The recommended dose range for Norvasc in adult patients is 5 to 10 mg once daily. Dose adjustments may be necessary in those who are elderly or those with liver impairment.
The recommended dose range for Norvasc in children is 2.5 to 5 mg once daily.
Tell your doctor about any prescription and non-prescription medicines you are taking, including natural or herbal remedies.
Tell your doctor if you:
- ever had heart disease
- ever had liver problems
- are pregnant, or plan to become pregnant. Your doctor will decide if Norvasc is the best treatment for you.
- are breastfeeding. Do not breastfeed while taking Norvasc. You can stop breastfeeding or take a different medicine.
- Do not use Norvasc if you are allergic to amlodipine (the active ingredient in Norvasc), or to the inactive ingredients.
- Do not breastfeed. It is not known if Norvasc will pass through your milk.
- Do not start any new prescription or non-prescription medicines or supplements, unless you check with your doctor first.
Norvasc is available as 2.5 mg, 5 mg, and 10 mg tablets.
Active ingredient: amlodipine besylate
Inactive ingredients: microcrystalline cellulose, anhydrous dibasic calcium phosphate, sodium starch glycolate type A potato, magnesium stearate.
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:
- simvastatin (Zocor)
- ketoconazole (Nizoral)
- itraconazole (Sporanox, Omnel)
- ritonavir (Norvir, RTV)
This is not a complete list of Norvasc drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.
The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories – A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.
Norvasc falls into category C. There are no well-controlled studies in pregnant women. Norvasc should be used during pregnancy only if the possible benefit outweighs the possible risk to the unborn baby.
Norvasc is a prescription medicine used to treat high blood pressure (medically known as hypertension) and chest pain (medically known as angina) in adults and children.
This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
If you take too much Norvasc, call your local Poison Control Center or seek emergency medical attention right away.
Store Norvasc Tablets at room temperature between 59° and 86°F.
Keep Norvasc out of the light.
Keep Norvasc in a dry place. Do not store in the bathroom.
Keep Norvasc and all medications out of the reach of children.
Norvasc (generic: amlodipine) is a prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure and chest pain. Norvasc belongs to a group of drugs called calcium channel blockers, which relax blood vessels, making it easier for the heart to pump blood.
This medication comes in tablet form and is usually taken once a day, with or without food.
Common side effects of Norvasc include headache, swelling of legs or ankles, tiredness, and nausea.
Medications can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of Norvasc, there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving this medication.
Norvasc may cause the following side effects. Most side effects are mild or moderate:
- headache
- swelling of your legs or ankles
- tiredness, extreme sleepiness
- stomach pain, nausea
- dizziness
- flushing (hot or warm feeling in your face)
- arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat)
- heart palpitations (very fast heartbeat)
It is rare, but when you first start taking Norvasc or increase your dose, you may have a heart attack or your angina may get worse. If that happens, call your doctor right away or go directly to a hospital emergency room.
Tell your doctor if you are concerned about any side effects you experience. These are not all the possible side effects of Norvasc. For a complete list, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding. It is not known whether amlodipine is excreted in human milk. Due to this lack of data, it is not recommended to use Norvasc while breastfeeding.
- Take Norvasc once a day, with or without food.
- It may be easier to take your dose if you do it at the same time every day, such as with breakfast or dinner, or at bedtime. Do not take more than one dose of Norvasc at a time.
- If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. Do not take Norvasc if it has been more than 12 hours since you missed your last dose. Wait and take the next dose at your regular time.
- Other medicines: You can use nitroglycerin and Norvasc together. If you take nitroglycerin for angina, don’t stop taking it while you are taking Norvasc.
- While you are taking Norvasc, do not stop taking your other prescription medicines, including any other blood pressure medicines, without talking to your doctor.
- If you take too much Norvasc, call your doctor or Poison Control Center, or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away.