Drug & supplement interaction

Magnesium + Amlodipine Besylate

Amlodipine Besylate brand name: Norvasc.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Magnesium has a moderate interaction with Amlodipine Besylate. Magnesium can have additive effects with calcium channel blockers, although evidence is conflicting.

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

Magnesium and Amlodipine Besylate

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

Moderate

CALCIUM CHANNEL BLOCKERS

Why this applies to Amlodipine Besylate

Amlodipine Besylate falls under CALCIUM CHANNEL BLOCKERS — the group Magnesium interacts with.

Magnesium can have additive effects with calcium channel blockers, although evidence is conflicting.
Magnesium inhibits calcium entry into smooth muscle cells and may therefore have additive effects with calcium channel blockers. Severe hypotension and neuromuscular blockades may occur when nifedipine is used with intravenous magnesium, although some contradictory evidence suggests that concurrent use of magnesium with nifedipine does not increase the risk of neuromuscular weakness. High doses of magnesium could theoretically have additive effects with other calcium channel blockers.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Interaction 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.

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

Here's the simple version: both magnesium and amlodipine relax your blood vessels, just by slightly different routes. Magnesium naturally blocks some calcium from entering muscle cells, and amlodipine (Norvasc) does much the same thing. So in theory, stacking the two could push your blood pressure down a little more than expected, leaving you feeling lightheaded, dizzy, tired, or flushed, especially when you stand up quickly.

Now, the honest truth: this concern is mostly theoretical, based on how these work on paper. Most of the worrisome reports involve high-dose intravenous magnesium, not the everyday capsule or tablet you'd take at home. A normal supplement dose alongside amlodipine is unlikely to cause trouble for most people. Still, it's worth a quick chat with your pharmacist or doctor before starting magnesium, particularly if you have kidney issues.

References
  1. Hansten PD, Horn JR. Drug Interactions Analysis and Management. Vancouver, WA: Applied Therapeutics Inc., 1997 and updates.
  2. Koontz SL, Friedman SA, Schwartz ML. Symptomatic hypocalcemia after tocolytic therapy with magnesium sulfate and nifedipine. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2004;190(6):1773-6. PubMed
  3. Snyder SW, Cardwell MS. Neuromuscular blockade with magnesium sulfate and nifedipine. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1989;161(1):35-6. PubMed
  4. Waisman GD, Mayorga LM, Cámera MI, et al. Magnesium plus nifedipine: potentiation of hypotensive effect in preeclampsia? Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1988;159(2):308-9. PubMed
  5. Magee, L. A., Miremadi, S., Li, J., Cheng, C., Ensom, M. H., Carleton, B., Cote, A. M., and von Dadelszen, P. Therapy with both magnesium sulfate and nifedipine does not increase the risk of serious magnesium-related maternal side effects in women with p

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

Magnesium Also Interacts With Other Medications

Magnesium has 6 major, 174 moderate, 114 minor 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 Magnesium

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Magnesium 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 Magnesium 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 Magnesium 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

One more smart check

Taking Magnesium as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 29,717 real supplement products containing Magnesium, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Magnesium. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Amlodipine Besylate too, on top of Magnesium — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Magnesium 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 Magnesium
Top 10

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

29 days ago today
Medication Amlodipine Besylate
Top 5%

#62 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 Magnesium

What is Magnesium?

Magnesium
  • Preventing or treating magnesium deficiency
  • Constipation
  • Muscle cramps
  • Sleep support
  • Anxiety and stress
  • Migraine prevention

Magnesium is an essential mineral your body needs for muscles, nerves, blood pressure, and many other functions, and supplements are useful for preventing or correcting deficiency. Some other uses, like easing constipation or preventing migraines, have reasonable support, while uses for sleep and anxiety are less proven. It is generally safe for most healthy people at recommended amounts, but talk to your pharmacist or doctor before starting, especially if you have kidney problems.

Read the full Magnesium monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Amlodipine

What Is Amlodipine Used For?

Brand name: Norvasc

Amlodipine treats high blood pressure (hypertension) in adults and children aged 6–17 years. Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of strokes and heart attacks. Sdamlo (oral solution) is specifically indicated for hypertension in adults and pediatric patients 6 years of age and older.

Amlodipine also treats coronary artery disease in adults, including chronic stable angina (chest pain with exertion), vasospastic angina (Prinzmetal's or variant angina, caused by coronary artery spasms), and documented coronary artery disease in patients without heart failure or significantly reduced heart pumping function.

See full Amlodipine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Magnesium

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

6Major
174Moderate
114Minor
2,535No known interaction
Major

6 interactions

Moderate

174 interactions

Showing 60 of 174 moderate interactions — see all 174 on the Magnesium page.

Minor

114 interactions

Showing 60 of 114 minor interactions — see all 114 on the Magnesium page.

No interaction 2,535 drugs checked — show the 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

Keep exploring
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Magnesium and Amlodipine Besylate Together: Common Questions

Can you take Magnesium 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 Magnesium 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 Magnesium?

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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.