Let's take a minute to talk about your medication.

This is Ranexa. It treats a type of chest pain called 'angina'. With regular use of this medicine, you should have chest pain less often. It is important to know that this medicine does not treat sudden chest pain.

You should take Ranexa exactly as your doctor tells you to. It is often taken two times a day. You can take it with food or without food. You should swallow the tablets whole, and do not crush, break or chew them. If you miss a dose, you should just wait and take the next dose when it is due. You should never take 2 doses at the same time.

Common side effects include a headache, nausea, and constipation. These are normal if they are mild, and should go away. Some patients feel dizzy or lightheaded. If you ever feel faint, you should tell your doctor right away. You should wait until you know how Ranexa affects you before doing activities that require you to be alert, like driving. 

As with any medicine, more serious side effects could occur. With Ranexa, these include kidney problems, or changes to the electrical activity of your heart. To help keep this medicine safe for you, your doctor will follow you closely. 

Ranexa has many serious drug interactions. You should always check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking other medicines, even if they do not require a prescription. Ranexa also interacts with grapefruit and grapefruit juice. So, you need to limit products that have grapefruit in them.

For best results with Ranexa, be sure to read the full 'Patient Package Insert' for more information.