Amlodipine tablets

About amlodipine

Amlodipine is given to treat högt blodtryck (hypertoni). It is also taken to help prevent angina chest pain. You may have been prescribed it for either of these reasons.

Amlodipine works by causing some of your blood vessels to relax and widen. This lowers your blood pressure. It also reduces the force and the rate of your heartbeat, and this helps to prevent angina chest pain. It does these things by blocking the amount of calcium that goes into the 'smooth' muscle cells in the walls of your arteries and in your heart. Calcium is needed for muscles to contract, so reducing the amount of calcium causes the muscle cells to relax.

Amlodipine is also available as a combination tablet with other medicines to reduce high blood pressure. Combination tablets help to reduce the total number of tablets you need to take each day.

Some medicines are not suitable for people with certain conditions, and sometimes a medicine may only be used if extra care is taken. For these reasons, before you start taking amlodipine it is important that your doctor knows:

• Om du är gravid eller ammar.

• If you have problems with the way your liver works.

• Om du tar eller använder några andra läkemedel. Detta inkluderar alla läkemedel du tar som finns att köpa utan recept, samt växtbaserade och komplementära läkemedel.

• Om du någonsin har haft en allergisk reaktion mot en medicin.

• Before you start this treatment, read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside your pack. It will give you more information about amlodipine and will provide you with a full list of the side-effects which you may experience from taking the tablets.

• Amlodipine is taken once a day. It is usual to be prescribed the 5 mg strength tablet to take at first, although the strength of your tablets may be increased to 10 mg after a short while.

• You can generally choose a time of day to take your tablets that you find easiest to remember, but try to take your doses at the same time of day each day. This will help you to avoid missing doses.

• Swallow the tablet with a drink of water. You can take amlodipine before or after meals.

• If you forget to take a dose at your usual time, take it as soon as you remember. If you do not remember until the following day, leave out the missed dose. Do not take two doses together to make up for a forgotten dose.

• Försök att hålla dina regelbundna möten med din läkare. Detta är så att din läkare kan följa upp din utveckling.

• Your doctor will discuss with you the possibility of unwanted side-effects. When you first start taking amlodipine you may experience headaches, feeling flushed, and some dizziness. These effects usually only last for a few days, but if they continue or become troublesome, you should let your doctor know.

• If you drink alcohol, ask your doctor for advice. Your doctor may recommend that you do not drink alcohol while you are on this medicine, as it may increase the chance that you experience side-effects, such as feeling dizzy or light-headed.

• Treatment with amlodipine is usually long-term unless you experience an adverse effect. Continue to take the tablets unless you are told otherwise by your doctor. If it is necessary for you to stop, your doctor may want you to reduce your dose over a few days, as suddenly stopping taking amlodipine can cause your symptoms to return.

• If you buy any medicines, always check with a pharmacist that they are suitable to take with your other medicines. Some anti-inflammatory painkillers may reduce the effectiveness of amlodipine.

• If you need to have an operation or any medical treatment, always tell the person carrying out the treatment which medicines you are taking. Amlodipine may interfere with the way some anaesthetics work.

• It is not advisable for you to drink large quantities of grapefruit juice. This is because a chemical in grapefruit juice may increase the amount of amlodipine in your bloodstream and this could make side-effects more likely.

Along with their useful effects, most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects although not everyone experiences them. The table below contains some of the most common ones associated with amlodipine. You will find a full list in the manufacturer's information leaflet supplied with your medicine. The unwanted effects often improve as your body adjusts to the new medicine, but speak with your doctor or pharmacist if any of the following continue or become troublesome.

Om du upplever några andra symtom som du tror kan bero på tabletterna, tala med din läkare eller apotekare för vidare råd.

• Förvara alla läkemedel utom räckhåll och synhåll för barn.

• Förvara på en sval, torr plats, borta från direkt värme och ljus.