Qaialdo is a brand name for Spironolactone. The medicine, its uses, side effects and dosage are the same regardless of brand.
Used for: In the management of refractory oedema associated with congestive cardiac failure; hepatic cirrhosis with ascites and oedema, malignant ascites, nephrotic syndrome, diagnosis and treatment of primary aldosteronism, essential hypertension. Neonates, children and adolescents should only be treated under guidance of a…
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Posology Adults Congestive heart failure with oedema Usual dose - 100 mg/day. In difficult or severe cases the dose may be gradually increased up to 200 mg/day. When oedema is controlled, the usual maintenance level is 75 mg/day to 200 mg/day.
0 mEq/L and serum creatinine ≤ 220 μmol/L. Patients who tolerate 25 mg once daily may have their dose increased to 50 mg once daily as clinically indicated. Patients who do not tolerate 25 mg once daily may have their dose reduced to 25 mg every other day.
4 for advice on monitoring serum potassium and serum creatinine. 0, 100 mg per day. 0, 200 mg/day to 400 mg/day. Maintenance dose should be individually determined. 3 Malignant ascites Initial dose usually 100 mg/day to 200 mg/day. In severe cases the dose may be gradually increased up to 400 mg/day.
When oedema is controlled, maintenance dose should be individually determined. Nephrotic syndrome Usual dose – 100 mg/day to 200 mg/day. Spironolactone has not been shown to be anti-inflammatory, nor to affect the basic pathological process.
Its use is only advised if glucocorticoids by themselves are insufficiently effective. Diagnosis and treatment of primary aldosteronism Spironolactone may be employed as an initial diagnostic measure to provide presumptive evidence of primary hyperaldosteronism while patients are on normal diets.
• Long test: Spironolactone is administered at a daily dose of 400 mg for 3 to 4 weeks. Correction of hypokalaemia and of hypertension provides presumptive evidence for the diagnosis of primary hyperaldosteronism. • Short test: Spironolactone is administered at a daily dose of 400 mg for 4 days.
If serum potassium increases during spironolactone administration but drops when spironolactone is discontinued, a presumptive diagnosis of primary hyperaldosteronism should be considered. After the diagnosis of hyperaldosteronism has been established by more definitive testing procedures, spironolactone may be administered in doses of 100 mg to 400 mg daily in preparation for surgery.
For patients who are considered unsuitable for surgery, Spironolactone may be employed for long term maintenance therapy at the lowest effective dose determined for the individual patient. Essential hypertension Usual dose – 50 mg/day to 100 mg/day, which for difficult or severe cases may be gradually increased at 2 weekly intervals up to 200 mg/day.
5% of patients, particularly in patients with renal impairment or if receiving ACE-inhibitors or angiotensin II antagonists concomitantly; gynaecomastia and breast pain, reported in 9% of males. The following undesirable effects have been observed in clinical trials and reported during treatment with spironolactone with the following frequencies: very common (≥ 1/10); common (≥ 1/100 to < 1/10); uncommon (≥ 1/1 000 to < 1/100); rare (≥ 1/10 000 to < 1/1 000); very rare (< 1/10 000); not known (cannot be estimated from the available data).
Table 2 presented below is according to the MedDRA system organ classification and frequency. Within each frequency grouping, adverse reactions are presented in order of decreasing seriousness. 9 Table 2 Tabulated list of adverse reactions System organ class Frequency Adverse reactions Neoplasms benign, malignant and unspecified (including cysts and polyps) Uncommon Benign breast neoplasm (male) Blood and lymphatic system disorders Not known Leukopenia, Agranulocytosis, Thrombocytopenia, Anaemia, Eosinophilia Purpura Metabolism and nutrition disorders Very common Hyperkalaemia*** Uncommon Electrolyte imbalance Psychiatric disorders Common Confusional state Not known Libido disorder Nervous system disorders Common Dizziness Not known Ataxia, Headache, Drowsiness, Lethargy Gastrointestinal disorders Common Nausea Not known Gastrointestinal disorder Hepatobiliary disorders Uncommon Hepatic function abnormal Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders Common Pruritus, Rash Uncommon Urticaria Not known Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), Stevens-Johnson syndrome, Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS), Pemphigoid, Alopecia, Hypertrichosis Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders Common Muscle spasms Renal and urinary disorders Common Acute kidney injury Reproductive system and breast disorders Common Gynaecomastia*, Breast pain** Uncommon Menstrual disorder Not known Impotence General disorders and administration site conditions Common Malaise Not known Drug fever * Gynaecomastia may develop in association with the use of spironolactone.
Monitoring fluid and electrolyte state Patients who are being treated with this preparation require regular supervision with monitoring of fluid and electrolyte state. Periodic estimation of serum electrolytes is recommended due to the possibility of hyperkalaemia, hyponatremia and possible transient blood urea nitrogen (BUN) elevation, especially in the elderly and/or in patients with pre-existing impaired renal or hepatic function.
