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Common uses
Fludrocortisone is a corticosteroid, and a potential treatment for orthostatic hypertension. It
belongs to the family of medicines called steroids. Your body naturally produces similar
steroids, which are necessary to maintain the balance of certain minerals and water for good
health. If your body has problems with blood pressure, fludrocortisone can help maintain
blood pressure by increasing fluid retention.
Before using
They need to know if you have any of these conditions:
• Cushing's syndrome
• diabetes mellitus
• heart problems, or previous heart attack
• high blood pressure or blood clotting disorder
• infection, such as herpes, measles, tuberculosis or chickenpox
• myasthenia gravis
• psychosis
• osteoporosis
• recent surgery
• seizures (convulsions)
• stomach or intestinal disease, including colitis
• kidney disease
• over- or underactive thyroid
• an unusual or allergic reaction to fludrocortisone, other corticosteroids, medicines, foods, dyes, or preservatives
• pregnant or trying to get pregnant
• breast-feeding
Directions
Take fludrocortisone tablets by mouth. Follow the directions on the prescription label. Swallow the tablets with a drink of water. Take with food or milk to avoid stomach upset. If you are only taking fludrocortisone once a day, take it in the morning, unless otherwise directed, which is the time your body normally secretes cortisol. Take your doses at regular intervals. Do not take your medicine more often than directed.
Contact your pediatrician or health care professional regarding the use of this medicine in children. Special care may be needed.
Cautions
Keep all doctor and laboratory appointments while you are taking Florinef. Before you begin taking any new medicine, either prescription or over-the-counter, check with your doctor or pharmacist. If you plan on becoming pregnant, discuss with your doctor the benefits and risks of using Florinef during pregnancy. If you are or will be breast-feeding while you are using Florinef, check with your doctor or pharmacist to discuss the risks to your baby.
Possible side effects
Although side effects from Fludrocortisone are not common, they can occur. Tell your doctor
if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:
- upset stomach
- stomach irritation
- vomiting
- headache
- dizziness
- insomnia
- restlessness
- depression
- anxiety
- acne
- increased hair growth
- easy bruising
- irregular or absent menstrual periods
If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:
- skin rash
- swollen face, lower legs, or ankles
- vision problems
- cold or infection that lasts a long time
- muscle weakness
- black or tarry stool
If you take too much
Development of hypertension, edema, hypokalemia, excessive increase in weight, and increase in heart size are signs of overdosage of fludrocortisone acetate. When these are noted, administration of the drug should be discontinued, after which the symptoms will usually subside within several days; subsequent treatment with fludrocortisone acetate should be with a reduced dose. Muscular weakness may develop due to excessive potassium loss and can be treated by administering a potassium supplement. Regular monitoring of blood pressure and serum electrolytes can help to prevent overdosage
Additional information
Once a medicine has been approved for marketing for a certain use, experience may show that it is also useful for other medical problems. Although these uses are not included in product labeling, fludrocortisone is used in certain patients with the following medical conditions:
• Idiopathic orthostatic hypotension (a certain type of low blood pressure)
• Too much acid in the blood, caused by kidney disease
Other than the above information, there is no additional information relating to proper use, precautions, or side effects for these uses.
Drug interactions
• antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen)
• barbiturate medicines for inducing sleep or treating seizures (convulsions)
• bosentan
• certain heart medicines
• male hormones
• phenytoin
• rifampin
• water pills
Tell your prescriber or health care professional about all other medicines you are taking, including non-prescription medicines, nutritional supplements, or herbal products. Also tell your prescriber or health care professional if you are a frequent user of drinks with caffeine or alcohol, if you smoke, or if you use illegal drugs. These may affect the way your medicine works. Check with your health care professional before stopping or starting any of your medicines.
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