Amlodipine: instructions for use, indications, contraindications and side effects

Amlodipine is a vasodilator drug that helps to lower blood pressure, as well as prevent the development of an attack of angina pectoris. Pharmacological group - calcium channel blocker.

This is a highly effective medical product that is able to arrest and prevent angina attacks in patients for whom nitrates are ineffective. In addition, this tool helps to reduce pressure in the arteries. As a rule, it is prescribed to people who are not helped by beta-blockers, in particular Bisoprolol, Timolol.

However, despite the effectiveness of the drug, it is not recommended to take it without the permission of a cardiologist. Before taking the remedy, be sure to read the instructions for use of Amlodipine.

Today, the drug is produced in several forms, differing only in names, or rather in additional words:

• Chaikafarma;
• Teva;
• Prana;
• Sandoz;
• Adjio.

Supplementary names are needed by the manufacturer to register the drug they manufacture as unique. It is the auxiliary abbreviation that indicates that all rights belong only to this company.

All types of funds differ only in names, manufacturing technologies, composition and active substance remain unchanged. Another possible difference between drug types is quality. Not all factories produce the same quality product.

According to the instructions for the use of Amlodipine, all its types are produced in tablet form. The active ingredient is amlodipine. The product is available in three dosages: 2.5, 5 and 10 mg. With regard to excipients, tablets from different pharmaceutical companies may contain different components.

That is why, before purchasing the drug, read the instructions. Often, Amlodipine, the instructions for use, which is attached to the tablets, indicates that in addition to the current component in the preparation contains a small amount of calcium stearate, crospovidone, povidone, monohydrate lactose.

Amlodipine (instructions for use) indicates that the tablets are produced in blisters No. 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 100. The tablets have a flat-cylindrical shape, cream or white. Each has a risk and a chamfer.

It is known about the hypotensive and antianginal effects of the drug, the agent contributes to:

• preventing the development of heart failure;
• normalization of the functioning of the CVS;
• expansion of myocardial arteries and arterioles;
• an increase in the amount of oxygen that goes to the heart muscle per unit of time;
• lowering blood pressure.

The drug Amlodipine: indications for use, properties

Before taking Amlodipine, read the indications for use and detailed instructions. Do not self-medicate. The medicine is certainly effective and efficient, but it has side effects and contraindications.

If used inappropriately, it can harm the body. Before you start taking medication for a particular illness, consult your doctor.

According to the annotation and indications for the use of the drug Amlodipine, the medication is prescribed for the treatment of such ailments:

• dilated cardiomyopathy;
• Ischemic heart disease;
• exertional angina;
• arterial hypertension (you can take pills as monotherapy, as well as in combination with ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers and diuretics;
• myocardial ischemia.

As you already understood, the drug Amlodipine is indicated for use in patients with high blood pressure. But before you accept it, read the annotation, study the composition and, without fail, consult your doctor. You need to be especially careful during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

The medicine helps to block the work of calcium channels. Due to this, Ca does not penetrate into the cells, and this has a positive effect on the functioning of the CVS. After taking the drug, there is a relaxation of the vessels, their expansion and, therefore, a decrease in pressure.

The drug Amlodipine has the following indications for use:

• expansion of myocardial arteries;
• minimizing the load on the heart;
• prevention of vasoconstriction;
• increased endurance and exercise tolerance;
• slowing the progression of angina pectoris;
• mild decrease in blood pressure.

Amlodipine+ Valsartan and Lisinopril + Lisinopril are separate combined medicines, which, in addition to the active component - amlodipine, contain other active ingredients.

What are the differences between Amlodipine and Amlodipine Teva

Both in one and the other drug in the same ratio contains the same active component. Therefore, at first glance, the drugs do not have any special differences. However, there are differences and they are significant.

Amlodipine Teva is a product manufactured in Hungary using the technologies of the Israeli company Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd. Amlodipine is a domestic drug.

The second difference is production technology. In the manufacture of Amlodipine Teva, fewer impurities are used. To make it clearer, the active ingredient, before being put into a tablet, is cleaned of impurities, tested, and only then allowed for production.

As a result, the drug has a more powerful effect and, importantly, has a lower risk of side effects.

This checking and cleaning of the active ingredient is a laborious and costly process. That is why many domestic manufacturers do not perform such cleaning.

Another difference besides quality, price. Naturally, the drug, which was manufactured according to all technologies and rules, will cost more. That is why Amlodipine Cardio, Biocom and simply Amlodipine are several times cheaper than Amlodipine Teva.

