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- Microalbumin test
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- Angiotensin II receptor blockers
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- Calcium channel blockers
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Calcium channel blockers
Uses for calcium channel blockers
Doctors prescribe calcium channel blockers to prevent, treat or improve symptoms in a variety of conditions, such as:
- High blood pressure
- Chest pain (angina)
- Brain aneurysm complications
- Irregular heartbeats (arrhythmia)
- Migraines
- Some circulatory conditions, such as Raynaud's disease
- High blood pressure that affects the arteries in your lungs (pulmonary hypertension)
Calcium channel blockers may not be as effective as diuretics, beta blockers or angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors at lowering blood pressure. Because of this, calcium channel blockers aren't usually the first medication you'd be prescribed to lower your blood pressure.
However, for blacks, calcium channel blockers may be more effective than other blood pressure medications, such as beta blockers, ACE inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers.
Side effects and cautions
Side effects of calcium channel blockers may include:
- Constipation
- Headache
- Rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)
- Dizziness
- Rash
- Drowsiness
- Flushing
- Nausea
- Swelling in the feet and lower legs
Certain calcium channel blockers interact with grapefruit products. Don't take these medications with grapefruit or grapefruit juice because they can reduce your ability to eliminate calcium channel blockers from your body, allowing the medications to build up in your body. This buildup could cause serious side effects.
Previous page(2 of 2)
- Flynn JT. Treatment of high blood pressure: Drug therapy. In: Kaplan NM, et al. Kaplan's Clinical Hypertension. 10th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Wolters Kluwer Health Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2010:192.
- Types of blood pressure medications. American Heart Association. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/PreventionTreatmentofHighBloodPressure/Types-of-Blood-Pressure-Medications_UCM_303247_Article.jsp. Accessed Sept. 30, 2010.
- High blood pressure: Medicines to help you. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/byaudience/forwomen/ucm118594.htm. Accessed Sept. 30, 2010.
- Kaplan NM, et al. Indications and contraindications to the use of specific antihypertensive drugs. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 30, 2010.
- Chobanian AV, et al. The seventh report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. New England Journal of Medicine. 2003;289:2560.
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