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Home » Blood and heart » Zanidip
Zanidip
Brand names: Zanidip, Lerka
Generic name: Lercanidipine
Manufacturer: Fournier Pharma
How Zanidip/Lerka work?
Lercanidipine Hydrochloride belongs to a group of medicines called calcium channel blockers, which act on the heart and blood vessels. Lercanidipine slows the movement of calcium through cells, which has two results. It decreases the rate at which the heart beats and also has a widening effect on blood vessels. This combination causes blood pressure to be reduced.
What is it used for?
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
Warning!
• Unless your doctor or pharmacist tells you otherwise, you should avoid drinking grapefruit juice while taking this medicine, as it may affect the level of this medicine in your blood.
Use with caution in
• A problem common in the elderly, related to poor control of the working of the heart (sick sinus syndrome)
• Kidney disease
• Liver disease
Not to be used in
• Angina not well controlled by medical treatment (unstable angina)
• Heart failure
• Narrowing of the main artery coming from the heart (aortic stenosis)
• People who have had a heart attack in the last month
This medicine should not be used if you are allergic to one or any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy.
If you feel you have experienced an allergic reaction, stop using this medicine and inform your doctor or pharmacist immediately.
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Certain medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, other medicines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine.
• This medicine may inhibit labour. However, the risk to the foetus should be balanced against the risk of the mother's uncontrolled high blood pressure. Seek medical advice from your doctor.
• There is no information available about the safety of this medicine during breastfeeding. For this reason, the manufacturer states that it should not be used during breastfeeding. Seek medical advice from your doctor.
Label warnings
• Take this medication half to one hour before food.
Side effects
Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Because a side effect is stated here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.
• Headache
• Dizziness or loss of balance
• Faster than normal heart beat (tachycardia)
• Increased blood flow to the skin on the face (facial flushing)
• Awareness of your heart beat (heart palpitations)
• Ankle swelling
• Weakness
The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the drug's manufacturer.
For more information about any other possible risks associated with this medicine, please read the information provided with the medicine or consult your doctor or pharmacist.
How can this medicine affect other medicines?
Lercanidipine increases the effect of medicines used to lower blood pressure.
When first taken with other blood pressure lowering medication it may cause a large drop in blood pressure and therefore dizziness.
There may be a risk of very low blood pressure if propranolol and metoprolol are used with this medicine.
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