12 Myths About the Blood Pressure Medication Amlodipine

Amlodipine (Norvasc) is a commonly prescribed high blood pressure medication. It’s a  calcium channel blocker, a class of medications that work by blocking calcium from entering the cells of the heart and blood vessels. This relaxes blood vessel walls and lowers blood pressure. 

Amlodipine has been around for decades — the FDA first approved it in 1987. Since it’s very safe and people tolerate it well, it’s one of the first-choice medications for treating high blood pressure. 

Even though amlodipine has a proven track record as an effective treatment for high blood pressure, it’s often misunderstood. Here, we debunk 12 of the most common myths about amlodipine.

Myth #1: Amlodipine is a blood thinner

This is incorrect. Amlodipine does not thin the blood. Rather, it widens blood vessels and increases how much blood and oxygen gets delivered to the heart. It also lowers blood pressure, which can prevent health issues like heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease. 

Myth #2: Amlodipine is bad for your heart

This is not true either. Studies show that amlodipine reduces cardiovascular events, including heart attacks. It treats certain kinds of chest pain (angina) related to spasm of heart blood vessels. In people with coronary artery disease, it’s a helpful alternative when a beta blocker doesn’t work or causes side effects.

Myth #3: Amlodipine is a beta blocker

False. Beta blockers, like metoprolol and carvedilol, block the effect of adrenaline on the heart and blood vessels. Beta blockers lower blood pressure by lowering the heart rate and relaxing blood vessels. 

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Amlodipine is not a beta blocker, it’s a calcium channel blocker. It works by blocking the movement of calcium into the heart and blood vessels. Amlodipine lowers blood pressure without lowering heart rate (more on that below). 

Myth #4: Amlodipine lowers your heart rate

Nope, not true. Unlike beta blockers and other calcium channel blockers (like diltiazem and verapamil), amlodipine usually has little to no effect on your heart rate. Amlodipine primarily lowers blood pressure — either alone or in combination with other medications. 

Myth #5: Amlodipine isn’t as good as newer blood pressure medications

Not true. In a study of over 15,000 people with coronary artery disease or at least one cardiovascular risk factor, amlodipine lowered blood pressure better than the “newer” medication valsartan. Experts recommend amlodipine as the first-choice treatment of hypertension, along with thiazide diuretics, for African Americans. 

Myth #6: Amlodipine isn’t good if you have diabetes

This is not correct. The American College of Cardiology recommends calcium channel blockers — like amlodipine — as one of the first-choice medications for managing high blood pressure in people with diabetes. One study shows that amlodipine improves diabetes control better than thiazide diuretics. So there’s no issues with amlodipine if you have diabetes. 

Myth #7: Amlodipine is bad for your kidneys

The exact opposite may be true. In fact, studies show amlodipine and other similar calcium channel blockers may protect the kidneys in people with hypertension better than beta blockers and diuretics. Amlodipine is perfectly safe for people with kidney disease, and it typically does not worsen kidney function.

Myth #8: Amlodipine increases cancer risk

New research has debunked this myth. The myth stemmed from a study that showed that women who took calcium channel blockers for 10 years or longer had a higher risk of breast cancer. But a very large, more recent study in 2016 provided strong evidence that calcium channel blockers — like amlodipine — did not cause cancer.  

Myth #9: You can’t take amlodipine with any cholesterol medications

This is only partially true. Amlodipine mildly interacts with simvastatin and lovastatin. Taking amlodipine with either of these statins can lead to increased chances of muscle-related problems (muscle aches). Doses lower than 20 mg of simvastatin and lovastatin are usually fine to take with amlodipine. 

There are plenty of statins people commonly use that don’t interact with amlodipine, such as:

• Atorvastatin

• Rosuvastatin

• Pitavastatin

• Fluvastatin

• Pravastatin

In fact, amlodipine is in amlodipine/atorvastatin (Caduet), a combination medication with atorvastatin.

Myth #10: If you take amlodipine in the morning, it will wear off at night

Wrong. When you take it in the morning, a dose of amlodipine lasts all day and all night. In a study that directly measured the pressure inside people’s arteries, amlodipine kept blood pressure low for the entire 24 hours. So one dose a day of amlodipine is all you need for a 24-hour effect.

Myth #11: It’s best to take amlodipine at bedtime

Not necessarily. One study found that people who took their blood pressure medications at night reduced their risk of death from cardiovascular disease. But more studies need to be done to confirm these results. 

Since one dose of amlodipine works to lower blood pressure for a full 24 hours, it shouldn’t matter much what time you take it (morning or evening). The most important thing is that you try to take amlodipine when you’re most likely to remember it — and at the same time every day.

Myth #12: Amlodipine has been banned and recalled

Rumors have circulated that amlodipine was banned in Canada. This turned out to be false. Amlodipine is not, and was never, on the list of banned drugs in Canada. 

It’s unclear where this rumor started. But, adding to the confusion, in 2018 the U.S. FDA briefly recalled two combination pills containing amlodipine — amlodipine/valsartan and amlodipine/valsartan/hydrochlorothiazide. This was due to an impurity that didn’t meet safety standards. Both medications are now back on the market.

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Written by:

Alice Perlowski, MD, MA, FACC

Dr. Alice Perlowski is a board-certified cardiologist and fellow of the American College of Cardiology. She has seen patients and supervised trainees in the academic and private sector, with focuses in interventional cardiology, vascular medicine, preventative cardiology, and women’s heart health.

Edited by:

Sophie Vergnaud, MD

Sophie Vergnaud, MD, is the Senior Medical Director for GoodRx Health. An experienced and dedicated pulmonologist and hospitalist, she spent a decade practicing and teaching clinical medicine at academic hospitals throughout London before transitioning to a career in health education and health technology.

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