Labetalol
About Labetalol
Labetalol is used in the treatment of high blood pressure (hypertension). High blood pressure is a condition in which the blood exerts elevated pressure on blood vessel walls, leading to various cardiovascular complications, such as the risk of heart attack and stroke in the future.
Labetalol contains labetalol, which works by blocking the receptors in the cardiovascular system, thereby decreasing blood pressure in the blood vessels.
In some cases, you may experience certain common side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, swelling, and headache. Most of these side effects do not require medical attention and will resolve gradually over time. However, you are advised to talk to your doctor if the side effects persist or worsen.
Inform your doctor if you are allergic to Labetalol. Please do not stop taking Labetalol on your own as it may cause a sudden increase in blood pressure. Consult your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Labetalol is not recommended for children as efficacy and safety have not been established.
Uses of Labetalol
• Treatment of Hypertension: Labetalol helps lower high blood pressure, reducing the risk of complications like stroke and heart attack and often prescribed for pregnancy-induced hypertension to ensure safe blood pressure levels.
• Management of Angina (Heart-Related Chest Pain): Labetalol improves blood flow to the heart, reducing chest pain caused by angina and helps prevent frequent angina attacks, allowing better physical activity.
• Prevention of Heart Attack and Stroke: Labetalol reduces strain on the heart by controlling blood pressure and also helps prevent long-term cardiovascular complications.
Medicinal Benefits
- Labetalol belongs to the anti-hypertensive medicines called beta-blocking agents used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure) and angina (chest pain).
- Labetalol is also used to control high blood pressure in pregnancy and during anaesthesia.
- Labetalol works by blocking the receptors in the cardiovascular system.
- It helps decrease the blood pressure in the blood vessels.
- Labetalol helps the heartbeat slow with less force and relaxes, and widens the blood vessels, which makes it easier for the heart to pump blood to all parts of the body. This helps in lowering the blood pressure to normal.
Directions for Use
- Take Labetalol with food as advised by a doctor.
- Labetalol is usually taken twice a day, in the morning and evening. However, follow your doctor's advice regarding the dosage and timing.
- Swallow it as a whole with a glass of water.
- Do not crush, chew, or break it.
Storage
Side Effects of Labetalol
- Dizziness
- Drowsiness
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Swelling
- Headache
Drug Warnings
- Do not take Labetalol if you are allergic to any of its contents.
- Also, avoid taking Labetalol if you have heart problems, low blood pressure, an extremely slow heart rate, prinzmetal angina, asthma or obstructive airway disease or adrenal gland tumour.
- Inform your doctor if you have reduced liver or kidney function, Raynaud's syndrome, intermittent claudication, diabetes, overactive thyroid, heart problems, metabolic acidosis, pheochromocytoma (tumour in the adrenal gland), ischaemic heart disease, lung problems or if you are due to have any surgery.
- Consult your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
- Labetalol is not recommended for children as efficacy and safety have not been established.
- Rise slowly from lying/sitting position as Labetalol may cause dizziness (postural hypotension).
Drug Interactions
Drug-Drug Interaction: Labetalol may interact with a painkiller (aspirin, indomethacin, ibuprofen), diuretic (furosemide), anti-hypertensive (amlodipine, verapamil, clonidine), hormone (levothyroxine), cardiac glycoside (digoxin), anti-arrhythmic (amiodarone), anti-depressants (imipramine), anti-diabetic (metformin, glimepiride, acarbose, repaglinide, insulin), anti-migraine (ergotamine, dihydroergotamine), anti-Alzheimer (donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine) anti-psychotic (chlorpromazine)
Drug-Food Interaction: No interactions found/established.
Drug-Disease Interaction: Inform your doctor if you have congestive heart failure (heart problems), hemodialysis, bradyarrhythmia, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, asthma/COPD, glaucoma, hyperlipidemia, hyperthyroidism, myasthenia gravis (muscle problems), psoriasis, Prinzmetal angina, liver diseases or kidney dysfunction.
Drug-Drug Interactions Checker List:
Safety Advice
Alcohol
unsafeYou are recommended to avoid alcohol consumption while taking Labetalol to avoid unpleasant side-effects. Alcohol intake might interfere with the working of Labetalol.
Pregnancy
consult your doctorLabetalol belongs to pregnancy category C. Your doctor may prescribe Labetalol if the benefits outweigh the risks to treat high blood pressure during pregnancy when rapid control of blood pressure is necessary.
Breast Feeding
consult your doctorSmall amounts of Labetalol may pass into breastmilk. Please consult your doctor. Your doctor will decide whether Labetalol can be given to breastfeeding mothers or not.
Driving
unsafeLabetalol may cause dizziness, do not drive or operate heavy machinery if you feel dizzy.
Liver
consult your doctorDose adjustment may be needed. Please consult your doctor if you have liver impairment/liver disease or any concerns regarding this.
Kidney
consult your doctorDose adjustment may be needed. Please consult your doctor if you have kidney impairment/kidney disease or any concerns regarding this.
Children
unsafeLabetalol is not recommended for children, as efficacy and safety have not been established.
Habit Forming
Diet & Lifestyle Advise
- You are advised to consume a low-salt and low-fat diet.