The preparation should only be used with particular caution in elderly patients or those with potential obstruction of the urinary tract, or with disorders rendering their electrolyte balance precarious. 5). Hyperkalaemia may also occur in patients with impaired renal function.
Cardiac dysrhythmias, occasionally fatal, may result. Reversible hyperchloraemic metabolic acidosis, usually in association with hyperkalaemia, has been reported to occur in some patients with decompensated hepatic cirrhosis, even when renal function is normal.
5). 6 Hyperkalaemia in patients with severe heart failure Hyperkalaemia may be fatal. It is critical to monitor and manage serum potassium in patients with severe heart failure receiving spironolactone. Avoid using other potassium-sparing diuretics.
5 mEq/L. The recommended monitoring for potassium and creatinine is 1 week after initiation or increase in dose of spironolactone, monthly for the first 3 months, then quarterly for a year, and then every 6 months. 2). 5). Urea Reversible increases in blood urea may occur during use of spironolactone especially in the presence of impaired renal function.
Paediatric population Potassium-sparing diuretics should be used with caution in hypertensive paediatric patients with mild renal insufficiency because of the risk of hyperkalaemia. 3). 5 mg/150 ml. Increase in bilirubinaemia following its displacement from albumin may increase neonatal jaundice which may develop into kernicterus (non-conjugated bilirubin deposits in the brain tissue).
1. 5 mEq/L) - Concomitant use of eplerenone. Spironolactone should not be administered concurrently with other potassium-conserving diuretics and potassium supplements should not be given routinely with spironolactone as hyperkalaemia may be induced.
Not medical advice. Always read the patient information leaflet and follow your prescriber or pharmacist.
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Treatment should be continued for 2 weeks or longer since an adequate response may not occur before this time. Dose should subsequently be adjusted according to the response of the patient. Special populations Elderly It is recommended that treatment is started with the lowest dose and titrated upwards as required to achieve maximum benefit.
Care should be taken in severe hepatic and renal impairment which may alter spironolactone metabolism and excretion. Renal/ hepatic impairment Patients with mild renal impairment (glomerular filtration rate (GFR) 60 – 90 ml/min) should be started on the lowest dose.
Serum potassium levels and renal function should be monitored closely. 3). 4). Since impaired hepatic function may result in reduced elimination of spironolactone and its metabolites, patients with impaired hepatic function should be started on the lowest dose and titrated slowly.
4). 4). Diuresis in congestive heart failure, ascites, oedema and nephrotic syndrome; 4 • Neonate: 1-2 mg/kg/daily in 1-2 divided doses. • Infant or child 1 month to 18 years: 1-3 mg/kg daily in 1-2 divided doses (maximum 200 mg daily).
Primary hyperaldosteronism; resistant ascites. • Neonate: up to a maximum of 7 mg/kg daily may be used. • Infant or Child 1 month to 18 years: up to a maximum of 9 mg/kg daily (total maximum 400 mg daily) may be used. Neonates, children and adolescents should only be treated under guidance of a paediatric specialist.
2). The paediatric table below shows, for a range of ages, weight and doses, the dose (mg) to volume (ml) conversion using the two oral syringes.
Table 1:
Dose (mg) to volume (ml) conversion using oral syringe. Daily doses are displayed. 4 *50th percentile for boys extracted from WHO (0-10 years) growth charts †Doses less than or equal to 10 mg to be drawn up using the 1 ml oral syringe.
Doses greater than 10 mg to be drawn up using the 5 ml oral syringe or a combination of […]
Development appears to be related to both dose level and duration of therapy and is normally reversible when the medicinal product is discontinued. In rare instances some breast enlargement may persist. ** In clinical trials, breast pain was reported more commonly in males than in females.
*** Arrhythmia, chest pain, nausea, diarrhoea, paraesthesia, weakness, flaccid paralysis or muscle spasm and may be difficult to distinguish clinically from hypokalaemia. Electrocardiographic changes are the earliest specific signs of potassium disturbance.
10 Paediatric population Frequency, type and severity of adverse reactions in children are expected to be similar to adults. Reporting of suspected adverse reactions Reporting suspected adverse reactions after authorisation of the medicinal product is important.
It allows continued monitoring of the benefit/risk balance of the medicinal product. Healthcare professionals are asked to report any suspected adverse reactions via the national reporting system listed in Appendix V.
Sodium This medicinal product contains less than 1 mmol (23 mg) sodium within the recommended dose range, that is to say essentially 'sodium-free'. Sucrose Patients with rare hereditary problems of fructose intolerance, glucose-galactose malabsorption or sucrase-isomaltase insufficiency should not take this medicine.
As this medicinal product contains 400 mg sucrose per ml, this has to be taken into consideration in terms of daily intake. This should be taken into account in patients with diabetes mellitus. Qaialdo 10 mg/ml may be harmful to the teeth.