Trandolapril/verapamil (By mouth)

How to Store and Dispose of This Medicine

• Store the medicine in a closed container at room temperature, away from heat, moisture, and direct light.
• Ask your pharmacist, doctor, or health caregiver about the best way to dispose of any outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed.
• Keep all medicine away from children and never share your medicine with anyone.

Drugs and Foods to Avoid

Ask your doctor or pharmacist before using any other medicine, including over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products.

• Make sure your doctor knows if you are taking carbamazepine (Tegretol®), phenobarbital (Luminal®), digoxin (Lanoxin®), lithium (Lithobid®), imipramine (Tofranil®), midazolam (Versed®), or theophylline (Theo-Dur®). Tell your doctor if you are also using a diuretic or water pill (such as amiloride, furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide [HCTZ], spironolactone, triamterene, Hyzaar®, Lotrel®, Midamor®, or Zestoretic®), other blood pressure medicines (such as atenolol, metoprolol, prazosin, propranolol, terazosin, timolol, Blocadren®, Hytrin®, Lopressor®, Minipress®, Tenormin®, or Toprol®), or medicine for heart rhythm problems (such as disopyramide, flecainide, quinidine, Cardioquin®, Norpace®, Quinaglute®, Quinidex®, or Tambocor®).
• Make sure your doctor knows if you are also using rifampin (Rifadin®, Rifamate®, Rifater®), ritonavir (Norvir®), a medicine to treat an infection (such as clarithromycin, erythromycin, telithromycin, Ketek®, Biaxin®, Ery-Tab®), or a medicine that suppresses your immune system (such as cyclosporine, sirolimus, tacrolimus, Gengraf®, Neoral®, Sandimmune®, Rapamune®, Prograf®).
• Tell your doctor if you are also using St John's wort, almotriptan (Axert®), buspirone (Buspar®), colchicine (Colcrys®), doxorubicin (Adriamycin®), isoflurane, sulfinpyrazone (Anturane®), or tubocurarine. Make sure your doctor knows if you are also using gold injections, insulin or a diabetes medicine that you take by mouth (such as glipizide, glyburide, metformin, Actos?, Amaryl®, Avandia®, Diabeta®, Glucophage®, Glucotrol®, Glynase®, or Micronase®), medicine to lower cholesterol (such as atorvastatin, lovastatin, simvastatin, Altocor®, Lipitor®, Mevacor®, or Zocor®), or an NSAID pain or arthritis medicine (such as aspirin, celecoxib, ibuprofen, naproxen, Advil®, Aleve®, Celebrex®, Motrin®).
• Ask your doctor before you use medicines, supplements, or salt substitutes that contain potassium.

Possible Side Effects While Using This Medicine

Call your doctor right away if you notice any of these side effects:

• Allergic reaction: Itching or hives, swelling in your face or hands, swelling or tingling in your mouth or throat, chest tightness, trouble breathing
• Chest pain (may be related to your disease and not a side effect)
• Confusion, body weakness, or numbness or tingling in your hands, feet, or lips
• Dark-colored urine or pale stools
• Fast, slow, pounding, or uneven heartbeat
• Fever, chills, sore throat, and body aches
• Lightheadedness, dizziness, or fainting
• Nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, or pain in the upper stomach
• Shortness of breath, cold sweat, or bluish-colored skin
• Swelling in your hands, ankles, or feet
• Yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes

If you notice these less serious side effects, talk with your doctor:

• Dry cough

If you notice other side effects that you think are caused by this medicine, tell your doctor

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088

Brand Name(s)

Tarka

There may be other brand names for this medicine.

When This Medicine Should Not Be Used

Do not use this medicine if you have had an allergic reaction to trandolapril, verapamil, or other ACE inhibitors (such as captopril, enalapril, lisinopril, Accupril®, Altace®, Lotensin®, Lotrel®, Monopril®, Prinivil®, Vasotec®, or Zestril®). Do not use this medicine if you are pregnant or have had angioedema that was caused by an ACE inhibitor. Do not use this medicine if you have very low blood pressure or certain heart problems. Ask your doctor what these heart problems are.

How to Use This Medicine

Long Acting Tablet

• Your doctor will tell you how much of this medicine to use and how often. Your dose may need to be changed several times in order to find out what works best for you. Do not use more medicine or use it more often than your doctor tells you to.
• It is best to take this medicine with food or milk.
• Carefully follow your doctor's instructions about any special diet.
• Swallow the extended-release tablet whole. Do not crush, break, or chew it.

If a dose is missed:

• If you miss a dose or forget to use your medicine, use it as soon as you can. If it is almost time for your next dose, wait until then to use the medicine and skip the missed dose. Do not use extra medicine to make up for a missed dose.

Warnings While Using This Medicine

• Using this medicine while you are pregnant can harm your unborn baby, especially after the first 3 months of pregnancy. Use an effective form of birth control to prevent pregnancy. Tell your doctor right away if you become pregnant.
• Make sure your doctor knows if you are breastfeeding, or if you have kidney problems or liver disease. Make sure your doctor knows if you have heart disease, congestive heart failure, diabetes, heart rhythm problems (such as PR interval prolongation), or a mineral imbalance (high or low potassium or sodium in the blood). Tell your doctor if you have a collagen vascular disease (such as lupus or scleroderma) or muscle problems (such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy).
• This medicine could lower your blood pressure too much and cause you to feel dizzy or lightheaded. Stand or sit up slowly if you feel dizzy. This is more likely to happen when you begin to use the medicine or if you become dehydrated.
• Stop using this medicine and check with your doctor right away if you have pain or tenderness in the upper stomach, pale stools, dark urine, loss of appetite, nausea, unusual tiredness or weakness, or yellow eyes or skin. These could be symptoms of a serious liver problem.
• Check with your doctor if you have a fever, chills, or sore throat. These could be symptoms of an infection caused by low white blood cell counts.
• Your doctor will need to check your blood or urine at regular visits while you are using this medicine. Be sure to keep all appointments.
• Even if you feel well, do not stop using this medicine without asking your doctor. This medicine will not cure your high blood pressure, but it will help lower it and keep it down. You may have to take blood pressure medicine for the rest of your life.

Introduction

Trandolapril (tran-DOE-la-pril), Verapamil Hydrochloride (ver-AP-a-mil hye-droe-KLOR-ide)

Treats high blood pressure. A lower blood pressure will reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack. This medicine is a combination of an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and a calcium channel blocker.