Precautions and Warnings With Felodipine

Knowing the precautions and warnings with felodipine before starting the medication can help ensure safe treatment. For example, you should not take felodipine if you are allergic to any ingredients in the medication. It is also important to know that felodipine may cause water retention, which can be very dangerous for some people. Before taking felodipine, let your healthcare provider know if you have congestive heart failure or liver disease.

 

Felodipine: What Should I Tell My Healthcare Provider?

You should talk with your healthcare provider prior to taking felodipine (Plendil®) if you have:
 
Also, let your healthcare provider know if you are:
 
  • Pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant
  • Breastfeeding.
    •  
Make sure to tell your healthcare provider about any other medicines you are taking, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
 

Some Precautions and Warnings With Felodipine

Some of the warnings and precautions to be aware of with felodipine include:
 
 
  • In general, people who have congestive heart failure (CHF) should not use calcium channel blockers (including felodipine). These medications can cause water retention (edema), which can be especially dangerous for people with heart failure.
    •  
  • If you have liver disease or liver failure, your body may not metabolize felodipine as well as it should. Therefore, you may require extra monitoring by your healthcare provider, and you may need to take a lower felodipine dosage.
    •  
  • Felodipine may interact with a number of medicines (see Drug Interactions With Felodipine for more information).
    •  
  • The most common side effect of felodipine is water retention or swelling in the lower legs, hands, or feet. While this is not usually dangerous, it is important to let your healthcare provider know if you are experiencing severe swelling or rapid weight gain.
    •  
  • Felodipine is considered a pregnancy Category C medication. This means that felodipine may not be safe to use during pregnancy. Talk to your healthcare provider about the risks and benefits of using felodipine during pregnancy (see Felodipine and Pregnancy for more information).
    •  
  • It is not known if felodipine passes through breast milk. Therefore, if you are breastfeeding or plan to start breastfeeding, be sure to talk with your healthcare provider about using felodipine (see Felodipine and Breastfeeding for more information).
    •  
(Precautions and Warnings With Felodipine Continued: Page 2)
Add this article to your Favorites     Email this article     Print
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;