- Regular exercise is also recommended.
- Eat a diet rich in whole grains, vegetables, and fruits.
- Avoid smoking and alcohol consumption.
- Maintain a healthy weight with proper diet and exercise.
- Managing stress with meditation, yoga, and massage.
Special Advise
- Regularly monitor blood pressure levels to prevent hypotension (low blood pressure).
- Labetalol might interfere with certain laboratory test results and possibly cause false results such as raised liver function tests, antinuclear antibody blood tests, urine tests and MIBG scintigraphy (test to detect tumours). Inform the person doing the tests that you are taking Labetalol.
- Inform your surgeon ahead of time that you are taking Labetalol if you have any surgery requiring general anaesthesia or cataract surgery.
Patients Concern
Disease/Condition Glossary
High blood pressure (hypertension): It is a condition in which the blood exerts increased pressure on the walls of blood vessels leading to hypertension. This condition can lead to hardened arteries (blood vessels), decreasing the blood and oxygen flow to the heart. Raised blood pressure can cause chest pain (angina) and heart attack (when the blood supply to the heart is blocked). Additionally, high blood pressure also causes brain damage (stroke) and kidney failure. Symptoms of high blood pressure include headache, dizziness, nose bleed, changes in vision, chest pain, weakness and dyspnoea (shortness of breath). However, most of the time, the signs and symptoms of hypertension are none.
FAQs
Labetalol is used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure). Additionally, Labetalol is used to control high blood pressure in pregnancy and during anaesthesia.
Please do not stop taking Labetalol without consulting your doctor as it may lead to a rise in blood pressure. Continue taking Labetalol for as long as your doctor has prescribed it to you. Do not be reluctant to speak with your doctor if you experience any difficulty while taking Labetalol.
Postural hypotension could be a side-effect of Labetalol. Postural hypotension is a sudden lowering in blood pressure leading to dizziness on standing. If you experience this, do not try to stand up suddenly or start walking, instead lie down and get up slowly only when you feel better.
Labetalol is used to treat gestational hypertension (high blood pressure during pregnancy) when the blood pressure needs to be lowered rapidly.
Labetalol may cause erectile dysfunction (impotence), ejaculation problems and difficulty obtaining or maintaining an erection. Please consult your doctor if you have any concerns regarding these.
Inform your doctor if you have type-1 or type-2 diabetes mellitus. If you are diabetic, you should monitor your blood glucose levels regularly because Labetalol might mask the symptoms of hypoglycemia (low blood glucose levels).
Labetalol might affect pupils during cataract surgery and might mask the effects of sudden blood loss, so inform the surgeon ahead of time that you are taking Labetalol if you are due to have cataract surgery. This will help the doctor to manage the complications in advance, which could occur during the surgery.
Multivitamins and minerals may lower the effect of Labetalol when taken together. If your doctor has prescribed multivitamins and minerals, maintain a minimum gap of 2 hours between both.
Labetalol works by blocking the receptors in the cardiovascular system; this helps in decreasing the blood pressure in the blood vessels. Labetalol helps the heart to beat slower with less force, relaxes, and widens the blood vessels, this makes it easier for the heart to pump blood to all parts of the body. Thereby, helps in lowering the blood pressure to normal.
Labetalol may cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting, swelling, drowsiness, dizziness and headache in some people. However, if these side effects persist or worsen, please inform your doctor.
Labetalol is generally considered safe if used as advised by the doctor. During the first few weeks of treatment with Labetalol, side effects may occur which disappear with time.
It is important to manage high blood pressure throughout pregnancy. According to studies, poorly controlled high blood pressure in pregnancy may increase the risk of certain birth defects, reduced growth of the baby within the womb, stillbirth, and premature birth. For some women with high blood pressure, treatment with Labetalol in pregnancy might be considered to be the best option. However, your doctor helps you decide what is right for you and your baby.
Labetalol lowers heart rate. Therefore, during treatment with Labetalol, your doctor may regularly check your blood pressure and pulse (heart rate) to determine your response to Labetalol.
If you stop taking Labetalol suddenly, it may cause serious heart problems such as angina (chest pain) or even a heart attack. Thus, do not stop taking Labetalol without consulting your doctor. If you need to stop taking Labetalol, your doctor will gradually reduce the dose over 1 or 2 weeks.
Your doctor may recommend you to stop taking Labetalol for 24 hours before surgery as it may cause too low blood pressure when it is combined with some anesthetics. Therefore, inform your doctor that you are taking Labetalol if you are scheduled for any kind of major surgery or are going to be put to sleep using a general anesthetic.
Taking more than the recommended dose of Labetalol can may cause low blood pressure and slow heart rate, low blood sugar or difficulty breathing, which can cause sweating or confusion. If you have taken more than the recommended dose, contact your doctor immediately.
If you are taking Labetalol for high blood pressure, it may lower your blood pressure within 1-3 hours of taking it. Even if you do not feel any change, the medicine is still working, and it is important to continue taking it. However, if you are taking it for angina, it will probably take a few days for the medicine to reduce the pain. During this time, you may still have chest pain or it may worsen.
