Tag Archives: felodipine

Factors Of Heart Disease

What Are The Risk Factors Of Heart Disease?

There are several risk factors for heart disease and each one has its symptoms and treatment. Heart disease describes a range of conditions that affect your heart including a disease of the heart muscle and blood vessel diseases such as coronary artery disease.  Heart disease may also include heart rhythm and congenital heart defects. Several forms of heart disease can be prevented and treated with healthy lifestyle choices. 

Chest pain

Symptoms of Heart Disease

  • Chest tightness or discomfort 
  • Pain in the throat, neck, or jaw
  • Dizziness
  • Lightheadedness
  • Racing heartbeat 
  • Fluttering in your chest 
  • Easily tiring during exercise or activity 
  • Shortness of breath 
  • Changes in your heart rhythm 
  • Fainting 

Heart disease is easier to treat when detected early, so talk to your health care provider about your concerns regarding your heart health. This is especially important if you have a family history of heart disease.

Risk Factors of Heart Disease

  • Age: As you age, you increase your risk of damaged and narrowed arteries and a weakened or thickened heart muscle.
  • Stress: Unrelieved stress may damage your arteries and worsen other risk factors for heart disease.
  • Sex: Men are mostly at greater risk of heart disease. Women are at risk after menopause.
  • Family history: A family history of this disease increases your risk of coronary artery disease, especially if a parent developed it before age 55 for a male relative and 65 for a female relative.
  • Smoking: Nicotine tightens your blood vessels, and carbon monoxide can damage their inner lining which makes them more susceptible to atherosclerosis.
  • Poor diet: A diet that’s high in fat, cholesterol, salt, and sugar can contribute to the development of heart disease.
  • Obesity: Excess weight typically worsens other heart disease risk factors.
  • High blood pressure: Uncontrolled high blood pressure can result in hardening and thickening of your arteries which narrows the vessels through which blood flows.
  • Diabetes: Diabetes increases your risk of heart disease. Both conditions share similar risk factors, such as obesity and high blood pressure.
  • High blood cholesterol levels: High levels of cholesterol in your blood can increase the risk of plaque formation and atherosclerosis.
  • Physical inactivity: Lack of exercise also is linked with several forms of heart disease and some of its other risk factors as well.

Treatment for Heart Disease

The type of treatment you receive depends on the type of heart disease you have. In general, treatment for heart disease usually includes:

  • Lifestyle changes such as eating a low-fat and low-sodium diet, getting at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most days of the week, limiting alcohol intake, and quitting smoking
  • Medications that may be prescribed by your doctor to control heart disease. 
  • Medical surgery or procedures if medications are not enough. 

Medications that can be taken for heart disease may include:

Preventing Chest Pain Caused by Angina

Preventing Chest Pain Caused by Angina

Plendil is an oral calcium blocker. It can treat high blood pressure. High blood pressure is a common condition. If left untreated, it may cause:

  1. Heart attack
  2. Stroke
  3. Kidney failure
  4. Loss of vision
  5. Heart failure

Plendil helps relaxes the blood vessels in your heart. It prevents the calcium from being released within the muscles making it easier for your heart to pump blood.

Aside from taking this medication, lifestyle changes will also help you control your blood pressure. This includes:

  1. Not smoking
  2. Eating foods low in salts and fats
  3. Maintaining a healthy weight
  4. Using alcohol in moderation
  5. Exercise

The generic name of Plendil is Felodipine. It is available only with the prescription of your doctor.

What condition does Plendil treats?

  • This medication can lower blood pressure.
  • Plendil can prevent chest pain caused by angina.

How does Plendil works?

Plendil prevents the muscle cells of your arteries from releasing calcium. Calcium helps your muscles to contract. But too much calcium in your arteries can make it narrow. When it happens, your heart needs to pump harder causing pressure to increase. This drug will dilate your arteries thereby reducing your blood pressure.

What is the dose for Plendil?

Plendil is available in 2.5 mg, 5 mg and 10 mg.  The recommended initial dose is 5 mg a day. Your doctor can decrease your dosage to 2.5 mg or increase to 10 mg a day. The recommended range of dosage is 2.5 mg-10 mg a day.

How to take Plendil?

  • Take the medication once a day by mouth.
  • It’s best to take the medication on an empty stomach or after a light snack or meal.
  • Do not crush or chew the tablet. Swallow it whole.
  • Continue taking the medication even if you’re feeling well.
  • Do not miss a dose. For missed dose, take it as soon as you remember. Do not double up your dose.

What are the precautions in taking Plendil?

  • Before taking Plendil tell your doctor if you have:
  1. Allergies; or you are allergic to this drug
  2. Heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease
  3. Taking any medicines that may interact with this drug.
  • Do not stop or change your dosage without telling your doctor.
  • Do not drink grapefruit juice or eat grapefruits.
  • This medication is not recommended for pregnant women.
  • It can cause mild gum swelling. Brush your teeth often.
  • Always check your blood pressure.

