Before taking Norvasc, tell your doctor if you have congestive heart failure or liver disease.
Drinking alcohol can further lower your blood pressure and may increase certain side effects of Norvasc.
If you are being treated for high blood pressure, keep using Norvasc even if you feel well. High blood pressure often has no symptoms. You may need to use blood pressure medication for the rest of your life.
Norvasc is only part of a complete program of treatment that may also include diet, exercise, weight control, and other medications. Follow your diet, medication, and exercise routines very closely.
Tell your doctor about all other heart or blood pressure medications you are taking.
Your chest pain may become worse when you first start taking this medicine or when your dose is increased. Call your doctor if your chest pain is severe or ongoing.
Before taking this medicine
You should not take Norvasc if you are allergic to amlodipine.
To make sure Norvasc is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have ever had:
liver disease; or
a heart valve problem called aortic stenosis.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known whether Norvasc will harm an unborn baby. However, having high blood pressure during pregnancy may cause complications such as diabetes or eclampsia (dangerously high blood pressure that can lead to medical problems in both mother and baby). The benefit of treating hypertension may outweigh any risks to the baby.
Amlodipine can pass into breast milk, but effects on the nursing baby are not known. Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding.
Norvasc is not approved for use by anyone younger than 6 years old.
