Amlodipine
- Class: Calcium channel blocker
- Used for: high blood pressure
- Say it: am-LOH-dih-peen
- Forms: tablet, oral liquid
Remember the name – AM-LODI → a lodge, PINE → pipe
AMLODIPINE = A LODGE wedged in the PIPE. It props the vessel open so blood flows without resistance.
Blocking calcium entry means the vessel-wall muscle cannot squeeze, so the pipe stays propped wide. Swollen ankles are the price of propping it that wide.
AMLODIPINE = A LODGE wedged in the PIPE. It props the vessel open so blood flows without resistance.
Blocking calcium entry means the vessel-wall muscle cannot squeeze, so the pipe stays propped wide. Swollen ankles are the price of propping it that wide.
Mnemonic: A -DIPINE dilates (and puffs up ankles)
Every dihydropyridine ends in -dipine and works on the vessel wall rather than the heart's electrics. Dilating arterioles is exactly why ankles swell.
Every dihydropyridine ends in -dipine and works on the vessel wall rather than the heart's electrics. Dilating arterioles is exactly why ankles swell.
Side effects
Common: ankle swelling, flushing, headache
Serious: low blood pressure
Typical dose
5–10 mg once daily
Ankle swelling is dose-related and will not respond to a diuretic — reduce the dose instead.
Check yourself
A patient on amlodipine develops swollen ankles. What is happening?
- Arteriolar dilation raises capillary pressure — a direct drug effect
- The kidney is retaining salt and water because of the drug
- The drug has caused heart failure
- An allergic reaction to the drug
Show answer
A. Arteriolar dilation raises capillary pressure — a direct drug effect
Dihydropyridines dilate the arteriole feeding the capillary while the vein draining it stays put, so fluid is pushed into the tissue. It is why the swelling responds to a lower dose rather than to a diuretic.
See it, don't memorize it
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