News - Hypertension Week of July 6, 2003/ Vol. 2 No. 27

Study: Blood Pressure Drug, Wine and Empty Stomach = Problems

Taking Plendil, an extended-release form of the blood pressure drug felodipine, with a glass of red wine on an empty stomach can lead to problems, according to Canadian researchers.

In a study of eight healthy people took Plendil with wine before eating, only traces of the drug filtered into their blood. But when they ate lunch four hours later, half of the participants experienced a spike in their felodipine level.

One person with the highest peak level of felodipine had a rapid heart rate, palpitations and experienced flushing, the researchers reported in the journal Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics.

While "dose dumping" of an extended-release medication is unlikely to harm a healthy individual, researchers said a spike of this kind in a person with high blood pressure could cause fainting, or possibly lead to a heart attack in a person with a cardiovascular condition.

The researchers suggested that people not take Plendil on an empty stomach with a glass of red wine. They said they did not know whether extended-release forms of other hypertension drugs might react similarly.

Other sources: Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics