Agrylin (Anagrelide Hydrochloride)
Complete patient guide for uses, dosage, side effects, and safety information
Prescription RequiredQuick Facts
What Is Agrylin Used For?
Agrylin contains anagrelide hydrochloride and is specifically designed to treat essential thrombocythaemia, a condition where your bone marrow produces too many platelets.
Primary Uses
Agrylin is used to treat essential thrombocythaemia, a condition where the bone marrow produces excessive amounts of platelets (blood cells that help with clotting).
How It Works
Agrylin works by acting on your bone marrow to prevent it from producing too many platelets. When you have thrombocythaemia, the large number of platelets in your blood can cause serious problems with blood circulation. By reducing platelet production, Agrylin helps prevent these circulation problems.
Good to know: Agrylin capsules are not addictive and are only available with a doctor’s prescription.
How to Take Agrylin
Take Agrylin exactly as prescribed by your doctor. The dosage will be adjusted based on your individual response to treatment.
Dosage Instructions
The recommended starting dose for adults is 1 mg per day, usually taken in two divided doses. Your doctor will adjust this dose until they find what works best for you. No single dose should exceed 2.5 mg, and your total daily dose should not exceed 10 mg (20 of the 0.5 mg capsules). Take your capsules at the same time each day to help you remember. Food slightly reduces absorption but doesn’t affect the medication’s ability to reduce your platelet count.
What If You Miss a Dose?
If you forget to take a dose, skip that dose completely and take your next dose at the normal scheduled time. Do not take a double dose to make up for the missed one.
Important: Never double your dose to make up for a missed dose, and don’t stop taking Agrylin or change your dosage without checking with your doctor first.
Available Tablet Strengths
Side Effects
Like all medications, this medicine can cause side effects. Most are mild and temporary, but some require medical attention.
Common Side Effects
These side effects occur relatively frequently and usually don’t require emergency care:
- Headache
- Aches and pains, including back and chest pain
- Palpitations or unusually rapid heartbeat
- Water retention and swelling of hands or feet
- Abdominal pain
- Difficult or painful breathing
- Loss of appetite
- Rash
- Wind, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting
- Feeling unwell
- Weakness and dizziness
- Fever
- Worsening cough
- Tingling sensation like pins and needles
- Hair loss (alopecia)
Seek immediate medical attention if you experience:
- Heart problems including heart attack, stroke, or disturbed heart rhythm
- Heart enlargement
- Chest pain with or without rapid breathing
- Lung problems including shortness of breath, wheezing, or difficulty breathing
- Severe abdominal or back pain (pancreatitis)
- Abdominal pain or tenderness, stomach discomfort, vomiting blood, or passing black stools
- Allergic coughing
- Yellowing of skin and eyes caused by liver inflammation (hepatitis)
- Unexplained bruising or bleeding
Important Warnings
There are several important situations where Agrylin should not be used or requires special caution.
Who Should Not Take Agrylin
Do not take Agrylin if you are allergic to anagrelide or any ingredients in the capsules, have severe liver problems, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if the medication has expired or the packaging is damaged. Agrylin contains lactose and microcrystalline cellulose, which may cause problems for people sensitive to these substances.
Medical Conditions to Discuss
Tell your doctor if you have any allergies, liver or kidney disease, heart disease or heart failure, high risk of blood clots or bleeding, or intolerance to sugars (as Agrylin contains lactose).
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
If you become pregnant while taking Agrylin, stop taking the capsules and see your doctor immediately. Women taking Agrylin who could become pregnant should use adequate contraception. Agrylin should not be taken during breastfeeding or by anyone under 16 years of age.
Stopping Treatment: Abrupt treatment discontinuation or substantial dose reduction should be avoided due to potentially severe clotting complications.
Drug Interactions
Several medications can interact with Agrylin and affect how it works. Always tell your doctor about all medicines you’re taking.
- Aspirin or medicines containing aspirin
- Medicines for depression such as fluvoxamine
- Medicines for gastrointestinal problems such as omeprazole
- Medicines for severe asthma and breathing problems such as theophylline
- Medicines for heart disorders such as milrinone
- Other medicines for platelet conditions
- Medicines containing sucralfate
Alcohol & Driving
Agrylin may affect your ability to drive or operate machinery safely.
Driving and Operating Machinery
Agrylin may cause dizziness in some patients. Be careful when driving or operating machinery until you know how Agrylin affects you personally.
Storage
Store Agrylin capsules in their original bottle until it’s time to take your dose. Keep them in a cool, dry place where the temperature stays below 25°C. Don’t store in the bathroom, near a sink, on windowsills, or in cars during hot or cold weather, as heat, cold, and dampness can damage the medicine. Keep Agrylin where children cannot reach it – a locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half meters above the ground is ideal.
Overdose Information
If you take too much Agrylin, immediately contact the National Poisons Information Centre (Australia: 13 11 26; New Zealand: 0800 POISON or 0800 764 766), your doctor, or go to the nearest hospital emergency department. Do this even if you feel fine. Overdose symptoms may include fast heartbeat, vomiting, and bleeding.
Frequently Asked Questions
The medication works by preventing your bone marrow from producing too many platelets. Your doctor will monitor your platelet levels and adjust your dose until the right level is achieved for you.
Yes, you can take Agrylin with or without food. Food slightly reduces the absorption of Agrylin, but this doesn’t affect its ability to reduce your platelet count.
No, Agrylin capsules are not addictive.
You should not stop taking Agrylin suddenly. If Agrylin has been successfully reducing your platelet levels, stopping will cause your platelet count to rise again within 3-4 days, potentially returning the risk of blood circulation problems. Abrupt discontinuation should be avoided due to potentially severe clotting complications.
Yes, elderly patients should take the normal adult dose. However, as with all patients, your doctor will monitor you regularly and may order heart function tests as a precaution.
If you forget to take a dose, skip that dose completely and take your next dose at the normal scheduled time. Never take a double dose to make up for the missed one.
Yes, as a precaution, your doctor may have your blood, liver, and kidney tested regularly during treatment with Agrylin. They may also order heart function tests before and during your treatment.
Important Disclaimer
This information is intended for general educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider or pharmacist before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.
If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or emergency services immediately.