Patient leaflet - Trental 400 mg modified release tablets
1. What Trental is and what it is used for
Trental contains a medicine called pentoxifylline. This belongs to a group of medicines called peripheral vasodilators. It works by increasing the blood flow to the arms and legs.
Trental can be used to treat:
Peripheral vascular disease (poor circulation to the arms
and legs).
Intermittent claudication (pain on walking or at rest
caused by poor circulation to the legs).
2. What you need to know before you take Trental
Do not take this medicine if:
You are allergic (hypersensitive) to pentoxifylline, other
similar medicines such as theophylline or aminophylline or to any of the other ingredients of Trental (listed in section
6)
Signs of an allergic reaction include: a rash, swallowing or breathing problems, swelling of your lips, face, throat or tongue
You have heart problems or have recently had a heart
attack
You have severe palpitations (very fast and uneven
heartbeats)
You have had a stroke with bleeding in the brain (cerebral
haemorrhage)
- You have had bleeding in the eye (retinal haemorrhage) Do not take this medicine if any of the above apply to you. If you are not sure, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking this medicine.
Warnings and precautions
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking this medicine if:
You feel dizzy, light-headed or faint when you stand or sit
up too quickly (hypotension)
You have problems with the blood supply to your heart
caused by hardening or narrowing of the arteries
- You have liver or kidney problems
If you are not sure if any of the above apply to you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking this medicine.
Other medicines and Trental
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines. This includes medicines you buy without a prescription, including herbal medicines.
This is because Trental can affect the way some other medicines work. Also some medicines can affect the way Trental works.
In particular, tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following:
Trental may increase the effect of the following medicines:
- Medicines for diabetes including tablets or insulin
- Medicines for high blood pressure
- Anticoagulants such as warfarin
When taken with Trental, the following medicines increase the chance of you getting side effects:
- Ketorolac used for pain relief
Theophylline used to treat wheezing or difficulty in
breathing
- Ciprofloxacin used to treat bacterial infections
- Medicines used to stop blood clots from forming
- Cimetidine used to treat heartburn and stomach ulcers
Trental with food and drink
Take Trental with or just after meals.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding
Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking any medicine.
You should not take this medicine if you are pregnant. If you are breast-feeding or planning to breast-feed, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Trental. This is because very small amounts may pass into the mothers’ milk.
Driving and using machines
You may feel dizzy while taking this medicine. If this happens, do not drive or use any tools or machines.
Trental contains sodium
This medicine contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per tablet, that is to say essentially ‘sodium free’.
3. How to take Trental
Always take Trental exactly as your doctor has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
Taking this medicine
If you feel the effect of your medicine is too weak or too
strong, do not change the dose yourself, but ask your doctor
- Take this medicine by mouth
- Swallow the tablets whole with a drink of water
- Take with or just after a meal
Adults including the elderly
The usual starting dose is 1 tablet (400mg) three times a day. Your doctor may lower your dose to 1 tablet twice a day.
Patients with kidney problems
Your doctor may give you a lower dose if necessary.
Use in children
This medicine is not suitable for use in children.
If you take more Trental than you should
If you take more tablets than you should, talk to a doctor or go to a hospital straight away. The following effects may happen: low blood pressure, feeling sleepy, fits (seizures) or uneven heartbeat.
If you forget to take Trental
Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten tablet.
If you stop taking Trental
Keep taking Trental until your doctor tells you to stop taking it.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
4. Possible side effects
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, alt-hough not everybody gets them.
Stop taking this medicine and see your doctor or go to a hospital straight away if:
If you have an allergic reaction. The signs may include: a
rash, swallowing or breathing problems, swelling of your lips, face, throat or tongue
- Bleeding under the skin
- Blood in your vomit or stools (motions)
If you develop a condition called aseptic meningitis. Signs
include headache, neck stiffness, eye pain or discomfort in bright light
Tell your doctor as soon as possible if you have any of the following side effects:
You bruise more easily than usual. This could be because
of a blood disorder (thrombocytopenia).
- Increased or fast heart beat (tachycardia)
- Chest pain (angina)
- Irregular heart beat (palpitations)
Frequent infections such as fever, severe chills, sore
throat or mouth ulcers. These could be signs of a blood problem called ‘leukopenia’
You get more infections than usual. This could be caused
by a decrease in the number of white blood cells (neutropenia)
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if any of the following side effects gets serious or lasts longer than a few days. Also tell them if you notice any side effects not listed in this leaflet:
- Feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting), diarrhoea
- Headache, feeling dizzy, light-headed or faint
- Flushing
- Feeling agitated, sleep problems
An illness where the removal of bile from the liver is
blocked (intrahepatic cholestasis). Signs include jaundice, rash or fever, and the colour of your water (urine) becomes darker
- Discomfort or bloating in the abdomen
- Rash
- Constipation
- Producing more saliva than usual
Blood tests
Trental can change the levels of liver enzymes shown up in blood tests. This can mean that your liver is not working properly.
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme website: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store.
By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
5. How to store Trental
KEEP OUT OF THE SIGHT AN REACH OF CHILDREN
Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the carton and blister after ‘EXP’. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
Do not store above 25°C.
Store in the original package.
If your tablets become discoloured or show any signs of deterioration, you should ask your pharmacist who will tell you what to do.
Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
6. Contents of the pack and other information
What Trental contains
- Each tablet contains 400mg of the active substance, pentoxifylline
- The other ingredients are hydroxyethylcellulose, povidone, talc, magnesium stearate, hypromellose, macrogol 8000, titanium dioxide (E171), erythrosine (E127) and purified water.
What Trental looks like and contents of the pack
Trental are pink oblong tablets marked 'ATA' on one side and plain on the reverse.
They are available in blister packs of 90 tablets.
Manufacturer
Manufactured by SANOFI S.r.l. Strada Statale 17, Km22, 67019 Scoppito AQ, Italy. Procured from within the EU and repackaged by the Product Licence holder:
G-Pharma Ltd, Salford M50 2PU.
PL 16369/2138
POM
Leaflet revision dated: 04/11/2025
Trental is a registered trademark of Sanofi.
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