Labetalol Side Effects

Labetalol Safety Information: Who Should Use It?

Labetalol is the generic name for Normodyne and Trandate. This drug is used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure). It is both an alpha-blocker and a beta-blocker, making it unique among anti-hypertension drugs. Labetalol can have serious unwanted side effects, but health care providers prescribe it when the potential benefits outweigh the risks posed by these side effects.

People with certain conditions should not take labetalol. These conditions include allergy to the drug; asthma, chronic bronchitis, or emphysema; severe heart failure, reduced heart rate (bradycardia), and heart block. People with liver disease should take labetalol with caution. People with angina who take labetalol should not stop taking the drug suddenly; instead, they should gradually taper off use over a period of a week or two.

Contact your doctor immediately if you experience weakness; swelling (edema) of the feet, ankles, or legs; or breathing difficulties. Other potential side-effects are listed below.

Labetalol Drug and Food Interactions

Labetalol can interact with the following drugs (ask your doctor if you take any of these medications): oral diabetes drugs, tricyclic antidepressants (e.g. imipramine), beta-stimulant asthma drugs, cimetidine (Tagamet), glutethimide (a sedative), nitroglycerin, and calcium-channel blockers (another class of hypertension drug). Labetalol is not reported to interact with specific foods, but taking it with food increases absorption of the drug and can help counter upset stomach.

Common Labetalol Side Effects

Dizziness

Nausea, vomiting, upset stomach, diarrhea

Tingling scalp

Changes in the sense of taste

Fatigue

Sweating

Impotence

Difficulty urinating

Bile-duct blockage

Bronchospasm and other breathing difficulties

Muscle weakness, cramps

Dry eyes, blurred vision

Rash

Facial swelling

Hair loss

Less Common Labetalol Side Effects

Aggravation of the autoimmune disease lupus erythematosus

Stuffy nose

Depression, emotional instability

Confusion, disorientation, loss of short-term memory

Colitis (inflammation of the large intestine)

Decrease in white blood cells and platelets

Labetalol Safety: The Bottom Line

If you experience any of the above side effects of labetalol and they cause significant distress or disruption to your life, tell your health care provider. About 7% of people taking labetalol have enough trouble with side effects that they switch to a different drug.

Reference

The Pill Book, 12th Edition, 2006. Harold M. Silverman, Pharm. D., Editor-in-Chief. New York: Bantam Books.