Introduction
Amlodipine belongs to a class of medications known as calcium channel blockers. The medicine works by relaxing and broadening the blood vessels (Hernández, 2022). In the case of chest pain, also known as angina, the medicine helps widen the arteries to allow more oxygen to get to the heart.
Amlodipine Overview
Amlodipine is a medicine that is used to treat high blood pressure. The medication indications for this are hypertension, which is to lower blood pressure, angina and coronary artery disease treatment, and dosage modifications (NHS, 2022).
Medication-Related Patient Teachings
Patient teachings promote patient-centered care and increase adherence to medication and treatment. Non-pharmacological is one the interventions that do not involve medication to manage high blood pressure (Mayo Clinic, 2021). They include lifestyle modifications such as dietary modifications, reducing alcohol consumption, and engaging in regular physical exercise.
Dietary modifications: they are proven to be effective at lowering blood pressure. An individual should go for monounsaturated oil such as olive oil when choosing fats. An individual should also consider the consumption of whole-grain, fresh fruits, and vegetables. In addition, they should reduce salt intake in their diet (Mayo Clinic, 2021). Therefore, the dietician should be able to help with what food to take and the ones to avoid or reduce.
Reducing consumption of alcohol: it is an important intervention in reducing blood pressure. Alcohol raises the level of the hormone renin, which leads to the constriction of the blood vessels (Mayo Clinic, 2021). Based on this, a reduction in the intake of alcohol reduces the level of this hormone. In addition, low consumption of alcohol is one way to reduce overweight.
Regular physical exercise: this is one of the ways of making the heart strong. A stronger heart can pump more blood with less effort. Based on this, the force on the arteries reduces, lowering the blood pressure (Mayo Clinic, 2021). Therefore, it is advisable for one to regularly engage in physical activities to increase the strength of the heart.
Common Side Effects and Management
Headache: a patient should rest and take a lot of fluids. It should go away after the first week of taking medicine. However, if it persists, a patient should visit a doctor.
Feeling tired: a patient should take rest until they feel better. If the problem persists, then the patient should visit a doctor.
Swollen ankles: a patient should raise their legs when sitting down. However, if the swelling does not go away, further medical attention should be sought from a doctor (NHS, 2022).
Adverse Side Effects and Management
Severe dizziness: a patient should stop what they are doing and rest until they feel better. However, they should seek medical attention if it persists.
A pounding heartbeat: A patient should consider reducing alcohol, caffeine, big meals, and smoking (NHS, 2022).
Severe chest pain: Using a painkiller should help reduce the pain. For example, a patient can use a drug such as paracetamol to alleviate the pain in the short term as they continue with the medication.
Pathophysiology
The calcium channel blockers are grouped into dihydropyridines and non-dihydropyridines. Dihydropyridines, such as verapamil block only L-type calcium channels in the myocardium (Hernández, 2022). They are responsible for myocardial contractility and vascular smooth muscle contractility, which also impact conducting and pacemaker cells (Hernández, 2022). Dihydropyridines such as amlodipine are vasodilators with little impact on cardiac contractility, as shown in the figure.
References
Hernández, A. (2022). Dihydropyridines: What Are They, Mechanism of Action, Indications, Side Effects, and More. Osmosis. Web.
Mayo Clinic. (2021). 10 ways to control high blood pressure without medication.Web.
NHS. (2022). Amlodipine. NHS.UK. Web.