How to take Amlodipine, description and annotation to the drug

You can find out how to take Amlodipine directly from your doctor, or you can read the instructions, everything is described in detail there. Remember, inappropriate intake of the drug, as well as exceeding doses, can cause disastrous consequences.

The drug is available in a single form - tablets. They are swallowed whole and do not need to be bitten, broken or chewed. The medicine is washed down with purified water.

If you want to know how to take Amlodipine, then it is used regardless of the meal. Food does not in any way affect the rate of absorption of the drug into the blood. The absorption of the medicine taken before, at the time or after the meal is equally long - an average of three hours. And therefore, the therapeutic effect appears three hours after the application of the medication.

The medicine must be taken once a day. And preferably in the morning. This makes it possible to monitor the reaction of the body, as well as assess the effectiveness and tolerance of the drug.

Now in more detail about how it is necessary to take the drug Amlodipine for various pathologies.

• Amlodipine and hypertension. In order to lower blood pressure, the drug is taken as follows: five milligrams (which is equivalent to one tablet) once a day. If the decrease in blood pressure to the desired limits after half a month does not occur, it is recommended to increase the dose to two tablets per day. It is necessary to take the medicine in two tablets until the pressure drops to the required limits and stops fluctuating.
  Next, you need to switch to a maintenance dosage of 2.5 - 5 mg once a day. The dosage should be reduced gradually, first to five milligrams, and then to two and a half milligrams. An important point in therapy is monitoring blood pressure indicators. If the pressure does not jump, long-term use of Amlodipine 2.5 mg is prescribed. If there is a sharp increase or decrease, the patient is returned to the previous dosage - 5 mg. The medicine is taken at this dosage for a long time.
• Amlodipine and hypertension. The maintenance dose is taken continuously. Only a qualified specialist can prescribe and cancel medication (in case of low effectiveness). But often the medicine is taken throughout life. This is the only way to maintain blood pressure within safe limits.
• Amlodipine and angina pectoris (all types). For prophylactic purposes, as well as to improve exercise tolerance, the use of five milligrams of the drug is prescribed once a day. The duration of the course is three weeks. Then, if necessary, and the drug is normally tolerated by the body, the dosage is increased to ten milligrams. It is necessary to take the medication for two to three months.
• Amlodipine and dilated cardiomyopathy. It is prescribed to use five milligrams of the drug once a day for two to three weeks. If the drug is well tolerated, the dosage is increased to ten milligrams. In this case, the drug is taken in monthly courses. With poor tolerance, the dosage is reduced to the previous one.
• Amlodipine and ischemic heart disease. Prescribe a dose of 2.5 - 5 milligrams of the drug once a day.

The maximum daily dose of this medication is ten milligrams. The entire daily dosage should be taken at one time. It is not recommended to take the medication in the evening or even more so at night. It is advisable to drink the remedy in the morning.

If the patient suffers from liver ailments, the recommended dosage for him is 2.5 mg. If the drug is taken in combination with adrenergic blockers, diuretics and ACE inhibitors, their dosages are not reduced. In addition, do not reduce the dose to elderly patients suffering from renal failure.

The duration of taking the medication is determined by a specialist, according to research data. The use of the drug is often prolonged. Perhaps the appointment of a drug for the treatment of diabetes mellitus, gout and rheumatism.

Several recommendations and instructions regarding the use of Amlodipine:

1. Monitor weight and sodium intake throughout the course of therapy.
2. Eat a salt-free diet.
3. See your dentist regularly (every 90 days). This will help prevent the appearance of such ailments as bleeding and gingival hyperplasia.
4. With a pathology such as angina pectoris, the drug should be canceled gradually. This will prevent a sharp deterioration in the condition and complication of the course of the disease.
5. Amlodipine is not taken to stop an attack of angina pectoris and hypertensive crisis.
6. You can not use the drug in the first few days after a heart attack.
7. Women throughout the course of treatment with Amlodipine need to take contraceptives, since taking medication during pregnancy is contraindicated.
8. People with low weight - less than forty kilograms should take half the dosage of the drug.

Taking the drug during gestation, as well as during lactation, is contraindicated. However, the doctor can prescribe it, but only if the beneficial properties exceed all possible risks.

Due to the fact that the substances of the medication pass into breast milk and can harm the baby, it is not prescribed for women who are breastfeeding. If Amlodipine is necessary, and the woman is breastfeeding, it is recommended to transfer the baby to artificial milk formulas.

