Amlodipine at a glance
Medicine class
Dihydropyridine calcium-channel blocker.
Licensed uses
High blood pressure, chronic stable angina and vasospastic (Prinzmetal's) angina.
Food
Can be taken with or without food; swallow with water.
Angina attacks
Helps prevent angina but is not a fast-acting treatment for sudden chest pain.
What is Amlodipine used for?
Licensed uses include:
High blood pressure (hypertension).
Chronic stable angina.
Vasospastic angina, also called Prinzmetal's or variant angina.
How does Amlodipine work?
Amlodipine reduces calcium entry into vascular smooth-muscle cells, allowing arteries to relax and widen. This lowers resistance to blood flow and the heart's workload; widening coronary arteries can also improve oxygen delivery to heart muscle.
Amlodipine preparations and strengths
Oral solution
Route: Oral
Strengths: 1 mg/mL, 2 mg/mL, 5 mg/5 mL, 10 mg/5 mL
Oral suspension
Route: Oral
Strengths: 1 mg/mL
How to take Amlodipine
Take amlodipine exactly as prescribed. It may be taken with or without food and swallowed with water. Avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice. Measure liquids only with the supplied device, and shake an oral suspension as directed before measuring.
Do not use amlodipine as immediate treatment for an angina attack.
Do not drive or operate machinery if dizziness, headache, nausea or tiredness affects alertness.
Check the product leaflet for formulation-specific storage and handling instructions.
Amlodipine side effects
Common or expected effects
- Fluid retention or swollen ankles and feet
- Headache, dizziness or sleepiness
- Flushing or awareness of the heartbeat
- Abdominal discomfort, nausea, indigestion, diarrhoea or constipation
- Tiredness or weakness
- Visual disturbance or muscle cramps
Get urgent medical advice
- Face, lip, tongue or throat swelling, wheezing or breathing difficulty
- Severe blistering, peeling or widespread skin reaction
- New severe chest pain, collapse or a significant abnormal heartbeat
- Severe abdominal and back pain with marked illness, which may indicate pancreatitis
- Yellow skin or eyes, which may indicate liver injury
Amlodipine in pregnancy
Calcium-channel blockers can be used during pregnancy when treatment is needed, and available information has not identified clear risks for the class. Experience with amlodipine is more limited than with some alternatives. Review treatment with the prescriber and do not stop without advice, because uncontrolled hypertension or angina can also be harmful.
Amlodipine while breastfeeding
Amlodipine passes into breast milk, usually in small amounts, and may be used cautiously when clinically appropriate. For a full-term, healthy infant, watch for unusual sleepiness, pallor, poor feeding or inadequate weight gain. Specialist advice is appropriate for premature or unwell infants.
Amlodipine interactions
Important examples include:
Strong or moderate CYP3A4 inhibitors
Azole antifungals, protease inhibitors, clarithromycin, erythromycin, verapamil and diltiazem can increase amlodipine exposure and the risk of hypotension.
CYP3A4 inducers
Rifampicin and St John's wort may alter amlodipine concentrations, so blood-pressure response should be reviewed.
Other blood-pressure-lowering medicines
Their effects can add to amlodipine's, increasing dizziness or hypotension.
Simvastatin
Amlodipine increases simvastatin exposure, so a prescriber or pharmacist should check the simvastatin regimen.
Common questions about Amlodipine
Answers are fully visible for fast scanning and source review.
What does “besilate” mean?
Besilate is the salt form used in the medicine. Product strengths state the equivalent amount of active amlodipine.
Can I take it with food?
Yes. It can be taken with or without food and swallowed with water.
Can I drink grapefruit juice?
No. Grapefruit may unpredictably increase amlodipine exposure and its blood-pressure-lowering effect.
Why can amlodipine cause swollen ankles?
Widening small arteries can increase fluid movement into surrounding tissues. This oedema is usually not dangerous but should be reviewed if persistent, troublesome or associated with breathlessness.
Sources
These sources were used to prepare and review this medicine page.
Prepared and reviewed by the iatroX editorial team.