Levamlodipine

Levamlodipine is a calcium channel blocker that widens blood vessels and helps blood flow.

Levamlodipine is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension) in adults and children who are at least 6 years old. Lowering blood pressure may reduce your risk of a stroke or heart attack.

Levamlodipine may also be used for other reasons not mentioned in this medication guide.

Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets. Your doctor may occasionally change your dose. Use the medicine exactly as directed.

You may take this medicine with or without food.

Your blood pressure will need to be checked often.

Your chest pain may become worse when you first start taking levamlodipine or when your dose is increased. Call your doctor if your chest pain is severe or ongoing.

If you are being treated for high blood pressure, keep using levamlodipine even if you feel well. High blood pressure often has no symptoms. You may need to use blood pressure medicine for the rest of your life.

Levamlodipine is only part of a complete program of treatment that may also include diet, exercise, weight control, and other medications. Follow your diet, medication, and exercise routines very closely.

Use all your blood pressure medications as directed and read all medication guides you receive. Do not change your dose or stop using a medicine without your doctor's advice.

Store at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and light.

Follow all instructions on your medicine label and package. Inform each of your healthcare providers about all your medical conditions, allergies, and all medicines you are taking.

You should not take levamlodipine if you are allergic to levamlodipine or amlodipine.

Tell your doctor if you have ever had:

• liver disease; or
• a heart valve problem called aortic stenosis.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known whether levamlodipine will harm an unborn baby. However, having high blood pressure during pregnancy may cause complications such as diabetes or eclampsia (dangerously high blood pressure that can lead to medical problems for both mother and baby). The benefit of treating hypertension may outweigh any risks to the baby.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding.

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

In rare cases, when you first start taking levamlodipine, your angina may get worse or you could have a heart attack. Seek emergency medical attention or call your doctor right away if you have symptoms such as: chest pain or pressure, pain spreading to your jaw or shoulder, nausea, sweating.

Levamlodipine may cause serious side effects. Call your doctor at once if you have:

• pounding heartbeats or fluttering in your chest;
• worsening chest pain; or
• a light-headed feeling, like you might pass out.

Common side effects of levamlodipine may include:

• fast heartbeats;
• swelling in your feet or ankles;
• dizziness, drowsiness;
• feeling tired;
• stomach pain, nausea; or
• flushing (warmth, redness, or tingly feeling).

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Usual Adult Dose for Hypertension:

Usual dose: 2.5 mg orally once dailyMaximum dose: 5 mg orally once dailyComments:-Adjust dose according to blood pressure goals.-Wait 7 to 14 days between dose adjustments; if needed, may titrate more rapidly if patient is assessed frequently.

Usual Pediatric Dose for Hypertension:

6 to 17 years old: 1.25 to 2.5 mg orally once dailyComments:-Doses over 2.5 mg per day have not been studied in pediatric patients.

Take the medicine as soon as you can, but if you are more than 12 hours late for the dose, skip the missed dose. Do not take two doses at the same time.

Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.

• Overdose symptoms may include rapid heartbeats, redness or warmth in your arms or legs, or fainting.

• Avoid getting up too fast from a sitting or lying position, or you may feel dizzy.

Sometimes it is not safe to use certain medications together. Some drugs can change the levels of other drugs in your blood, which may increase side effects or reduce the effectiveness of the medications.

Other drugs may affect levamlodipine, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you are currently taking and any medicine you start or stop using.