Amlodipine belongs to a group of drugs called calcium channel blockers and works by relaxing blood vessels. Amlodipine can be used to lower blood pressure or treat chest pain (angina). Atorvastatin is a statin medicine, also called an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, that decreases cholesterol by limiting how much cholesterol your liver makes.
Caduet is available as a tablet to be taken by mouth.
What Is Caduet Used For?
Your healthcare provider may prescribe Caduet if you need treatment with both amlodipine and atorvastatin.
Brand Name(s): Caduet
Drug Availability: Prescription
Administration Route: Oral
Therapeutic Classification: Calcium channel blocker/HMG-COA reductase inhibitor combination
Available Generically: Yes
Controlled Substance: N/A
Active Ingredient: Amlodipine besylate and atorvastatin calcium
Dosage Form(s): Tablet
Amlodipine is used to treat:
High blood pressure (hypertension) Chest pain (angina) Coronary artery disease—a condition that often involves plaque buildup inside the blood vessels of the heart
Atorvastatin helps:
Lower cholesterol or triglycerides (fat) levels in the blood Decrease the risk of heart attack, stroke, or other heart problems in people with heart disease or risk factors for heart disease
In clinical trials, once-daily treatment with amlodipine and atorvastatin effectively reduced systolic blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, also known as “bad” cholesterol). When used along with diet and exercise, medications that lower blood pressure and cholesterol can help decrease your chances of developing a heart attack and stroke.
How to Take Caduet
Take Caduet once per day, around the same time each day. You may take your dose with or without food.
Follow a low-fat, cholesterol-lowering diet while taking Caduet to help you get the best results. Avoid drinking large qualities of grapefruit juice (over 1 liter per day) since that can increase your risk of developing certain side effects.
Storage
Caduet should be stored at room temperature (68 F to 77 F). Be sure to keep Caduet—and all your medicines—in a safe location, up high and out of the reach of children and pets.
What Are the Side Effects of Caduet?
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. A healthcare provider can advise you on side effects. If you experience other effects, contact your pharmacist or a healthcare provider. You may report side effects to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at fda.gov/medwatch or 800-FDA-1088.
Common Side Effects
Some people may experience side effects while taking Caduet. Be sure to let your healthcare provider know if you develop any side effects that bother you or don’t go away.
The most common side effects of Caduet include:
Diarrhea Muscle or joint pain NauseaSwelling in the legs or anklesUpset stomach
Severe Side Effects
Rarely, Caduet may cause severe side effects. Call your healthcare provider right away if you develop any serious reactions. Call 911 if your symptoms feel life-threatening or you think you are having a medical emergency.
Serious side effects and their symptoms may include the following:
Muscle Problems (myopathy) and Muscle Breakdown (rhabdomyolysis), which can rarely lead to kidney failure and death. Let your healthcare provider know if you have muscle weakness, tenderness, or pain, especially if it is accompanied by a fever and fatigue. Liver problems, which have rarely led to death. Call your healthcare provider if you have dark-colored urine, appetite loss, tiredness or weakness, upper belly pain, or yellowing of the skin or whites of your eyes. Lower blood pressure, dizziness, or lightheadedness Muscles that feel rigid or stiff, tremors, or abnormal muscle movement Chest pain that does not go away or gets worse. This could be a sign of a heart attack. Allergic reactions include a rash, hives, swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing.
Dosage: How Much Caduet Should I Take?
Missed Dose
If you forget to take your dose of Caduet, take it as soon as you remember. If more than 12 hours have passed since your missed dose, skip your dose and resume your regular dosing schedule. Do not double up or take extra Caduet.
If you experience a serious side effect, you or your healthcare provider may send a report to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting Program or by phone (800-332-1088).
The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.
For oral dosage form (tablets): Adults—1 tablet once a day, tablet strength is determined by your doctor depending on your condition. Children—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.
Overdose: What Happens If I Take Too Much Caduet?
Information on the effects of a Caduet overdose in humans is limited, but taking too much would likely cause low blood pressure, causing you to feel dizzy or lightheaded. Consistently taking more than your prescribed dose of Caduet can cause serious complications, so be sure to ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist if you are unsure about how much to take.
Call your healthcare provider or the Poison Control Center if you’ve taken more than your prescribed dose of Caduet. If your symptoms feel life-threatening, call 911.
Precautions
What Are Reasons I Shouldn’t Take Caduet?
