Health Centres - Calciparine (discontinued in the UK - October 2007)
How does it work?
Heparin is a naturally occuring substance in the blood that works by interfering with the body's natural blood clotting mechanism. This mechanism involves a series of complex pathways. Heparin inactivates a compound in this pathway called thrombin, which plays an important role in blood clot formation and as a result heparin prevents the formation of blood clots in the body.
What is it used for?
- Blood clot in the artery (arterial thrombosis)
-
Heart attack (myocardial infarction)
- Inflammation of a vein associated with blood clot formation (thrombophlebitis)
-
Pulmonary embolism
-
Treatment and prevention of blood clots lodged in the veins of the leg (deep vein thrombosis)
Warning!
- It is important for individuals using this medicine to undergo regular blood tests to measure their blood clotting ability. This is to ensure that the lowest effective dose is used at all times, reducing the risk of bleeding.
- This medicine should be injected under the skin (subcutaneous injection)
- There is an increased risk of bleeding associated with the use of this medicine.
Use with caution in
- Actual or potential bleeding sites (e.g. peptic ulcer)
- Bleeding disorders
- Brain surgery
- Decreased kidney function
- Decreased liver function
- Elderly people
-
High blood pressure
-
History of peptic ulcers
- Pregnancy
- Reduced blood flow to vital internal organs (shock)
-
Stroke associated with internal bleeding of the brain
Not to be used in
- Bacterial infection of the heart valves and the lining surrounding the heart (bacterial endocarditis)
- Diabetes mellitus
- People who have recently had eye surgery
- Peptic ulcers
- Reduced platelet count in the blood
- Serious bleeding disorders such haemophilia
- Very high blood pressure
This medicine should not be used if you are allergic to one or any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Certain medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, other medicines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine.
- This medicine should be used with caution during pregnancy, and only if the expected benefit to the mother is greater than any possible risk to the foetus. Seek medical advice from your doctor.
- There are no known harmful effects when this medicine is used by breastfeeding mothers.
Side effects
Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Because a side effect is stated here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.
- Allergy to active ingredients (hypersensitivity)
- Alteration in results of liver function tests
- Bleeding (haemorrhage)
- High blood potassium level (hyperkalaemia)
- Bruising or pain at injection site
- Death of the skin cells (skin necrosis)
- Thinning of the bones (osteoporosis) with long term use
- Persistent painful erection of the penis (priapism)
- Redness around injection site
- Decrease in the number of platelets in the blood (thrombocytopenia)
- Decreased production of aldosterone, a steroid hormone which regulates salt and water balance (hypoaldosteronism)
- Hair loss (alopecia) may be experienced after prolonged use
- Increased acid levels in the blood (metabolic acidosis)
The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the drug's manufacturer.
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