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Brand Name: the name given to the medicine by the company that makes the medicine. There may be more than one brand name if more than one company makes the medicine.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Reading the CMI does not take the place of counselling by a health professional.
Always talk to your doctor or pharmacist about all aspects of your medicines, including
why you are taking them and what benefits / risks you can expect.
The CMI for your medicine that is on this web site is the most up-to-date version
available. It may differ from a CMI that you previously received from your doctor
or pharmacist, or in your pack of medicine.
This web site does not contain all CMIs for medicines sold in Australia and not
all medicines have a CMI available for them. If you do not find a CMI for your medicine
on this page, contact the pharmaceutical company who makes the medicine or talk
to your doctor or pharmacist. The information on this web site is intended for use
in Australia only.
Product name
Date released
Aquinafil
16 Mar 2020
What Aquinafil does
Aquinafil is used to:
lower high blood pressure (hypertension)
treat heart failure.
Hypertension
Aquinafil is used to lower high blood pressure (hypertension). Everyone has blood
pressure. This pressure helps get your blood all around your body. Your blood pressure
may be different at different times of the day, depending on how busy or worried you
are. You have hypertension (high blood pressure) when your blood pressure stays higher
than is needed, even when you are calm and relaxed.
There are usually no symptoms of hypertension. The only way of knowing that you have
hypertension is to have your blood pressure checked on a regular basis. If high blood
pressure is not treated it can lead to serious health problems, including stroke,
heart disease and kidney failure.
Heart Failure
Heart failure means that the heart muscle is weak and cannot pump blood strongly enough
to supply all the blood needed throughout the body. Heart failure is not the same
as heart attack and does not mean that the heart stops. Heart failure may start off
with no symptoms, but as the condition progresses, patients may feel short of breath
or may get tired easily after light physical activity such as walking. Some patients
may wake up short of breath at night. Fluid may collect in different parts of the
body, often first noticed as swollen ankles and feet.
How Aquinafil works
This medicine works by widening your blood vessels, which reduces pressure in the
vessels, making it easier for your heart to pump blood around your body. This helps
increase the supply of oxygen to your heart, so that when you place extra demands
on your heart, such as during exercise, your heart may cope better and you may not
get short of breath as easily.
Aquinafil belongs to a group of medicines called angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)
inhibitors.
Your doctor may have prescribed Aquinafil for another reason.
Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why Aquinafil has been prescribed
for you.
Aquinafil is not addictive.
This medicine is available only with a doctor's prescription.
Use in Children
The safety and effectiveness of this medicine in children have not been established.
Arabloc is a type of medicine used to treat rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis. Arabloc
helps to slow down the process of joint damage and to relieve the symptoms of the
disease, such as joint tenderness and swelling, pain and morning stiffness.
Arabloc works by selectively interfering with the ability of white blood cells called
lymphocytes to produce the disease response that ultimately leads to pain, inflammation
and joint damage.
Your doctor, however, may have prescribed Arabloc for another purpose.
Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why it has been prescribed for you.
This medicine is only available with a doctor's prescription.
Aranesp is used to treat anaemia that comes about because of chronic renal failure
(kidney failure). Anaemia is when your blood does not contain enough red blood cells.
In kidney failure, the kidney does not produce enough of the natural hormone erythropoietin.
Erythropoietin encourages your bone marrow to produce more red blood cells. Kidney
failure can often cause anaemia, which may require you to have blood transfusions.
Aranesp is a recombinant erythropoietic protein produced by special mammalian cells.
Your doctor has given you Aranesp to treat your anaemia. It will reduce your need
for blood transfusions. Aranesp will help your bone marrow to produce more red blood
cells, like your natural erythropoietin. The active ingredient of Aranesp is darbepoetin
alfa that works in exactly the same way as the natural hormone erythropoietin.
It will take your body a short time to make red blood cells, so it will be about 4
weeks before you notice any effect. If you are on dialysis, your normal dialysis routine
will not affect the ability of Aranesp to treat your anaemia.
Your doctor may have prescribed Aranesp for another reason. Ask your doctor if you
have any questions about why Aranesp has been prescribed for you.
Aranesp is used to treat anaemia in cancer patients who are receiving chemotherapy.
Anaemia is when your blood does not contain enough red blood cells.
Anaemia can occur as a result of chemotherapy medicines used to treat cancer. Some
chemotherapy medicines can affect the bone marrow's ability to make red blood cells.
When your red blood cell count falls too low, you become anaemic. Some affects of
anaemia can include tiredness, dizziness, increased heart beat, depression, anorexia,
nausea, feeling cold and pale skin colour.
