks with caffeine or alcohol, if you smoke, or if you use illegal drugs. These may affect the way your medicine works. Check with your health care professional before stopping or starting any of your medicines.

What side effects may I notice from taking diltiazem?

Side effects that you should report to your prescriber or health care professional as soon as possible:

• confusion, mental depression
• fainting spells, lightheadedness
• redness, blistering, peeling or loosening of the skin, including inside the mouth
• skin rash, itching
• slow heartbeat, irregular heartbeat
• swelling of the feet and ankles
• unusual weakness or tiredness
• unusual bleeding or bruising, pinpoint red spots on the skin

Side effects that usually do not require medical attention (report to your prescriber or health care professional if they continue or are bothersome):

• constipation or diarrhea
• difficulty sleeping
• drowsiness or dizziness
• facial flushing
• headache
• nausea, vomiting
• sexual dysfunction

What should I watch for while taking diltiazem?

Check your blood pressure and pulse rate regularly; this is important while you are taking diltiazem. Ask your prescriber or health care professional what your blood pressure and pulse rate should be and when you should contact him or her.

You may feel dizzy or lightheaded. Do not drive, use machinery, or do anything that needs mental alertness until you know how diltiazem affects you. To reduce the risk of dizzy or fainting spells, do not sit or stand up quickly, especially if you are an older patient. Avoid alcoholic drinks; they can make you more dizzy or increase flushing and rapid heartbeats.

If you are going to have surgery, tell your prescriber or health care professional that you are taking diltiazem.

Do not suddenly stop taking diltiazem. Ask your prescriber or health care professional how to gradually reduce the dose.

Where can I keep my medicine?

Keep out of the reach of children in a container that small children cannot open.

Store at room temperature between 15 and 30 degrees C (59 and 86 degrees F). Protect from humidity. Throw away any unused medicine after the expiration date.

What is a generic medication?

Wikipedia gives the following definition:
“Generic drug (pl. generic drugs, short: generics) is a drug which is produced and distributed without a brand name. A generic must contain the same active ingredients as the original formulation. In most cases, it is considered bioequivalent to the brand name counterpart with respect to pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties. By extension, therefore, generics are assumed to be identical in dose, strength, route of administration, safety, efficacy, and intended use.”

Does a generic medication differ from a brand name drug?

Not much, actually. But there is a difference, of course. To see the difference more clearly we have made a table: click here

Why are generic pills cheaper than the brand name ones?

The principal reason for the reduced price of generic medicines is that the creation of the generic drug runs up less cost and therefore a lower price can be offered and still maintain profitability.
Manufacturers of generic drugs are mainly able to avoid the following three costs that brand name pharmaceutical companies incur: (1) costs associated with the research and development of the drug; (2) costs associated obtaining regulatory approval (i.e. proving safety and efficacy of a drug); and (3) marketing costs.
First, Generic manufacturers do not incur the cost of drug discovery and instead reverse-engineer existing brand name drugs to allow them to manufacture bioequivalent versions.
Second, generic manufacturers do not bear the burden of proving the safety and efficacy of the drugs through clinical trials - rather, generic manufacturers must prove the generic drug’s bioequivalancy to the existing drug.
Third, these companies receive the large benefit of the marketing and advertising that goes into pushing the innovator drug. The brand name drug has to prove itself in the eyes of the consumer, generic ones do not. The drugs that generic manufacturers are selling have been on the market for usually a decade or more and do not need additional advertising. For the same reason, generic manufacturers also do not give away sample doses to promote their products. The significant research, development and marketing costs incurred by the large pharmaceutical companies in introducing a new drug to the market is often cited as the reason for the high cost of new agents - they wish to recover these costs before the patent expires. Generic manufacturers do not incur these costs, with bioequivalence testing and manufacturing costing relatively little, and are able to charge significantly less than the brand.

Where are the pills you offer shipped from?

The pills we offer are produced by Indian manufacturers. To make sure our entire product list is in stock, the orders are sent out directly by our manufacturer. Usually it takes approximately two weeks for an order to be delivered to your location but in some cases may take up to three weeks.

Are your pills FDA approved?