12 Things to Be Careful With While Taking Amlodipine
Amlodipine is commonly used to treat high blood pressure and certain heart conditions. You don’t necessarily need to avoid all 12 items below—some simply require caution, monitoring, or appropriate timing. DailyMed+1
- Grapefruit or grapefruit juice — official product information differs on how important this interaction is, so it’s sensible to ask your pharmacist if you consume it regularly. DailyMed+1
- Large amounts of alcohol — can add to blood-pressure-lowering effects and make dizziness more likely.
- Other blood-pressure medicines — combinations can sometimes lower blood pressure too much.
- Diltiazem — can substantially increase amlodipine exposure; monitoring may be needed. DailyMed
- Certain antifungals — drugs such as itraconazole and ketoconazole can increase amlodipine levels. DailyMed
- Some antibiotics — particularly certain macrolides such as clarithromycin, may increase amlodipine exposure. DailyMed
- Certain HIV medicines — some protease inhibitors can increase amlodipine concentrations. FDA Verification
- Simvastatin above 20 mg/day — amlodipine can increase simvastatin exposure; the prescribing information recommends limiting simvastatin to 20 mg daily with amlodipine. DailyMed+1
- Sildenafil and similar medicines — the combination can produce additional blood-pressure lowering, so your clinician should know you’re taking both. DailyMed
- Dehydration — vomiting, diarrhea, heavy sweating, or inadequate fluid intake can make dizziness or low blood pressure more likely.
- Getting up suddenly — if amlodipine makes you dizzy, rise slowly from sitting or lying down to reduce your risk of falling.
- Stopping amlodipine on your own — don’t suddenly discontinue prescribed blood-pressure treatment without medical advice. U.S. prescribing information reports no significant effect on amlodipine exposure from either in studied circumstances
One important correction
Magnesium/aluminum antacids and grapefruit juice are not automatically prohibited with amlodipine. U.S. prescribing information reports no significant effect on amlodipine exposure from either in studied circumstances. DailyMed
If you take amlodipine, the safest approach is to give your pharmacist or doctor the complete list of your prescription drugs, OTC medicines, supplements, and herbal products so they can check for interactions.
If you tell me the dose of amlodipine and the other medicines you take, I can check the specific combinations.
