Question

Can you tell me about high blood pressure and felodipine? I am taking this and my blood pressure is still high, according to the home-monitor I use.

Answer

Everybody's blood pressure shows great variability through the day, with exposure to pain and mental stress, exercise or sexual intercourse giving rise to rapid elevation of pressure. Blood pressure also shows more regualr changes over a 24 hour period, reaching its lowest in the early hours of the morning and its maximum on rising.

Felodipine is a calcium channel antagonist. This compound has a long duration of action and therefore it is suitable for once daily dosing. It is generally advised that this dose is taken in the morning but there is no reason why it should not be taken at other times of the day provided it is taken only once per 24 hours. 5mg is the usual initial dose, which is low, and the maintenance dose is usually between 5 and 10mg, with more than 20mg being only rarely needed. The maximum levels in the blood would be achieved within 1-2 hours of oral dosing, provided nothing was taken to slow oral absorption.

Some people do not get good control throughout the 24 hours with a single dosage, and this may be for various reasons. Splitting the dose or adding in another antihypertensive drug may be the answer but this should not be attempted without advice from your own physician. The aim is to produce a blood pressure of acceptable levels without unacceptable side effects.

You can do some things yourself to try to prevent your blood pressure from becoming too high. It is important to control environmental factors such as sodium (e.g. salt) and potassium intake, alcohol, obesity and other cardiovascular risk factors. For example, you should avoid adding any salt to cooking or to your food. Potassium intake should be increased, e.g. by having more fruit and vegetables. Alcohol intake should be moderate.

Links

• What's Your Blood Pressure and How Do Blood Pressure Medications Work? - Part XIII