Amlodipineأملوديبين

Amlodipine, sold under the brand name Norvasc, is a calcium channel blocker used to treat high blood pressure and chest pain (angina).

Amlodipine works by relaxing the muscle cells in the walls of the arteries, which widens the blood vessels, lowers the pressure inside them, and improves blood flow and oxygen delivery.

• High blood pressure
• Chronic stable angina and vasospastic angina
• Coronary artery disease

Used in adults and children 6 years and older.

High blood pressure, adults

• Starting dose: 5 mg once daily (some regimens start at 2.5 mg)
• The dose may be increased by up to 2.5 mg, generally at intervals of 7–14 days, based on blood pressure response
• Maximum dose: 10 mg once daily

Angina / coronary artery disease, adults

• 5–10 mg once daily

Elderly adults

• Often started at a lower dose, such as 2.5 mg once daily

Daily blood pressure monitoring is generally recommended while adjusting the dose.

See the special-populations section below for children's dosing.

This is educational background, not an individual prescription — your own doctor sets your exact dose.

• Can be taken with or without food
• Take at the same time each day

• Store between 15–30°C
• Keep out of children's reach

• Swelling, particularly of the ankles and legs (peripheral edema) — reported in up to about 11%, more common at higher doses
• Headache — reported in about 7%
• Fatigue — reported in about 4.5%
• Palpitations — reported in up to about 4.5%
• Dizziness — reported in up to about 3.4%
• Nausea — reported in about 3%
• Abdominal pain — reported in about 1.6%
• Drowsiness — reported in about 1.4%
• Muscle cramps — reported in about 1–2%
• Skin rash or itching — reported in about 1–2%

Seek medical attention immediately for signs of a serious allergic reaction, including angioedema: swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat, or difficulty breathing.

In people with severe coronary artery obstruction, starting or increasing the dose of amlodipine can, in rare cases, worsen angina or trigger a heart attack. In people with severe aortic valve narrowing (aortic stenosis), amlodipine can cause symptomatic low blood pressure.

Seek medical attention immediately for chest pain that is new, worsening, or different from usual, or for fainting or severe dizziness.

• Known hypersensitivity to amlodipine or any component of the product

• Other blood pressure medicines, including diuretics (such as furosemide), ACE inhibitors (such as captopril), alpha-blockers (such as prazosin), beta-blockers (such as propranolol), and other calcium channel blockers (such as verapamil) — effects on blood pressure can add up
• Calcium supplements — may reduce amlodipine's effectiveness
• Nitrate medicines (such as glyceryl trinitrate)
• Certain antidepressants and antipsychotics
• St. John's Wort
• Rifampicin
• Minoxidil, nicorandil, tizanidine
• Certain mucolytic (mucus-thinning) medicines

Always tell your doctor and pharmacist about every other medicine you take.

No dose adjustment is needed based on kidney function alone, including in people on hemodialysis.

In liver impairment, the dose is titrated more slowly and cautiously — severe cases often start at 2.5 mg once daily.

For high blood pressure in children ages 6–17, the typical dose is 2.5–5 mg once daily. This is educational background, not an individual prescription — a doctor sets the exact dose.

Safety during pregnancy hasn't been established, and a risk to the developing baby can't be excluded — amlodipine is generally avoided in pregnancy except when a doctor judges it medically necessary, with close supervision. A risk to the nursing infant also can't be excluded, so a doctor should be consulted before use while breastfeeding.

• Blood pressure is generally checked regularly, especially while the dose is being adjusted
• Erectile dysfunction has been reported with amlodipine use; a dose adjustment may help — discuss this with your doctor if it occurs
• Elderly patients are often started on a lower dose and monitored more closely