Alinor

Alinor is a cardiovascular medication in the beta-blocker group of medicaments. It is primarily used to treat chest pains and hypertension. It is also useful in the prevention of myocardial infarctions and irregular heart beat episodes. Alinor works by slowing down the heart rate and reducing the heart's load in the process. It has also been used in treating migraine headaches and alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Alinor works well because it does not risk the central nervous system with various side effects. It is available in 25, 50 and 100mg pills.

Alinor, available under brand name Tenormin, is prescribed to patients suffering from coronary heart disease, angina, arrhythmia and hypertension. It is also used to prevent and treat myocardial infarction or myocardial infarctions. It can also alleviate symptoms of Graves Disease until the effects of antithyroid medication kicks in. Alinor is also suitable to treat heart disorders in patients with extensive liver conditions as Alinor is filtered and excreted exclusively in the kidneys, which reduces the load on the liver.

For hypertension, patients may be initially given 25 to 50 mg per day, assuming they have unimpaired renal function. However, doctors will tend to give a lower dose initially and will gradually increase it each week, checking for responses. This can range from 20 to 200mg. For angina, 100mg is often quite sufficient.

Asthma patients receive the lowest dose possible as they are at risk of bronchospasms or tightening of the airways as a result of taking Alinor. Hexoprenaline or salbutamol may be used if this symptom occurs.

For those patients with renal function impairment, doses are altered based on the doctor's observations. For example, end-stage renal failure patients dependent on dialysis will often receive 50mg of Alinor after the dialysis session. They may suffer from severe hypotonia after taking the medication.

Alinor causes less side effects compared to other beta-blockers yet some users will still experience certain side effects. Common side effects include fatigue, dizziness, stomach pains and constipation, hair loss, sexual dysfunction, difficulty sleeping and a runny or clogged nose. These symptoms may or may not manifest but should they appear then consult your doctor.

More serious and rare side effects are hallucinations and visual distortion, tingling feeling in the hands and feet, low blood pressure, rashes and skin disorders, and difficulty in hearing or speaking. These are serious side effects and require urgent medical attention.

Many medicaments can react with Alinor and you should inform your doctor if you take allergy medication, MAO inhibitors, diabetes medication, and other cardiovascular medicaments. Sufferers of asthma should also inform their doctor so that their doses can be properly managed and tested.

Alinor can cause lessened activity and drowsiness so avoid doing work requiring full attention and avoid alcohol to prevent increased drowsiness.

This medication also passes through breast milk and may also affect fertility. Consult your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Alinor has the following structural formula:

Review published on: 06 March 2010