Patient Information Leaflet

Co-Betaloc® Tablets

(metoprolol tartrate and hydrochlorothiazide)

WHAT'S IN YOUR MEDICINE?

Co-Betaloc® Tablets are white to off-white, round tablets marked 'A' over a breakline and 'MH' underneath. Each tablet contains 100 mg metoprolol tartrate and 12.5 mg hydrochlorothiazide.

Co-Betaloc® Tablets also contain lactose, microcrystalline cellulose, sodium starch, glycolate, polyvinylpyrrolidone, colloidal silicon dioxide and magnesium stearate. Your tablets come in packs of 28 tablets contained in blister strips. Metoprolol tartrate is a type of medicine called a beta-blocker. These are medicines which slow the heart rate and lower the blood pressure. Hydrochlorothiazide is a type of medicine called a diuretic ('water tablet') which makes you pass urine more often than usual.

WHAT IS YOUR MEDICINE USED FOR?

Co-Betaloc® Tablets are used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension).

BEFORE TAKING YOUR MEDICINE

Make sure you have told your doctor about any other medicines that you are taking including those you bought without prescription.

Please read the following questions carefully.

The questions below are being asked in order to check that it is suitable for you to take this medicine. If you can answer YES to any of these, talk to your doctor or pharmacist BEFORE taking the medicine.

• Do you suffer from heart failure?
• Do you suffer from a slow heartbeat and feeling faint?
• Have you recently suffered a heart attack complicated by shock?
• Do you have poor circulation in your fingers or toes?
• Are you suffering from an increase in blood acidity as a result of severe illness (metabolic acidosis)?
• Are you allergic to any of the ingredients in Co-Betaloc® Tablets?
• Do you have any kidney or liver problems?
• Have you had low amounts of salt (sodium or potassium) in your blood?
• Do you suffer from gout or kidney stones?
• Are you taking lithium?
• Are you pregnant, think you may be pregnant, or considering becoming pregnant?
• Are you breast-feeding?
• Do you suffer from unstable angina (non exercise-induced sharp chest pain)?
• Do you have a history of, or currently suffer from psoriasis (severe skin peeling)?
• Do you have a history of allergy, wheezing, asthma or any other breathing difficulties?
  • If your answer to this question is yes, you MUST make sure that your doctor knows about this BEFORE you take your medicine.
• Do you suffer from any thyroid problems?
• Do you have phaeochromocytoma (a rare growth near the kidney that causes high blood pressure)?
• Are you diabetic?
  • If so, your treatment may need to be adjusted.

Are you taking any of the following :

• other medicines for high blood pressure such as guanethidine, reserpine or diuretics,
• medicines for irregular heartbeats such as disopyramide,
• eye drops,
• antidepressants
• calcium antagonists,
• phenothiazines,
• stimulants such as isoprenaline, noradrenaline or adrenaline
• or any medicines containing verapamil, digitalis, ergotamine, rifampicin, cimetidine, lidocaine (also known as lignocaine), alcohol, hydralazine or indomethacin?

Important: You should not take Co-Betaloc® Tablets if you have had problems in the past when taking medicines containing metoprolol tartrate or a diuretic (for example hydrochlorothiazide), any other beta-blocker or if your doctor has diagnosed cardiogenic shock.

If you feel dizzy or tired after taking this medicine, you should not drive or operate machinery.

TAKING YOUR MEDICINE

It is important to take your medicine as your doctor has told you to. The instructions on the label should remind you of what the doctor has said.

 

The tablets should be swallowed with a drink of water. The usual dose in adults and the elderly will be one to three tablets each day. For elderly people or people with liver problems, smaller doses may be given.

If you are going to have a general anaesthetic in hospital or at the dentist, or receive adrenaline, tell the doctor or dentist you are taking Co-Betaloc® Tablets.

Do not suddenly stop taking Co-Betaloc® Tablets without talking to your doctor.

If you are also taking clonidine (for migraine, high blood pressure, tremor) talk to your doctor before stopping either medicine.

AFTER TAKING YOUR MEDICINE

Like all medicines, Co-Betaloc® Tablets may sometimes, cause side-effects, as well as the effects that are needed.

The most common side-effects which are usually mild and infrequent are tiredness, feeling sick, stomach ache, diarrhoea or constipation, disturbed sleep or breathing problems especially when exercising.

Occasionally: dizziness, headache, slow heart beat, or excessive thirst at high doses, difficulty in breathing, or being sick.

Rarely: 'pins and needles', muscle cramps, feeling depressed or sleepy, palpitations, heart failure, irregular heart beats, cold fingers and toes, swelling of the limbs, chest pain, skin rashes which may worsen in sunlight, worsening of psoriasis, abnormal blood tests, impotence.

In isolated cases: changes in personality such as memory loss, confusion, hallucinations,feeling nervous, feeling anxious. Gangrene in people with very poor circulation in their hands and feet, increase in the frequency of leg cramps, dry mouth, liver problems, increased sweating, hair loss, a runny, itchy or blocked nose, weight gain, unexpected bruising, blurred vision, conjunctivitis, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), dry or irritated eyes, taste disturbance, pain in the joints.

If you have very low blood pressure then Co-Betaloc® Tablets may make this worse.

If you suffer from any of these effects, or if you get any other unusual or unexpected symptoms, talk to your doctor or pharmacist (chemist).

STORING YOUR MEDICINE

• Do not take your tablets after the expiry date shown on the carton and blister strip.
• Keep your medicine in a safe place where children cannot reach it.
• Store this medicine below 25°C in a dry place.
• Remember to return any unused medicine to your pharmacist (chemist).