Can Aldomet be taken with other medications?
Aldomet may be used alone or with other medications. Aldomet belongs to a class of drugs called Alpha2 Agonists, Central-Acting. What are the possible side effects of Aldomet?
How does Aldomet work to lower blood pressure?
ALDOMET (methyldopa) reduces both supine and standing blood pressure. Methyldopa usually produces highly effective lowering of the supine pressure with infrequent symptomatic postural hypotension. Exercise hypotension and diurnal blood pressure variations rarely occur.
What class of drug is Aldomet?
Aldomet belongs to a class of drugs called Alpha2 Agonists, Central-Acting. What are the possible side effects of Aldomet? Aldomet may cause serious side effects including:
How should I take Aldomet (methyldopa)?
When ALDOMET (methyldopa) is given with antihypertensives other than thiazides, the initial dosage of ALDOMET (methyldopa) should be limited to 500 mg daily in divided doses; when ALDOMET (methyldopa) is added to a thiazide, the dosage of thiazide need not be changed.
Why is Aldomet used in pregnancy?
Methyldopa (Aldomet®) is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension) in pregnancy.
Why is methyldopa a drug of choice during pregnancy?
Methyldopa crosses the placenta, and may cause mild hypotension in neonates of treated mothers. Because it has been safely and successfully used to treat hypertension during pregnancy, some experts consider it to be the drug of choice for the treatment of nonemergent hypertension during pregnancy.
What is Aldomet drug used for?
Aldomet contains the active substance called methyldopa. This belongs to a group of medicines called 'antihypertensives'. Methyldopa is changed inside your body to a natural substance that lowers blood pressure. Your doctor has prescribed Aldomet to treat high blood pressure (hypertension).
Why would methyldopa be useful to treat hypertension?
Methyldopa works by controlling impulses along certain nerve pathways. As a result, it relaxes blood vessels so that blood passes through them more easily. This helps to lower blood pressure. Methyldopa is available only with your doctor's prescription.
Can Aldomet affect pregnancy?
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding It is not known whether methyldopa will harm an unborn baby. However, having high blood pressure during pregnancy may cause complications such as diabetes or eclampsia (dangerously high blood pressure that can lead to medical problems in both mother and baby).
What is the drug of choice for hypertension in pregnancy?
Methyldopa is a drug of first choice for control of mild to moderate hypertension in pregnancy and is the most widely prescribed antihypertensive for this indication in several countries, including the US and the UK.
How does Aldomet work to lower blood pressure?
Aldomet lowers blood pressure by decreasing the levels of certain chemicals in your blood. This allows your blood vessels (veins and arteries) to relax (widen). Aldomet is used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure). Aldomet may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.
What class of drug is Aldomet?
Aldomet is a prescription medicine used to treat the symptoms of high blood pressure (Hypertension), Renal Impairment and Hypertensive Crisis. Aldomet may be used alone or with other medications. Aldomet belongs to a class of drugs called Alpha2 Agonists, Central-Acting.
Does methyldopa cause hemolytic anemia?
Hemolysis due to alpha-methyldopa occurs via autoantibodies targeted against red blood cells [3]. Alpha-methyldopa causes the production of such antibodies in about 15% of patients receiving the drug, with 0.5%–1% developing hemolytic anemia [4].
What is the mode of action of Aldomet?
Although the exact mechanism of action is not yet understood, methyldopa is thought to lower blood pressure by activating receptors (alpha-2 receptors) in the central nervous system and by reducing the concentration of epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin.
What is mechanism of action of methyldopa?
Mechanism of Action Alpha-methyldopa is converted to methyl norepinephrine centrally to decrease the adrenergic outflow by alpha-2 agonistic action from the central nervous system, leading to reduced total peripheral resistance and decreased systemic blood pressure.
Is methyldopa a vasodilator?
The reduction of middle cerebral artery flow velocities following administration of nifedipine and methyldopa may suggest that cerebral vasodilatation is occurring, which is consistent with the concept that cerebral vasospasm is present in women with pre-eclampsia.
What are the side effects of Aldomet?
The most common side effects of Aldomet include: drowsiness, weakness, and. headache.
What is the name of the medication that is used to treat hypertension?
Aldomet is a prescription medicine used to treat the symptoms of high blood pressure (Hypertension), Renal Impairment and Hypertensive Crisis. Aldomet may be used alone or with other medications. Aldomet belongs to a class of drugs called Alpha2 Agonists, Central-Acting.
What happens if you have Coombs positive hemolytic anemia?
If Coombs-positive hemolytic anemia occurs, the cause may be methyldopa and the drug should be discontinued. Usually the anemia remits promptly. If not, corticosteroids may be given and other causes of anemia should be considered. If the hemolytic anemia is related to methyldopa, the drug should not be reinstituted.
How long does it take for methyldopa to work?
Once an effective dosage range is attained, a smooth blood pressure response occurs in most patients in 12 to 24 hours. Since methyldopa has a relatively short duration of action, withdrawal is followed by return of hypertension usually within 48 hours. This is not complicated by an overshoot of blood pressure.
What are the known metabolites of methyldopamine?
The known urinary metabolites are: a -methyldopa mono-0-sulfate; 3-0-methyl- a -methyldopa; 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetone; a -methyldopamine; 3-0-methyl- a -methyldopamine and their conjugates. Approximately 70% of the drug which is absorbed is excreted in the urine as methyldopa and its mono-0-sulfate conjugate.
