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What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking eplerenone (Inspra)?

You may not be able to take this medication if you are allergic to eplerenone, or if you have:

• high potassium levels in your blood (hyperkalemia);
• severe kidney disease;
• type 2 diabetes (not insulin-dependent) with protein in your urine; or
• if you are also taking ketoconazole (Nizoral), itraconazole (Sporanox), nefazodone, clarithromycin (Biaxin), nelfinavir (Viracept), ritonavir (Norvir, Kaletra), or troleandomycin (Tao).

Before taking eplerenone, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have:

• kidney disease;
• liver disease; or
• high cholesterol or triglycerides;

If you have any of these conditions, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely use eplerenone.

FDA pregnancy category B. This medication is not expected to be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.

It is not known whether eplerenone passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

How should I take eplerenone (Inspra)?

Take this medication exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take the medication in larger amounts, or take it for longer than recommended by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label.

Your doctor may occasionally change your dose to make sure you get the best results from this medication.

Eplerenone may be taken with or without food.

To be sure this medication is helping your condition and is not causing harmful effects, your blood pressure will need to be checked on a regular basis. Your potassium levels will also need to be checked with frequent blood tests. Do not miss any scheduled appointments.

Keep using this medicine as directed, even if you feel well. Hypertension often has no symptoms, so you may not know when your blood pressure is high.

Store eplerenone at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

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