Costs of Generic Felodipine vs Plendil

The generic brand Felodipine is cheaper than the brand name Plendil. Plendil 2.5 mg costs $0.23 per unit price or $7.00 for 30 tabs. While the branded Plendil 2.5 mg costs $1.58 per unit price or $47.31 for 30 tablets.

Buy Felodipine

Felodipine

Felodipine is a calcium-channel blocker that acts on the blood vessels. It is primarily used for the treatment and management of high blood pressure or hypertension. It is also used to treat patients suffering from angina pectoris or chest pain due to heart disease. It may also be used for purposes as determined by your physician.

High blood pressure is a common condition that affects millions of people around the globe. Its long-term force against the arterial wall can be high enough to cause health problems and even death.  Lowering blood pressure helps prevent heart attack, stroke, and kidney problems. Untreated high blood pressure can cause damages to body organs such as the heart, blood vessels, kidney, brain and other vital organs in the body.

High blood pressure is often called a silent killer as most people will not notice any signs of the problems. In fact, many may feel normal. You can have high blood pressure for years without any symptoms. Even without symptoms, damages to your heart and blood vessels continue and can be detected.  High blood pressure generally develops over the years and it affects nearly everyone eventually.  

Why Buy Felodipine?

Felodipine is an effective anti-hypertensive medication. It’s a good option for people with high blood pressure. It is FDA approved for medical use since 1991. Felodipine affects the movement of calcium into the cells of the blood vessels and the heart, thereby relaxing it and increasing the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart. This reduces the heart’s workload.

How to Take Felodipine?

Felodipine comes in a tablet form for you to take orally. Take one tablet a day on an empty stomach or as directed by your physician. If it makes your stomach upset, take it with a light meal. Your dose may be different from other patients. Your dose will be based on your condition and the severity of your condition. The recommended dose is 2.5 mg to 10 mg a day. Take it at the same time each day. Swallow the tablet whole with plenty of water. Do not chew or crush the tablet. In addition to taking medication, making lifestyle will also help to control your blood pressure. These changes include:

  • Dieting
  • Low salt and fat intake
  • Maintaining a healthy weight
  • Exercising at least 30 minutes a day
  • Not smoking
  • Drinking alcoholic beverages in moderation

High blood pressure often has no symptoms. Continue taking Felodipine even if you feel well. This medicine will help you control your blood pressure but will not cure it. You may need to take this medication for the rest of your life. For a missed dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip it and go back to your usual schedule. Do not take two doses to make up for the missed one.

What are the side effects of Felodipine?

Like any other anti-hypertensive medication, this drug can cause unwanted side effects too. The following side effects may occur during the start of your treatment but may improve after a few days.

  • Headache
  • Flushing
  • Dizziness
  • Awareness of heartbeat
  • Fatigue
  • Ringing in the ears

Other side effects are:

  • Low blood pressure
  • Fainting
  • Increase need to urinate
  • Fever
  • Erectile dysfunction
  • Fainting
  • Faster than normal heartbeat
  • Rash or itching
  • Pain in the muscle or joint
  • Disturbances in the gut with signs like vomiting, nausea, constipation and diarrhea

In case of serious side effects seek medical help right away.

We care for your health’s safety

  • Do not use this to treat patients with:
    • Acute heart failure
    • People who are having a heart attack or for those who have had a heart attack in the last month
    • Aortic stenosis, a condition where the main artery from the heart becomes narrow making it hard for the blood to flow to the rest of the body.
    • An obstructive heart valve
    • Obstruction that blocks the flow of blood out of the heart
    • Who are pregnant
    • Uncontrolled heart failure
    • Allergy to other calcium-channel blockers like amlodipine and nifedipine
    • Angina pectoris that increases in severity and duration
    • Failure of the heart to maintain enough blood circulation (cardiogenic shock)
    • Lapp lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption
  • Use this with care among patients with:
  • Decreased liver functions
  • History of heart failure or a weak heart particularly on the left ventricle
  • Porphyrias, a hereditary blood disorder
  • Very fast heart rate
  • Elderly people
  • Serious defects in the heart’s electrical message pathways can result in decreased heart function.
  • Felodipine is not recommended for children
  • Felodipine can make you feel dizzy and tired. Take extra care when performing potentially hazardous activities like driving or operating machinery.
  • In case of chest pain after taking this medication stop taking any further dose and call your doctor right away.
  • Felodipine may pass into breast milk in a small amount. It is recommended not to take this if you are a breastfeeding mother as it can affect newborn babies.
  • When taking Felodipine, it is important to inform your doctor if you are taking any other medications as drug interactions may occur including vitamins and herbal supplements. Do not use Felodipine if you are taking Ketoconazole or Itraconazole.
  • Check your progress to make sure this medicine is working properly. Check for unwanted side effects too.
  • Felodipine may cause fluid retention to some patients. If you experience swelling of the face, hands, arms, leg or feet, weight gain and bloating contact your doctor immediately.