Patient was educated on precautions to be exercised while taking Diltiazem as follows:
- Be aware of signs and symptoms of hypotension, to avoid any episodes of altered levels of consciousness and accidental falls. One should stay away from activities, such as, driving and operating heavy machinery, until they are used to the side effects caused by Diltiazem.
- Try changing the positions very slowly, as sudden change of positions can make the hypotensive episodes even worse and precipitate accidents and falls.
- Avoid using Diltiazem with grapefruit juice, as some component in the grapefruit juice will inhibit the metabolism of Diltiazem. This can lead to increased blood levels of this medication for longer periods of time, resulting in toxicity and severe side effects.
- Avoid using Diltiazem along with any other medications that can cause slowdown of heart rate, such as, Beta-blockers. Using them together can result in extreme slowdown of heart rate and can present an emergency.
