Generic Inderal is prescribed to treat angina, mild to moderate high blood pressure (hypertension), irregular heartbeat (cardiac arrhythmias), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (weakness of the heart muscle), heart attack, pheochromocytoma, tremors, and migraine headaches.

Generic Inderal may also be used for purposes other than those listed.

The time course of full blood pressure response is variable. The antihypertensive effect will usually occur within 3 to 7 days after reaching the effective dose. The maximum decrease in blood pressure may occur 2 to 4 weeks after initiation of treatment.

Angina Pectoris:
Dosage must be individualized. Initiate therapy with 20 to 40 mg twice daily before meals. If satisfactory response is not obtained after 1 week, dosage should be increased to 80 mg twice daily. Although individual patients may respond to any dosage level, the average optimum dosage of Generic Inderal appears to be 160 mg/day. Occasionally in resistant patients dosages as high as 320 to 400 mg/day have been administered with beneficial results. If treatment is to be discontinued, reduce Generic Inderal dosage gradually over a period of about 2 weeks.

Arrhythmias:
10 to 30 mg 3 or 4 times daily, before meals and at bedtime.

Post-myocardial Infarction:
Initiate therapy with a 20 mg dose. If no adverse reaction is noted, increase the dose of Generic Inderal to 40 mg three times daily. After one to two weeks increase the dose of Generic Inderal to 60 mg three time daily. If necessary, the dose may be increased to 80 mg three times daily. In a large study involving 3837 patients, this larger dose was used in approximately 20% of patients.

Migraine:
Dosage must be individualized. The initial dose of Generic Inderal is 40 mg twice daily. The dose may then be gradually increased until optimum migraine prophylaxis is achieved. The usual effective dose range is 80 to 160 mg/day.

Hypertrophic Subaortic Stenosis:
20 to 40 mg, 3 or 4 times daily, before meals and at bedtime.

Essential tremor:
Individualize dosage. The initial dose is 80 mg daily in divided doses. The dosage of Generic Inderal may be increased to 120 to 160 mg daily for optimal effects. If a patient does not respond to the drug within this dosage range, it is unlikely that further increases in dosage will produce a therapeutic effect, although a few patients have benefited from a daily dose of 240 mg. In elderly patients, doses above 120 mg daily may increase the risk of side effects such as bradycardia, syncope and bronchospasm.

Pheochromocytoma:
Preoperatively: 60 mg daily, in divided doses, for 3 days before surgery, concomitantly with an alpha-receptor blocking agent. Malignant cases: 30 mg daily, in divided doses.

Generic Inderal Overdose:
No specific information on Generic Inderal overdose is available; however, overdose symptoms with other beta blockers include:

• extremely slow heartbeat,
• irregular heartbeat,
• low blood pressure,
• severe congestive heart failure,
• seizures,
• wheezing

If you miss a dose of Generic Inderal:
Take it as soon as you remember. If it is near the time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and resume your regular dosage schedule. Do not double the next dose.

Generic Inderal Storage instructions:
Keep your Generic Inderal tablets in the bottle until it is time to take them. If you take Generic Inderal out of the bottle it will not keep well.

Keep it in a cool dry place where the temperature stays below 30ºC.

Do not store Generic Inderal in the bathroom or near a sink. Heat and dampness can destroy Generic Inderal.
Keep Generic Inderal where young children cannot reach it. A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.

Do not leave Generic Inderal in the car on hot days.

Generic Inderal Disposal
Ask your pharmacist what to do with any tablets you have left over if your doctor tells you to stop taking them, or you find that the expiry date has passed.

Generic Inderal Preparations: Generic Inderal 10 mg, Generic Inderal 40 mg, Generic Inderal 80 mg.

