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Precautions and Warnings With Nisoldipine
Knowing the precautions and warnings with nisoldipine before starting the drug can help ensure safe treatment. You should not take nisoldipine if you are allergic to any components of the medication. It is important to know that the drug may cause extremely low blood pressure, worsening chest pain, or heart attacks. Before taking nisoldipine, let your healthcare provider know if you have heart or liver disease.
You should talk with your healthcare provider prior to taking nisoldipine if you have:
- Heart disease, including congestive heart failure
- Liver disease, including liver failure or cirrhosis
- Any allergies, including allergies to food, dyes, or preservatives.
Also, let your healthcare provider know if you are:
- Pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant
- Breastfeeding.
Make sure to tell your healthcare provider about all other medicines you are taking, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Some warnings and precautions to be aware of with nisoldipine include:
- Nisoldipine can cause extremely low blood pressure. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any signs of low blood pressure, such as dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting.
- Rarely, nisoldipine can cause worsening chest pain or even heart attacks. This is more likely in people with severe heart disease. Tell your healthcare provider if your chest pain worsens (or if you develop new chest pain) while you are taking nisoldipine.
- Nisoldipine has not been studied in people with congestive heart failure (failure). Generally, calcium channel blockers (such as nisoldipine) are not recommended for people with heart failure.
- Because the liver helps to clear nisoldipine from the body, people with liver disease need to take a lower nisoldipine dosage.
- Nisoldipine can interact with other medications (see Drug Interactions With Nisoldipine).
- Nisoldipine is considered a pregnancy Category C medication. This means that it may not be safe to use during pregnancy. Talk to your healthcare provider about the risks and benefits of using nisoldipine during pregnancy (see Sular and Pregnancy for more information).
- It is not known if nisoldipine passes through breast milk. Therefore, if you are breastfeeding or plan to start breastfeeding, be sure to talk with your healthcare provider about using nisoldipine (see Sular and Breastfeeding for more information).
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD