Amlodipine: Encyclopedia - Amlodipine

Amlodipine

Amlodipine

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Amlodipine (as besylate or malleate) is a long-acting calcium channel blocker used as an anti-hypertensive and in the treatment of angina. Amlodipine is marketed as Norvasc® and under various other names. As other calcium channel blockers, amlodipine acts by relaxing the smooth muscle in the arterial wall, decreasing peripheral resistance and hence improving blood pressure; in angina it improves blood flow to the myocardium.

Amlodipine - Side effects

Some side effects of the use of amlodipine may be:

• Very often: peripheral edema (feet and ankles) - in 1 of 10 users
• Often: dizzyness, palpitations, muscle, stomach or headache, dyspepsia, nausea - in 1 in 100 users
• Sometimes: blood disorders, development of breasts in men (gynecomastia), impotence, depression, insomnia, tachycardia - in 1 in 1000 users
• Rarely: erratic behavior, hepatitis, jaundice - in 1 in 10000 users
• Very rarely: hyperglycemia, tremor, Stevens-Johnson syndrome - in 1 in 100000 users

{Verapamil}

{Amlodipine} {Felodipine} {Nicardipine} {Nifedipine} {Nisoldipine} {Nimodipine}

{Diltiazem}

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Amlodipine", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki