Allohexal Consumer Medicine Information

Allopurinol
Tablets 100 mg, 300 mg

What is in this leaflet

This leaflet answers some common questions about ALLOHEXAL.

It does not contain all the available information. It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.

All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you taking ALLOHEXAL against the benefits they expect it will have for you.

If you have any concerns about taking this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Keep this leaflet with the medicine. You may want to read it again.

What ALLOHEXAL is used for

The name of your medicine is ALLOHEXAL. It contains the active ingredient allopurinol.

ALLOHEXAL is used to prevent gout and gouty arthritis. It is not used to treat an acute attack of gout.

ALLOHEXAL is also used to prevent or treat other medical problems that may occur if too much uric acid is present in the body. These include certain kinds of kidney stones or other kidney problems.

ALLOHEXAL is also used for certain enzyme disorders and in some types of cancers where the body produces too much uric acid.

ALLOHEXAL is also used to lower high uric acid levels caused by some anticancer medicines.

Your doctor may have prescribed ALLOHEXAL for another reason. Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why ALLOHEXAL was prescribed for you.

How ALLOHEXAL works

ALLOHEXAL belongs to a group of medicines called xanthine oxidase inhibitor.

Gout and gouty arthritis are caused by too much uric acid in the blood (known as hyperuricaemia). This excess uric acid may form deposits of uric acid crystals in or around various joints. Chronic gout or chronic gouty arthritis is characterised by a progressive stiffening and aching of the hand or lower leg joints. Left untreated, gout can cause permanent damage to the joints.

Occasionally the build-up of uric acid in the kidneys can cause kidney stones. Allopurinol works by reducing the production of uric acid in the body, and therefore helps prevent the formation of deposits of uric acid crystals.

There is no evidence that ALLOHEXAL is addictive.

Before you take ALLOHEXAL

When you must not take ALLOHEXAL

Do not take ALLOHEXAL if:

  • You are allergic to the active ingredient or any of the inactive ingredients mentioned at the end of this leaflet under Product Description
  • It is past it's expiry date or the packaging appears to have been tampered with
  • You are pregnant or breast feeding. ALLOHEXAL is not generally recommended for use in pregnant or breast feeding women unless the benefits of treatment outweigh the risk to the unborn baby.
  • You are having an acute attack of gout.

Your doctor will wait until the symptoms of the acute attack have subsided before starting you on ALLOHEXAL. However, if you are already taking ALLOHEXAL and have an acute attack of gout, you should continue taking the tablets and contact your doctor immediately. Your doctor may describe another medicine such as colchicine or a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine (NSAID) to relieve the acute attack.

Before you start to take ALLOHEXAL

Tell your doctor if you have allergies to:

  • any other medicines
  • any other substances, including foods, preservatives or dyes

Tell your doctor if you plan on becoming pregnant or will be breast feeding while you are using ALLOHEXAL.

Tell your doctor if you have or have had any medical conditions, especially the following:

  • kidney disease
  • liver disease

Taking other medicines

Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medicine, including any that you buy without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.

In particular, tell your doctor if you take any of the following:

  • mercaptopurine, used to treat some cancers
  • adenine arabinoside, used to treat some cancers
  • azathioprine, an immunosuppressive medicine
  • chlorpropamide, used to treat diabetes
  • aspirin and other salicylates
  • probenecid, used to treat gout

These medicines may be affected by ALLOHEXAL, or may affect how well it works. You may need to use different amounts of your medicine, or you may need to take different medicines. Your doctor will advise you.

How to take ALLOHEXAL

Your doctor will tell you how many tablets you need to take each day. The usual dose is one 300 mg tablet each day. If the dose is more than 300 mg a day then it is recommended that half a dose be taken in the morning and half at night.

Take ALLOHEXAL after a meal. This may help reduce the possibility of feeling sick or other stomach upsets.

Swallow the tablet with a glass of water or other liquid.

To break ALLOHEXAL into two equal halves, place on a flat surface and press down on either side of break line with thumb and forefinger.

If you forget to take your dose

Take your dose as soon as you remember, and continue to take it as you would normally.

If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the dose you missed and take your next dose when you are meant to.

Do not take a double dose to make up for the dose you missed.

If you are not sure what to do, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

If you have trouble remembering when to take your medicine, ask your pharmacist for some hints.

If you take too much

Immediately telephone your doctor, or the Poisons Information Centre (telephone 0800 POISON or 0800 764 766) or go to accident and emergency at you nearest hospital, if you think you or anyone else has taken too much ALLOHEXAL.

Do this even if there is no signs of discomfort or poisoning.

While you are using ALLOHEXAL

Things you must do

  • Always follow your doctors instructions carefully
  • Tell your doctor if you become pregnant while taking ALLOHEXAL
  • If you are about to start taking a new medicine, tell your doctor and pharmacist that you are taking ALLOHEXAL

Things you must not do

  • Do not stop taking ALLOHEXAL without your doctors permission
  • Do not use ALLOHEXAL to treat any other complaint unless your doctor says so
  • Do not give this medication to anyone else, even if their symptoms seem similar to yours

Things to be careful of

Be careful driving or operating machinery until you know how ALLOHEXAL affects you.

ALLOHEXAL may cause drowsiness in some people.

Side effects

All medicines can have unwanted effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. Do not be alarmed by this list of possible side effects. You may not experience any of them.

Tell your doctor if you notice any of the following and they worry you:

  • feeling sick, also called nausea
  • vomiting
  • drowsiness

These are the more common side effects of ALLOHEXAL. Mostly, these are mild and short-lived.

If any of the following happen, stop taking ALLOHEXAL, and tell your doctor immediately, or go to accident and emergency at your nearest hospital:

  • skin rash, itchiness
  • red or scaly skin
  • pinpoint red spots on the skin
  • fever, chills, sore throat or mouth ulcers
  • joint pain
  • swollen gland

These are very serious side effects. You may need urgent medical attention or hospitalisation. Serious side effects are rare, although skin rash and itching are more common side effects.

Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some people. Tell your doctor if you notice any other effects.

After using ALLOHEXAL

Storage

Keep ALLOHEXAL in the original packaging until you need to take it.

Store below 25°C in a dry place, out of the reach of children.

Disposal

Return any unused or out of date medicine to your pharmacist.

Product description

What ALLOHEXAL looks like

ALLOHEXAL 100 mg: white, round, scored tablets.

ALLOHEXAL 300 mg: white, round, scored tablets.

They are available in HDPE bottles of 200 tablets (100 mg) and 60 tablets (300 mg).

Ingredients

As well as the active ingredient, ALLOHEXAL also contains some inactive ingredients. These are cellulose powdered, povidone, macrogol 4000, crospovidone, talc purified, magnesium stearate, cellulose microcrystalline.

This leaflet was prepared in August, 2000.