felodipine vs nifedipine
Side-by-side comparison of felodipine and nifedipine Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
Plendil
Procardia, Adalat
Felodipine is a drug that lowers your blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of strokes and heart attacks.
Nifedipine is a calcium channel blocker. It helps to relax blood vessels, which can lower blood pressure and reduce chest pain.
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.
This medicine treats chest pain (angina) caused by tight blood vessels. It also treats high blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of strokes and heart attacks.
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.
Nifedipine blocks calcium from entering heart and blood vessel cells. This relaxes and widens blood vessels. As a result, the heart doesn't have to work as hard, and blood pressure goes down.
- • Swelling in your ankles or feet
- • Headache
- • Flushing (redness of face)
- • Feeling tired
- • Swelling, especially in the legs or ankles
- • Headache
- • Fatigue
- • Dizziness
- • Constipation
- Feeling tired 1,050
- Difficulty breathing 953
- Feeling lightheaded 946
- Loose stools 846
- Feeling sick to your stomach 846
- The medicine is not working 2,508
- Difficulty breathing 2,429
- Tiredness 2,303
- Diarrhea 2,265
- Feeling sick to your stomach 2,220
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.
In rare cases, nifedipine can cause serious gastrointestinal problems, including obstruction. If you experience severe abdominal pain, vomiting, or inability to pass stool, seek immediate medical attention.
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 or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if nifedipine will harm your unborn baby. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking this medicine while pregnant or breastfeeding.
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How to Read This felodipine vs nifedipine Comparison
felodipine is classified in the Calcium Channel Blocker drug class, while nifedipine 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 nifedipine has 11,725. 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 substitute for clinical judgment. Effectiveness, tolerability, drug-drug interactions with your other medications, kidney and liver function, pregnancy status, insurance formulary, and price all feed into a decision that only a licensed prescriber can make responsibly. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This page is for educational purposes only, is not medical advice, and should not be used to self-switch between felodipine and nifedipine — always consult your physician or pharmacist first.
Important: This comparison is for informational purposes only. Drug effects vary between individuals. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for personalized medical advice.