Norvasc

Norvasc is a calcium channel blocker used to control high blood pressure or angina (chest pain). Reducing high blood pressure helps prevent strokes, heart attacks and kidney problems. It has a long lasting effect and is essentially used in cases of high blood pressure (hypertension). In chronic stable angina pectoris and Prinzmetal's angina (vasospastic angina pectoris), it is used to treat and prevent attacks. Norvasc relaxes the vascular smooth muscle, dilating the blood arteries. Its detailed mechanism of action is not yet structured. The drug reduces ischemia because the arterioles dilate the peripheral vascular system making the myocardial function stable, because of which it consumes less energy and less oxygen. The dilated coronary artery in normal and ischemic regions causes a greater amount of oxygen to be released in the myocardium in patients with angina and variably reduces the action of vasoconstrictors in patients who smoke. Norvasc entirely metabolizes all inactive metabolites which are excreted through urine.  Norvasc is prescribed for the use during hypertonic disease, stable angina, and also angina with the signs of coronary vessel spasms. In combination, Norvasc may be used for the treatment of other diseases of the cardiovascular systems but the scheme and the course of the treatment must be prescribed by a doctor-cardiologist.  The pills of Norvasc must be taken once per day with a glass of water. Meals do not impact the therapeutic properties of Amlodipine, and therefore the medicine may be taken both before and after meals. It is better to begin the treatment from the minimal dose of Norvasc – 5 mg per day. In case of hypertension and stenocardia the doses are similar. In case of no side effect, it is allowed to increase the dosage up to 10 mg of Norvasc per day in one week of the treatment. The treatment is conducted before the stable improvement of stenocardia or arterial hypertension symptoms. Senior patients and also patients with diseases of kidneys and liver do not require the obligatory lowering of the dose. The solution about the lowering of the daily dose should be made by an attending doctor on the basis of the prior examination. The most common side effects of Norvasc which may happen in the first week of the treatment are local edema of shin and feet, tachycardia, dizziness, weakness, and stomachache. In case of the overdose, a sudden and strong lowering of the arterial pressure and faint may happen, and therefore it is not recommended to increase the daily dose of 10 mg.