General NIMOTOP (Nimodipine Tablets) should only be used with great caution when cerebral edema or severely raised intracranial pressure is present. Although treatment with nimodipine has not been shown to be associated with increases in intracranial pressure, close monitoring is recommended in these cases or when the water content of the brain tissue is elevated (generalized cerebral edema).
NIMOTOP should not be used in patients with traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage as a positive benefit to risk ratio has not been established and the specific patient groups that might benefit cannot be identified for this indication.
Caution is required in patients with hypotension (systolic blood pressure lower than 100 mm Hg) (see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS – Cardiovascular). In patients with unstable angina or within the first 4 weeks after acute myocardial infarction, physicians should consider the potential risk (eg, reduced coronary artery perfusion and myocardial ischemia) versus the benefit (eg, improvement of brain perfusion).
NIMOTOP is metabolized via the cytochrome P450 3A4 system. Drugs that are known to either inhibit or induce this enzymatic system may therefore alter the first pass or the clearance of nimodipine. Drugs known to inhibit the cytochrome P450 3A4 system and therefore may lead to increased plasma concentrations of nimodipine are: • antidepressants (eg, nefazodone and fluoxetine) • azole antimycotics (eg, ketoconazole) • cimetidine • HIV protease inhibitors (eg, ritonavir) • macrolide antibiotics (eg, erythromycin) • valproic acid Upon coadministration with these drugs, blood pressure should be monitored and, if necessary, a reduction of the nimodipine dose should be considered (see DRUG INTERACTIONS).
Intestinal pseudo-obstruction (paralytic ileus) has been reported rarely. A causal relationship to NIMOTOP (Nimodipine Tablets) cannot be ruled out. In three cases, the condition responded to conservative management, but a fourth patient required surgical decompression of the extremely distended colon.
Cardiovascular NIMOTOP (Nimodipine Tablets) have the hemodynamic effects of a calcium channel blocker. 5% of patients with grades I and II using 30 to 60 mg doses (n = 255). 2% of the patients in the former group. Page 5 of 27 Hypertensive patients may be more susceptible to a lowering of the blood pressure.
Blood pressure should, nevertheless, always be carefully monitored during treatment with nimodipine. The use of nimodipine is, however, not generally recommended in patients taking antihypertensive drugs, including other calcium channel blockers, since it may potentiate the effects of these medications (see DRUG INTERACTIONS – Drug-Drug Interactions: Blood Pressure Lowering Drugs).
Since there has not been a study of NIMOTOP in acute myocardial infarction reported, similar effects of NIMOTOP to that of immediate-release nifedipine cannot be excluded in acute myocardial infarction. Immediate-release nifedipine is contraindicated in acute myocardial infarction.
Some clinical trials have shown that treatment with the immediate-release formulation of the dihydropyridine, nifedipine, in patients with unstable angina, increases the risk of myocardial infarction and recurrent ischemia. Effect on Ability to Drive and Operate Machinery Reactions to nimodipine, which vary in intensity from individual to individual, can impair the ability to drive or to operate machinery.
This is most prevalent at the start of the treatment, upon changing the medication, or in combination with alcohol. In principle the ability to drive and use machines can be impaired in connection with the possible occurrence of dizziness.
Hepatic/Biliary/Pancreas The metabolism of nimodipine is decreased in patients with impaired hepatic function. Such patients should be given lower doses of the drug and their blood pressure and pulse should be closely monitored. Fertility In single cases of in vitro fertilization, calcium antagonists have been associated with reversible biochemical changes in the spermatozoa’s head section that may result in impaired sperm function.
Renal There are insufficient data on patients with impaired renal function. Special Populations Pregnant Women The safety of nimodipine with respect to adverse effects on human fetal development has not been established. Nimodipine has been shown to have a teratogenic effect in rabbits and to be embryotoxic, causing resorption, stunted growth, and higher incidence of skeletal variations in rats (for details see TOXICOLOGY - Reproduction Studies).
Page 6 of 27 Nimodipine should, therefore, not be used during pregnancy unless the potential benefits are considered to justify the potential risk to the fetus (see TOXICOLOGY - Reproduction Studies). Geriatrics (> 65 years of age) Clinical studies of nimodipine did not include sufficient numbers of subjects aged 65 and over to determine whether they respond differently from younger subjects.
Other reported clinical experience has not identified differences in responses between elderly and younger patients. In general, dosing for elderly patients should be cautious, reflecting the greater frequency of decreased hepatic, renal, or cardiac function, and of concomitant disease or other drug therapy.
Pediatrics (< 18 years of age) The safety and effectiveness of nimodipine in children less than 18 years of age has not been established. Therefore, NIMOTOP is not recommended for use in this patient population. ADVERSE REACTIONS Adverse Drug Reaction Overview*- Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) based on placebo-controlled clinical trials with nimodipine have been evaluated in 1395 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage.
In these studies, 703 patients received oral doses of […]