Amlodipine besylate (Norvasc) is a long-acting, calcium channel-blocking medication that helps to control high blood pressure (hypertension) for up to 24 hours. In addition to relaxing the blood vessels and improving blood flow, amlodipine besylate can help treat the chest pain of angina. It may be prescribed for those with mild, moderate or severe levels of hypertension. While generally well tolerated, it's associated with some common and rare but serious side effects.
Common Side Effects
In general, treatment with amlodipine beslyate in doses of up to 10mg per day has been well tolerated among patients in clinical trials. However, mild to moderate common side effects have been reported. The two most commonly reported side effects are headache and edema (swelling) of the feet or ankles. Dizziness and fatigue are also common. Edema, dizziness, flushing and heart palpitations appear to become more prevalent as the daily dose of amlodipine beslyate increases. Symptoms such as headache, fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain and extreme drowsiness may commonly occur but don't appear to be dose related.
Rare Side Effects
Amlodipine besylate is known to produce rare side effects in 0.1 to 1 percent of patients in controlled drug trials. These include cardiovascular and respiratory symptoms such as dyspnea (sensation of breathlessness), arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), dizziness, chest pain, bradycardia (slow heart beat), hypotension (low blood pressure), loss of consciousness, inflammation of the blood vessels (vasculitis), tachycardia (rapid heartbeat) and peripheral ischemia (reduced blood flow to the limbs).Symptoms related to the nervous and musculoskeletal system have also been reported, including muscle cramps, dry mouth, sweating, joint pain, muscle pain, loss of sensation, poor circulation of the limbs, tremor and vertigo.
Rare gastrointestinal side effects include constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, indigestion, gas, anorexia and dysphagia (difficult or painful swallowing). Reported skin symptoms include rash, angioedema (swelling beneath the skin's surface), itchiness all over the body and erythema multiforme (a skin disorder caused by an allergic reaction). Other reported symptoms include back pain, urinary problems, vision problems (eye pain, conjunctivitis, abnormal vision), high blood sugar (hyperglycemia), gingival hyperplasia (overgrowth of the gum tissue surrounding the teeth), low white blood cell count (leucopenia), hot flashes, malaise (general ill feeling), weight gain or loss and psychological side effects such as depression, anxiety, depersonalization (feeling disconnected from one's body), sexual dysfunction, abnormal dreams and sleep problems.
Extremely Rare Side Effects
Some side effects of amlodipine beslyate have been reported in fewer than 0.1 percent of patients participating in clinical trials. Some of these include skin discoloration or dryness, cold and clammy skin, migraines, coughing, dry eye syndrome, parosmia (distorted sense of smell) and taste perversion. Cardiac failure, irregular pulse, a type of irregular heartbeat called extrasystoles, muscle weakness, twitching, ataxia (unsteadiness and lack of coordination), hypertonia (abnormal increase in muscle tone tightness), muscle weakness and changes in urine output have also been observed among those taking amlodipine beslyate.
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