Nimotop
Nimotop 30mg capsules contain nimodipine, used after a bleed around the brain to prevent the artery narrowing that causes further neurological damage.
All strengths and pack prices
| Strength | Pack | Price | Per capsule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30mg | 30 capsules | $44.10 | $1.47 |
| 30mg | 60 capsules | $77.40 | $1.29 |
| 30mg | 90 capsules | $108.90 | $1.21 |
| 30mg | 120 capsules | $134.40 | $1.12 |
| 30mg | 180 capsules | $190.80 | $1.06 |
| 30mg | 240 capsules | $247.20 | $1.03 |
| 30mg | 360 capsules | $363.60 | $1.01 |
- Category
- Heart & Blood Pressure
- Active ingredient
- Nimodipine
- Route
- Oral
- Form
- Capsule
- Strengths
- 30mg
You will receive a quality generic equivalent, depending on stock.
Shipped in a discreet, unmarked envelope.
Details
- Conditions
- Neurological deficits due to vascular spasms
- Therapeutic Class
- Calcium channel blocker
- Pharmacological Class
- Dihydropyridine
- Minor Side Effects
- Low blood pressure, Dizziness
- Moderate Side Effects
- Headache, Swelling
- Dosage Forms
- Capsule
- Administration Route
- Oral
- Originator
- Bayer
- Onset Time
- 1–2 hours
- Duration
- 4–6 hours
- Storage Instructions
- Store at room temperature.
- Drug Interactions
- Grapefruit juice, Rifampin, Phenytoin
What you will receive
Nimotop is the originator brand name, made by Bayer. We use it to identify the medicine; the pack you receive is a generic equivalent, not the original Nimotop.
- The same active ingredient (Nimodipine) at the same strength.
- The exact brand supplied depends on what is in stock when your order ships.
FAQ
Which Nimotop strengths and pack sizes can I order?
Nimotop comes as 30mg capsules, in packs of 30 to 360 capsules. This is generic nimodipine, not the original Nimotop. Larger packs cost less per capsule.
How are Nimotop capsules delivered to Hong Kong?
Nimotop capsules ship by tracked courier, which takes 5 to 9 business days and includes online tracking. Every order arrives in plain, unbranded packaging with nothing on the outside about the contents.
How long does a course of Nimotop usually last?
Twenty-one days, with the first dose given within four days of the bleed. The narrowing nimodipine guards against is most likely during the first fortnight, so the capsules are kept going for the full three weeks rather than stopped once the person feels better.
Can I drink grapefruit juice with Nimotop?
No. Grapefruit blocks the enzyme that breaks nimodipine down, so more of the drug stays in the blood and pressure can fall too far. Leave out grapefruit and its juice for the full 21 days, and read the label on mixed juices.
Do the capsules have to be taken through the night?
Yes. Doses run every four hours around the clock so the level in the blood stays steady, which means waking for the overnight capsules. A phone alarm helps, and a carer can take over some of the night doses.
Can a Nimotop capsule be opened or crushed?
The capsules go down whole with water, not chewed. Where swallowing is not possible, the liquid can be drawn out with a syringe and given by mouth or through a feeding tube. It must never be injected into a vein.
About Nimotop
What Nimotop capsules are for
Nimotop is nimodipine 30mg capsules, given after a subarachnoid haemorrhage — bleeding into the space around the brain, most often from a burst aneurysm. In the days that follow, the arteries in the brain can tighten and narrow. That narrowing, called vasospasm, reduces the blood supply to parts of the brain and can leave someone with weakness down one side, slurred speech or confusion that was not there before. The capsules are taken to hold the narrowing back and limit the damage it causes.
How nimodipine works
Nimodipine is a calcium channel blocker of the dihydropyridine type. Artery walls squeeze when calcium moves into their muscle cells; block that movement and the vessel stays wider, so blood passes through more easily. What sets nimodipine apart from amlodipine or nifedipine is where it acts: it settles on the vessels inside the head far more than on the rest of the circulation. That is why it is chosen for this one job rather than for ordinary high blood pressure.
How do you take Nimotop capsules?
Swallow them whole with water. A dose goes in every four hours for 21 days, starting within four days of the bleed, and the spacing carries on through the night. An alarm, or a carer who can take a share of the night doses, makes that easier to keep to. Nimotop is taken by mouth only; the liquid inside a capsule must never be injected. Store the capsules in the pack they came in, out of the light and away from damp.
Side effects to expect
The common effects come from the fall in blood pressure: headache, flushing, dizziness, nausea, a quicker heartbeat and ankles that swell. Most ease as the body adjusts, and a lower dose is used when pressure drops too far. Fainting, or a heartbeat that turns very slow or irregular, needs urgent treatment.
Other medicines to keep in mind
A liver enzyme called CYP3A4 clears nimodipine from the body. Medicines that block it — ketoconazole, itraconazole, clarithromycin, ritonavir — can raise nimodipine levels and drop blood pressure further; medicines that speed it up, including carbamazepine, phenytoin, rifampicin and St John's wort, can leave too little in the blood. Tablets for high blood pressure add to the fall. A lower dose of nimodipine is used in people with cirrhosis.
Sources
- Nimodipine: MedlinePlus Drug Information — National Library of Medicine