Procardia

Procardia is used for:

Treating certain kinds of angina (chest pain). It may also be used for other conditions as determined by your doctor.

Procardia is a calcium channel blocking agent. It works by interfering with the normal action of calcium in blood vessel constriction (relaxes the blood vessels) and heart muscle contraction (heart may beat with less force and pump out less blood) and nerve conduction in the heart (heart may beat more slowly and more regularly). Calcium channel blockers are used to dilate (widen) the arteries of the heart and other arteries (reduce angina chest pain and reduce elevated blood pressure), and stabilize the heart rhythm in conditions in which the heart is beating too fast or in an irregular rhythm (antiarrhythmic effects).

Do NOT use Procardia if:

• you are allergic to any ingredient in Procardia

Contact your doctor or health care provider right away if any of these apply to you.

Before using Procardia :

Some medical conditions may interact with Procardia . Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have any medical conditions, especially if any of the following apply to you:

• if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding
• if you are taking any prescription or nonprescription medicine, herbal preparation, or dietary supplement
• if you have allergies to medicines, foods, or other substances
• if you have heart valve problems, heart failure, heart shock, heart disease, had a heart attack, swelling of the hands or feet, a slow heart rate, low blood pressure, or fluid in your lungs
• if you have recently had or will be having surgery, or if you have recently stopped taking a beta-blocker (eg, propranolol)

Some MEDICINES MAY INTERACT with Procardia . Tell your health care provider if you are taking any other medicines, especially any of the following:

• Barbiturates (eg, phenobarbital), carbamazepine, or rifampin because they may decrease Procardia 's effectiveness
• Beta-blockers (eg, propranolol), cimetidine, cyclosporine, fluconazole, fluoxetine, imatinib, itraconazole, ketanserin, magnesium salts (eg, injectable magnesium sulfate), quinazolines (eg, metolazone), quinidine, or ranitidine because side effects, including very low blood pressure, may occur
• Beta-blockers (eg, propranolol), cyclosporine, digoxin, hydantoins (eg, phenytoin), ketanserin, lithium, theophylline, vinca alkaloids (eg, vincristine) because the actions and side effects of these medicines may be increased
• Quinidine, theophylline, or vinca alkaloids (eg, vincristine) because their effectiveness may be decreased by Procardia

This may not be a complete list of all interactions that may occur. Ask your health care provider if Procardia may interact with other medicines that you take. Check with your health care provider before you start, stop, or change the dose of any medicine.