If Generic Inderal is taken with certain other drugs, the effects of either could be increased, decreased, or altered. It is especially important to check with your doctor before combining Generic Inderal with the following:

• Alcohol
• Aluminum hydroxide gel (Amphojel)
• Antipyrine (Auralgan)
• Calcium-blocking blood pressure drugs such as Cardizem, Procardia, and Calan
• Certain high blood pressure medications such as Diupres and Ser-Ap-Es
• Chlorpromazine (Thorazine)
• Cimetidine (Tagamet)
• Epinephrine (EpiPen)
• Haloperidol (Haldol)
• Insulin
• Lidocaine (Xylocaine)
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Motrin and Naprosyn
• Oral diabetes drugs such as Micronase
• Phenobarbitone
• Phenytoin (Dilantin)
• Rifampin (Rifadin)
• Theophylline (Theo-Dur and others) ]
• Thyroid medications such as Synthroid

Special Precautions if you are pregnant or breast feeding
Generic Inderal is in the FDA pregnancy category C. This means it is not known whether Generic Inderal will be harmful to an unborn baby. Do not take Generic Inderal without first talking to your doctor if you are pregnant or could become pregnant during treatment.

Generic Inderal passes into breast milk and may affect a nursing infant. Do not take Generic Inderal without first talking to your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Special Warnings about Generic Inderal
If you become pregnant while taking Generic Inderal, tell your doctor.

If you have a severe allergic reaction to foods, medicines or insect stings, tell your doctor immediately. If you have a history of allergies, there is a chance that Generic Inderal may cause allergic reactions to be worse and harder to treat.

If you feel light-headed, dizzy or faint when getting out of bed or standing up, get up slowly. You may feel light-headed or dizzy when you begin to take Generic Inderal. Standing up slowly, especially when you get up from bed or chairs, will help your body get used to the change in position and blood pressure. If this problem gets worse or continues, talk to your doctor.

If you plan to have surgery (even at the dentist) that needs a general anaesthetic, tell your doctor or dentist that you are taking Generic Inderal. Your blood pressure may drop suddenly if Generic Inderal interacts with the anaesthetic.

If you are being treated for diabetes, make sure you check your blood suger level regularly and report any changes to your doctor. Generic Inderal may change how well your diabetes is controlled. It may also cover up some of the symptoms of low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia).

Generic Inderal may increase the time your body takes to recover from low blood sugar. Your doses of diabetic medicines, including insulin, may need to change.

Tell any doctors, dentists, and pharmacists who are treating you that you are taking Generic Inderal.

Be careful driving or operating machinery until you know how Generic Inderal affects you. Generic Inderal may cause dizziness, light-headedness, tiredness, or drowsiness in some people. Make sure you know how you react to Generic Inderal before you drive a car, operate machinery, or do anything else that could be dangerous if you are dizzy or light-headed.

Dress warmly during cold weather, especially if you will be outside for a long time (for example when playing winter sports). Generic Inderal, like other beta-blocker medicines, may make you more sensitive to cold temperatures, especially if you have circulation problems

Possible Generic Inderal Side effects
Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking Generic Inderal.

Generic Inderal helps most people when taken correctly, but it may have unwanted side-effects in a few people. The side effects may include:

• nausea (feeling sick), vomiting
• loss of appetite
• diarrhoea, stomach pain
• cold hands or feet
• dizziness, tiredness
• rash, flushing

Tell your doctor immediately if you notice any of the following:

• disturbed sleep, vivid dreams or nightmares
• dry eyes
• trouble passing urine
• unexplained bruising
• mood changes, confusion
• sexual problems

Serious side effects are rare.

If any of the following happen, stop taking Generic Inderal and tell your doctor immediately or go to casualty at your nearest hospital.

• extreme tiredness or breathlessness on mild exercise
• wheezing, difficulty breathing or an asthma attack
• fast heart beats (palpitations)

All of these side effects are very rare.

Generic Inderal Withdrawal Side Effects:
Chest pain; fast or irregular heartbeat; general feeling of discomfort or illness or weakness; headache; shortness of breath (sudden); sweating; trembling.