Generic Amlodipine is used to treat high blood pressure. Amlodipine belongs to a class of medications known as calcium channel blockers. These medications block the transport of calcium into the smooth muscle cells lining the coronary arteries and other arteries of the body. Since calcium is important in muscle contraction, blocking calcium transport relaxes artery muscles and dilates coronary arteries and other arteries of the body. By relaxing coronary arteries Amlodipine is useful in preventing chest pain i.e. angina resulting from coronary artery spasm.

Relaxing the muscles lining the arteries of the rest of the body lowers the blood pressure, which reduces the burden on the heart as it pumps blood to the body. Reducing heart burden lessens the heart muscles demand for oxygen and further helps to prevent angina in patients with coronary artery disease. If taken regularly, Amlodipine controls chest pain, but it does not stop chest pain once it starts. Hence, it relaxes your blood vessels so your heart does not have to pump as hard. It also increases the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart to control chest pain i.e. angina.

However, before taking Amlodipine i.e. Norvasc medication, ask your pharmacist or doctor for a copy of the manufacturer’s information for the patient and read it carefully. Talk to your doctor about all the possible risks of taking Norvasc medication. However, Norvasc may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this medication guide. Hence, for more information, consult your doctor and your medical pharmacist.

Follow the directions given by the doctor exactly for the usage of the Norvasc i.e. Amlodipine medication and also read the prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand.

Amlodipine comes as a tablet to take by mouth, with or without food. It is usually taken once a day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take Amlodipine exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.

Amlodipine controls high blood pressure and chest pain i.e. angina but does not cure them. Amlodipine is metabolized mainly by the liver and dosages may need to be lowered in patients with liver dysfunction.

Continue to take Amlodipine even if you feel well. Do not stop taking Amlodipine without talking to your doctor.

If you notice any of the symptoms, which seem severe or persistent to you, please contact your doctor immediately. However, your doctor may need to monitor you carefully for side effects and alter the doses if necessary.

Side effects of Amlodipine are generally mild and reversible. The two most common side effects are: headache and edema i.e. swelling of the lower extremities, face, eyes, lips, tongue, arms and legs, fainting, yellowing of the skin or eyes, rashes, difficulty in breathing or swallowing etc.

Less common side effects include dizziness, flushing i.e. feeling of warmth, fatigue, upset stomach, nausea, heartburn, fast heartbeat, excessive tiredness, muscle cramps, decreased sexual ability, nosebleed, light headedness, palpitations etc.

Inform your doctor if you experience any of these side effects or some new side effects occur which appear too bothersome to you.

Inform your doctor if you are allergic to the formulation of this medication or any other medication in any other form and also inform your doctor about any other medication you may be taking in any other form, as they may affect the way your medicine works.

In patients with severe coronary artery disease, Amlodipine can increase the frequency and severity of angina or actually cause a heart attack on rare occasions. This phenomenon usually occurs when first starting Amlodipine or at the time of dosage increase. Excessive lowering of blood pressure during initiation of Amlodipine treatment can occur especially in patients already taking another blood pressure lowering medication. In rare instances congestive heart failure has been associated with Amlodipine usually in patients already on a beta blocker. For further information on beta blockers please read the propranolol Inderal article.

However, Amlodipine may cause an upset stomach. Avoid drinking grapefruit juice or eating grapefruit 1 hour before or for 2 hours after taking Amlodipine. Do not forget to talk to your doctor before using salt substitutes containing potassium. If your doctor prescribes a low-salt or low-sodium diet, follow these directions carefully.

Moreover, Norvasc i.e. Amlodipine may also interact with some kind of foods, varied medications, herbal products, nutritional supplements, vitamins, other OTC medicines, some vaccinations etc. Acquire more information about the interactions of the Norvasc medication from your doctor and the medical pharmacists.

In case of overdose call your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222.
If the suffering patient has collapsed or is not breathing call local emergency services at 911. Canadian residents should call their local poison control center directly.

Symptoms of overdose may include: rapid heartbeat, dizziness, fainting etc.

Do not allow any other person to use your medication without getting doctor’s prescription themselves and also avoid using this medicine for other health conditions on your own. Keep the medicine away from the children and pets.

