Adalat

What Adalat is for

Adalat here is generic nifedipine, a calcium-channel blocker. It relaxes the muscular walls of arteries, so the heart does not have to push as hard and more blood and oxygen reach the heart muscle. That makes it useful for two jobs: lowering high blood pressure and controlling angina (chest pain that comes on with effort or stress). It is not a painkiller for an angina attack that has already started; taken regularly, it reduces how often angina occurs. The tablets come in 10mg, 20mg and 30mg strengths. The full range of nifedipine products is on the nifedipine page.

How nifedipine works and how it is taken

Nifedipine blocks calcium from entering the muscle cells in artery walls. The vessels widen, pressure falls, and the heart's workload eases — which is why it helps both high blood pressure and angina. Nifedipine comes as capsules and as long-acting tablets, and the two are not taken on the same schedule. Long-acting tablets are usually once a day, on an empty stomach, an hour before or two hours after food. Swallow them whole. Capsules are taken several times a day. Adalat here is the tablet form in 10mg, 20mg and 30mg. Doses are often started low and raised every week or two depending on blood pressure and symptoms. Keep the tablets in their original pack, away from bright light and damp.

Side effects to expect

Headache, flushing, dizziness and swollen ankles are the common ones. They are linked to the way the blood vessels widen and often ease as your body adjusts. Some people notice a fast heartbeat, nausea or heartburn. Less often, nifedipine can cause a sharp fall in blood pressure with fainting, or make angina worse. Fainting or chest pain that suddenly gets worse is an emergency.

What changes nifedipine's effect

Grapefruit is the big one: it raises the amount of nifedipine in your blood, so skip grapefruit and grapefruit juice while taking it. St John's wort and cimetidine (a heartburn medicine) also interfere with how the body clears nifedipine, and other prescription medicines can change its effect. Alcohol can make the dizziness, flushing and fast heartbeat worse, so keep drinking light. If you take other blood pressure medicines, the drop in pressure can be greater.

Adalat and Procardia

Both Adalat and Procardia contain nifedipine. Adalat comes as 10mg, 20mg and 30mg tablets; Procardia is 30mg tablets. They are separate brand names with their own packs. If you already know the strength you need, choose that strength.