Can norvasc cause heart attacks?
Norvasc is a long acting, calcium antagonist in the dihydropyridine class. …A large body of scientific evidence provides no sound basis for physicians to discontinue therapy in patients who are being treated with long acting calcium antagonists, particularly those that lower heart rate. Moreover, the available data support the use of heart rate lowering calcium antagonists in selected patients, such as those recovering from acute non-Q wave MI, who may experience long-term benefit from diltiazem or verapamil. Am J Hypertens. 1996 Dec;9(12 Pt 2):172S-176S Dihydropyridine calcium channel antagonists (such as Norvasc) have been maligned in recent years because of concerns regarding their cardiovascular and overall safety profile. Specifically, it was widely publicised in the mid-1990s that these agents might increase the risk of myocardial infarction, gastrointestinal bleeding and cancer. Data linking these agents with increased cardiovascular risk were based on nonrandomised studies an
