What does amlodipine look like?

Amlodipine is a tablet that comes in various shapes, colors, sizes and inscriptions.¹ This variance is due to patent laws that govern manufacturers making the same drug.² The drug manufacturer Upsher-Smith Laboratories makes white round tablets of 10 mg amlodipine with the inscription “832” on one side and “ALP-10” on the other.³ Tablets made by another manufacturer will vary in their appearance.^3-6

Using the physical appearance of a pill, its identity can be determined using Pillbox, a tool provided by the National Institute of Health.⁷ Pillbox provides users with drug name, dose, manufacturer, and general drug information provided by the National Library of Medicine. Patients may be directed to a detailed description of the drug by means of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), USA.gov, and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Patients can also contact the Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222 which provides free confidential pill identification available at all times.⁸

^References

1. Pitt B, Byington RP, Furberg CD, et al. Effect of Amlodipine on the Progression of Atherosclerosis and the Occurrence of Clinical Events. Circulation. 2000;102(13):1503-1510.
2. Registration of Trade Dress. 2012.
3. Amlodipine Manufacturers Information. Maple Grove, MN: Upsher-Smith Laboratories Inc. . 2017.
4. Weber MA, Schiffrin EL, White WB, et al. Clinical practice guidelines for the management of hypertension in the community. The journal of clinical hypertension. 2014;16(1):14-26.
5. Amlodipine Besylate. http://www.micromedexsolutions.com. Accessed January 27. 2017.
6. LACTMED: AMLODIPINE. https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search2/r?dbs+lactmed:@[email protected]+88150-42-9:@odlactmed@/cgi-bin/sis/search2/f?./temp/~WGqYYO:1@. Accessed February 24, 2017.
7. Nissen SE, Tuzcu E, Libby P, et al. Effect of antihypertensive agents on cardiovascular events in patients with coronary disease and normal blood pressure: The camelot study: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2004;292(18):2217-2225.
8. Amlodipine. Drugs@FDA. http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/.