A calcium-channel blocker
Lercanidipine
A once-daily calcium-channel blocker that lowers blood pressure by relaxing and widening the arteries.
What is Lercanidipine?
Lercanidipine is a calcium-channel blocker used to treat high blood pressure. It relaxes and widens the arteries so blood flows more easily and pressure falls. It is taken once a day before food and is often chosen because it tends to cause less ankle swelling than some similar medicines.
Education and reference only. This is a plain-language guide to Lercanidipine — it deliberately contains no doses. Doses depend on the person, the brand and the reason for treatment, and belong with your prescriber. Always check the BNF, the product labelling (SmPC) and follow medical advice.
What it is
Lercanidipine is a calcium-channel blocker of the dihydropyridine type, used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). Like others in this group, it works on the arteries to lower blood pressure, helping to reduce the long-term risk of stroke, heart attack and other problems caused by raised pressure. It is taken once a day and is often well tolerated, with a tendency to cause less ankle swelling than some older drugs in its class.
How it works
Lercanidipine blocks the channels that let calcium into the muscle cells in the walls of arteries. Calcium is what makes this muscle tighten, so blocking it allows the arteries to relax and widen. Wider arteries offer less resistance to blood flow, so blood pressure falls. Because lercanidipine builds up its effect gradually and acts mainly on blood vessels rather than the heart itself, it lowers pressure smoothly without slowing the heart.
Company & origin
Originated / developed by: Recordati.
Lercanidipine is a dihydropyridine calcium-channel blocker developed by the Italian company Recordati and introduced in the 1990s. It was designed to act on blood vessels gradually, which can mean a smoother effect and somewhat less ankle swelling than some older drugs in its group.
What it treats
Conditions Lercanidipine is used for
Practical use
How to take Lercanidipine
General, dose-free guidance — always follow your prescriber's and the leaflet's specific instructions.
- Take it once a day before food, ideally at the same time each day, as taking it with a heavy or fatty meal can change how much is absorbed.
- Avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice, which can raise the level of the medicine in your blood and increase side effects.
- Swallow the tablet with water; report ankle or lower-leg swelling, which is a known effect of this type of medicine.
- Keep taking it regularly even though high blood pressure usually causes no symptoms — the benefit is in lowering long-term risk.
- Stand up slowly at first if you feel dizzy or flushed, and do not stop the medicine without speaking to your prescriber.
Weighing it up
Advantages & disadvantages of Lercanidipine
Advantages
- Effective once-daily control of blood pressure with a simple routine.
- Tends to cause less ankle swelling than some older dihydropyridine calcium-channel blockers.
- Acts mainly on blood vessels, so it lowers pressure without slowing the heart and can be combined with many other blood-pressure medicines.
Disadvantages
- Can still cause ankle swelling, flushing and headache, particularly early on.
- Must be taken before food and kept away from grapefruit, which complicates the routine for some people.
- Does not suit everyone with certain heart conditions and needs caution in significant liver or kidney problems.
Practical use
Good to know
It is taken once a day, before food, as a heavy or fatty meal can change how much is absorbed. The most common effect is ankle or lower-leg swelling, which comes from the way it widens blood vessels rather than from fluid overload, and is worth mentioning if it bothers you. Grapefruit and grapefruit juice should be avoided, as they can raise levels of the medicine and increase side effects. It is taken long-term to keep blood pressure controlled and should not be stopped without advice.
Who should not take it / use with caution
- People with certain heart conditions such as significant narrowing of the heart's outflow (aortic stenosis), uncontrolled heart failure, or unstable or recent heart attack and angina.
- Used with caution in significant liver or kidney impairment, and during pregnancy and breastfeeding, where alternatives are usually preferred.
- People taking certain medicines that strongly raise its levels (see interactions) should avoid the combination.
Monitoring
- Blood pressure response
- Any ankle swelling, flushing or dizziness
- Kidney and liver function where relevant
Side effects
- Ankle or lower-leg swelling, flushing, headache and feeling warm are the most common.
- Dizziness, a fast or pounding heartbeat, and tiredness can occur.
- Less often, nausea, indigestion or a skin rash; report marked swelling or breathlessness.
Key interactions
- Grapefruit and grapefruit juice raise its levels and should be avoided.
- Some antifungals, certain antibiotics, and some HIV medicines can raise its levels, while certain epilepsy medicines and rifampicin can lower them.
- Adds to the effect of other blood-pressure-lowering medicines and alcohol, increasing dizziness; care with ciclosporin.
Available as: Tablets taken once a day.
Answers
Lercanidipine: frequently asked questions
Why should I take lercanidipine before food?
Taking it before food gives a more reliable, steady effect. A heavy or fatty meal can increase how much of the medicine is absorbed, which may raise the chance of side effects. Taking it at the same time each day, before eating, keeps things consistent.
Why are my ankles swelling?
Ankle or lower-leg swelling is a common effect of this type of blood-pressure medicine. It comes from the way the medicine widens small blood vessels rather than from fluid building up in the body, and lercanidipine tends to cause it less than some similar drugs. Mention it to your prescriber if it troubles you.
Can I drink grapefruit juice with it?
No — avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice while taking lercanidipine. Grapefruit interferes with how the medicine is broken down, raising its level in your blood and increasing the risk of side effects such as dizziness and swelling.
Can I stop it once my blood pressure is normal?
A normal reading usually means the medicine is doing its job, not that it is no longer needed — stopping often lets blood pressure rise again. Keep taking it as prescribed, and discuss any change with your prescriber rather than stopping on your own.
Does lercanidipine slow the heart like some heart medicines?
No. Lercanidipine acts mainly on the arteries rather than on the heart's electrical system, so it lowers blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels without slowing the heart rate. This is different from some other heart medicines such as beta-blockers.
The wider class
About Calcium-channel blockers
Lercanidipine belongs to the calcium-channel blockers class. For how the class as a whole works, its shared safety principles and monitoring, see the full guide.
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Authoritative sources
- BNF: Lercanidipine.
- NICE CKS: Lercanidipine.
- electronic Medicines Compendium (SmPC): Lercanidipine (Zanidip).
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