Agen Uses

• Agen indications
• Uses of Agen in details
• Agen description
• Agen dosage
• Agen interactions
• Agen side effects
• Agen contraindications

What is Agen?

Agen is used alone or together with other medicines to treat angina (chest pain) and high blood pressure (hypertension). High blood pressure adds to the workload of the heart and arteries. If it continues for a long time, the heart and arteries may not function properly. This can damage the blood vessels of the brain, heart, and kidneys, resulting in a stroke, heart failure, or kidney failure. High blood pressure may also increase the risk of heart attacks. These problems may be less likely to occur if blood pressure is controlled.

Agen is a calcium channel blocker. It affects the movement of calcium into the cells of the heart and blood vessels. As a result, Agen relaxes blood vessels and increases the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart while reducing its workload.

Agen is available only with your doctor's prescription.

Agen indications

Hypertension: Agen is indicated for the first-line treatment of hypertension and can be used as the sole agent to control blood pressure in the majority of patients. Patients not adequately controlled on a single antihypertensive agent may benefit from the addition of Agen, which has been used in combination with a thiazide diuretic, β-adrenoceptor-blocking agent or an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor.

Agen is also indicated to reduce the risk of fatal coronary heart disease (CHD) and non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), and to reduce the risk of stroke.

Coronary Artery Disease: Agen is indicated to reduce the risk of coronary revascularization and the need for hospitalization due to angina in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).

Chronic Stable Angina: Agen is indicated for the first-line treatment of myocardial ischemia, whether due to fixed obstruction (stable angina) and/or vasospasm/vasoconstriction (Prinzmetal’s or variant angina) of coronary vasculature. Agen may be used where the clinical presentation suggests a possible vasospastic/vasoconstrictive component but where vasospasm/vasoconstriction has not been confirmed. Agen may be used alone, as monotherapy, or in combination with other antianginal drugs in patients with angina that is refractory to nitrates and/or adequate doses of beta-blockers.

How should I use Agen?

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

• An extra patient leaflet is available with Agen. Talk to your pharmacist if you have questions about this information.
• Take Agen by mouth with or without food. If stomach upset occurs, take with food to reduce stomach irritation.
• Taking Agen at the same time each day will help you remember to take it.
• Continue to take Agen even if you feel well. Do not miss any doses.
• If you miss a dose of Agen, take it as soon as possible. If it has been more than 12 hours since you missed your last 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 Agen.

Uses of Agen in details

This medication is used along with other treatment for certain blood vessel diseases (e.g., arteriosclerosis obliterans, Raynaud's disease, Buerger's disease, cerebrovascular insufficiency). It works by widening blood vessels to help increase blood flow (improve circulation) to certain parts of the body (e.g., hands/feet, brain). This effect may help to decrease symptoms such as cold hands and feet, numbness, tingling, and decreased memory or judgment.

How to use Agen

This medication is taken by mouth with or without food, usually 3 to 4 times daily or as directed by your doctor. Dosage is based on your medical condition and response to treatment.

Use this medication regularly to get the most benefit from it. To help you remember, take it at the same times each day.

Tell your doctor if your condition persists or worsens.

Agen description

Each 5-mg and 10-mg tablet contains Amlodipine equivalent to Agen 5 mg and 10 mg, respectively.

Agen also contains the following excipients: Calcium hydrogen phosphate anhydrous, microcrystalline cellulose, magnesium stearate, sodium starch glycollate.

Agen besilate is the besilate salt of Agen, a long-acting calcium-channel blocker. It is 3-ethyl-5-methyl-2-(2-aminoethoxymethyl)-4-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,4-dihydro-6-methyl-3,5-pyridinedicarboxylate benzenesulphonate. Its empirical formula is C₂₀H₂₅ClN₂O₅·C₆H₆O₃S and has a molecular weight of 567.1.

Agen besilate is a white crystalline powder and is slightly soluble in water and sparingly soluble in ethanol.

Agen dosage

For both hypertension and angina, the usual initial dose is 5 mg Agen once daily, which may be increased to a maximum dose of 10 mg depending on the individual patient's response.

For patients with coronary artery disease, the recommended dosage range is 5 mg to 10 mg once daily. In clinical studies, the majority of patients required 10 mg once daily.

No dose adjustment of Agen is required upon concomitant administration of thiazide diuretics, beta-blockers, and ACE inhibitors.

Agen ODT: For Agen orodispersible tablets, the patient should place the tablet on the tongue and allow it to dissolve.

Elderly: Normal dosage regimens are recommended. Agen, used at similar doses in the elderly or younger patients, is equally well-tolerated.