Amlodipine and alcohol are not compatible. It is strongly not recommended to drink alcohol when taking the drug. Besides the fact that the liver will suffer, there is also the possibility of “empty” treatment. That is, you will take the medicine, but you will not get the expected effect.

Does Amlodipine affect the ability to control mechanisms?

At the beginning of treatment, dizziness and drowsiness may appear. That is why people whose professional activity is associated with the need to have high reaction and speed of response, for example, drivers, it is necessary to take medicine as much as possible carefully.

Now you know the annotation for the use of Amlodipine. Let's talk about the symptoms of an overdose.

An overdose of the drug is characterized by a pronounced decrease in blood pressure, reflex tachycardia, increased palpitations, expansion of peripheral small vessels, which can cause shock with fatal the outcome.

If all of the above appears, immediately call an ambulance, flush the stomach (use a weak solution of potassium permanganate). Use a sorbent - activated carbon or Enterosgel

In the future, the doctor prescribes therapy that helps maintain the normal functioning of the body. As a rule, intravenous administration of Dopamine is prescribed. In order to reduce the severity of the effect on the CVS, intravenous administration of sodium gluconate is prescribed.

With the complex use of Amlodipine with:

• Amiodarone;
• antianginal drugs: Nitroglycerin, Riboxin;
• diuretics: Furosemide;
• ACE inhibitors: Captopril, Enalapril;
• beta-blockers: Timolol, Metoprolol;
• nitrates: Molsidomin;
• alpha1-blockers: Fokusin, Artezin;
• neuroleptics: Aminazine, Nozinan, there may be an increase in the severity of its antianginal and hypotensive properties.

A decrease in the severity of the hypotensive effect of Amlodipine, as well as a sharp increase in blood pressure, may be due to the simultaneous use with Amlodipine:

• sympathomimetics: Dobutamine, Epinephrine;
• Orlistat;
• NSAIDs: Aspirin, Voltaren, Nimisulide;
• estrogens: Klymene, Iprozhina;
• drugs for anesthesia: Ftorotan, Ketamine.

What are the side effects of Amlodipine, and what are the contraindications for Amlodipine

Amlodipine, the side effects of which can be very serious, is contraindicated in people with:

• individual intolerance;
• lactose deficiency;
• severe hypotension;
• unstable angina;
• aortic stenosis;
• cardiogenic shock;
• collapse;
• failures in the functioning of the liver;
• mitral stenosis;
• chronic heart and liver failure.

The use of the drug during pregnancy and lactation is not recommended. For elderly people, Amlodipine is practically not prescribed.

When using the drug, the following side effects of Amlodipine may appear: tachycardia, arrhythmias, lowering blood pressure, migraine, extrasystole, deterioration of health, fatigue, malaise, dizziness, drowsiness, anxiety, amnesia, impotence, swelling of the ankles and feet, insomnia, nocturia, nausea, vomiting, jaundice, diarrhea, shortness of breath, cough, itching of the skin, rashes, runny nose.

If you experience such side effects of Amlodipine, tell your doctor. He will edit the medication and dosage.

On today's pharmaceutical market, there are two groups of drugs - analogues and synonyms.

Synonyms for the drug are Tenox, Amlodak, Normodipin, Agen, Kalchek, Amlodipharm, Norvadin. Analogs: Zanifed, Sakur, Felodip, Kordipin, Adalat, Felodipin, Plendil.

Analogs can be produced both in blisters and in vials and ampoules. The form of release of drugs of synonyms is the same - tablets. Analogs can have not only different active ingredients (amlodipine, amlodipine besylate), but also different excipients. They may contain cellulose, magnesium stearate, starch, microcrystalline cellulose.

Now you know that Amlodipine is a powerful antihypertensive drug that promotes the treatment of hypertension, angina pectoris, cardiomyopathy, you know about the possible side effects of Amlodipine. Do not forget that Amlodipine in combination with other drugs can have different effects. The drug is not contraindicated in diabetes mellitus, but on the contrary, it is even prescribed for the treatment of the disease.

The price may vary depending on the dosage and manufacturer.

Average cost of Amlodipine:

• 5 mg No. 20 - 100 rubles;
• 5 mg No. 30 - 150 rubles;
• 5 mg No. 60 - 120 rubles;
• 5 mg No. 90 - 150 rubles;
• 10 mg No. 20 - 150 rubles;
• 10 mg No. 30 - 200 rubles;
• 10 mg No. 60 - 120 rubles;
• 10 mg No. 90 - 220 rubles.