Amlodipine And Potassium

Amlodipine is the generic name of a prescription medication. Potassium is an electrolyte your body needs for things such as muscle contraction and digestion. Electrolytes conduct electricity in your body. Unlike some medications, amlodipine does not seem to significantly affect the amount of potassium in your body. Consult your health professional regarding concerns you may have about your medication or potassium intake.

Amlodipine

Amlodipine is a calcium-blocking medication typically used to treat chest pain and high blood pressure. It relaxes your blood vessels, making your heart's job easier. Doctors commonly have patients start with a low dose and increase to a higher dose. Side effects include excessive tiredness, stomach pain and a headache, as well as a rapid heartbeat and fainting. Before taking amlodipine, notify your doctor of any pre-existing health conditions, especially aortic stenosis, congestive heart failure and liver disease. Patients typically take amlodipine once a day.

Potassium

All of the cells in your body need potassium to function properly. Most people obtain all of the potassium they need from dietary sources including fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy products. Sodium and magnesium help regulate the amount of potassium in your body, and your kidneys digest it. Older people and those with less efficient kidneys can build up too much potassium in the body. This is called hyperkalemia.

Diabetic Kidney Disease

Irbesartan works better than amlodipine treatment for diabetic kidney disease in people with high blood pressure, according to data from the Irbesartan Diabetic Nephropathy Trial published in a 2002 issue of the "New England Journal of Medicine." Patients receiving the irbesartan treatment had a 23 percent less risk of kidney disease progression or death in comparison to patients taking amlodipine. Side effects reported by the patients taking irbesartan included an increase in blood potassium levels, dizziness and low blood pressure. Irbesartan was previously approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a high blood pressure medication.

Hypertension

Amlodipine significantly reduces blood pressure, according to a study from Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria and reported in the July 1995 issue of the "Journal of the National Medical Association." Twenty subjects diagnosed with mild to moderate hypertension took doses of either amlodipine or hydrochlorothiazide for six weeks. Both drugs significantly reduced blood pressure, but researchers found no difference in the efficacy of these medications. Amlodipine caused no changes in blood potassium levels, but hydrochlorothiazide caused a potassium deficiency.

Morphine Tolerance

In animal studies, potassium and calcium channel mechanisms were associated with morphine tolerance, according to a study from the Tehran University of Medical Science in Iran and reported in the April 2008 issue of the "International Journal of Neuroscience." Researchers administered amlodipine along with potassium channel openers and blockers to mice while building their morphine tolerance. Amlodipine and the potassium channel opener decreased morphine tolerance in the first and second phase of the study. The potassium channel blocker decreased morphine tolerance in the second phase of the study.