Amlodipine lowers your blood pressure. This makes it easier for your heart to pump blood around your body.
It is a calcium channel blocker medicine. Calcium channel blockers reduce blood pressure by widening your blood vessels.
This medicine is only available on prescription. It comes as tablets. Some tablets may contain another drug as well as amlodipine.
Brand names include:
- Amlode
- Amlotan
- Istin
Uses of amlodipine
Amlodipine is used to:
- treat high blood pressure
- prevent angina (chest pain caused by heart disease)
It does not provide immediate relief of chest pain from angina. You will need a different medicine for this.
Check if you can take amlodipine
Adults or children age 6 or older can take amlodipine. But it is not suitable for some people.
Check with your GP or pharmacist if you have:
- had an allergic reaction to any medicines, including amlodipine
- an allergy to any of the ingredients of amlodipine
- liver or kidney disease
- heart failure or have recently had a heart attack
- narrowing of the aortic heart valve (aortic stenosis)
- cardiogenic shock
- severe low blood pressure (hypotension)
Read the patient information leaflet that came with your medicine for a list of conditions to check with your GP.
Non-urgent advice: Find your patient information leaflet
Your patient information leaflet is the leaflet that comes with your medicine. You can find a digital version of the leaflet online.
Non-urgent advice: Go to your nearest emergency department (ED) straight away or phone your GP if:
- trying to get pregnant
- pregnant
- breastfeeding
Pregnancy and amlodipine
Amlodipine can be used in pregnancy. It is not thought to be harmful to the baby. But there is not a lot of information on its safety.
Your GP may want to change amlodipine for a medicine that has more safety information. But if your blood pressure is OK, it may be better to continue taking amlodipine.
Breastfeeding and amlodipine
Talk to your GP or pharmacist if you are breastfeeding.
If your baby is healthy, it's usually OK to take amlodipine. But your GP or pharmacist may recommend a medicine that has more safety advice.
Amlodipine passes into breast milk in small amounts. It has not been known to cause side effects in breastfed babies.
Urgent advice: Contact your GP, public health nurse, midwife or pharmacist as soon as possible if
you're taking amlodipine and your baby is:
- not feeding as well as usual
- unusually sleepy
- paler looking than usual
- causing you any other concerns
Fertility and amlodipine
There's no evidence to suggest that taking amlodipine reduces fertility in women.
Amlodipine may affect sperm function. Contact your GP if you are having difficulty trying for a baby. They may recommend you stop taking amlodipine. Talk to your fertility specialist if you're worried.
Contraception and amlodipine
Amlodipine will not affect any contraception.
Talk to your GP if you are taking combined hormonal contraceptives. These can raise your blood pressure and stop amlodipine working properly.
When you start taking amlodipine
Take amlodipine exactly as your GP has told you. Follow the directions on the label.
If you are not sure, check with your GP or pharmacist.
Take amlodipine even if you feel well. You will still get the benefits of the medicine.
How much to take
Your GP will work out the right dose for you by:
- checking your blood pressure
- asking about any side effects
Usually, you will start on a dose of 5mg once a day. Doses may be lower for children.
Your GP might need to increase your dose to 10mg if your blood pressure does not come down or your angina is not controlled.
Contact your GP if your blood pressure stays high or you still have angina.
If you take too much
Taking too much amlodipine can make you feel dizzy, lightheaded, faint or weak. Your skin may feel cool and clammy. You could pass out. If your blood pressure drops too low, you may go into shock.
The amount of amlodipine that is too much varies from person to person.
Emergency action required: Go to your nearest emergency department (ED) straight away or phone your GP if:
- you take more than your prescribed dose of amlodipine
Do not drive yourself to the ED. Get someone else to drive or call for an ambulance.
Take the amlodipine packet or leaflet inside it, and any remaining medicine, with you.
How and when to take amlodipine
It’s usual to take amlodipine once a day.
You can take amlodipine at any time of day, but try to make sure it’s around the same time every day.
You can take amlodipine with or without food.
Do not take amlodipine with grapefruit or grapefruit juice as this can:
- increase the amount of amlodipine in your body
- worsen side effects
If you forget to take it
If you forget to take a tablet, skip the missed dose completely.
Take your next dose at the right time the next day.
Important
Never take 2 doses at the same time. Never take an extra dose to make up for a forgotten one.
How long it takes to work
Amlodipine starts to work on the day you start taking it. It might take a couple of weeks to work fully.
