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What Is Amlodipine Used for?
Amlodipine uses primarily involve lowering high blood pressure and treating heart disease. Healthcare professionals may also recommend amlodipine for off-label uses, which include treatment of cluster headaches, migraines, Raynaud's syndrome, and congestive heart failure.
Amlodipine besylate (Norvasc®) is a prescription medication licensed to treat conditions related to the heart and blood vessels. Specific amlodipine uses include:
- Controlling high blood pressure (hypertension)
- Treating heart disease (specifically coronary artery disease), including:
o Angina treatment, including exercise-induced angina (chronic stable angina) and vasospastic angina (Prinzmetal's or variant angina)o Coronary artery disease in people who do not have heart failure.
A blood pressure reading consists of two numbers -- for example: 120/80. The top number is known as the systolic blood pressure, and the bottom number is the diastolic blood pressure. High blood pressure is defined as an average blood pressure higher than 140/90, with multiple blood pressure readings.
In clinical studies, amlodipine has been shown to significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure. By lowering blood pressure, amlodipine can decrease the risk of developing health problems, such as a stroke, heart disease, or congestive heart failure, that occur with long-term high blood pressure (see Effects of High Blood Pressure). Amlodipine is not a cure for high blood pressure.
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD