felodipine vs nicardipine
PlainMeds reviewed this comparison against our methodology in August 2026. It places FDA and CMS record fields side by side, without recommending either medication.
Side-by-side comparison of felodipine and nicardipine. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
Plendil
Cardene
Felodipine is a drug that lowers your blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of strokes and heart attacks.
Nicardipine is a drug that helps to lower blood pressure and treat chest pain. It belongs to a class of drugs called calcium channel blockers.
Felodipine treats high blood pressure (hypertension). Lowering your blood pressure helps prevent strokes and heart attacks. It's important to also manage other risk factors like cholesterol, diabetes, and smoking. You may need more than one medicine to control your blood pressure.
Nicardipine treats chronic stable angina, which is chest pain that happens when you exert yourself. It can be used alone or with beta-blockers to manage this condition. Nicardipine also treats high blood pressure, and it can be used alone or with other blood pressure medications.
Felodipine is a calcium channel blocker. It works by relaxing and widening your blood vessels. This makes it easier for blood to flow, which lowers blood pressure.
Nicardipine works by blocking calcium from entering certain cells in your heart and blood vessels. This helps to relax and widen your blood vessels, which lowers blood pressure. It also reduces the workload on your heart, which can help to relieve chest pain.
- • Swelling in your ankles or feet
- • Headache
- • Flushing (redness of face)
- • Feeling tired
- • Swelling in your feet or ankles
- • Dizziness
- • Headache
- • Weakness
- • Flushing (redness of the skin)
- Fatigue 1,051
- Dyspnoea 952
- Dizziness 946
- Diarrhoea 846
- Nausea 846
- Acute Kidney Injury 226
- Premature Baby 205
- Foetal Exposure During Pregnancy 194
- Maternal Exposure During Pregnancy 180
- Drug Interaction 167
If you take certain medicines like ketoconazole, itraconazole, or erythromycin, talk to your doctor. These drugs can greatly increase the amount of felodipine in your blood, leading to unwanted effects. Also, if you take anticonvulsants like phenytoin, carbamazepine, or phenobarbital, felodipine may not work as well.
If you have advanced aortic stenosis, you should not take this medication. Lowering blood pressure in this case could worsen oxygen balance to the heart. Use caution if you have congestive heart failure.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if felodipine will harm your unborn baby. Talk to your doctor about breastfeeding while taking felodipine.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. It is not known if nicardipine will harm your unborn baby. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking nicardipine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
Also Compare, Nearby Drugs
Compare felodipine with
Compare nicardipine with
How to Read This felodipine vs nicardipine Comparison
felodipine is classified in the Calcium Channel Blocker drug class, while nicardipine sits within the Calcium Channel Blocker class. Because both drugs share the same classification, they are often considered interchangeable in theory, but clinical outcomes rarely track that cleanly. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, felodipine has 4,641 submissions while nicardipine has 972. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. No direct interaction between these two drugs is listed in our FDA-derived dataset, though co-prescription still warrants pharmacist review. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot represent individual circumstances. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This registry does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions for felodipine or nicardipine.
Registry boundary: This comparison displays source-record fields and does not provide individualized medical direction.