Children: Safety and effectiveness of Agen in children have not been established.

Patients with Impaired Hepatic Function: See Precautions.

Patients with Renal Failure: Agen may be used at normal doses in patients with renal failure.

Changes in Agen plasma concentrations are not correlated with the degree of renal impairment. Agen is not dialyzable.

Agen interactions

See also:
What other drugs will affect Agen?

In vitro data in human plasma indicate that Agen has no effect on the protein-binding of drugs tested (digoxin, phenytoin, warfarin and indomethacin).

Special Studies: Effect of Other Agents on Agen:

Cimetidine: Co-administration of Agen with cimetidine did not alter the pharmacokinetics of Agen.

Grapefruit Juice: Co-administration of 240 mL of grapefruit juice with a single oral dose of Agen 10 mg in 20 healthy volunteers had no significant effect on the pharmacokinetics of Agen.

Antacid: Co-administration of antacid with a single dose of Agen had no significant effect on the pharmacokinetics of Agen.

Sildenafil: A single 100-mg dose of sildenafil in subjects with essential hypertension had no effect on the pharmacokinetic parameters of Agen. When Agen and sildenafil were used in combination, each agent independently exerted its own blood pressure-lowering effect.

Effect of Agen on Other Agents: Atorvastatin: Co-administration of multiple 10-mg doses of Agen with 80 mg of atorvastatin resulted in no significant change in the steady-state pharmacokinetic parameters of atorvastatin.

Digoxin: Co-administration of Agen with digoxin did not change serum digoxin levels or digoxin renal clearance in normal volunteers.

Ethanol (alcohol): Single and multiple 10-mg doses of Agen had no significant effect on the pharmacokinetics of ethanol.

Warfarin: Co-administration of Agen with warfarin did not change the warfarin prothrombin response time.

In clinical trials, Agen has been safely administered with thiazide diuretics, β-blockers, ACE inhibitors, long-acting nitrates, sublingual nitroglycerin, digoxin, warfarin, NSAIDs, antibiotics and oral hypoglycemic drugs.

Drug/Laboratory Test Interactions: None known.

Agen side effects

See also:
What are the possible side effects of Agen?

The most common adverse effects of Agen besilate, similar to that of other calcium-channel blockers, are associated with its vasodilating effects are often lessened with continued use of the drug. Among them are flushing, headache disorders, dizziness and peripheral edema, the most common of which are edema and flushing which are due to the vasodilating effect of Agen.

Abdominal pain with cramps, fatigue, palpitations, tachycardia and nausea are less frequently experienced with the use of Agen.

Other adverse effects associated with the use of Agen include increased micturition, eye pain and other visual disturbances, mental or mood changes eg, depression, anxiety or nervousness, decreased sexual ability/desire, constipation and fainting.

At the start of the treatment, a paradoxical increase in ischemic chest pain may be experienced. In some patients, cerebral or myocardial ischemia or transient blindness caused by excessive fall in blood pressure occur. Agen, in 1 study was found to induce gingival overgrowth.

Hypersensitivity reactions to Agen may occur leading to rashes, including erythema multiforme, fever and abnormal liver functions eg, cholestasis. Other symptoms of allergic reactions are itching, swelling, severe dizziness and trouble breathing.

Agen contraindications

See also:
What is the most important information I should know about Agen?

Before taking Agen, tell your doctor if you have congestive heart failure or liver disease.

Drinking alcohol can further lower your blood pressure and may increase certain side effects of Agen.

If you are being treated for high blood pressure, keep using this medication even if you feel well. High blood pressure often has no symptoms. You may need to use blood pressure medication for the rest of your life.

Agen is only part of a complete program of treatment that may also include diet, exercise, weight control, and other medications. Follow your diet, medication, and exercise routines very closely.

Tell your doctor about all other heart or blood pressure medications you are taking.

Your chest pain may become worse when you first start taking Agen or when your dose is increased. Call your doctor if your chest pain is severe or ongoing.

Active ingredient matches for Agen:

Amlodipine in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Turkey.

Amlodipine besilate in Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania.

Nonoxinol/Polysaccharide polysulfuric acid ester/Sodium Alginate Sulfate in Turkey.

References

1. PubChem. "amlodipine". https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/com... (accessed September 17, 2018).
2. DrugBank. "amlodipine". http://www.drugbank.ca/drugs/DB00381 (accessed September 17, 2018).
3. MeSH. "Antihypertensive Agents". https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/68... (accessed September 17, 2018).

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Information checked by Dr. Sachin Kumar, MD Pharmacology