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Stroke and transient ischaemic attack - Management
What are the adverse effects of dipyridamole?
- Vomiting, diarrhoea, and such symptoms as dizziness, nausea, headaches, dyspepsia, and myalgia have been observed for dipyridamole:
- These tend to occur early after initiating treatment and may disappear with continued treatment.
- Headache was the most commonly reported adverse effect for people treated with dipyridamole in the European Stroke Prevention Study-2 (n = 6602) [Diener et al, 1996]:
- Headache and gastrointestinal adverse effects were major reasons for early discontinuation of treatment in people receiving a dipyridamole-containing regimen.
- Because of its vasodilating properties, dipyridamole may cause hypotension, hot flushes, and tachycardia:
- It may lead to worsening of the symptoms of coronary heart disease, such as angina and arrhythmias.
- Other adverse effects reported are:
- Increased bleeding during or after surgery (very rare).
- Thrombocytopenia (isolated case reports).
[ABPI Medicines Compendium, 2007b]
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