Dipyridamole tablets are indicated as an adjunct to coumarin anticoagulants in the prevention of postoperative thromboembolic complications of cardiac valve replacement.

The recommended dose is 75 to 100 mg four times daily as an adjunct to the usual warfarin therapy. Please note that aspirin is not to be administered concomitantly with coumarin anticoagulants.

Hypersensitivity to dipyridamole and any of the other components.

Dipyridamole has a vasodilatory effect and should be used with caution in patients with severe coronary artery disease (e.g., unstable angina or recently sustained myocardial infarction). Chest pain may be aggravated in patients with underlying coronary artery disease who are receiving dipyridamole.

Elevations of hepatic enzymes and hepatic failure have been reported in association with dipyridamole administration.

Dipyridamole should be used with caution in patients with hypotension since it can produce peripheral vasodilation.

Clinical experience suggests that patients being treated with dipyridamole tablets who also require pharmacological stress testing with intravenous dipyridamole or other adenosinergic agents (e.g. adenosine, regadenoson) should interrupt dipyridamole tablets for 48 hours prior to stress testing.

Intake of dipyridamole tablets within 48 hours prior to stress testing with intravenous dipyridamole or other adenosinergic agents may increase the risk for cardiovascular side effects of these agents and may impair the sensitivity of the test.

Dipyridamole has been associated with elevated hepatic enzymes.

No pharmacokinetic drug-drug interaction studies were conducted with dipyridamole tablets. The following information was obtained from the literature.

Dipyridamole has been reported to increase the plasma levels and cardiovascular effects of adenosine. Adjustment of adenosine dosage may be necessary. Dipyridamole also increases the cardiovascular effects of regadenoson, an adenosine A _2A-receptor agonist. The potential risk of cardiovascular side effects with intravenous adenosinergic agents may be increased during the testing period when dipyridamole is not held 48 hours prior to stress testing.

Cholinesterase Inhibitors

Dipyridamole may counteract the anticholinesterase effect of cholinesterase inhibitors, thereby potentially aggravating myasthenia gravis.

In studies in which dipyridamole was administered in the feed to mice (up to 111 weeks in males and females) and rats (up to 128 weeks in males and up to 142 weeks in females), there was no evidence of drug-related carcinogenesis. The highest dose administered in these studies (75 mg/kg/day) was, on a mg/m ²basis, about equivalent to the maximum recommended daily human oral dose (MRHD) in mice and about twice the MRHD in rats. Mutagenicity tests of dipyridamole with bacterial and mammalian cell systems were negative. There was no evidence of impaired fertility when dipyridamole was administered to male and female rats at oral doses up to 500 mg/kg/day (about 12 times the MRHD on a mg/m ²basis). A significant reduction in number of corpora lutea with consequent reduction in implantations and live fetuses was, however, observed at 1250 mg/kg (more than 30 times the MRHD on a mg/m ²basis).

Reproduction studies have been performed in mice, rabbits and rats at oral dipyridamole doses of up to 125 mg/kg, 40 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg, respectively (about 1 _1/2, 2 and 25 times the maximum recommended daily human oral dose, respectively, on a mg/m ²basis) and have revealed no evidence of harm to the fetus due to dipyridamole. There are, however, no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. Because animal reproduction studies are not always predictive of human response, dipyridamole tablets should be used during pregnancy only if clearly needed.

As dipyridamole is excreted in human milk ,caution should be exercised when dipyridamole tablets are administered to a nursing woman.

Safety and effectiveness in the pediatric population below the age of 12 years have not been established.

Adverse reactions at therapeutic doses are usually minimal and transient. On long-term use of dipyridamole tablets initial side effects usually disappear. The following reactions in Table 1 were reported in two heart valve replacement trials comparing dipyridamole tablets and warfarin therapy to either warfarin alone or warfarin and placebo:

Other reactions from uncontrolled studies include diarrhea, vomiting, flushing and pruritus. In addition, angina pectoris has been reported rarely and there have been rare reports of liver dysfunction. On those uncommon occasions when adverse reactions have been persistent or intolerable, they have ceased on withdrawal of the medication.

