Home Generics amlodipine

amlodipine

This medicine is used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure), myocardial ischemia (decreased blood supply to heart muscle) associated with stable (chest pain triggered by activity), or vasospastic angina (chest pain triggered with vasospasm of coronary artery).

Contradications

This medicine is contraindicated in patients having history of cardiogenic shock (inability of heart to pump enough blood), aortic stenosis (narrowing of aortic valve opening), unstable angina (chest pain triggered by minimum or no activity), severe hypotension, unstable heart failure following MI, and hypersensitivity to dihydropyridines.

Side effects

Patients using this medicine may commonly experience headache, edema, fatigue, nausea, dizziness (lightheadedness), flushing (reddening of the skin), rashes, and gingival hyperplasia (overgrowth of gum). Patients may rarely experience alopecia (spot baldness), pruritus (itching), abdominal and back pain, hyperglycemia, increased urination, palpitations, and GI (stomach) upset.

Expert Advice

Take with or without meals.
To avoid stomachache, take with meals.
Take missed dose as soon as you remember and next dose in 24 hours.
Contact prescriber if there is unrelieved headache, vomiting, weight gain, palpitations, or difficulty in breathing.
Check blood pressure regularly.

FAQs

Which medicines should be avoided with Amlodidpine?

As per FDA recommendation, simvastatin dosage should be limited to 20 mg daily while taking amlodipine. Also, all the CYP3A4 enzyme inhibitors like diltiazem, ketoconazole, itraconazole & ritonavir should be avoided while taking amlodipine.

I have been experiencing swelling in hands and foot since I started using the medicine. I amconcerned whether this swelling will persist?

You don’t need to worry about the swelling, as it is one of the very common adverse effects of the drug. This will go off once you withdraw its use. But you still need to consult your physician if the condition is getting worse.

When is it safe to discontinue the medicine?

You are not advised to do so abruptly nor are you supposed to make this decision by yourself. Consult with your physician, who will most probably advise for a gradual withdrawal. This is done to avoid the chest pain and relapse of high blood pressure, which is usually observed in such scenarios.

In what forms is the medicine available?

It is available in tablet, drops and I/V (intravenous) forms.

I am a patient of dialysis and have a history of getting treated for hepatitis C too. So, is the medicine safe for me?

No, the drug is not safe for any kind of kidney or liver disease. Consult your physician for an alternative.

What is the best time to take this medicine?

It doesn’t really matter at what time of the day you take amlodipine, but it is best to take it at the exact time every day, for more even blood levels & more effectiveness of the medicine.

Why taking this medicine at night is useful?

New research shows that administering blood pressure medicines at bedtime effectively helps to reduce your risk of illness or death due to blood vessel & heart disease. Timings are important as BP follows a daily rhythm. It is high during the day & falls at nighttime.

How much does this medicine help reduce blood pressure?

It is seen that titration of amlodipine from 5-10 mg every day in patients not responding to the treatment with 5 mg dose showed significant decrease in BP.