[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Pharmacology](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/) › [Calcium channel blockers](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/classes/calcium-channel-blockers/) › Amlodipine

[Pharmacology](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/) · [Calcium channel blockers](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/classes/calcium-channel-blockers/)

# Amlodipine

A long-acting calcium channel blocker that relaxes arteries. Used for high blood pressure and angina; ankle swelling is its best-known side effect.

Updated 2026-11-01

- Class: [Calcium channel blockers](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/classes/calcium-channel-blockers/)
- Ion channel: L-type voltage-gated calcium channel (CaV1.2)
- ATC code: C08CA01
- WHO Model List of Essential Medicines

⇅**L-type voltage-gated calcium channel (CaV1.2)**Amlodipine

ⓘ The figure shows amlodipine bound to the human CaV1.2 channel (the structure also contains the toxin calciseptine and the drug pinaverium).

**Target in 3D:** L-type voltage-gated calcium channel (CaV1.2). PDB structure 8WE8 (RCSB PDB, public domain). [View the structure at RCSB PDB](https://www.rcsb.org/structure/8WE8) · Drag to rotate · pinch to zoom

## Mechanism of action

Amlodipine is a dihydropyridine that binds the L-type calcium channel of vascular smooth muscle and keeps fewer channels open, so less calcium enters and the arterioles relax. Peripheral resistance and blood pressure fall; in angina it lowers afterload and relieves coronary spasm. It binds and leaves the channel slowly, so its effect builds up gradually.

- Amlodipine binds the L-type calcium channel in arteriolar muscle
- Less calcium enters the smooth muscle cell
- Arterioles relax and peripheral resistance falls
- Blood pressure and cardiac afterload fall

## Pharmacokinetics

**Absorption**
Absorbed slowly by mouth; food does not change it

**Metabolism**
Extensively metabolised in the liver; CYP3A inhibitors raise its levels

**Half-life**
Terminal half-life about 30 to 50 hours, longer in liver impairment

**Onset and duration**
Gradual onset, so sudden hypotension is unlikely

## Indications

- High blood pressure [Arterial hypertension →](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/arterial-hypertension/)
- Chronic stable angina [Stable angina →](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/stable-angina/)
- Vasospastic (Prinzmetal) angina

## Adverse effects

### Common

- Ankle and leg oedema, dose-related
- Flushing
- Headache
- Palpitations
- Dizziness and fatigue

### Serious (rare, important)

- Worsening angina or myocardial infarction when starting or increasing it, mainly in severe obstructive coronary disease
- Symptomatic hypotension, especially with severe aortic stenosis

## Contraindications

- Known hypersensitivity to amlodipine

## Key interactions

**Strong or moderate CYP3A4 inhibitors (for example clarithromycin, itraconazole, ritonavir)**
Higher amlodipine levels and more hypotension and oedema

**Simvastatin**
Higher simvastatin exposure and myopathy risk; the statin is limited

**Cyclosporine or tacrolimus**
Higher immunosuppressant levels; trough levels are watched

## What is monitored

- Blood pressure
- Heart rate
- Oedema
- Angina symptoms when starting

## Administration and safety

- Given by mouth once a day; tablets work the same with or without food
- Several «-dipine» names look and sound alike (nifedipine, nimodipine, nicardipine): the name is checked on every order

## Nursing care

- Check blood pressure and heart rate before and after starting
- Look for ankle oedema and ask about headache and flushing
- In coronary disease, ask about new or worse chest pain in the first weeks
- Teach the patient that the full effect takes days to build up and not to stop it on their own

## Pregnancy and breastfeeding

Human data are limited; it is used in pregnancy only when the benefit justifies it, and other agents with more experience are usually preferred.

## Memory aid

AMLOdipine is the slow AMbLer: it binds slowly, works for days and leaves swollen ankles behind.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## Why is sudden hypotension unusual after amlodipine?

It binds and leaves the calcium channel slowly and has a long half-life, so its effect builds up gradually over days.

## What is the most common adverse effect of amlodipine?

Dose-related peripheral oedema (ankles), from arteriolar dilation.

## Which statin interaction is classic with amlodipine?

Simvastatin: amlodipine raises its exposure and the risk of myopathy, so the simvastatin is limited.

## Does amlodipine slow AV conduction like verapamil?

No. As a dihydropyridine it acts mainly on arteries and has little effect on the sinus and AV nodes.

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## Related drugs

- [Nifedipine](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/nifedipine/)
- [Verapamil](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/verapamil/)
- [Diltiazem](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/diltiazem/)

## Related conditions

- [Arterial hypertension](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/arterial-hypertension/)
- [Stable angina](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/stable-angina/)

[← Back to the class: Calcium channel blockers](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/classes/calcium-channel-blockers/)

Educational content on how drugs work; not a prescribing guide and no substitute for a health professional's advice. No doses are given.

Sources: [DailyMed - AMLODIPINE BESYLATE tablet](https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=3bd019d3-b58c-44ab-9190-606a0af5e9b6) (DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), 2026); [ATCDDD - ATC/DDD Index](https://atcddd.fhi.no/atc_ddd_index/?code=C08CA01) (WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology, 2026); [eEML - Electronic Essential Medicines List](https://list.essentialmeds.org/?query=amlodipine) (World Health Organization, 2025).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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Source: https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/amlodipine/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/amlodipine/