Aldactone

Aldactone is used for:

Treating swelling and fluid retention inpatients with congestive heart failure, cirrhosis, or kidney problems (nephrotic syndrome). It is also used for treatment of high blood pressure. It may also be used to treat or prevent low blood potassium. It may also be used to treat excess secretion of the hormone aldosterone by the adrenal gland.

Aldactone is a potassium-sparing diuretic. It works by blocking the hormone aldosterone, causing the kidney to eliminate excess water, save potassium, and lower blood pressure.

Do NOT use Aldactone if:

• you are allergic to any ingredient in Aldactone
• you are unable to urinate, have severe kidney problems, or have high blood potassium levels
• you are taking a potassium supplement, another potassium-sparing diuretic (eg, amiloride, triamterene), or another aldosterone-blocker (eg, eplerenone)

Contact your doctor or health care provider right away if any of these apply to you.

Before using Aldactone :

Some medical conditions may interact with Aldactone . Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have any medical conditions, especially if any of the following apply to you:

• if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding
• if you are taking any prescription or nonprescription medicine, herbal preparation, or dietary supplement
• if you have allergies to medicines, foods, or other substances
• if you have high acidity in your body fluids; low sodium levels in your blood; liver, heart, or lung disease; diabetes; or high urea or nitrogen in your blood
• if you have menstrual disease

Some MEDICINES MAY INTERACT with Aldactone . Tell your health care provider if you are taking any other medicines, especially any of the following:

• Corticosteroids (eg, prednisone) or ACTH because low blood electrolyte levels may occur
• Barbiturates (eg, phenobarbital) or narcotics (eg, morphine) because dizziness upon standing may occur
• Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (eg, enalapril), angiotensin II receptor antagonists (eg, valsartan), cyclosporine, macrolide immunosuppressives (eg, tacrolimus), other potassium sparing diuretics (eg, amiloride, triamterene), other aldosterone-blockers (eg, eplerenone), or potassium supplements because high blood potassium levels may occur (eg, listlessness, confusion, abnormal skin sensations of the arms and legs, heaviness of limbs, slowed heart rate, irregular heart rhythm, potentially life-threatening slow or irregular heartbeat)
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (eg, indomethacin) because they may decrease Aldactone 's effectiveness and increase the risk of kidney problems and high blood potassium
• Digoxin, digitoxin, lithium, nondepolarizing muscle relaxants (eg, tubocurarine), or quinidine because the risk of their side effects and toxicity may be increased by Aldactone
• Pressor amines (eg, norepinephrine) because their effectiveness may be decreased by Aldactone

This may not be a complete list of all interactio ns that may occur. Ask your health care provider if Aldactone may interact with other medicines that you take. Check with your health care provider before you start, stop, or change the dose of any medicine.