$Unique_ID{BRK02108}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{PROCAINAMIDE}
$Subject{procainamide hydrochloride (various manufacturers)
Procamide SR (Reid-Rowell)
Procan-SR (Parke-Davis)
Promine (Major)
Pronestyl (Princeton Pharm)
Rhythmin (Sidmak)}
$Volume{}
$Log{}

Copyright (C) 1991 Publications International, Ltd.


PROCAINAMIDE
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BRAND NAMES (Manufacturers):
     procainamide hydrochloride (various manufacturers)
     Procamide SR (Reid-Rowell)
     Procan-SR (Parke-Davis)
     Promine (Major)
     Pronestyl (Princeton Pharm)
     Rhythmin (Sidmak)
TYPE OF DRUG:
     Antiarrhythmic
INGREDIENT:
     procainamide
DOSAGE FORMS:
     Tablets (250 mg, 375 mg, 500 mg)
     Sustained-release tablets (250 mg, 500 mg, 750 mg, 1,000 mg)
     Capsules (250 mg, 375 mg, 500 mg)
STORAGE:
     Procainamide tablets and capsules should be stored in tightly closed
       containers in a cool, dry place.  Exposure to moisture causes
       deterioration of this medication.

USES

     Procainamide is used to treat heart arrhythmias.  It corrects irregular
heartbeats and helps to achieve a more normal rhythm.

TREATMENT

     To increase absorption, take procainamide with a full glass of water on
an empty stomach one hour before or two hours after a meal.  However, if it
upsets your stomach, ask your doctor if you can take it with food or milk.
     Try to take it at the same time(s) each day.  Procainamide works best
when the amount of drug in your bloodstream is kept at a constant level.  This
medication should, therefore, be taken at evenly spaced intervals day and
night.  For example, if you are to take this medication four times per day,
the doses should be spaced six hours apart.
     The sustained-release tablets should be swallowed whole.  Breaking,
chewing, or crushing these tablets destroys their sustained-release activity
and possibly increases the side effects.
     If you miss a dose of this medication and remember within two hours, take
the missed dose immediately.  If more than two hours have passed (four hours
for the sustained-release tablets), do not take the missed dose; just return
to your regular dosing schedule.  Do not double the next dose of this
medication.

SIDE EFFECTS

     Minor.

     Bitter taste in the mouth, diarrhea, dizziness, dry mouth, loss of
appetite, nausea, stomach upset, or vomiting.  These side effects should
disappear as your body adjusts to the medication.
     If you feel dizzy, sit or lie down for a while; get up slowly from a
sitting or reclining position, and be careful on stairs.
     To relieve mouth dryness, chew sugarless gum or suck on ice chips or a
piece of hard candy.

     Major.

     Tell your doctor about any side effects that are persistent or
particularly bothersome.  IT IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT TO TELL YOUR DOCTOR about
chest pain, chills, confusion, depression, fainting, fatigue, fever,
giddiness, hallucinations, itching, joint pain, palpitations, rash, sore
throat, unusual bleeding or bruising, or weakness.

INTERACTIONS

     Procainamide interacts with several other types of medications:
     1. The combination of digoxin and procainamide can lead to an increase in
side effects to the heart.
     2. Procainamide can block the effectiveness of neostigmine,
pyridostigmine, and prostigmine.
     3. Cimetidine, ranitidine, and amiodarone can increase the blood levels
of procainamide, which can lead to an increase in side effects.
     Before starting to take procainamide, BE SURE TO TELL YOUR DOCTOR about
any medications you are currently taking, especially any of those listed
above.

WARNINGS

     * Tell your doctor about unusual or allergic reactions you have had to
any medications, especially to procainamide, procaine, lidocaine, benzocaine,
or tetracaine.
     * Before starting this medication, be sure to tell your doctor if you now
have or if you have ever had asthma, heart block, kidney disease, liver
disease, myasthenia gravis, or systemic lupus erythematosus.
     * If this drug makes you dizzy, do not take part in any activity that
requires alertness, such as driving a car or operating potentially dangerous
machinery.
     * Before having surgery or any other medical or dental treatment, be sure
to tell your doctor or dentist that you are taking this medication.
     * Do not stop taking this drug without first consulting your doctor.
Stopping procainamide abruptly may cause a serious change in the activity of
your heart.  Your doctor may, therefore, want to reduce your dosage gradually.
     * If you are taking Procan-SR and you occasionally notice something in
your stool that looks like a tablet, it does not mean that the drug is not
being absorbed.  The drug is "held" in a wax core designed to release the
medication slowly.  The wax core is eliminated in the stool after the drug has
been absorbed.
     * Some of these products contain the color additive FD&C Yellow No. 5
(tartrazine), which can cause allergic-type symptoms (rash, shortness of
breath, fainting) in certain susceptible individuals.
     * Be sure to tell your doctor if you are pregnant.  Although this drug
appears to be safe, extensive studies in pregnant women have not been
conducted.  Also, tell your doctor if you are breast-feeding an infant.  It is
not known whether procainamide passes into breast milk.

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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace 
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your 
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical 
problem.
