Felodipine is used for:

Treating high blood pressure, alone or with other medications. It may also be used to treat other conditions as determined by your doctor, which may not be listed in the professional package insert.

Felodipine is a calcium channel blocker. It works by blocking the normal action of calcium on blood vessels and the heart. This allows the blood vessels to relax, the heart to beat with less force and pump out less blood, and the heart to beat more slowly and regularly.

Do NOT use Felodipine if:

• you are allergic to any ingredient in Felodipine
• you have a history of low blood pressure

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

Before using Felodipine :

Some medical conditions may interact with Felodipine. 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 problems, breathing problems, or a slow heartbeat

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

• Barbiturates (eg, phenobarbital), carbamazepine, or hydantoins (eg, phenytoin) because the effectiveness of Felodipine may be decreased
• Azole antifungals (eg, ketoconazole), cimetidine, or erythromycin because the actions and side effects of Felodipine may be increased
• Macrolide immunosuppressives (eg, tacrolimus) because the actions and side effects of these medicines may be increased

This may not be a complete list of all interactions that may occur. Ask your health care provider if Felodipine 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.

How to use Felodipine :

Use Felodipine as directed by your doctor. Check the label on the medicine for exact dosing instructions.

• Felodipine should be regularly taken either without food or with a light meal
• Avoid drinking grapefruit juice while taking Felodipine
• Do not to crush or chew tablets. Swallow them whole
• If you miss a dose of Felodipine , take it as soon as possible. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not take 2 doses at once

Ask your health care provider any questions you may have about how to use Felodipine.

Important safety information:

• Felodipine may cause dizziness or lightheadedness. Do not drive, operate machinery, or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how you react to Felodipine. Using Felodipine alone, with other medicines, or with alcohol may lessen your ability to drive or to perform other potentially dangerous tasks.
• Felodipine may cause dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting. Alcohol, hot weather, exercise, and fever can increase these effects. To prevent them, sit or stand up slowly, especially in the morning. Also, sit or lie down at the first sign of dizziness, lightheadedness, or weakness.
• Patients being treated for high blood pressure often feel tired or run down for a few weeks after beginning treatment. Continue taking your medication even though you may not feel quite "normal." Contact your doctor or pharmacist about any new symptoms.
• While you are using Felodipine , brush and floss your teeth carefully. Also, have regular dental checkups.
• Use Felodipine with extreme caution in CHILDREN; safety and effectiveness have not been confirmed.
• PREGNANCY AND BREAST-FEEDING: If you plan on becoming pregnant, discuss with your doctor the benefits and risks of using Felodipine during pregnancy. It is unknown if this drug is excreted in breast milk. Do not breast-feed while taking Felodipine.

Possible side effects of Felodipine :

All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome:

Diarrhea; dizziness; flushing; headache; mild swelling of gums; nausea; weakness.

Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur:

Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); breathing problems; chest pain; enlarged breasts in men; fast or irregular heartbeat; heart problems; impotence; lightheadedness and fainting; swelling of the ankles or hands.

What is the shelf life of the pills?

• The expiry date is mentioned on each blister. It is different for different batches. The shelf life is 2 years from the date of manufacture and would differ from batch to batch depending on when they were manufactured.

Other Useful Information:

Radiation: 1. Rays of energy. Gamma rays and X-rays are two of the types of energy waves often used in medicine. 2. The use of energy waves to diagnose or treat disease.

Replantation: 1. Literally, the act of planting again. 2. In surgery, the restoration of any part of the body to its original site. Also known as reimplantation.

The Chinese surgeon Zhong Wei Chen (1929-2004) was the "father of replantation." Dr. Chen was the first to reattach a severed hand with success which he did in 1963. Dr. Chen also developed many microsurgical procedures including techniques for preserving severed extremities, reattaching amputated fingers and thumbs, reconstructing muscles and repairing nerves and blood vessels.

Rheumatism: Rheumatism is an older term, used to describe any of a number of painful conditions of muscles, tendons, joints, and bones.

Rheumatism conditions have been classified as either localized, regional, or generalized. Localized rheumatism conditions include bursitis and tendinitis. Regional rheumatism conditions include chest wall pain, temporomandibular joint pain, and myofascial pain syndromes. Generalized rheumatism conditions include fibromyalgia.

Another category of rheumatism is psychogenic rheumatism. With this term it is understood that the patient is reporting inconsistent pains of muscles and joints that do not correspond to true anatomy and physiology. The patient is felt to have underlying psychological causes for the symptoms.

Rheumatology: A subspecialty of internal medicine that involves the non-surgical evaluation and treatment of the rheumatic diseases and conditions. Rheumatic diseases and conditions are characterized by symptoms involving the musculoskeletal system. Many of the rheumatic diseases and conditions feature immune system abnormalities. Therefore, rheumatology also involves the study of the immune system. Classical rheumatology training includes 4 years of medical school, 1 year of internship in internal medicine, 2 years of internal medicine residency, and 2 years of rheumatology fellowship. There is a subspecialty board for rheumatology certification. The American College of Rheumatology is the official organization acting on behalf of the field of rheumatology in the United States.

T cell: A type of white blood cell that is of key importance to the immune system and is at the core of adaptive immunity, the system that tailors the body's immune response to specific pathogens. The T cells are like soldiers who search out and destroy the targeted invaders.

Immature T cells (termed T-stem cells) migrate to the thymus gland in the neck, where they mature and differentiate into various types of mature T cells and become active in the immune system in response to a hormone called thymosin and other factors. T-cells that are potentially activated against the body's own tissues are normally killed or changed ("down-regulated") during this maturational process.

There are several different types of mature T cells. Not all of their functions are known. T cells can produce substances called cytokines such as the interleukins which further stimulate the immune response. T-cell activation is measured as a way to assess the health of patients with HIV/AIDS and less frequently in other disorders.

T cell are also known as T lymphocytes. The "T" stands for "thymus" -- the organ in which these cells mature. As opposed to B cells which mature in the bone marrow.

Teleology: The study of the ultimate purpose of the design of something in nature.

For example, "what is the true purpose of the nose?" is a teleological question and, to say that all evolutionary changes occur for a definite purpose is a teleological explanation of evolution.

"Teleology" comes from ancient Greek roots but it (and teleological) did not enter English until the 18th century. It is a compound of the Greek "tele-, telos," meaning "end or purpose" + the ending "logos" meaning "the science or study of" = the study of the ends or purposes.

Testosterone: A "male hormone" -- a sex hormone produced by the testes that encourages the development of male sexual characteristics, stimulates the activity of the male secondary sex characteristics, and prevents changes in them following castration. Chemically, testosterone is 17-beta-hydroxy-4-androstene-3-one.

Testosterone is the most potent of the naturally occurring androgens. The androgens cause the development of male sex characteristics, such as a deep voice and a beard; they also strengthen muscle tone and bone mass.

High levels of testosterone appear to promote good health in men, for example, lowering the risks of high blood pressure and heart attack. High testosterone levels also correlate with risky behavior, however, including increased aggressiveness and smoking, which may cancel out these health benefits.

Testosterone may be given to treat medical conditions, including female (but not male) breast cancer, hypogonadism (low gonadal function) in the male, cryptorchism (nondescent of the testis into the scrotum), and menorrhagia (irregular periods).