Lercanidipine lowers your blood pressure and makes it easier for your heart to pump blood around your body.
You can only get it on prescription. It comes as tablets. Brand names include Lecalpin and Zanidip.
Lercanidipine also comes in a combined tablet - this is a tablet that contains lercanidipine and other medicines. Combined tablets are only available on prescription.
Uses of lercanidipine
Lercanidipine is a calcium channel blocker medicine. It's mainly used to treat high blood pressure.
Your GP may prescribe it to prevent:
- heart disease
- heart attacks
- strokes
Check if you can take lercanidipine
You can take lercanidipine if you are age 18 or older. But lercanidipine is not suitable for some people.
Non-urgent advice: Tell your GP before starting lercanidipine if you:
- have had an allergic reaction to any medicine
- are allergic to lercanidipine hydrochloride or any other ingredients in the medicine
- are pregnant, trying to get pregnant, breastfeeding or if you are sexually active and not using any contraception
- have liver or kidney disease
- have heart disease or have had a recent heart attack
Contraception and lercanidipine
Talk to your GP if you are:
- sexually active and not using any contraception
- taking or using combined hormonal contraceptives
Lercanidipine does not affect contraception. But some types of hormonal methods are not usually recommended if you have high blood pressure. These include the combined contraceptive pill, vaginal ring or patch.
Fertility and lercanidipine
Lercanidipine is unlikely to affect fertility in men or women.
Pregnancy and lercanidipine
Lercanidipine is not recommended if you are pregnant.
Non-urgent advice: Tell your GP if you are:
- trying to get pregnant
- pregnant
- breastfeeding
Breastfeeding and lercanidipine
Lercanidipine is not recommended if you are breastfeeding.
How and when to take lercanidipine
Always take lercanidipine exactly as your GP has told you. If you are unsure, check with your GP or pharmacist or read the label on your medicine.
It's best to take lercanidipine in the morning but you can take it at any time of day. Try to make sure you take it at the same time every day.
Take lercanidipine on an empty stomach, at least 15 minutes before a meal.
Fatty foods can increase the amount of lercanidipine your body takes in and make you more likely to have side effects.
Do not eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice while you are taking lercanidipine
Grapefruit can:
- increase the concentration of lercanidipine in your body
- make side effects worse
Take lercanidipine even if you feel well. You'll still get the benefits of the medicine.
Tell your GP if you get severe vomiting or diarrhoea from a stomach bug or illness. You may need to stop taking lercanidipine until you feel better.
Dosage
Usually, your GP will start you on a dose of 10mg once a day.
They may increase your dose to 20mg if your blood pressure stays too high.
If you take too much
An overdose of lercanidipine can cause dizziness, a fast or irregular heartbeat and sleepiness.
The amount of lercanidipine that can lead to an overdose varies. You will need to go to an emergency department (ED).
Emergency action required: Go to an emergency department (ED) straight away or phone your GP if you:
- take too much lercanidipine
Do not drive yourself to the ED. Get someone else to drive or call 112 or 999 for an ambulance.
Take the lercanidipine packet or the leaflet inside it and any remaining medicine with you.
If you forget to take it
If you forget to take your tablet, leave out the missed dose and carry on as normal.
Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten one.
If you forget doses often, it may help to set an alarm to remind you.
You can also ask your pharmacist for advice so you can remember to take your medicine.
How long lercanidipine takes to work
Lercanidipine starts to work on the day you start taking it, but it may take a couple of weeks for full effect.
How long you need to take it
You will usually need to take lercanidipine long term, even for the rest of your life.
Lercanidipine is generally safe to take for a long time. It works best when you take it for a long time.
There is no evidence that lercanidipine is addictive.
Stopping taking lercanidipine
Do not stop taking lercanidipine before talking to your GP first. Stopping lercanidipine may cause your blood pressure to rise. This may increase your risk of heart attack and stroke.
Your GP might prescribe you a different blood pressure-lowering medicine if you are concerned about side effects.
Side effects
Lercanidipine can cause side effects, but they are usually mild and short-lived. Not everyone gets them.
Side effects should go away after the first week. Tell your GP if they last longer or get worse.
The most common side effects of lercanidipine are:
Headaches
Make sure you rest and drink plenty of fluids. It's best not to drink too much alcohol. Ask your pharmacist to recommend a painkiller. Talk to your GP if headaches last longer than a week or are severe.
Feeling dizzy
You might feel dizzy, weak or drowsy when you take lercanidipine or if you take other medicines, such as the blood pressure medicines ramipril or lisinopril.
If you feel dizzy, weak or drowsy:
- do not drive a car, ride a bike, or use tools or machinery
- stop what you are doing and sit or lie down until you feel better
- tell your GP as your doses of medicine may need to be changed
Reddening of your face, neck or chest (flushing)
This usually happens when you first start taking lercanidipine. Try cutting down on caffeine and alcohol. If the flushing is also making you feel hot, it might 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.
The flushing should go away after a few days so try to keep taking lercanidipine. If it does not go away, or if it's causing you problems, contact your GP.
A fast, pounding or irregular heartbeat (palpitations)
If this happens regularly after you take lercanidipine, try taking it somewhere you can sit or lie down when the symptoms are worse.
It may also help to cut down on alcohol, smoking, caffeine and big meals as these can make the effect worse.
Contact 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 (oedema)
Raise your legs when you're sitting down.
Read the patient information leaflet that comes 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.
Serious side effects
Urgent advice: Call 112 or 999 or contact your GP urgently if you:
- have chest pain that is new or getting worse
- faint
Serious allergic reaction
A serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) from lercanidipine is rare.
Emergency action required: Call 112 or 999 or go to your nearest ED if:
- you get a skin rash that may include itchy, red, swollen, blistered or peeling skin
- you are wheezing
- you get tightness in the chest or throat
- you have trouble breathing or talking
- your mouth, face, lips, tongue or throat start swelling
Report side effects
You can report any suspected side effects to the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA): report an issue - hpra.ie
Lercanidipine and other medicines
Tell your GP or pharmacist if you are taking any other medicines, herbal remedies, vitamins or supplements.
Some medicines can interfere with the way lercanidipine works. Lercanidipine can also interfere with other medicines.
These medicines include:
- aminophylline or theophylline (medicines to ease breathing)
- antifungal medicines such as ketoconazole or itraconazole
- macrolide antibiotics such as erythromycin, clarithromycin or azithromycin
- ciclosporin (medicine to reduce immune reactions)
- antiviral medicines such as ritonavir
- medicines for epilepsy such as phenytoin, phenobarbital (phenobarbitone), carbamazepine or primidone
- rifampicin
- medicines for allergies such as astemizole or terfenadine
- medicines to treat heart problems or high blood pressure such as amiodarone, quinidine, metoprolol, digoxin or sotalol
- midazolam
- cimetidine
- simvastatin
Alcohol and lercanidipine
Avoid or reduce alcohol while you're taking lercanidipine.
Your blood pressure can drop when you drink alcohol. Lercanidipine also lowers your blood pressure.
If you drink alcohol when you are also on blood pressure lowering medication, you may feel sleepy or dizzy or have a headache from low blood pressure.
Fact check
This content was fact checked by a pharmacist, a GP, the National Medication Safety Programme (Safermeds) and the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA).
