Medical Editor: John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP
What Is Visken?
Visken (pindolol) Tablets is an antihypertensive agent used to manage hypertension. Visken is available in generic form.
What Are Side Effects of Visken?
Common side effects of Visken include decreased sex drive, sleep problems, tired feeling, anxiety, nervousness, dizziness, drowsiness, weakness, and nausea.
Dosage for Visken
The recommended dosage of Visken is 5 mg.
What Drugs, Substances, or Supplements Interact with Visken?
Digoxin, insulin, thioridazine, reserpine, cold medicines, diet pills, and asthma medication may interact with Visken. Tell your doctor all medications you take. Do not take Visken if you have heart problems. Do not stop taking Visken suddenly.
Visken During Pregnancy or Breastfeeding
If you are pregnant only take Visken if the potential benefit outweighs the potential risk to the fetus. Do not take Visken if you are breastfeeding.
Additional Information
Our Visken (pindolol) Tablets Side Effects Drug Center provides a comprehensive view of available drug information on the potential side effects when taking this medication.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
QUESTION
Salt and sodium are the same. See AnswerGet emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Call your doctor at once if you have:
- shortness of breath (even with mild exertion), swelling, rapid weight gain;
- slow or uneven heartbeats;
- a light-headed feeling, like you might pass out; or
- unusual changes in mood or behavior.
Common side effects may include:
- dizziness;
- muscle or joint pain;
- sleep problems (insomnia); or
- feeling tired.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
SLIDESHOW
How to Lower Blood Pressure: Exercise Tips See SlideshowSIDE EFFECTS
Most adverse reactions have been mild. The incidences listed in the following table are derived from 12-week comparative double-blind, parallel design trials in hypertensive patients given Visken ® (pindolol) as monotherapy, given various active control drugs as monotherapy, or given placebo. Data for Visken® (pindolol) and the positive controls were pooled from several trials because no striking differences were seen in the individual studies, with 1 exception. When considering all adverse reactions reported, the frequency of edema was noticeably higher in positive control trials [16% Visken® (pindolol) vs. 9% positive control] than in placebo controlled trials [6%Visken® (pindolol) vs. 3% placebo]. The table includes adverse reactions either volunteered or elicited, and at least possibly drug related, which were reported in greater than 2% of Visken® (pindolol) patients and other selected important reactions.
Adverse Reactions Which Were Volunteered or Elicited (and at least possibly drug related)
| Body System/Adverse Reactions | Visken ® (pindolol) (N=322) % |
Active Controls* (N=188) % |
Placebo (N=78) % |
| Central Nervous System | |||
| Bizarre or Many Dreams | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| Dizziness | 9 | 11 | 1 |
| Fatigue | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| Hallucinations | <1 | 0 | |
| Insomnia | 10 | 3 | 10 |
| Nervousness | 7 | 3 | 5 |
| Weakness | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Autonomic Nervous System | |||
| Paresthesia | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| Cardiovascular | |||
| Dyspnea | 5 | 4 | 6 |
| Edema | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| Heart Failure | <1 | <1 | 0 |
| Palpitations | <1 | 1 | 0 |
| Musculoskeletal | |||
| Chest Pain | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Joint Pain | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| Muscle Cramps | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Muscle Pain | 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Gastrointestinal | |||
| Abdominal Discomfort | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Nausea | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| Skin | |||
| Pruritus | 1 | <1 | 0 |
| Rash | <1 | <1 | 1 |
| *Active Controls: Patients received either propranolol, a-methyldopa or a diuretic (hydrochlorothiazide or chlorthalidone). | |||
The following selected (potentially important) adverse reactions were seen in 2% or fewer patients and their relationship to Visken ® (pindolol) is uncertain. CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM: anxiety, lethargy; AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM: visual disturbances, hyperhidrosis; CARDIOVASCULAR: bradycardia, claudication, cold extremities, heart block, hypotension, syncope, tachycardia, weight gain; GASTROINTESTINAL: diarrhea, vomiting; RESPIRATORY: wheezing; UROGENITAL: impotence, pollakiuria; MISCELLANEOUS: eye discomfort or burning eyes.
Potential Adverse Effects
In addition, other adverse effects not aforementioned have been reported with other beta-adrenergic blocking agents and should be considered potential adverse effects of Visken ® (pindolol).
Central Nervous System : Reversible mental depression progressing to catatonia; an acute reversible syndrome characterized by disorientation for time and place, short-term memory loss, emotional lability, slightly clouded sensorium, and decreased performance on neuropsychometrics.
Cardiovascular : Intensification of AV block. (See CONTRAINDICATIONS)
Allergic : Erythematous rash; fever combined with aching and sore throat; laryngospasm; respiratory distress.
Hematologic : Agranulocytosis; thrombocytopenic and nonthrombocytopenic purpura.
Gastrointestinal: Mesenteric arterial thrombosis; ischemic colitis.
Miscellaneous : Reversible alopecia; Peyronie's disease.
The oculomucocutaneous syndrome associated with the beta-blocker practolol has not been reported with Visken ® (pindolol) during investigational use and extensive foreign experience amounting to over 4 million patient-years.
Read the entire FDA prescribing information for Visken (Pindolol)
© Visken Patient Information is supplied by Cerner Multum, Inc. and Visken Consumer information is supplied by First Databank, Inc., used under license and subject to their respective copyrights.
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