Also inform your doctor, if you are pregnant or are breast feeding. If you conceive during the course, inform your doctor immediately. Do not share your medicines with anyone, even if they have the same symptoms, for it may harm them. Do not begin, increase, decrease, or stop using this medicine on your own. In short discuss your complete medical history with your doctor, before taking the medicine.

Remember, it is very important to keep regular appointments with your doctor to study the way your body is responding to the course. And if you are going to have a surgery, tell your health care professional that you are using Norvasc medication.
Carry with you at all times an ID card mentioning your name, the medicine you are taking, the dosage, the name of the person and your health care professional they should call in case of an emergency. Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory and keep regular checks on your blood pressure to determine your response to Amlodipine.

Also avoid alcohol and alcohol containing beverages whilst on a course with this medication.

And in case, if you wish to use the medicine in children, please contact your pediatrician for sure before its use.

If you missed the Norvasc i.e. Amlodipine medication dose, do take the medicine immediately provided that there is ample of time in between the next dose. However, if it is almost time for the next dose skip the missed dose and continue your regular dosing schedule. Never double your doses to cope up with the missed. And in case, if you miss your one or two consecutive doses consult to your doctor or physician for guidance and continue further.

Generic Norvasc i.e. Amlodipine medication is used to treat high blood pressure. Chest pain i.e. angina occurs because of insufficient oxygen delivered to the heart muscles. Insufficient oxygen may be a result of coronary artery blockage or spasm or because of physical exertion which increases heart oxygen demand in a patient with coronary artery narrowing. Amlodipine is used for the treatment and prevention of angina resulting from coronary spasm as well as from exertion. Amlodipine is also used in the treatment of high blood pressure.

However, it may also be used to treat some other medical conditions which may be determined by your doctor accordingly and consult a pediatrician for the use of this medication in children.

The generic Norvasc i.e. Amlodipine medication may be prescribed for other uses also, so ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information about the Norvasc i.e. Amlodipine medication.

Store generic Norvasc i.e. Amlodipine, at room temperature below in a cool and dry place. Keep the medicine in the container, it came in and always keep it tightly closed. Check Expiry date without fail. Keep all medicines away from women, newborns, children and pets. Do not freeze in any case. Also, keep it away from heat, dampness and direct light. Heat or moisture may cause the medicine to break down. When the medicine is not in use or outdated it should be discarded. Take help of your pharmacist in disposing this medicine properly. In any case, do not store the Norvasc medication in the bathroom.

Following precautions must be taken during consuming generic Norvasc i.e. Amlodipine:

1. Inform your doctor if you have or have ever had: kidney disease, lung disease, liver disease, heart disease, diabetes, low or high blood pressure, asthma, heart attack, serious injury/infection or any other severe disease etc. Also inform, if you drink alcoholic beverages or are a tobacco smoker etc.

2. Also acknowledge your doctor if you need to undergo any kind of surgery, including dental surgery or need an x-ray procedure that uses contrast agents. So, inform your doctors immediately about it, so that the doctor can decide whether to continue taking Norvasc medication or stop it during the surgery.

3. Let the doctor also know, if you are in-taking or are planning to take any prescribed or non prescribed medicines, health supplements or any other OTC medications, vitamins etc. This includes any medicines especially fentanyl i.e. Duragesic, medication for high blood pressure.

4. Do not use the Norvasc i.e. Amlodipine medication, if you have any kind of allergy to it or to any ingredients of it and tell your doctor or pharmacist about the allergy and get treated.

5. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breast feeding before taking Norvasc medication. Hence also, inform your doctor immediately when you plan to conceive, or become pregnant during the course.

6. Do not share the drug with others unless they are prescribed by the doctor themselves. And if your symptoms of side effects do not improve in few weeks or if they become worse and bothersome, check these conditions immediately with your doctor.

7. Please, use the Norvasc medicine in the prescribed amount and do not overdose it or use it for the longer period of time. Do not discontinue on your own and consult your doctor before doing so to avoid further problems.

8. Regularly, keep your appointments with your doctor and keep an eye on the progress or side effects that has been noticed during the complete course.

9. Also, avoid smoking and consuming alcohol and alcohol containing beverages during the complete course to achieve good results.

10. For more information, contact your doctor and your pharmacists and also discuss the risks and benefits of the generic Norvasc.