What Is Duride Used For?

Duride contains isosorbide mononitrate and belongs to a group of medicines called nitrates. These medicines work by widening blood vessels, allowing more blood and oxygen to reach the heart.

Primary Uses

Duride is used to prevent angina – a pain or uncomfortable feeling in the chest that often spreads to the arms or neck and sometimes to the shoulders and back. This pain is usually caused by too little blood and oxygen getting to your heart and is typically brought on by exercise or stress.

How It Works

Duride works by widening blood vessels, letting more blood and oxygen reach the heart. This helps prevent angina attacks from occurring.

How to Take Duride

Follow all directions given to you by your doctor and pharmacist carefully. Take your medicine at about the same time each day for the best effect.

Dosage Instructions

The usual dose is one tablet once a day. Some patients may need a different dose – your doctor will decide the right dose for you. Swallow the tablets whole with half a glass of water. Duride tablets can be broken in half if care is taken not to crumble them, but do not crush or chew the tablets as they are modified release tablets. It doesn’t matter if you take this medicine before or after food. If your doctor tells you to take two tablets each day, take both tablets at the same time.

What If You Miss a Dose?

If it is more than 8 hours since you should have taken your dose, skip the missed dose and take your next dose when you are meant to. Otherwise, take it as soon as you remember, then go back to taking your medicine as you would normally. If you miss a dose of Duride, you may get attacks of angina.

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
• dizziness, light-headedness or feeling faint
• feeling sick (nausea)
• rapid heart beat
• poor appetite
• vomiting
• heartburn
• diarrhoea
• rash, itching
• muscle tenderness or weakness not caused by exercise
• tiredness or sleep disturbances

Important Warnings

There are several important warnings and contraindications you should be aware of before taking Duride.

Who Should Not Take Duride

Do not take Duride if you are allergic to isosorbide mononitrate or any ingredients; if you are taking medicines for impotence including sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis) and vardenafil (Levitra); if you have low blood pressure, shock, swelling of the lining around the heart (pericarditis), or a weakened heart muscle; if the expiry date has passed or packaging is damaged. Do not give this medicine to children as safety and effectiveness have not been established.

Medical Conditions to Discuss

Check with your doctor if you have allergies to other medicines, foods, preservatives or dyes; liver or kidney problems; low blood pressure (which can make you feel faint, weak or dizzy, especially when standing up suddenly); heart or blood vessel disease; or if you are or have been an industrial worker with long-term exposure to organic nitrates.

Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Do not take this medicine if you are pregnant as it may affect your developing baby. Do not breast-feed while taking this medicine unless your doctor says it is safe, as it is not known whether Duride passes into breast milk. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding.

Drug Interactions

Some medicines may interfere with Duride and affect how it works. Tell your doctor about all medicines you are taking.

• medicines used to treat high blood pressure and heart conditions, such as calcium antagonists
• medicines used to treat liver disease, such as propranolol
• medicines used to treat impotence in men, such as sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis) and vardenafil (Levitra)

Alcohol & Driving

Be careful with alcohol and driving while taking Duride as it can affect your alertness and blood pressure.

Alcohol

Be careful when drinking alcohol while taking Duride. Combining Duride and alcohol can make you more sleepy, dizzy or lightheaded due to a drop in your blood pressure.

Driving and Operating Machinery

Be careful before you drive or use any machines or tools until you know how Duride affects you. This medicine may cause dizziness, light-headedness or fainting in some people. If you have any of these symptoms, do not drive, operate machinery or do anything that could be dangerous.

Storage

Keep your tablets in the pack until it is time to take them. Store in a cool dry place where the temperature stays below 30°C. Do not store Duride in the bathroom or near a sink, and do not leave it on a window sill or in the car as heat and dampness can destroy the medicine. Keep it where young children cannot reach it – a locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.

Overdose Information

If you think that you or anyone else may have taken too much Duride, urgent medical attention may be needed. You should immediately phone the Poisons Information Centre (Australia telephone 13 11 26) for advice, contact your doctor, or go to the Emergency Department at your nearest hospital. You should do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning. If you take too much Duride, you may experience a headache, fast heart beat, dizziness or faintness, excitement, flushing, cold sweats, nausea or vomiting.

Frequently Asked Questions