Lercadip Drug Interactions

Lercadip has been safely administered with diuretics and ACE inhibitors. It may also be administered safely with β-adrenoceptor blocking drugs which are renally eliminated eg, atenolol. Co-administration of Lercadip in patients chronically treated with cardiac glycosides showed no evidence of pharmacokinetic interaction; patients on concomitant digoxin treatment should nevertheless be closely monitored clinically for sign of digoxin toxicity. Concomitant administration of cimetidine 800 mg daily does not cause significant modifications in plasma levels of lercanidipine, but at higher dose caution is required. As for other dihydropyridines, the main metabolic pathway for lercanidipine involves the enzyme CYP3A4. Until further evidence is available, great caution is recommended when lercanidipine is co-prescribed with inhibitors, inducers and/or substrate of CYP3A4 eg, amiodarone, midazolam, diazepam, metoprolol, propranolol, quinidine, erythromycin, phenytoin, rifampicin, terfenadine and cyclosporin. Dihydropyridines appear to be particularly sensitive to inhibition of metabolism by grapefruit juice, with a consequent rise in their systemic availability. Alcohol should be avoided since it may potentiate the effect of vasodilating antihypertensive drugs. Caution is required if you are taking anticonvulsants.
Use in Pregnancy & Lactation: Data of Lercadip provide no evidence of teratogenic effect in the rat and the rabbit and the reproductive performance in the rat was unimpaired. Nevertheless, since there is no clinical experience with Lercadip in pregnancy and lactation, and other dihydropyridine compounds have been found teratogenic in animals.
Lercadip should not be administered during pregnancy or to women with childbearing potential unless effective contraception is used. Because of high lipophilicity of lercanidipine, distribution in milk may be expected. Therefore, it should not be administered to nursing mothers.