Lercanidipine

Order Lercanidipine Blood Pressure Tablets Online

Lercanidipine can be requested from our UK registered online doctor and pharmacy service. We ask that you complete an online consultation form to be checked by our UK registered doctors.

If your order is approved, our doctors will write a prescription for our pharmacy team, to be assembled and delivered to your address.  

Please note, this medication can only be prescribed as an emergency supply of your repeat prescription. You should receive a regular supply of this medication from your GP. Some people take more than one type of blood pressure medicine. If you would like to order an emergency request of all of your blood pressure medicines, you just need to fill out a consultation for each one.

What is Lercanidipine?

Lercanidipine is prescribed for the treatment of high blood pressure (hypertension). It is a calcium-channel blocker (CCB). Lercanidipine hydrochloride is the active ingredient. It is a prescription-only medicine.

How does it work?

Calcium-channel blockers are effective at reducing blood pressure. They do this by acting on the muscles of blood vessels, causing the blood vessels to relax and widen. This allows for easier blood flow through the vessels. This effect makes it easier for the heart to pump blood around the body and lowers blood pressure.

Treatment with medicines like lercanidipine is important in people diagnosed with high blood pressure. Leaving high blood pressure untreated over a long period can increase the risk of serious health conditions like heart failure, strokes, kidney disease, and vascular dementia.

By reducing your blood pressure, lercanidipine helps to prevent the above health problems. Another important way to reduce blood pressure is by making lifestyle changes. You can make lifestyle changes to reduce your blood pressure with or without blood pressure medicine. 

Effective changes include improving your diet, limiting alcohol consumption, and taking regular exercise. Reducing the amount of salt in your diet is also helpful to lower blood pressure.

Treatment is available from our online doctor service for weight loss and stopping smoking.

Your GP surgery or local pharmacy can check your blood pressure. Another option is to buy BP monitors which means you can check your blood pressure reading from home. Blood pressure checks measure the systolic pressure (higher number) and diastolic pressure (lower number). 

Dose

Lercanidipine tablets are available in 10 mg and 20 mg strengths.

The starting dose for high blood pressure is lercanidipine 10 mg once a day. Sometimes, this is increased after two weeks if necessary to 20 mg once daily. You can take the dose at any time of the day but it should be around the same time each day. It should be taken at least 30 minutes before food.

Alternatives

Hypertension has many potential treatments. Different types include:

• Angiotensin-2 receptor blockers (ARBs)
• Diuretics (e.g. thiazide diuretics)
• ACE inhibitors
• Beta blockers

There are several other CCBs used to treat high blood pressure such as amlodipine, lacidipine and felodipine.

Is lercanidipine better than amlodipine?

Lercanidipine and amlodipine are both calcium channel blockers. Both are effective at treating high blood pressure and reducing the risk of problems such as heart attacks or strokes.

Both medicines can affect people differently. This means that amlodipine may be better for one person while lercanidipine is better for another person. The best medicine is one that is effective at lowering your blood pressure while causing no, or the fewest, side effects.  

What are the side effects of lercanidipine?

Common lercanidipine side effects include:

• Headaches
• Palpitations
• Swollen ankles
• Flushing

If you notice any side effects while taking lercanidipine, mention them to your doctor or pharmacist. For a full list of side effects, including serious side effects, see the patient information leaflet.

Can lercanidipine cause a cough?

A cough is not a side effect of lercanidipine. However, a dry cough is a common side effect of another group of blood pressure medicines called ACE inhibitors.

How long does lercanidipine take to work?

It begins to work after taking the first dose. The full effect on blood pressure may take 2 weeks to become apparent.

Is lercanidipine a diuretic?

Lercanidipine is not a diuretic, it is a calcium channel blocker (CCB). 

Can I order lercanidipine online?

Yes, lercanidipine blood pressure tablets (UK) are available to order online from Simple Online Pharmacy. When placing your order, you simply fill out an online questionnaire. This can then be checked by our doctors to make sure it is safe to prescribe. 

If our doctors decide it is safe and suitable for you, they will send a prescription to our pharmacy team. The medicine will then be dispatched to your address. 

Lercanidipine can only be requested from Simple Online Pharmacy by patients who currently take this as a repeat medicine from their GP.

Content Reviewed: 20/10/2020

There is a risk of developing side effects with any medicine. Some lercanidipine side effects are common such as:

• Flushing
• Swollen ankles
• Headaches
• Palpitations (a pounding heart beat)

If you notice any side effects while taking it, mention them to your doctor or pharmacist. For a full index of side effects, including serious side effects, see the patient information leaflet.

Before taking any medication, it is important to read the Patient Information Leaflet. You can find information leaflets for your medicines by typing them into the search bar at medicines.org, or by contacting us.

• Lercanidipine 10mg PIL
• Lercanidipine 20mg PIL

Other conditions and lercanidipine

It may not be suitable for everyone to take. It should not be taken if:

• You have severe liver problems
• You suffer from certain heart diseases (e.g. unstable angina)
• You are undergoing dialysis or have severe kidney problems
• You are allergic to lercanidipine or any of the ingredients in the tablets

For a full list of other conditions affecting lercanidipine, see the patient information leaflet.

Interactions with other medicines

Several medicines can interact with lercanidipine. This may cause side effects or reduce the effectiveness of one or both medicines. Examples of interacting medicines include:

• Anti-epileptic medicines e.g. carbamazepine, phenytoin
• Amiodarone
• Sotalol
• Simvastatin
• Digoxin
• Cimetidine

If you are unsure whether your current medication is safe to take with lercanidipine, speak to your doctor or pharmacist. Further information can also be found in the patient information leaflet.

During treatment with lercanidipine, you should avoid eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice as it can affect the way the medicine works. Taking it at the same time as a high-fat meal can also affect the way it works. It is best to take it on an empty stomach.