Felodipine

Felodipine

Felodipine helps treat high blood pressure and stable angina as a calcium channel blocker medication. This medicine has proven valuable for managing cardiovascular conditions. Felodipine is usually taken once daily to maintain consistent long-term control. It works best when paired with healthy habits like working out regularly, eating less salt, and handling stress well to boost heart health overall. 

This article explains what this medicine is, its uses and what precautions you should take before taking felodipine.

What is Felodipine?

Felodipine is a dihydropyridine derivative that works by relaxing blood vessels throughout the body. The medicine helps your heart pump blood easier, then reduces blood pressure and prevents chest pain.

Research shows that it also works as an antagonist of the mineralocorticoid receptor. The medicine comes as extended-release tablets that release the active ingredient slowly into your body throughout the day. You can get Felodipine tablets in three strengths: 2.5 mg, 5 mg, and 10 mg.

Felodipine Uses

Doctors use Felodipine to:

• Treat high blood pressure (hypertension)
• Prevent chest pain from heart disease (angina)

If not treated high blood pressure can damage your vital organs, such as the brain, heart, blood vessels, and kidneys.

How and When to Use Felodipine Tablet

• You should take Felodipine once daily in the morning, either on an empty stomach or after a light meal. 
• Make sure to swallow the tablets whole with water—never chew, crush or break them. 
• You should also stay away from grapefruit and its juice as they can make side effects worse. 

Side Effects of Felodipine Tablet

Common side effects include:

• Swelling in legs and ankles
• Headaches
• Flushing (warm feeling in face)
• Dizziness
• Palpitations

Serious side effects include:

• Severe allergic reactions
• Major drops in blood pressure
• Chest pain

Precautions

• You should not take Felodipine if you have acute heart failure, are having a heart attack, or have obstructed heart valves. 
• Your doctor might give you lower doses if you have liver problems since your liver clears this medication. 
• Let your doctor know about other medications you take as they can interact with Felodipine.
• Women who are pregnant, planning to get pregnant or breastfeeding should consult their doctor before taking this medicine.
• Keep Felodipine in a cool dry spot. Make sure it's away from light and moisture.
• Felodipine might make you sleepy or slow down your reactions. Don't drive or do tasks that need you to be alert until you know how this drug affects you.

How Felodipine Tablet Works

Felodipine blocks calcium ions from entering your arterial walls' smooth muscle cells. These calcium ions trigger muscle contraction naturally. The blood vessels relax and widen when this influx stops. The arteries receive targeted action rather than the heart muscle, which explains why blood pressure drops without substantially affecting heart function.

Your arterioles (smaller arteries) relax more than veins with this medicine, which reduces your heart's pumping resistance. These properties make Felodipine work by:

• Widening blood vessels to decrease blood pressure
• Delivering better oxygen supply to the heart muscles
• Lowering the heart workload while maintaining filling capacity

Can I Take Felodipine with Other Medicines?

Many drugs can interact with felodipine. These include:

• Anti-epilepsy drugs—carbamazepine, phenytoin
• Antibiotics—clarithromycin, erythromycin
• Antifungals—itraconazole
• HIV medicines
• Immunosuppressants 
• St John's wort 

Dosing Information

Adult patients with high blood pressure usually start with 5 mg once daily, while older patients begin with 2.5 mg. You can get the tablets in three strengths: 2.5 mg, 5 mg, and 10 mg.

Your doctor might adjust the dose every two weeks until finding the right amount for you. 

Conclusion

Felodipine helps patients who struggle with high blood pressure and angina. This calcium channel blocker sets itself apart from other heart medications. It targets the arteries instead of the heart, which lets blood vessels relax and widen. The medication offers a simple once-daily dosing schedule. 

Without doubt, Felodipine has proven its worth in cardiovascular care. Achieving the best heart health takes more than medicine. It needs routine check-ups, changes in daily habits, and honest talks with your medical team.

FAQs

1. Is Felodipine high risk?

Felodipine remains safe for patients who follow dosage instructions. The medication helps prevent heart disease, strokes & heart attacks in patients with high blood pressure. Notwithstanding that, large overdoses can lead to severe or fatal risks.

2. Is Felodipine an antibiotic?

No, Felodipine belongs to the calcium channel blocker family. The medication relaxes blood vessels to treat high blood pressure and prevent angina.

3. How long does Felodipine take to work?

The medication starts working on day one. The full effect on blood pressure takes a couple of weeks. Angina patients notice improvement after 1-2 weeks of regular use.

4. What happens if I miss a dose?

You should take the missed dose once you remember it. Skip the forgotten dose if your next scheduled dose approaches. Double doses should never be taken as compensation.

5. What happens if I overdose?

Overdose symptoms include dizziness, faintness, nausea, confusion, and dangerously low blood pressure. If you are experiencing these symptoms, immediately call the emergency helpline for assistance. 

6. Who cannot take Felodipine?

Felodipine isn't suitable for people with:

• Heart failure
• Recent heart attack
• Obstructed heart valves
• Liver problems

Pregnant women should discuss the risks with their doctor before starting treatment.

7. When should I take Felodipine?

The medication should be taken once daily in the morning, at the same time each day.

8. How many days to take Felodipine?

Treatment with Felodipine typically continues long-term, often throughout life.

9. When to stop Felodipine?

Your doctor must approve before you stop taking Felodipine. Most patients need this treatment for life. A sudden stop could raise your blood pressure and increase your risk of a heart attack or stroke.

10. Is it safe to take Felodipine daily?

Felodipine proves safe for daily, long-term use. The medicine works best with consistent daily intake.

11. What is the best time to take Felodipine?

Take your dose each morning, either before eating or after a light meal.

12. What to avoid when taking Felodipine?

We identified these key items to avoid:

• Grapefruit and its juice—they can intensify side effects
• Too much alcohol—it might make you dizzy
• Operating vehicles until you understand how the medicine affects you

13. What happens when you stop taking Felodipine?

Your blood pressure could spike again. This raises your risk of angina attacks, heart problems, or stroke.

14. Does Felodipine make you gain weight?

The medicine might cause fluid buildup in your ankles and feet. This fluid retention could show up as weight gain.

15. Does Felodipine affect the kidneys?

Felodipine stands out as safe for patients with kidney problems. The medicine doesn't harm kidney function and might improve kidney blood flow.

16. Should I take Felodipine before or after meals?

You can take Felodipine with or without food. The best approach is to take it on an empty stomach or after eating something light that's not too fatty or starchy. Extended-release tablets deliver the best results when you stick to one pattern—either always with food or always without. 

17. What foods should I avoid when taking Felodipine?

Stay away from these items:

• Grapefruit and grapefruit juice—they substantially increase Felodipine levels in your blood and could make side effects worse
• Pomegranate juice—it works on the same enzymes as grapefruit
• Foods with quercetin supplements (found in onions and tea)
• Pleurisy root—it contains cardiac glycosides that might react with heart medicines

18. Does Felodipine cause weight loss?

While unusual weight loss appears on the side effects list, people rarely lose weight from taking Felodipine. The medicine tends to cause fluid retention instead of weight loss.