Safety Information for Adcirca - CIALIS - Tadalafil
Monday, July 27th, 2009Adcirca should not be used in patients taking medicines that contain nitrates (often used for chest pain) as the combination could cause a sudden, unsafe drop in blood pressure. If a patient experiences anginal chest pain after taking Adcirca they should seek immediate medical attention. Patients with a known serious hypersensitivity to tadalafil (Adcirca or CIALIS) should not take Adcirca.
PDE5 inhibitors, including tadalafil, have mild systemic vasodilatory properties that may result in transient decreases in blood pressure. Before prescribing Adcirca, physicians should carefully consider whether their patients with underlying cardiovascular disease could be adversely affected by such effects. Pulmonary vasodilators may significantly worsen the cardiovascular status of patients with pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD) and administration of Adcirca to these patients is not recommended. Patients should discuss their medical condition and all medications with their physician before starting Adcirca.
The use of Adcirca with alpha blockers, blood pressure medications, and alcohol may cause a lowering of blood pressure. Use of Adcirca with potent CYP3A inhibitors, such as ketoconazole and itraconazole, should be avoided. For patients on Adcirca therapy that require treatment with ritonavir, dosage adjustments are required. Certain populations of PAH patients such as those with mild-to-moderate renal or hepatic impairment or those taking the drug ritonavir should use a dose of 20 mg daily when beginning therapy with Adcirca. Use of Adcirca with potent inducers of CYP3A, such as rifampin, should be avoided. The safety and efficacy of combinations of Adcirca with CIALIS or other PDE5 inhibitors have not been studied. Therefore, the use of such combinations is not recommended.
The most common side effects with Adcirca seen in the PHIRST-1 clinical trial were headache, myalgia, nasopharyngitis, flushing, respiratory tract infection, extremity pain, nausea, back pain, dyspepsia and nasal congestion.
In rare instances, patients taking PDE5 inhibitors (including tadalafil) reported a sudden decrease or loss of vision or hearing, or in men, an erection lasting more than four hours. A patient who experiences a decrease or loss in vision or hearing or prolonged erection should seek immediate medical attention.