Encainide Hydrochloride Description

Generic Name : ENCAINIDE HYDROCHLORIDE

Pronunciation : (en kay' nide)

Trade Name(s) :

Why it is prescribed: Encainide is used to treat and prevent irregular and fast heartbeats i.e., arrhythmias. It acts on the heart muscle to improve the heart's rhythm.

When it is to be taken:
1. Encainide usually is taken two or three times a day at evenly spaced intervals around the clock.
2. Follow the instructions on your prescription label.
3. Encainide must be taken on a regular schedule to be effective. Schedule your doses at the same times that your do other regular activities such as eating breakfast and brushing your teeth at bedtime.
4. Do not stop taking this medication without consulting your doctor.

How it should be taken: Encainide comes in the form of capsules. Your prescription label tells you how much to take at each dose. Do not adjust your dose without consulting your doctor.

Special Instruction :
1. Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor will want to evaluate the effectiveness of this drug with physical examinations, electrocardiogram tests, and blood tests.
2. Your dose may have to be adjusted, especially if this drug causes side effects.
3. If your condition worsens (faster heartbeats, more irregular heartbeats, or increased faintness), contact your doctor immediately.
4. Consult your doctor about diet. Foods and salt substitutes containing potassium affect the action of encainide in some people.
5. If you miss to take a dose, contact your doctor for instructions. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed dose.

Side Effects :
1. Although side effects from encainide are not common, they can occur. They are mild and may go away as you continue to take the drug.
2. Dizziness, lightheadedness, faintness, vision problems like blurred vision or difficulty focusing, headache, nausea, indigestion, constipation or diarrhea, loss of appetite, vomiting, taste disturbances, abdominal pain, dry mouth, cough, weakness, rash.
3. If your experience dizziness or vision disturbances within two hours after taking encainide, try taking it with food.
4. Contact your doctor if these effects persist or become severe; your dose may need to be adjusted.
5. Palpitations; chest pain; fast or irregular heart beats; swelling of the feet, ankles, or lower legs; difficulty breathing; wheezing; fainting. Contact your doctor immediately.

Other Precautions :
1. Before taking encainide, tell your doctor if you have a history of heart attack, atherosclerosis, heart disease, or congestive heart failure.
2. Your doctor also needs to know if you have kidney or liver disease or diabetes.
3. Tell your doctor what prescription and non-prescription drugs you are taking, especially medication for high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, or angina or heart pain; potassium supplements; and cimetidine.
4. Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should inform their doctors. Encainide can pass from a mother to her baby in the breast milk.

Storage Conditions : Store encainide in the container it came in and away from excessive heat. Keep this medication out of the reach of children.