Aranesp is a recombinant erythropoietic protein produced by special mammalian cells.
Your doctor has given you Aranesp to treat the anaemia caused by the chemotherapy
medicines used to treat your cancer and where blood transfusion is not considered
appropriate. Aranesp will help your bone marrow to produce more red blood cells, like
your natural erythropoietin. The active ingredient of Aranesp is darbepoetin alfa
that works in exactly the same way as the natural hormone erythropoietin.
It will take your body a short time to make red blood cells, so it will be about 4
weeks before you notice any effect.
Anaemia can occur as a result of cancer. Aranesp should not be used to treat anaemia
that results from cancer.
Your doctor may have prescribed Aranesp for another reason. Ask your doctor if you
have any questions about why Aranesp has been prescribed for you.
Aratac is used to control a fast or irregular heart beat.
Aratac belongs to a group of medicines called antiarrhythmics. It works by lengthening
the gap between one heartbeat and the next, helping to bring the heart rate to a slower
and more regular pace.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions about why Aratac has been
prescribed for you.
Your doctor may have prescribed Aratac for another reason.
Aratac is not recommended for use in children, as its safety and effectiveness in
children has not been established.
Aratac is available only with a doctor's prescription.
Arava is a type of medicine used to treat rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis. Arava
helps to slow down the process of joint damage and to relieve the symptoms of the
disease, such as joint tenderness and swelling, pain and morning stiffness.
Arava works by selectively interfering with the ability of white blood cells called
lymphocytes to produce the disease response that ultimately leads to pain, inflammation
and joint damage.
Your doctor, however, may have prescribed Arava for another purpose.
Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why it has been prescribed for you.
This medicine is only available with a doctor's prescription.
ARAZIL tablets are used to treat mild, moderate and severe Alzheimer's disease, also
called dementia of the Alzheimer's type.
ARAZIL will not cure this disease, but should help your memory and improve your thinking
capacity.
This medicine belongs to a group of medicines called acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.
They are thought to work by increasing the level of a chemical called acetylcholine
in the brain.
Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why this medicine has been prescribed
for you.
Your doctor may have prescribed it for another reason.
This medicine is not addictive.
This medicine is only available with a doctor's prescription.
to relieve short term pain, including cramp-like pain or discomfort before or during
a menstrual period, and pain associated with minor dental procedures.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a joint disease. It results from the gradual breakdown of the cartilage
that covers the joints and cushions the ends of bones.
Symptoms of osteoarthritis include pain, tenderness, stiffness of one or more joints,
and physical disability. The hips and knees are the most commonly affected joints,
but other joints, such as those of the hands and spine, may also be affected.
Osteoarthritis is more common in women than in men. Many factors can lead to the
development of osteoarthritis, including obesity and joint injury (e.g. from sport).
Gout
Gout is a disease that causes attacks of arthritis, usually in a single joint. The
affected joint is red, swollen, painful and extremely tender. A gout attack usually
lasts a few days and it may recur.
For more information about osteoarthritis or gout, contact the Arthritis Foundation
in the capital city of your state.
How ARCOXIA works
ARCOXIA belongs to a group of medicines called Coxibs. It works in a similar way
to traditional anti-inflammatory medicines, known as Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory
Drugs (NSAIDs), by blocking the production of substances that cause pain and inflammation.
In clinical trials, ARCOXIA has been shown to have a lower risk of serious side effects
on the stomach (for example, bleeding stomach ulcers) than NSAIDs. However taking
aspirin with ARCOXIA may reverse this benefit.
Your doctor may have prescribed ARCOXIA for another reason. Ask your doctor if you
have any questions about why ARCOXIA has been prescribed for you.
The safety and effectiveness of ARCOXIA in children and teenagers under the age of
18 years have not been established.
ARDIX LURASIDONE is used to treat adults and adolescents (aged 13 years or over) with
schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a mental illness with disturbances in thinking, feelings
and behaviour.
Your doctor may have prescribed ARDIX LURASIDONE for another reason. Ask your doctor
if you have any questions about why ARDIX LURASIDONE has been prescribed for you.
ARDIX LURASIDONE belongs to a group of medicines called atypical antipsychotics. It
helps to correct chemical imbalances in the brain, which may cause mental illness.
There is no evidence that ARDIX LURASIDONE is addictive or habit forming.
This medicine is available only with a doctor's prescription.
ARDIX LURASIDONE is not recommended for use in children or adolescents under 13 years
of age, as safety and effectiveness have not been established in this age group.