When dipyridamole tablets were administered concomitantly with warfarin, bleeding was no greater in frequency or severity than that observed when warfarin was administered alone. In rare cases, increased bleeding during or after surgery has been observed.

In post-marketing reporting experience, there have been rare reports of hypersensitivity reactions (such as rash, urticaria, severe bronchospasm, and angioedema), larynx edema, fatigue, malaise, myalgia, arthritis, nausea, dyspepsia, paresthesia, hepatitis, thrombocytopenia, alopecia, cholelithiasis, hypotension, palpitation, and tachycardia.

Dipyridamole has a vasodilatory effect and should be used with caution in patients with severe coronary artery disease (e.g., unstable angina or recently sustained myocardial infarction). Chest pain may be aggravated in patients with underlying coronary artery disease who are receiving dipyridamole.

Elevations of hepatic enzymes and hepatic failure have been reported in association with dipyridamole administration.

Dipyridamole should be used with caution in patients with hypotension since it can produce peripheral vasodilation.

Clinical experience suggests that patients being treated with dipyridamole tablets who also require pharmacological stress testing with intravenous dipyridamole or other adenosinergic agents (e.g. adenosine, regadenoson) should interrupt dipyridamole tablets for 48 hours prior to stress testing.

Intake of dipyridamole tablets within 48 hours prior to stress testing with intravenous dipyridamole or other adenosinergic agents may increase the risk for cardiovascular side effects of these agents and may impair the sensitivity of the test.

Dipyridamole has been associated with elevated hepatic enzymes.

No pharmacokinetic drug-drug interaction studies were conducted with dipyridamole tablets. The following information was obtained from the literature.

Dipyridamole has been reported to increase the plasma levels and cardiovascular effects of adenosine. Adjustment of adenosine dosage may be necessary. Dipyridamole also increases the cardiovascular effects of regadenoson, an adenosine A _2A-receptor agonist. The potential risk of cardiovascular side effects with intravenous adenosinergic agents may be increased during the testing period when dipyridamole is not held 48 hours prior to stress testing.

Cholinesterase Inhibitors

Dipyridamole may counteract the anticholinesterase effect of cholinesterase inhibitors, thereby potentially aggravating myasthenia gravis.

In studies in which dipyridamole was administered in the feed to mice (up to 111 weeks in males and females) and rats (up to 128 weeks in males and up to 142 weeks in females), there was no evidence of drug-related carcinogenesis. The highest dose administered in these studies (75 mg/kg/day) was, on a mg/m ²basis, about equivalent to the maximum recommended daily human oral dose (MRHD) in mice and about twice the MRHD in rats. Mutagenicity tests of dipyridamole with bacterial and mammalian cell systems were negative. There was no evidence of impaired fertility when dipyridamole was administered to male and female rats at oral doses up to 500 mg/kg/day (about 12 times the MRHD on a mg/m ²basis). A significant reduction in number of corpora lutea with consequent reduction in implantations and live fetuses was, however, observed at 1250 mg/kg (more than 30 times the MRHD on a mg/m ²basis).

Reproduction studies have been performed in mice, rabbits and rats at oral dipyridamole doses of up to 125 mg/kg, 40 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg, respectively (about 1 _1/2, 2 and 25 times the maximum recommended daily human oral dose, respectively, on a mg/m ²basis) and have revealed no evidence of harm to the fetus due to dipyridamole. There are, however, no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. Because animal reproduction studies are not always predictive of human response, dipyridamole tablets should be used during pregnancy only if clearly needed.

As dipyridamole is excreted in human milk ,caution should be exercised when dipyridamole tablets are administered to a nursing woman.

Safety and effectiveness in the pediatric population below the age of 12 years have not been established.