Ranozex 500: Uses, How It Works, Side Effects
Also known as: Ranozex, Ranozex 500 mg, Ranozex 500 ER, Ranolazine 500 mg, Ranolazine ER 500 mg
Ranozex 500 is a prescription extended-release tablet containing 500 mg of ranolazine, used as an add-on in long-term angina. It is for people whose angina is not controlled enough by other medicines, or who cannot take them. It does not lower heart rate or blood pressure much. It can cause dizziness and constipation, may affect the heart's electrical trace, and interacts with many medicines. It should be swallowed whole.
- Active ingredient
- Ranolazine 500 mg
- Type of medicine
- Late sodium current inhibitors
- Used for
- Angina
- Starts working in
- Used regularly to help prevent angina; it does not relieve an attack that has started
- Effect lasts
- Extended-release, taken twice a day; the half-life is about 7 hours
- With or without food
- Can be taken with or without food; follow the label or your doctor's advice
- Alcohol
- Alcohol can add to dizziness; ask your doctor
- Pregnancy
- Human data are limited; tell your doctor if you are or may be pregnant
- Habit-forming
- No
- Made by
- VERIFY on pack
Pharmacist review in progress. This page is based on the sources listed below and is being checked by our registered pharmacist.
On this page
- What is Ranozex 500 used for?
- How does Ranozex 500 work?
- How to take Ranozex 500
- Side effects of Ranozex 500
- Who should be careful
- Medicines and things that interact with Ranozex 500
- If someone takes too much
- Storage
- Regulatory status in India
- Other brands with the same medicine
- Other strengths and forms
- Common questions
What is Ranozex 500 used for?
Ranozex 500 is a prescription medicine. It is used, on a doctor's advice, as an add-on for long-term angina.
- Treating long-term angina in adults, as an add-on when other medicines do not control symptoms enough or cannot be tolerated
How does Ranozex 500 work?
Ranolazine blocks a late sodium current in heart muscle cells. This limits the build-up of sodium and calcium in the cells when the heart is short of oxygen, so the heart muscle relaxes better and angina is reduced without a large change in heart rate or blood pressure.
What happens in your body after you take it
You swallow the tablet whole
The extended-release tablet is swallowed whole. It releases the medicine slowly over hours.
It is absorbed over hours
Ranolazine passes gradually into the blood from the gut, so levels stay more even through the day.
It reaches heart muscle
The blood carries it to the heart muscle cells.
It limits the late sodium current
In oxygen-short heart muscle, ranolazine blocks the late sodium current, which reduces calcium overload and stiffness in the cells.
The body clears it
Ranolazine is broken down mainly in the liver and gut and removed in urine and stool. Its half-life is about 7 hours, so it is taken twice a day.
How to take Ranozex 500
Take Ranozex 500 exactly as your doctor has prescribed or as printed on the pack. Your doctor decides the dose and how long you need it.
- Swallow the tablet whole. Do not crush, break or chew it.
- It is usually taken twice a day, at about the same times each day. Follow the label or your doctor's advice.
- It is used regularly to help prevent angina, not to treat an attack that has started. Ask your doctor what to keep for attacks.
- Your doctor may check kidney function and the heart's electrical trace from time to time.
- If you miss a dose, take it when you remember. If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed one. Do not take two doses together.
- Do not stop taking it on your own; talk to your doctor first.
Side effects of Ranozex 500
Most people take ranolazine without serious problems. Some side effects are common and mild, but a few need medical help.
Uncommon or mild
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Constipation
- Nausea or vomiting
- Weakness
Rare but serious: get medical help
- Fainting, or a fast, pounding or irregular heartbeat
- Passing much less urine than usual, or sudden swelling (possible kidney problems)
- Confusion, hallucinations or severe dizziness
- Swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing (a severe allergic reaction). Get medical help immediately
Who should be careful
Some people need to check with a doctor before taking Ranozex 500, or need extra care while taking it.
