Cilostazol

1 medicine

Cilostazol widens blood vessels and reduces platelet clumping to improve walking distance in intermittent claudication, but it is contraindicated in heart failure of any severity because this drug class increases the risk of death in that condition.

Pletal

Cilostazol

50/100mg

Pletal is a heart blood pressure medication containing Cilostazol, available as 50/100mg tablets.

from $0.83 / tablet View

Key facts

  • Cilostazol is a phosphodiesterase-III inhibitor that widens blood vessels and reduces platelet clumping to improve walking distance in intermittent claudication, leg pain caused by poor circulation.
  • You take it twice a day on an empty stomach, at least 30 minutes before or 2 hours after meals; improvement in walking distance usually takes 2 to 4 weeks to appear.
  • Cilostazol is contraindicated in heart failure of any severity, drugs in this class have been shown to increase the risk of death in people with heart failure.
  • Seek urgent care for chest pain, a fast or irregular heartbeat, fainting, or sudden shortness of breath.

What cilostazol treats

Cilostazol treats intermittent claudication, the cramping leg pain that comes on with walking and eases with rest, caused by narrowed arteries in the legs. It improves how far you can walk before the pain starts, but it does not clear the underlying blockage and is not a treatment for pain at rest or for wounds that will not heal.

How cilostazol works

Cilostazol blocks an enzyme called phosphodiesterase III inside blood vessel walls and platelets. Blocking it raises the level of a signalling molecule that relaxes vessel wall muscle, widening the artery, and separately makes platelets less likely to clump together. Together these effects increase blood flow to working leg muscles during exercise.

Before you take it

  • Do not take cilostazol if you have heart failure of any degree, this is an absolute contraindication because of the increased risk of death.
  • Avoid it if you have active bleeding or a bleeding disorder.
  • Certain antifungal and antibiotic medicines, and grapefruit juice, raise cilostazol levels in the blood, your prescriber may need to lower your dose if you take these.
  • Other blood thinners or antiplatelet medicines increase the risk of bleeding when combined with cilostazol.

Side effects

Common effects include headache (often the most noticeable), diarrhoea, dizziness, palpitations, and flushing.

Stop and seek urgent medical care for any of these:

  • Chest pain or new tightness in the chest.
  • Sudden shortness of breath or swelling of the legs or feet.
  • An irregular heartbeat or fainting.
  • Signs of unusual bleeding.

Safety essentials

  • Never take cilostazol if you have heart failure. Tell every prescriber about a heart failure diagnosis before starting or continuing this medicine.
  • Avoid grapefruit juice and check with your pharmacist before starting a new antifungal or antibiotic, several of these significantly raise cilostazol levels.
  • Smoking reduces how well cilostazol works, quitting can improve both your circulation and the medicine's effectiveness.
  • Do not combine cilostazol with other blood thinners or antiplatelet medicines unless your prescriber has specifically advised it.

This page is educational and does not replace advice from a doctor or pharmacist who knows your health history.