Nimodipine
Nimodipine is a calcium channel blocker used to prevent blood vessel spasm and further damage after bleeding around the brain; sold as Nimotop 30mg capsules.
What nimodipine is used for
Nimodipine is given after a subarachnoid haemorrhage, the name for bleeding into the space between the brain and the membrane around it. The bleed itself is dealt with in hospital; this medicine comes into play afterwards, when the danger is a delayed spasm in the arteries around the brain. A vessel that tightens like that cuts blood flow and leaves neurological deficits — weakness on one side, slurred speech, confusion, a fall in alertness. Nimodipine is used through that recovery window, not to stop the bleed.
How it works
Nimodipine is a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker. Arteries tighten when calcium enters their muscle cells, so a drug that holds that entry back lets the wall loosen and the vessel stay open. It crosses easily into brain tissue and acts chiefly on the arteries inside the skull, which suits it to this one job better than to everyday blood pressure care. Elsewhere in the body it still lowers pressure, and that accounts for several of the side effects.
Taking nimodipine capsules
Nimotop is the nimodipine sold here, as 30mg capsules, in the heart and blood pressure section. Swallow each capsule whole with water rather than chewing or opening it. Treatment begins as soon as possible after the haemorrhage and runs for 21 days, with doses four hours apart, some of them overnight. Keeping to that spacing matters more than the time of day. Three weeks of four-hourly doses is a lot of capsules, so check the pack size before you order. Keep the capsules in their blister pack and out of strong light; nimodipine breaks down when it is exposed.
Side effects to expect
Most effects trace back to blood pressure dipping: flushing, headache, light-headedness on standing, a quicker pulse, nausea and puffy ankles. They tend to ease as the course goes on. Fainting, or an unusually slow pulse, is outside the expected pattern, and swelling of the lips or throat, a spreading rash or trouble breathing is an emergency.
What interacts with nimodipine
Grapefruit and grapefruit juice push nimodipine levels up, so leave the fruit and the juice out for the three weeks. Blood pressure tablets taken alongside can lower it further. Some drugs pull nimodipine levels down instead: carbamazepine and phenytoin, both used for seizures, and the antibiotic rifampicin.
Sources
- Nimodipine: MedlinePlus Drug Information — National Library of Medicine
- Vasospasm Treatment | Mount Sinai - New York — Mount Sinai Health System
Can I order Nimodipine online in Hong Kong?
Nimodipine can be ordered online with delivery to Hong Kong. The product shown is generic Nimotop capsules in 30mg. Tracked courier delivery to Hong Kong takes 5 to 9 business days and comes with online tracking.
How much does Nimodipine cost?
Nimotop is priced per pack: its page lists every strength and pack size with the current price in HKD or your chosen currency.
Do I need a prescription to order Nimodipine?
PockDose does not ask you to upload a prescription when you order nimodipine. See the ordering FAQ for details.
What are the other names for nimodipine?
Nimotop is a brand name of nimodipine. Here, nimodipine can be bought online as generic Nimotop. These are generics, not the original brand.
Is Nimotop the same as nimodipine?
Yes, in the sense that matters: the active ingredient in Nimotop is nimodipine. The capsules here are sold under the Nimotop name at 30mg each; another label on the same ingredient would simply be a generic.
How long does a course of nimodipine last?
It runs for 21 days, starting as soon as possible after the bleed. The three weeks cover the stretch when the arteries around the brain are most likely to spasm, and the course is not stretched beyond that point.
Can I drink alcohol with nimodipine?
Alcohol widens blood vessels in the same way nimodipine does, so a drink during the course can leave you more flushed, headachy and light-headed than usual. It is simplest to keep alcohol to a minimum over the three weeks.
Can I stop nimodipine early if I feel fine?
Feeling well on the day is not the measure here. The spasm risk sits in the weeks right after the haemorrhage rather than in how you feel at any given hour, so the full 21 days is what the course is built around.
Is nimodipine a blood pressure medicine?
It is a calcium channel blocker, the same broad family as several blood pressure tablets, and it does lower pressure a little. Its job here is narrower: keeping the arteries inside the brain from tightening up after a bleed.