You will still have bouts of chest pain if you already have angina. You may even find the pain gets worse when you start taking amlodipine. Keep your medicine for treating angina attacks with you and use as needed.
You might not have any symptoms if you take amlodipine. This means you may not be aware of any change when you take amlodipine. Keep taking the medicine. It will still work even if you do not see any difference.
How long you will need to take amlodipine
You will probably need to take amlodipine for a long time, even for the rest of your life.
Stopping amlodipine may cause your blood pressure to rise. This may increase your risk of heart attack and stroke.
Your GP may be able to prescribe a different medicine if you are concerned about side effects.
Important
Take amlodipine even if you feel well, as you'll still be getting the benefits of the medicine.
Side effects
Amlodipine can cause side effects. But not everyone gets them.
Talk to your GP or pharmacist if side effects bother you or last for more than a few days.
Common side effects
There are things you can do to help cope with the common side effects:
Headaches
Make sure you rest and drink plenty of fluids. Try not to drink too much alcohol. Ask your pharmacist to recommend a painkiller.
Headaches should usually go away after the first week of taking amlodipine. Talk to your GP if they last longer than a week or are severe.
Feeling dizzy
If amlodipine makes you feel dizzy, stop what you're doing and sit or lie down until you feel better. Do not drive, ride a bike or operate tools or machinery until the dizziness passes.
Flushing
Try cutting down on coffee, tea and alcohol. It might also help to keep the room cool and use a fan. You could also spray your face with cool water or sip cold or iced drinks.
This side effect should go away after a few days. If it does not go away or it's causing you problems, contact your GP.
A pounding heartbeat
If this happens regularly after you take your medicine, try to take amlodipine at a time when you can sit down (or lie down) when the symptoms are at their worst. It may help to cut down on alcohol, smoking, caffeine, and big meals as these may make the problem worse.
Speak to your GP if you have a history of heart disease and the palpitations last a long time, get worse or do not improve or if you are worried.
Swollen ankles
Raise your legs when you're sitting down.
Side effects often improve as your body gets used to the medicine. Talk to your GP or pharmacist if the advice on how to cope does not help and the side effects bother you or last for more than a few days.
Serious side effects
Urgent advice: Contact your GP straight away if you have:
- severe pain in your tummy and back, and also feel very unwell
- bloody diarrhoea
- feeling sick or getting sick
- yellow skin or eyes
- chest pain that is new or worse
- sudden wheeziness, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.
- an irregular heartbeat
Serious allergic reaction
Emergency action required: Contact your GP immediately if you:
- get a skin rash that may include itchy, red, swollen, blistered or peeling skin
- are wheezing
- get tightness in the chest or throat
- have trouble breathing or talking
- get swelling of the mouth, face, lips, tongue, or throat
Read the patient information leaflet that came with your medicine for a full list of side effects.
Non-urgent advice: Find your patient information leaflet
Your patient information leaflet is the leaflet that comes with your medicine. You can find a digital version of the leaflet online.
Report side effects
You can report any suspected side effects to the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA): report an issue - hpra.ie
Amlodipine with other medicines
Tell your GP or pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken any other medicines, herbal remedies, vitamins or supplements.
These include:
- ketoconazole and itraconazole (antifungal medicines)
- ritonavir, indinavir, nelfinavir (medicines to treat HIV)
- rifampicin, erythromycin, clarithromycin (antibiotics)
- St John’s wort (herbal medicine for depression)
- verapamil and diltiazem (heart medicines)
- dantrolene (medicine for severe body temperature abnormalities)
- tacrolimus, sirolimus, temsirolimus, and everolimus (medicines that suppress your immune system)
- more than 20mg a day of the cholesterol-lowering medicine simvastatin
- medicines to suppress your immune system, such as ciclosporin or tacrolimus
Alcohol and amlodipine
Drinking alcohol can increase the effect of amlodipine. This means it will lower your blood pressure even more.
Stop drinking alcohol while you’re taking amlodipine if you:
- feel sleepy
- feel dizzy
- get a headache
Grapefruit and amlodipine
You should not have grapefruit or grapefruit juice while taking amlodipine.
Contact your GP if you have had grapefruit or grapefruit juice and have increased side effects. These may include feeling dizzy, flushing or headaches.
St John's wort and amlodipine
Talk to your GP if you're thinking about taking St John's wort, a herbal medicine taken for depression. It is thought to interfere with the way amlodipine works.
Fact check
This content was fact checked by a pharmacist, a GP, and the National Medication Safety Programme (Safermeds).