When the label says not to use it
- Allergy to ranolazine or any ingredient
- Liver cirrhosis or moderate or severe liver problems
- Taking strong CYP3A inhibitors or CYP3A inducers
- Severe kidney problems, as set out in the EMA overview
- Liver disease: it must not be used in cirrhosis, and the EMA says not with moderate or severe liver problems
- Kidney disease: kidney function can worsen, so doctors check it
- Long QT or a family history of it, or other medicines that affect the heart rhythm
- Older people and people with low body weight may be more sensitive
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding: human data are limited; ask your doctor
- Dizziness: take care driving or operating machinery until you know how it affects you
Medicines and things that interact with Ranozex 500
Ranozex 500 can change how other medicines work, and some medicines change its effect. Tell your doctor or pharmacist about everything you take, including herbal remedies and medicines bought over the counter.
- Strong CYP3A inhibitors such as ketoconazole, clarithromycin and ritonavir: must not be used together
- CYP3A inducers such as rifampicin, carbamazepine, phenobarbital and St. John's wort: lower the effect and must not be used
- Diltiazem, verapamil and erythromycin: the dose of ranolazine is limited
- Simvastatin and metformin: their doses may need to be limited
- Other medicines that affect the heart rhythm (QT): the risk adds up
- Grapefruit juice: can raise the level, so ask your doctor
If someone takes too much
Taking extra tablets can cause dizziness, vomiting, double vision, confusion and an irregular heartbeat. If someone has taken much more than prescribed, call 112 or go to the nearest hospital and take the medicine pack with you.
Storage
Store below 30 C in a dry place, in the original pack and protected from light and moisture, out of the reach of children. Do not use after the expiry date. Check the pack for the exact storage instructions.
Regulatory status in India
Approved for sale in India as a prescription medicine. Single-ingredient ranolazine is not on the CDSCO list of medicines banned under section 26A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. This product is expected to contain ranolazine only; check the pack.
Other brands with the same medicine
Ranolazine 500 mg extended-release tablets are sold under other brand names and as generic medicines. They contain the same medicine; check the label for the strength and the extended-release form. Do not switch between products without asking your doctor.
Other strengths and forms
Ranolazine is sold in different strengths. The strength and extended-release form are printed on the pack and are not the same across products, so check the label of the one you have.
Common questions
Is Ranozex 500 a prescription medicine?
Yes. It should be taken only if a doctor has prescribed it, and should not be started, stopped or changed without the doctor's advice.
What is ranolazine used for?
It is a prescription medicine for long-term angina. The EMA authorises it as an add-on when first-line medicines such as beta blockers or calcium channel blockers do not control symptoms enough or are not tolerated. A doctor decides whether it suits you.
Why must ranolazine tablets be swallowed whole?
They are prolonged-release tablets that release the medicine slowly. Crushing, breaking or chewing them would release it too fast and may cause side effects. Follow the label or your doctor's advice.
Does ranolazine affect heart rhythm?
It can lengthen the QT interval, a part of the heart's electrical trace, in a dose-related way. Tell your doctor about any long QT, a family history of it, or other medicines that affect rhythm, and report fainting or palpitations.
Which medicines should not be taken with ranolazine?
Some antifungal and antibiotic medicines, HIV medicines, and others such as rifampicin, carbamazepine and St. John's wort must not be combined, and simvastatin and metformin may need limits. Show your doctor and pharmacist the full list of what you take.
Does ranolazine lower heart rate or blood pressure?
Not by much, which is why it can be added to medicines that do. Dizziness can still occur. Do not start or stop it on your own.
What is the difference between Ranozex 500 and ranolazine 500 mg?
Ranozex 500 is a brand name and ranolazine is the medicine inside it. Generic tablets or capsules contain the same active ingredient. Check the strength and form on the pack, and ask your doctor before switching products.
Sources
- Ranexa (ranolazine): EPAR medicine overview. European Medicines Agency
- Ranolazine extended-release tablets: prescribing information (Zydus). DailyMed, US National Library of Medicine
- Angina. NHS (UK)
- ATC/DDD Index: C01EB Other cardiac preparations. WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology
- List of drugs prohibited for manufacture and sale through gazette notifications under section 26A of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act 1940. Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO)