Corzide

Corzide is a prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure. Corzide is a single product containing 2 medications: nadolol and bendroflumethiazide. Nadolol belongs to a group of drugs called beta blockers. It works to decrease blood pressure and heart rate by blocking beta receptors in the body. Bendroflumethiazide belongs to a group of drugs called thiazide diuretics, which work by stopping reabsorption of salt into your body. This prevents fluid from building up in the body.

This medication comes in a tablet form and is typically taken once daily with or without food. 

Common side effects of Corzide include low heart rate, tiredness (fatigue), and nausea.

Corzide can also cause dizziness and tiredness (fatigue). Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Corzide affects you. 

Corzide is a prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure. 

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information. 

• King Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Serious side effects have been reported with Corzide. See the "Corzide Precautions" section. 

Common side effects of Corzide include the following:

• slow heart rate
• impaired blood flow (peripheral vascular insufficiency)
• low blood pressure
• rhythm/conduction disturbances
• dizziness or tiredness/fatigue
• tingling or pricking sensation (paresthesias)
• calmness (sedation)
• change in behavior
• constriction of airways (bronchospasm)
• stomach issues such as nausea, diarrhea, stomach discomfort, constipation, vomiting, indigestion, bloating, and gas
• an eating disorder associated with low body weight (anorexia)
• muscle spasm or weakness
• restlessness

This is not a complete list of Corzide side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

 Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• other medicines that lower blood pressure such as guanethidine (Ismelin), methyldopa (Aldomet), beta-blockers like bisoprolol (Zebeta) , vasodilators like hydralazine (Apresoline), calcium channel blockers like amlodipine (Norvasc), angiotensin-­converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors like enalapril (Vasotec, Vaseretic), angiotensin receptor II blockers (ARBs) like valsartan (Diovan) and direct renin inhibitors (DRIs) like aliskiren (Tekturna)
• drugs that deplete a substance in the body called catecholamines such as reserpine (Serpalan) or guanethidine (Ismelin)
• certain medications that slow the heart or help treat abnormal heart rhythms such as digoxin (Lanoxicaps, Lanoxin) and digitoxin (Crystodigin)
• alcohol, a class of drugs called barbiturates, or a type of pain medications called narcotics
• diabetic medications
• cholestyramine (Questran) and colestipol (Colestid)
• amphotericin B
• medicines that provide relief for inflamed areas of the body (corticosteroids) such as methylprednisolone (Medrol) and dexamethasone (Decadron)
• substances that raise blood pressure (pressor amines) such as norepinephrine (Levophed)
• medicines that relax skeletal muscles such as cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril) and carisoprodol (Soma)
• lithium (Lithobid)
• nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as naproxen (Aleve) and ibuprofen (Advil)
• anticoagulant (blood thinner) medications such as warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven), heparin, enoxaparin (Lovenox), fondaparinux (Arixtra), rivaroxaban (Xarelto), and apixaban (Eliquis)
• calcium salts
• diazoxide (Proglycem, Hyperstat)
• medications that treat gout probenecid (Benemid), allopurinol (Zyloprim, Aloprim), and sulfinpyrazone (Anturane)
• monoamine oxidase inhibitors such as tranylcypromine (Parnate), phenelzine (Nardil), selegiline (Eldepryl, Zelapar), isocarboxazid (Marplan), and rasagiline (Azilect)
• methenamine (Hiprex)

Do not drink alcohol while taking this medication.

This is not a complete list of Corzide drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Serious side effects have been reported with Corzide including the following:

• liver and pancreas damage
• abruptly stopping this medication can lead to worsening chest pain or, in some cases, a heart attack
• this medicine can mask signs and symptoms of thyroid disorders
• imbalances in the levels of salts and fluids in your body (electrolyte and fluid imbalance). Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have some or all of the following symptoms:
  • dry mouth
  • thirst
  • weakness
  • drowsiness
  • restlessness
  • muscle pains or cramps
  • low blood pressure
  • low output of urine
  • fast heart rate
  • nausea
  • vomiting
• a condition of excess of uric acid in the blood (hyperuricemia)
• a painful joint (acute gout)

Corzide can cause drowsiness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Corzide affects you. 

Do not take Corzide if you:

• are allergic to Corzide or any of its ingredients or other sulfonamide drugs
• have bronchial asthma
• have a condition where your heart suddenly can't pump enough blood to meet your body's needs (cardiogenic shock)
• have heart failure
• have a condition that blocks the conduction of impulses in the heart (greater than first degree block) 
• severely slow heart rate
• your kidneys fail to produce urine (anuria)

Medications can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of Corzide, there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving this medication. 

Before taking Corzide, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions. Especially tell your doctor if you:

• are allergic to Corzide or any of its ingredients or other sulfonamide drugs
• have bronchial asthma
• have a condition where your heart suddenly can't pump enough blood to meet your body's needs (cardiogenic shock)
• have heart failure
• have a condition that blocks the conduction of impulses in the heart (greater than first degree block) 
• have a severely slow heart rate
• your kidneys fail to produce urine (anuria) or have kidney disease
• are diabetic
• are going to have major surgery
• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant
• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. 

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Corzide's 2 components, nadolol and bendroflumethiazide, fall into category C.  In animal studies, Nadolol was given to pregnant animals, and had some babies born with problems. Bendroflumethiazide has not been studied in animals. Neither component has had well-controlled studies done in humans. Therefore, Corzide may be used if the potential benefits to the mother outweigh the potential risks to the unborn child. 

Tell your doctor is you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. 

Corzide's two ingredients, nadolol and bendroflumethiazide, have been detected in human breast milk. Because of the possibility for adverse reactions in nursing infants from Corzide, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or to stop use of this medication. The importance of the drug to the mother should be considered. 

• Take Corzide exactly as prescribed. 
• Corzide comes in a tablet form and is taken by mouth once daily with or without food. 
• Do not suddenly stop this medication. Your doctor will decrease your dose slowly. 

Take this medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully. 

The dose your doctor recommends may be based on the following:

• your blood pressure
• previous medications used and the doses tried
• other medical conditions you have
• how you respond to this medication

The recommended starting dose of Corzide to treat high blood pressure is one 40/5 mg tablet once daily. The dose may be increased by taking one 80/5 mg tablet once daily, if needed. 

If you take too much Corzide, call your healthcare provider or local Poison Control Center, or seek emergency medical attention right away. 

• Store at room temperature.
• Avoid excessive heat exposure to the medication. 
• Keep bottle tightly closed. 
• Keep this and all medications out of the reach of children. 

Exacerbation of Ischemic Heart Disease Following Abrupt Withdrawal—Hypersensitivity to catecholamines has been observed in patients withdrawn from beta-blocker therapy; exacerbation of angina and, in some cases, myocardial infarction have occurred after abrupt discontinuation of such therapy. When discontinuing chronically administered nadolol, particularly in patients with ischemic heart disease, the dosage should be gradually reduced over a period of one to two weeks and the patient should be carefully monitored. If angina markedly worsens or acute coronary insufficiency develops, nadolol administration should be reinstituted promptly, at least temporarily, and other measures appropriate for the management of unstable angina should be taken. Patients should be warned against interruption or discontinuation of therapy without the physician's advice. Because coronary artery disease is common and may be unrecognized, it may be prudent not to discontinue nadolol therapy abruptly even in patients treated only for hypertension.