d pressure (see PRECAUTIONS ). Prior to prescribing REVATIO, physicians should carefully consider whether their patients with certain underlying conditions could be adversely affected by such vasodilatory effects, for example patients with resting hypotension (BP <90/50), or with fluid depletion, severe left ventricular outflow obstruction, or autonomic dysfunction.
Pulmonary vasodilators may significantly worsen the cardiovascular status of patients with pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD). Since there are no clinical data on administration of REVATIO to patients with veno-occlusive disease, administration of REVATIO to such patients is not recommended. Should signs of pulmonary edema occur when sildenafil is administered, the possibility of associated PVOD should be considered.
There is no controlled clinical data on the safety or efficacy of REVATIO in the following groups; if prescribed, this should be done with caution:
Patients who have suffered a myocardial infarction, stroke, or life-threatening arrhythmia within the last 6 months;
Patients with coronary artery disease causing unstable angina;
Patients with hypertension (BP >170/110);
Patients with retinitis pigmentosa (a minority of these patients have genetic disorders of retinal phosphodiesterases).
Patients currently on bosentan therapy.
PRECAUTIONS
General
Before prescribing REVATIO, it is important to note the following:
Caution is advised when phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors are co-administered with alpha-blockers. PDE5 inhibitors, including sildenafil, and alpha-adrenergic blocking agents are both vasodilators with blood pressure lowering effects. When vasodilators are used in combination, an additive effect on blood pressure may be anticipated. In some patients, concomitant use of these two drug classes can lower blood pressure significantly, leading to symptomatic hypotension. In the sildenafil interaction studies with alpha-blockers (see Drug Interactions ), cases of symptomatic hypotension consisting of dizziness and lightheadedness were reported. No cases of syncope or fainting were reported during these interaction studies. Consideration should be given to the fact that safety of combined use of PDE5 inhibitors and alpha-blockers may be affected by other variables, including intravascular volume depletion and concomitant use of anti-hypertensive drugs.
REVATIO should be used with caution in patients with anatomical deformation of the penis (such as angulation, cavernosal fibrosis or Peyronie's disease) or in patients who have conditions, which may predispose them to priapism (such as sickle cell anemia, multiple myeloma or leukemia).
In humans, sildenafil has no effect on bleeding time when taken alone or with aspirin. In vitro studies with human platelets indicate that sildenafil potentiates the anti-aggregatory effect of sodium nitroprusside (a nitric oxide donor). The combination of heparin and sildenafil had an additive effect on bleeding time in the anesthetized rabbit, but this interaction has not been studied in humans.
The incidence of epistaxis was higher in patients with PAH secondary to CTD (sildenafil 13%, placebo 0%) than in PPH patients (sildenafil 3%, placebo 2%). The incidence of epistaxis was also higher in sildenafil-treated patients with concomitant oral vitamin K antagonist (9% versus 2% in those not treated with concomitant vitamin K antagonist).
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