Certain conditions increase your chance of developing complications from Caduet. Do not take Caduet if you:
If someone collapses or isn’t breathing after taking Caduet, call 911 immediately.
Using this medicine while you are pregnant can harm your unborn baby. Use an effective form of birth control to keep from getting pregnant. If you think you have become pregnant while using the medicine, tell your doctor right away.
Call your doctor right away if you have unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness, especially if you also have unusual tiredness or a fever. These may be symptoms of serious muscle problems, such as myopathy or immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM).
Call your doctor right away if you have dark-colored urine, fever, muscle cramps or spasms, muscle pain or stiffness, or unusual tiredness or weakness. These could be symptoms of a serious muscle problem called rhabdomyolysis, which can cause kidney problems.
Make sure any doctor or dentist who treats you knows that you are using this medicine. You may need to stop using this medicine if you have a major surgery or injury.
Dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting may also occur if you exercise or if the weather is hot. Heavy sweating can cause loss of too much water and result in low blood pressure. Use extra care during exercise or hot weather.
This medicine may worsen the symptoms of angina (chest pain) or increase risk of heart attack in certain patients with severe heart or blood vessel disease. Check with your doctor right away if you have chest pain that is worse than usual, trouble breathing, nausea or vomiting, pain or discomfort in your arms, jaw, back, or neck, feel faint, or you are sweating.
If you have been using this medicine regularly for several weeks, do not suddenly stop using it. Stopping suddenly may cause your chest pain or high blood pressure to come back or get worse. Check with your doctor for the best way to reduce gradually the amount you are taking before stopping completely.
Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and herbal or vitamin supplements.
Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Stop taking Caduet and call your healthcare provider if you become pregnant. Are breastfeedingHave liver diseaseAre allergic to amlodipine, atorvastatin, or any other ingredient in Caduet
What Other Medications Interact With Caduet?
Many medications may interact with Caduet. Be sure to let your healthcare provider and pharmacist know about all the medicines you take, including over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription products.
Some medications can increase your chance of developing side effects from Caduet, including serious muscle problems, low blood pressure, or swelling in the legs or ankles. Let your healthcare provider know if you take:
Cardizem (diltiazem) Cialis (tadalafil) Clarithromycin Colcrys (colchicine) Diflucan (fluconazole) Erythromycin Ketoconazole Lopid (gemfibrozil) Medicines to treat HIV or hepatitis C Multaq (dronedarone) Nefazodone Niacin (doses of 1 gram or more per day) Noxafil (posaconazole) Sporanox (itraconazole) Stendra (avanafil) Tricor (fenofibrate) Vardenafil Verelan (verapamil) Vfend (voriconazole) Viagra (sildenafil)
Caduet may increase side effects from other medications. Your healthcare provider may monitor you more closely if you take:
Certain oral birth control pills Digoxin Neoral (cyclosporine) Prograf (tacrolimus)
This is not a complete list of all the drugs that may interact with Caduet. Always keep an up-to-date list of all the medicines you take, and let your healthcare team know any time there are changes.
What Medications Are Similar?
Caduet conveniently combines a statin (atorvastatin) and a calcium channel blocker (amlodipine) into one pill. It is the only product available that combines these two types of medicines.
Your healthcare provider may prescribe a statin and calcium channel blocker separately.
Statin medicines include:
Altoprev (lovastatin) Crestor (rosuvastatin) Lescol XL (flluvastatin) Lipitor (atorvastatin) Livalo (pitavastatin) Pravastatin Zocor (simvastatin)
Other calcium channel blockers that work similarly to amlodipine include:
Conjupri (levamlodipine) Felodipine Isradipine Nicardipine Procardia XL (nifedipine) Sular (nisoldipine)
This is a list of drugs similar to the medicines in Caduet. It is NOT a list of drugs recommended to take with Caduet. In fact, you should not take these drugs together. Discuss any questions or concerns about your treatment with a healthcare provider or pharmacist.
How Can I Stay Healthy While Taking Caduet?
Remembering to take all your medications can get tricky, especially the more you take. If you need Lipitor (atorvastatin) and Norvasc (amlodipine), Caduet can be a convenient option combining both medicines into one pill.
Before starting treatment, review all the warnings associated with Caduet and discuss any concerns with your healthcare provider. Pay particular attention to any unusual muscle pain since this could signify a serious reaction. Reporting side effects to your healthcare provider as soon as they occur can help keep you healthy while taking Caduet.