Is aldomet an antihypertensive drug?
ALDOMET (methyldopa) is an aromatic-amino-acid decarboxylase inhibitor in animals and in man. Although the mechanism of action has yet to be conclusively demonstrated, the antihypertensive effect of methyldopa probably is due to its metabolism to alpha-methylnorepinephrine, which then lowers arterial pressure by stimulation of central inhibitory alpha-adrenergic receptors, false neurotransmission, and/or reduction of plasma renin activity. Methyldopa has been shown to cause a net reduction in the tissue concentration of serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine.
Does methyldopa interfere with SGOT?
Methyldopa may interfere with measurement of: urinary uric acid by the phosphotungstate method, serum creatinine by the alkaline picrate method, and SGOT by colorimetric methods. Interference with spectrophotometric methods for SGOT analysis has not been reported.
What is the best medication for hypertension during pregnancy?
Drug treatment of hypertension in pregnancy. According to NHBPEP methyldopa, labetalol, beta blockers (other than atenolol), slow release nifedipine, and a diuretic in pre-existing hypertension are considered as appropriate treatment [1].
How much aspirin is safe for preterm birth?
Doses up to 75 mg appear to be safe.
What is the best way to measure BP?
BP can be measured using a mercury sphygmomanometer, calibrated aneroid device, or an automated BP device (valida ted for use in preeclampsia). (II-2A) Automated BP machines may underestimate BP in women with preeclampsia, and comparison of readings using mercury sphygmomanometry or an aneroid device is recommended.
Does vitamin C reduce preeclampsia?
It has been demonstrated that supplementation with vitamin C (at a dose of 1000 mg daily) and vitamin E (at a dose of 400 IU daily) do not reduce the rates of either serious adverse outcomes of pregnancy-associated hypertension or preeclampsia among low-risk, nulliparous women [52].
Is ACE a contraindication for pregnancy?
Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB) are contraindicated in pregnancy due to their association with adverse fetal effects [45]. ACE inhibitors are labelled FDA class C for the first trimester of pregnancy, and FDA class D for the second and third trimesters.
Is nocturnal hypertension associated with preeclampsia?
Nocturnal hypertension is higher in women with preeclampsia than in those with gestational hypertension and is associated with more maternal and fetal complications. The predictive accuracy of ABPM remains low; ambulatory pulse pressure and daytime DBP have been shown to be predictive of birth weight.
What is a day assessment unit?
Depending on the severity of maternal symptoms and clinical findings and on the fetal growth pattern, a woman may be referred to a day assessment unit to permit regular outpatient review, or be admitted. Many women are initially asymptomatic, or present with non-specific signs of malaise.
How much is the risk of superimposed pre-eclampsia?
The risk of superimposed pre-eclampsia is 15–26%,8but this risk is influenced by the gestation at which the hypertension develops. When gestational hypertension is diagnosed after 36 weeks of pregnancy, the risk falls to 10%.8With gestational hypertension, blood pressure usually normalises by six weeks post partum. Pre-eclampsia and eclampsia.
Is pre-eclampsia a teratogenic drug?
Pre-eclampsia remains an important cause of maternal death in the UK. No antihypertensive has been shown to be teratogenic, but angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) are fetotoxic. First line antihypertensive during pregnancy: methyldopa.
Can antihypertensive drugs cross the placenta?
All antihypertensive drugs have either been shown, or are assumed, to cross the placenta and reach the fetal circulation . However, as previously stated, none of the antihypertensive agents in routine use have been documented to be teratogenic, although ACE inhibitors and ARBs are fetotoxic.
What is the holistic approach to drug history?
The nurse must take a holistic approach when assessing the drug history. Recreational drugs and substances, home remedies, and self-treatment with complementary and alternative drugs are vital components of a patient's drug history. Sleep patterns and level of education are not considered vital information in the drug history.
What is patient adherence?
Patient adherence is the extent to which a patient's behavior coincides with medical advice. This is especially important for patients taking medications at home. Patients taking two drugs are at risk for drug interactions.
What is the goal of drug therapy?
The goal of drug therapy in the treatment of patients is the production of maximum benefit with minimum harm. The other options are not the main goal of drug therapy. The nurse is obtaining a drug history for a patient admitted to the unit. The nurse obtains information about past and present health histories, currently used prescription drugs, ...
Why is evaluation important in drug therapy?
Evaluation is one of the most important aspects of drug therapy, because it tells the nurse whether a drug is having its intended effect. The other aspects of drug administration are important but do not give information about a drug's effectiveness.
Research
- In one study a decrease in mean head circumference of 202 neonates of mothers who were begun on methyldopa during gestation weeks 16 and 20 has been reported. Long-term follow-up of 98% of these children has not revealed abnormalities, and the development delay commonly seen in children of hypertensive mothers was less in children whose mothers rec...
Side effects
- A review of 1,157 hypertensive pregnancies has revealed no evidence of teratogenicity or fetotoxicity associated with methyldopa.
Clinical significance
- The various features of the fetal heart rate pattern, as evaluated in a controlled trial by computerized cardiotocography in human pregnancy, were not influenced by methyldopa 250 mg three times a day in 19 women with preeclampsia.
Contraindications
- Methyldopa is excreted into human milk. Adverse effects in the nursing infant are unlikely. The manufacturer recommends that caution be used when administering methyldopa to nursing women.
Resources
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