Norvasc 5 mg and 10 mg tablets – treatment of high blood pressure and angina

Norvasc 5 mg and 10 mg is a medicine containing the active substance amlodipine. It belongs to a group of medicines known as calcium-channel blockers and is used to treat high blood pressure and certain forms of angina.

Amlodipine relaxes and widens blood vessels, allowing blood to flow more easily and helping to reduce blood pressure. In patients with angina, it improves the blood supply to the heart muscle, but it does not provide immediate relief from an angina attack that has already started.

Norvasc – what is it used for and how should it be taken?

What is Norvasc used for?

The medicine is used to treat:

• arterial hypertension;
• chronic stable angina pectoris;
• vasospastic, or Prinzmetal, angina.

Norvasc may be used alone or in combination with other medicines for high blood pressure or angina. The combination and dose must be determined by a doctor.

How should Norvasc be taken?

The usual starting dose in adults is 5 mg once daily. The doctor may increase the dose to a maximum of 10 mg once daily, depending on the individual response and tolerability.

• Take the medicine at approximately the same time every day.
• Swallow the tablet with sufficient water.
• It may be taken before or after food.
• Do not take it with grapefruit or grapefruit juice.
• The 5 mg tablet can be divided into two equal doses of 2.5 mg.
• The 10 mg tablet is not intended to provide two accurately divided doses.
• Do not increase the dose because of a single high blood-pressure reading.
• Do not stop treatment when your blood pressure returns to the target range unless your doctor tells you to do so.

In children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years, Norvasc is used only for hypertension. The usual starting dose is 2.5 mg once daily, with a maximum recommended dose of 5 mg daily. Paediatric dosing must be determined by a doctor.

If a dose is missed: skip the forgotten dose and take the next dose at the usual time. Do not take a double dose.

When should Norvasc not be taken?

Do not take the medicine:

• if you are allergic to amlodipine, another dihydropyridine or any of the other ingredients;
• if you have severe low blood pressure;
• if you are in shock, including cardiogenic shock;
• if you have severe obstruction of the left ventricular outflow tract, such as severe aortic stenosis;
• if you have haemodynamically unstable heart failure after an acute myocardial infarction.

Special warnings and precautions

Tell your doctor before treatment if you have recently had a heart attack, have heart failure, liver disease, markedly low blood pressure or another serious or unstable heart condition.

The safety and effectiveness of amlodipine in a hypertensive crisis have not been established. Patients with impaired liver function generally require cautious initiation and gradual dose adjustment.

Interactions with medicines and supplements

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you use:

• ketoconazole, itraconazole or another azole antifungal medicine;
• erythromycin, clarithromycin, rifampicin or another medicine affecting CYP3A4;
• ritonavir, indinavir or another protease inhibitor;
• verapamil or diltiazem;
• simvastatin;
• tacrolimus, ciclosporin, sirolimus, temsirolimus or everolimus;
• intravenous dantrolene;
• another blood-pressure-lowering medicine;
• St John’s wort.

Grapefruit and grapefruit juice may increase the concentration of amlodipine and lead to an unpredictable or excessive fall in blood pressure.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

The safety of amlodipine during pregnancy has not been fully established. Women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy should consult a doctor before use.

Amlodipine passes into breast milk in small amounts. Use during breastfeeding requires an individual medical assessment.

Possible side effects

Very common:

• oedema caused by fluid retention.

Common effects may include:

• headache, dizziness or drowsiness, particularly at the beginning of treatment;
• palpitations and flushing;
• nausea and abdominal pain;
• diarrhoea, constipation or indigestion;
• fatigue and weakness;
• visual disturbance or double vision;
• muscle cramps;
• swelling of the ankles.

Ankle or leg swelling is a known adverse effect of amlodipine. Do not independently add a diuretic or stop treatment; a doctor should assess the cause and decide whether the treatment requires adjustment.

If more Norvasc has been taken than prescribed

An overdose may cause a dangerous fall in blood pressure, dizziness, weakness, fainting or shock. Fluid accumulation in the lungs and breathing difficulties may occur up to 24–48 hours after the overdose.

Contact emergency medical services immediately and take the medicine pack with you. Do not wait for symptoms to develop.

How to store Norvasc

• Keep out of the sight and reach of children.
• Store below 25°C.
• Keep in the original packaging.
• Do not use after the expiry date.
• Return unused medicine to a pharmacy that collects pharmaceutical waste.

Composition

Each Norvasc 5 mg tablet contains 5 mg of amlodipine and each Norvasc 10 mg tablet contains 10 mg of amlodipine, as amlodipine besilate.

The other ingredients are microcrystalline cellulose, anhydrous calcium hydrogen phosphate, sodium starch glycolate type A and magnesium stearate.

Official sources:

• ALIMS – Patient Information Leaflet for Norvasc 5 mg and 10 mg
• ALIMS – Summary of Product Characteristics for Norvasc 5 mg and 10 mg

Patient information leaflet last approved: September 2024. Information prepared on 1 August 2026.