Diltiazem tablet-oral

Take this medication by mouth before meals and at bedtime, usually 3 to 4 times daily or as directed by your doctor.The dosage is based on your medical condition and response to treatment. Your doctor may gradually increase your dose. Follow your doctor's instructions carefully.Use this medication regularly to get the most benefit from it. To help you remember, use it at the same times each day. This medication must be taken regularly to prevent angina. It should not be used to treat angina when it occurs. Use other medications (such as sublingual nitroglycerin) to relieve an angina attack as directed by your doctor. Consult your doctor or pharmacist for details.Tell your doctor if your condition worsens (for example, your chest pain worsens or is more frequent).

Your doctor or pharmacist may already be aware of any possible drug interactions and may be monitoring you for them. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with your doctor or pharmacist first.Before using this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist of all prescription and nonprescription/herbal products you may use, especially of: amiodarone, digoxin, fingolimod.Other medications can affect the removal of diltiazem from your body, which may affect how this medication works. Examples include atazanavir, cimetidine, quinidine, St. John's wort, azole antifungals such as ketoconazole, macrolide antibiotics such as erythromycin, rifamycins including rifabutin and rifampin.Diltiazem may also affect how your body gets rid of many drugs (such as buspirone, cyclosporine, sirolimus, certain statins including lovastatin and simvastatin, certain anti-seizure drugs including carbamazepine, certain benzodiazepines including triazolam and midazolam).Check the labels on all your medicines (such as cough-and-cold products, diet aids) because they may contain ingredients that could increase your heart rate and worsen chest pain (including caffeine, pseudoephedrine, phenylephrine). Ask your pharmacist about using these products safely.Cimetidine is a nonprescription drug that is commonly used to treat extra stomach acid. Because cimetidine may interact with diltiazem, ask your pharmacist about other products to treat extra stomach acid.This document does not contain all possible interactions. Therefore, before using this product, tell your doctor or pharmacist of all the products you use. Keep a list of all your medications with you, and share the list with your doctor and pharmacist.

If overdose is suspected, contact a poison control center or emergency room immediately. US residents can call their local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. Canada residents can call a provincial poison control center.

Store at room temperature at 68-77 degrees F (20-25 degrees C) away from light and moisture. Do not store in the bathroom. Keep all medicines away from children and pets. Different brands of this medication may have different storage needs. Ask your pharmacist about the brand you are using.Do not flush medications down the toilet or pour them into a drain unless instructed to do so. Properly discard this product when it is expired or no longer needed. Consult your pharmacist or local waste disposal company for more details about how to safely discard your product.MEDICAL ALERT: Your condition can cause complications in a medical emergency. For information about enrolling in MedicAlert, call 1-888-633-4298 (US) or 1-800-668-1507 (Canada).

Reviewed on 4/16/2014 References