Drug & supplement interaction

Beer + Amlodipine Besylate

Amlodipine Besylate brand name: Norvasc.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Beer has a moderate interaction with Amlodipine Besylate. Theoretically, concomitant use may interfere with blood pressure control.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodProbable
EvidenceB
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Beer and Amlodipine Besylate

Here is the interaction we found between these two, with the evidence behind it.

Moderate

ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS

Why this applies to Amlodipine Besylate

Amlodipine Besylate falls under ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS — the group Beer interacts with.

Theoretically, concomitant use may interfere with blood pressure control.
Clinical research suggests that consumption of alcohol can increase both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. However, acute alcohol intoxication can also increase the risk of hypotension and additive effects with antihypertensive drugs.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Probable Evidence B

Interaction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports..

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the tricky thing about mixing beer with amlodipine: alcohol can push your blood pressure in two different directions depending on how much you drink. Over time, regular drinking tends to raise blood pressure, which can work against the very thing amlodipine is doing for you. But in the short term, a few drinks can actually drop your pressure too low when stacked on top of this medicine.

That combined dip can leave you dizzy, lightheaded, or even faint, especially when you stand up quickly. Amlodipine can already cause some of that on its own. If you drink, keeping it light is safer, and it's worth chatting with your pharmacist or doctor about what's reasonable for you. Never adjust your amlodipine on your own.

References
  1. Fraser AG. Pharmacokinetic interactions between alcohol and other drugs. Clin Pharmacokinet 1997;33:79-90. PubMed
  2. Zilkens, R. R., Burke, V., Hodgson, J. M., Barden, A., Beilin, L. J., and Puddey, I. B. Red wine and beer elevate blood pressure in normotensive men. Hypertension 2005;45(5):874-879. PubMed
  3. Potter, J. F., Watson, R. D., Skan, W., and Beevers, D. G. The pressor and metabolic effects of alcohol in normotensive subjects. Hypertension 1986;8(7):625-631. PubMed
  4. Puddey, I. B., Beilin, L. J., Vandongen, R., Rouse, I. L., and Rogers, P. Evidence for a direct effect of alcohol consumption on blood pressure in normotensive men. A randomized controlled trial. Hypertension 1985;7(5):707-713. PubMed
  5. Puddey, I. B., Beilin, L. J., Vandongen, R., and Rouse, I. L. A randomized controlled trial of the effect of alcohol consumption on blood pressure. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol 1985;12(3):257-261. PubMed

What These Ratings Mean

Every interaction above is graded three ways — here’s the key to each label.

Severity how clinically significant the interaction is
Major

Clinically significant. Avoid the combination, or use only under close professional supervision.

Moderate

Usually worth avoiding or managing — may need monitoring, a dose change, or timing apart.

Minor

Generally not serious. Be aware of it and mention it to your pharmacist.

Likelihood how strong the evidence is that the interaction actually happens in people
  • LikelyWell-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction.
  • ProbableInteraction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
  • PossibleInteraction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.
  • UnlikelyInteraction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.
Evidence the quality of the studies behind the rating (graded A–D)
  • AHigh-quality meta-analysis (quantitative systematic review).
  • BCase-control study.
  • CConsensus.
  • DAnecdotal evidence.

These ratings are for information only. Never start, stop, or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.

Keep it in perspective

Beer Also Interacts With Other Medications

Beer has 656 major, 271 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Amlodipine Besylate one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Beer

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Beer. Pick one to open its full report.

From our Q&A

Questions About Beer or Amlodipine Besylate

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Beer or Amlodipine Besylate, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Amlodipine Besylate

This page covers Beer only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Amlodipine Besylate page lists 232 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), American Hellebore (major), American Mistletoe (major), Coleus (major) and Grapefruit (major).

Open the Amlodipine Besylate interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Beer and Amlodipine Besylate Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Beer
Top 25%

#354 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Amlodipine Besylate
Top 5%

#52 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Supplement

About Beer

What is Beer?

Beer
  • Social and recreational drinking
  • Relaxation
  • Heart health (popular belief)
  • Bone health (popular belief)
  • Source of antioxidants and B vitamins

Beer is an alcoholic beverage that contains some minerals, B vitamins, and plant compounds from hops and grain, but it is not a health supplement. Any possible benefits come only from light-to-moderate intake, and they are easily outweighed by the well-known harms of alcohol. The safest amount of alcohol for health is none, and beer should be avoided in pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Read the full Beer monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Amlodipine

What Is Amlodipine Used For?

Brand name: Norvasc

Amlodipine lowers high blood pressure (hypertension). Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of strokes and heart attacks. It can be used alone or with other blood pressure or angina medicines.

It is also used for chronic stable angina, vasospastic angina (Prinzmetal's or variant angina), and angiographically documented coronary artery disease in patients without heart failure or an ejection fraction below 40%. The Sdamlo oral solution label lists the high blood pressure use for adults and children 6 years and older, and the coronary artery disease uses for adults.

See full Amlodipine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Beer

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Beer — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

656Major
271Moderate
0Minor
1,902No known interaction
Major

656 interactions

Showing 60 of 656 major interactions — see all 656 on the Beer page.

Moderate

271 interactions

Showing 60 of 271 moderate interactions — see all 271 on the Beer page.

No interaction 1,902 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Beer against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,902 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Beer list.

Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Interaction details are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Beer and Amlodipine Besylate Together: Common Questions

Can you take Beer with Amlodipine Besylate?
There is a moderate interaction, so it may be acceptable with monitoring or timing changes — but check with your pharmacist first. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Beer and Amlodipine Besylate interaction?
We rate it Moderate. This combination may require monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one. Consult your pharmacist before using them together.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Still Have a Question About Amlodipine Besylate and Beer?

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.