Amlodipine is a drug belonging to the calcium channel blockers' functional group. It can be used with or without any other medication to treat high blood pressure. By having blood pressure lowered, a patient is free from the risk of strokes, kidney failures, and heart attacks. The drug works by relaxing the blood vessels in the body to ease the flow of blood. The drug is also used to prevent chest pains of certain types like Angina. It helps patients by increasing one's ability to do exercise while lowering an angina attack rate.
According to Mancano et al. (2014), Amlodipine dosage is available in tablet form. The recommended daily dosing is 2.5-10 mg. The drug has a long half-life implying that it can be dosed once a day. It has no extended-release formulation and can, therefore, be crushed. Administration of the drug on once per day interval is considered enough to lower the influx of calcium into the vascular smooth muscle cells (Mancano et al., 2014). It is sufficient enough to relax the system arterial vessels and lower the total peripheral resistance and systemic blood pressure for many hours. The drug's most common side effects include swelling of legs and ankles, stomach pain, a feeling of tiredness, and extreme sleepiness. There is a flushing feeling, which is the hot or warm feeling on the face (Bulsara & Cassagnol, 2020). Since it is used to treat blood pressure and related ailments, it causes irregularity in heartbeat rate, most notably an increase in the heartbeat rate. It causes abnormal movement of muscles and tremors. The drug can also lower blood pressure to dangerous levels, causing fainting and lightheadedness, among other effects (Bulsara & Cassagnol, 2020). These side effects are usually mild, but in some serious cases, they may become severe, which calls for a doctor's attention.
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References
Bulsara, K. G., & Cassagnol, M. (2020). Amlodipine. In StatPearls [Internet] . StatPearls Publishing.
Mancano, M. A., Gallagher, J. C., In Birtcher, K., Girsberger, S., & Parker, K. E. (2014). Frequently prescribed medications: Drugs you need to know . Burlington, Massachusetts: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
