What is the most important information I should know about amlodipine and benazepril?

Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy. Amlodipine and benazepril could cause birth defects in the baby if you take the medication during pregnancy. Use an effective form of birth control. Stop using this medication and tell your doctor right away if you become pregnant during treatment.

Amlodipine and benazepril can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.

Some side effects of amlodipine and benazepril may not occur until after you have been using the medication for several months.

Vomiting, diarrhea, or heavy sweating can cause you to become dehydrated. This can lead to very low blood pressure, electrolyte disorders, or kidney failure while you are taking amlodipine and benazepril. Drink 6 to 8 full glasses of water daily while you are taking this medication.

What is amlodipine and benazepril?

Amlodipine is in a group of drugs called calcium channel blockers. Amlodipine relaxes (widens) blood vessels and improves blood flow.

Benazepril is in a group of drugs called ACE inhibitors. ACE stands for angiotensin converting enzyme. Benazepril also widens blood vessels and also prevents the body from retaining water.

Amlodipine and benazepril is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). It is usually given after other blood pressure medications have been tried without successful treatment.

Amlodipine and benazepril may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.

What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking amlodipine and benazepril?

Do not use this medication if you are allergic to amlodipine and benazepril or to any other ACE inhibitor, such as captopril (Capoten), fosinopril (Monopril), enalapril (Vasotec), lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril), moexipril (Univasc), perindopril (Aceon), quinapril (Accupril), ramipril (Altace), or trandolapril (Mavik).

Before using amlodipine and benazepril, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have:

• kidney disease (or if you are on dialysis);
• liver disease;
• heart disease or congestive heart failure; or
• diabetes.

If you have any of these conditions, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely take this medication.

FDA pregnancy category D. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy. Amlodipine and benazepril could cause birth defects in the baby if you take the medication during pregnancy. Use an effective form of birth control. Stop using this medication and tell your doctor right away if you become pregnant during treatment.

Amlodipine and benazepril can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

How should I take amlodipine and benazepril?

Take this medication exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take the medication in larger amounts, or take it for longer than recommended by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label.

Your doctor may occasionally change your dose to make sure you get the best results from this medication.

Take each dose with a full glass of water.

Amlodipine and benazepril can be taken with or without food.

Vomiting, diarrhea, or heavy sweating can cause you to become dehydrated. This can lead to very low blood pressure, electrolyte disorders, or kidney failure while you are taking amlodipine and benazepril. Drink 6 to 8 full glasses of water daily while you are taking this medication.

To be sure this medication is helping your condition, your blood pressure will need to be checked on a regular basis. Your kidney or liver function may also need to be tested. Do not miss any scheduled visits to your doctor.

If you need to have any type of surgery, tell the surgeon ahead of time that you are taking amlodipine and benazepril. You may need to stop using the medicine for a short time.

If you are being treated for high blood pressure, keep using this medication even if you feel fine. High blood pressure often has no symptoms.

Store amlodipine and benazepril at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

What happens if I miss a dose?

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at the next regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

What happens if I overdose?

Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.

Overdose symptoms may include feeling extremely dizzy or light-headed, or fainting.

What should I avoid while taking amlodipine and benazepril?

Amlodipine and benazepril can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.

Avoid drinking alcohol. It can further lower your blood pressure and may increase some of the side effects of amlodipine and benazepril.

Do not use salt substitutes or potassium supplements while taking amlodipine and benazepril, unless your doctor has told you to.

What are the possible side effects of amlodipine and benazepril?

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; severe stomach pain; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. You may be more likely to have an allergic reaction if you are African-American.

Some side effects of amlodipine and benazepril may not occur until after you have been using the medication for several months.

Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

• feeling light-headed, fainting;
• urinating more or less than usual, or not at all;
• fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms;
• pale skin, easy bruising or bleeding;
• severe blistering, peeling, and red skin rash;
• tired feeling, muscle weakness, and pounding or uneven heartbeats;
• chest pain;
• swelling, rapid weight gain; or
• jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes).

Less serious side effects may include:

• cough;
• nausea, vomiting;
• diarrhea, constipation; or
• dizziness, headache.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect.

What other drugs will affect amlodipine and benazepril?

Before taking amlodipine and benazepril, tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following drugs:

• lithium (Lithobid, Eskalith);
• a potassium supplement such as K-Dur, Klor-Con;
• salt substitutes that contain potassium; or
• a diuretic (water pill) such as amiloride (Midamor), bumetanide (Bumex), chlorthalidone (Hygroton, Thalitone), ethacrynic acid (Edecrin), furosemide (Lasix), hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ, HydroDiuril), indapamide (Lozol), metolazone (Mykrox, Zarxolyn), spironolactone (Aldactone), triamterene (Dyrenium, Maxzide, Dyazide), torsemide (Demadex).

This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with amlodipine and benazepril. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

Where can I get more information?

Your pharmacist can provide more information about amlodipine and benazepril.

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others and use this medication only for the condition prescribed.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Copyright 1996-2003 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version: 4.01. Revision date: 06/26/2008.