Lancora

Uses of Lancora

Lancora is a heart medication that is used in addition to other medications to treat stable, chronic (long-term) heart failure in adults who have a heart rate of 77 or more beats per minute. It reduces the heart rate by acting on specific cells in the heart that cause the heart muscle to contract, or “beat.”  An increased heart rate is associated with increased hospital admissions and an increased risk of dying from heart failure.

Precautions and Warnings

To help avoid side effects and ensure proper use, talk to your healthcare professional before you take Lancora. Talk about any health conditions or problems you may have, including if you:

• have heart problems such as:
• irregular heartbeat or heart rhythm
• an abnormally rapid heart rate
• unexpected fainting
• heart palpitations (feeling like your heart has skipped a beat or added an extra beat)
• increase in chest pain
• lower than normal level of potassium in your blood
• one of the valves in your heart is more narrow (aortic stenosis)
• a heart device such as a pacemaker, cardioverter defibrillator or cardiac resynchronizer
• high or low blood pressure
• a reduced heart rate with shortness of breath or tiredness. This could mean that your heart slowed down too much.
• severe heart failure or heart failure with an electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormality called ‘bundle branch block’
• have a family history of problems of electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormality called “Long QT syndrome”
• have had a recent stroke
• have moderate liver problems
• have severe kidney problems.

If you are a woman of child-bearing potential, you should use appropriate birth control measures to avoid getting pregnant while taking LLancora. If you get pregnant while taking Lancora, your fetus could be harmed or could die.

Monitoring before taking Lancora and when your dose is changed
Your doctor will monitor your heart rate on at least three separate visits before you start treatment with Lancora and whenever your dose is changed. Your doctor may also monitor your heart rate and rhythm at other times during your treatment.

Blood pressuring monitoring
If you have high blood pressure and need treatment with Lancora, your doctor:

• will regularly monitor your blood pressure.
• may need to change your blood pressure medication.

Irregular heart rhythm
Lancora may cause an irregular heart rhythm. This has happened more in patients taking certain medications like amiodarone. Your doctor will monitor your heart rhythm and the electrical system of your heart with an electrocardiogram (ECG).

Tell your doctor if you have any of the following symptoms of an irregular heart rhythm:

• fast or irregular heartbeat
• feeling like your heart is skipping a beat
• thumping in your chest
• discomfort, pain or pressure in your chest
• shortness of breath
• less ability to exercise
• feeling tired, weak, dizzy or light-headed
• confusion

Abnormally slow heart rate
Lancora may lower your heart rate too much. This may happen more in patients:

• taking other heart rate lowering drugs
• who are elderly (75 years of age or older).

Your doctor will monitor your heart rate. Tell your doctor if you have any of the following symptoms of a heart rate that is too low:

• nearly fainting or fainting
• weakness or fatigue
• dizziness
• shortness of breath
• chest pain
• feeling confused or having memory problems

Lancora may cause temporary visual symptoms. You may:

• have blurry vision
• see halos or stars of light
• see rapid pulses light
• see colored bright lights
• see moving and twisting colours of light
• find that you have moments of brightness that come and go in only certain portions of what you see with your eyes

You may notice that these symptoms happen when there are sudden changes in light intensity in your environment. For example, you may have symptoms if you walk into a bright room from a dark room. These symptoms usually go away on their own. These symptoms typically happen in the first two months of treatment.

Lancora may make you:

• feel dizzy, tired or weak
• have blurry vision
• see spots or stars of light in your eyes
• have other problems with your vision because of halos, patches of brightness in your vision or pulses of light.

Be careful when driving or using machines. Know how you feel while taking Lancora before you drive or use machines.

Dosage

Your doctor will decide the right dose for you. Your doctor will adjust your dose based on your heart rate. The usual recommended starting dose is one 5 mg tablet of LANCORA twice a day. Your doctor may increase your dose to one 7.5 mg tablet twice a day. In some cases, you may start your treatment with a lower dose of 2.5 mg twice a day. Your doctor may recommend this dose if you are elderly (≥75 years old) or are taking some specific medications. To take this dose, you will need to break one 5 mg tablet into two, and take one half in the morning with food and the other half in the evening with food.

Side Effects

Common side effects:

• Allergic reactions;
• Abnormal heart rate less than 50 beats per minute or irregular heartbeat;
• Cramping in lower legs;
• Feeling like fainting or passing out;
• Feeling very weak;
• Increase in blood pressure;
• Mini-stroke;
• Sudden drop in blood pressure;
• Vision changes