Heart disorders like angina and excessive blood pressure may be treated with amlodipine.
Amlodipine prevents calcium ions from entering cardiac (heart) and smooth muscle, relaxing and dilating these muscles (widening). Amlodipine's exact mechanism of action in angina is unknown, but scientists believe it helps avoid coronary artery spasm and lessens how hard the heart has to work to pump blood around the body, which lowers the body's oxygen needs. Amlodipine has no effect on the blood's calcium levels.
Amlodipine is a member of the calcium channel blocker drug class (sometimes called calcium channel antagonists).
