Health Centres - Franol plus
How does it work?
Franol plus tablets contain two active ingredients, theophylline and ephedrine. These are both medicines called bronchodilators. They are used to open the airways.
Theophylline causes the muscles surrounding the airways to relax by a mechanism that is not fully understood. This allows the airways in the lungs to open.
Ephedrine works by acting on receptors in the lungs called beta 2 receptors. When ephedrine stimulates these receptors it causes the muscles in the airways to relax. This allows the airways to open.
In conditions where the airways tighten, such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, eg emphysema and chronic bronchitis) , it is difficult for air to get in and out of the lungs. By opening the airways, this medicine makes it easier to breathe.
What is it used for?
- Breathing difficulties associated with stable asthma or chronic bronchitis.
Warning!
- Do not exceed the recommended dose of this medicine, as this can be dangerous. If this medicine doesn't seem to work as well, or for as long as usual, you should consult your doctor as soon as possible. It may be that your asthma or bronchitis is getting worse and your doctor might need to give you another medicine.
- Smoking tobacco or cannabis, chewing tobacco or taking snuff can increase the removal of theophylline from the body and so decrease the amount in your blood. You should consult your doctor before taking this medicine if you are a smoker, as it may not be effective for you. You should also tell your doctor if you are giving up smoking while taking this medicine, as this may mean your dose will need reducing.
- Acute chest infections can increase the amount of theophylline in your blood. You should consult your doctor if you get a feverish infection while taking this medicine, so that if necessary your theophylline blood level can be checked.
- People with severe asthma should have regular blood tests to monitor the amount of potassium in their blood. This is because low oxygen levels in the blood (hypoxia) and various asthma medicines, including this one, can lower blood potassium levels.
Use with caution in
- Decreased kidney function
- Decreased liver function
- Heart disease, eg heart failure
- Fluid on the lungs (pulmonary oedema)
- Heavy smokers
- Infections of the lungs and airways (respiratory tract)
- People on a high carbohydrate and low protein diet
- Closed angle glaucoma
- Agitation
- High blood pressure
- Tumour of the adrenal gland (phaeochromocytoma)
- Overactive thyroid gland
- Enlarged prostate gland
- Peptic ulcer
- Seizure disorders, eg due to brain injury or epilepsy.
Not to be used in
- Children under 12 years of age
-
Angina not well controlled by medical treatment (unstable angina)
- Irregular heart beats (arrhythmias)
-
Very high blood pressure
- Severe coronary artery disease
- Hereditary blood disorders called porphyrias
- Pregnancy
- People who have taken a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) in the last 14 days
- People taking other xanthine medicines, eg theophylline, aminophylline.
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.
- The safety of this medicine for use during pregnancy has not been established. It should not be used during pregnancy. Seek medical advice from your doctor.
- This medicine passes into breast milk and has been associated with irritability in the breast fed infant. It should be used with caution by breastfeeding mothers, and only if the expected benefit to the mother is greater than any possible risk to the baby. Seek medical advice from your doctor.
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.
- Awareness of your heartbeat (palpitations)
- Increased heart rate (tachycardia)
- Abnormal heart beats (arrhythmias)
- Headache
- Flushing
- Dizziness
- Shaking, usually of the hands (tremor)
- Anxiety
- Restlessness
- Difficulty in sleeping (insomnia)
- Muscle weakness
- Nausea and vomiting
- Indigestion
- Thirst
- Sweating
- Difficulty passing urine
The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the drug's manufacturer.
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