Precautions and Warnings With Calcium Channel Blockers

When treating certain heart and blood vessel conditions, it is important to talk with your healthcare provider about the risks involved with taking a calcium channel blocker. Precautions and warnings with calcium channel blockers include the risk that the medication could make chest pain worse or even cause a heart attack. These medications can also cause low blood pressure and should be used with caution by people who have congestive heart failure.

 

Calcium Channel Blockers: What Should I Tell My Healthcare Provider?

You should talk with your healthcare provider prior to taking a calcium channel blocker if you have:
 
 
  • An esophageal stricture or other narrowing of the digestive tract
  • An irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia), including sick sinus syndrome
  • An upcoming surgery
  • Aortic stenosis
  • Duchenne's muscular dystrophy
  • Heart disease, including congestive heart failure
  • Kidney disease, including kidney failure (renal failure)
  • Liver disease, including cirrhosis or liver failure
  • Low blood pressure
  • Myasthenia gravis
  • Sick sinus syndrome
  • Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome or Lown-Ganong-Levine syndrome
  • Any allergies, including allergies to food, dyes, or preservatives.
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Also, let your healthcare provider know if you are:
 
  • Pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant
  • Breastfeeding.
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Make sure to tell your healthcare provider about any other medicines you are taking, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
 
(Precautions and Warnings With Calcium Channel Blockers Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;