felodipine vs verapamil
Side-by-side comparison of felodipine and verapamil Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
Plendil
Calan, Verelan
Felodipine is a drug that lowers your blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of strokes and heart attacks.
Verapamil is a drug that helps to lower blood pressure and treat chest pain (angina) and irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias). It works by relaxing blood vessels and slowing down the heart rate.
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.
Verapamil is used to treat chest pain called angina. This includes angina that happens when you are resting or during normal activity. It is also used to control your heart rate if you have a fast or irregular heartbeat, such as atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. Verapamil also treats high blood pressure.
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.
Verapamil belongs to a class of drugs called calcium channel blockers. It works by blocking calcium from entering heart and blood vessel cells. This relaxes and widens blood vessels, which lowers blood pressure and makes it easier for the heart to pump.
- • Swelling in your ankles or feet
- • Headache
- • Flushing (redness of face)
- • Feeling tired
- • Constipation
- • Shortness of breath
- • Dizziness
- • Slow heart rate (less than 50 beats per minute)
- • Nausea
- Feeling tired 1,050
- Difficulty breathing 953
- Feeling lightheaded 946
- Loose stools 846
- Feeling sick to your stomach 846
- Shortness of breath 356
- Feeling sick to your stomach 341
- Interaction with another medicine 316
- Feeling lightheaded or unsteady 286
- Low blood pressure 280
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.
You should not take this medicine if you have severe heart problems, very low blood pressure, or certain types of irregular heartbeats without a pacemaker. Talk to your doctor if you have any of these conditions.
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 verapamil will harm your unborn baby. Verapamil can pass into breast milk, so talk to your doctor about the best way to feed your baby if you take this medicine.
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How to Read This felodipine vs verapamil Comparison
felodipine is classified in the Calcium Channel Blocker drug class, while verapamil 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 verapamil has 1,579. 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 verapamil — 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.