Amlodipine & Atorvastatin

Amlodipine/atorvastatin is a prescription medicine used to treat people with high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It is a single tablet containing two medications, amlodipine and atorvastatin.

Amlodipine belongs to a group of medications called calcium channel blockers. It works by relaxing blood vessels so the heart does not need to pump as hard. Atorvastatin belongs to a group of medications called statins (or HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors). It works by blocking an enzyme that affects the rate of production of cholesterol in the body.

Amlodipine/atorvastatin comes in a tablet form and is taken by mouth, once a day, with or without food.

Amlodipine/atorvastatin is a prescription medication used to treat people who have both high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Amlodipine & Atorvastatin may be found in some form under the following brand names:

• Caduet

Common side effects of amlodipine/atorvastatin include:

• headache
• tiredness
• stomach pain
• upset stomach
• swelling of your legs or ankles (edema)
• hot or warm feeling in your face (flushing)
• irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) very fast heartbeat (heart palpitations)
• muscle and joint pain
• alterations in some laboratory blood tests
• dizziness
• extreme sleepiness
• nausea
• diarrhea

This is not a complete list of amlodipine/atorvastatin side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

See "Drug Precautions" for risks associated with amlodipine/atorvastatin.

Some medicines may interact with amlodipine/atorvastatin. Tell your doctor if you are taking any other prescription or non-prescription medicines, vitamins, or herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following:

• amiodarone
• antifungals such as fluconazole (Diflucan), itraconazole (Sporanox), and voriconazole (Vfend)
• colchicine (Colcrys)
• cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune)
• daptomycin (Cubicin)
• diltiazem (Cardizem)
• dronedarone (Multaq)
• clofibrate
• gemfibrozil (Lopid)
• indinavir (Crixivan)
• ritonavir (Norvir)
• simvastatin (Zocor)
• imatinib (Gleevec)
• telithromycin (Ketek)
• clarithromycin (Biaxin)
• erythromycin
• mibefradil
• nefazodone (Serzone)
• niacin
• delavirdine (Rescriptor)
• quinine (Qualaquin)
• dalfopristin
• verapamil (Calan, Covera-HS,  Verelan, Verelan PM)
• sildenafil (Revatio, Viagra)
• St. John's Wort
• cimetidine (Tagamet)
• digoxin (Lanoxin)
• birth control pills
• tacrolimus (Prograf, Protopic)
• spironolactone (Aldactone)

There may be other medicines that interact with amlodipine/atorvastatin. This is not a complete list of amlodipine/atorvastatin drug interactions. Check with your doctor before you start, stop, or change the dose of any medicine.

Amlodipine/atorvastatin includes a statin medication called atorvastatin. Statin medications carry a rare but serious risk of:

• liver damage
• memory loss or confusion
• increase in blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia)
• type 2 diabetes
• immune-mediated muscle breakdown

Certain statins can increase risk of muscle weakness as well. It is important to consult your physician to discuss the benefits and risks associated with using this medication.

Call your doctor right away if you:

• have muscle problems like weakness, tenderness, or pain that happen without a good reason, especially if you also have a fever or feel more tired than usual
• have nausea and vomiting, or stomach pain
• are passing brown or dark-colored urine
• feel more tired than usual
• have yellowing of skin and white of your eyes
• have allergic skin reactions
• have chest pain that does not go away or gets worse

Sometimes, when you start amlodipine/atorvastatin or increase your dose, chest pain can get worse or a heart attack can happen. If this happens, call your doctor or go to the emergency room right away.

Amlodipine/atorvastatin can cause allergic reactions including swelling of the face, lips, tongue, and/or throat that may cause difficulty in breathing or swallowing which may require treatment right away.

Do not use amlodipine/atorvastatin if you:

• are allergic to any ingredient in amlodipine/atorvastatin
• are pregnant or breastfeeding
• have liver problems

Amlodipine/atorvastatin may cause drowsiness or dizziness. These effects may be worse if you take it with alcohol. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how this medication affects you.

Eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice may increase the amount of amlodipine/atorvastatin in your blood, which may increase your risk of serious side effects. Avoid large amounts of grapefruit juice.

Drinking alcohol daily or in large amounts may increase the risk of liver problems with amlodipine/atorvastatin.

Tell your doctor about all of your health conditions, including, if you have:

• heart disease
• muscle aches or weakness
• diabetes
• thyroid problems
• kidney problems
• or drink more than 2 glasses of alcohol daily

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Do not use amlodipine/atorvastatin if you are pregnant. It may cause harm to your unborn baby.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Amlodipine/atorvastatin falls into category X. It has been shown that women taking amlodipine/atorvastatin during pregnancy may have babies with problems. There are no situations where the benefits of the medication for the mother outweigh the risks of harm to the baby. These medicines should never be used by pregnant women.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. You should not use amlodipine/atorvastatin if you are breastfeeding. It may be excreted in your breast milk and may harm your nursing child.

Amlodipine/atorvastatin comes as a tablet to be taken by mouth, with or without food. It is usually taken once a day, at the same time each day.

Amlodipine/atorvastatin tablets should be swallowed whole. Do not break, chew, or crush them. 

If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. Do not take amlodipine/atorvastatin if it has been more than 12 hours since your missed dose. Just take the next dose at your regular time. Do not take 2 doses of amlodipine/atorvastatin at the same time.

Take amlodipine/atorvastatin exactly as your doctor prescribes it. Follow the directions on your prescription bottle carefully. Your doctor will determine the best dose for you based on the condition being treated, other medical conditions you have, how you respond to this medication as well as other factors.

Amlodipine/atorvastatin is available in several strengths. The recommended dose of amlodipine (Norvasc) is 2.5 mg to 10 mg a day. The recommended dose of atorvastatin is 10 mg to 80 mg a day. The dosage must be individualized.

If you take too much amlodipine/atorvastatin call your healthcare provider or local Poison Control Center, or seek emergency medical attention right away.

• Store amlodipine/atorvastatin at room temperature, 68˚ to 77°F (20 to 25°C).
• Do not keep medicine that is out-of-date or that you no longer need.
• Keep amlodipine/atorvastatin and all medicines out of the reach of children. Keep medicines in places where children cannot get it.