Atelec tablets 5 mg for high blood pressure (cilnidipine, hypertension)

Are Atelec tablets effective for high blood pressure (cilnidipine)?

Atelec tablets 5 mg contain cilnidipine, a calcium channel blocker used to treat hypertension, or high blood pressure. Cilnidipine relaxes blood vessels, allowing blood to flow more easily and lowering the pressure against artery walls. Its action also involves the nerves that help regulate blood pressure.

How cilnidipine works

Blood vessels contain a layer of muscle that controls how narrow or wide they become. Calcium entering these muscle cells helps them contract. Cilnidipine blocks L-type calcium channels, reducing calcium entry so that the vessel walls relax and the arteries widen.

Cilnidipine also blocks N-type calcium channels in sympathetic nerves, which are involved in the body’s response to stress and activity. This reduces the release of noradrenaline, a chemical messenger that encourages blood vessels to tighten. Together, these two actions help lower blood pressure while limiting the reflex increase in heart rate that can accompany widening of the arteries.

Benefits of Atelec for hypertension

Cilnidipine addresses two mechanisms involved in raised blood pressure:

• Tightening of the arteries: relaxing the muscles in blood vessel walls reduces resistance to blood flow.
• Sympathetic nerve activity: reducing noradrenaline release helps moderate nerve signals that raise blood pressure.

These complementary actions explain why cilnidipine is described as an L-/N-type calcium channel blocker.

Evidence of blood pressure control throughout the day

Cilnidipine’s effectiveness has been measured using portable monitors that record blood pressure during normal daily activities and sleep. In “Comparison of the effects of cilnidipine and amlodipine on ambulatory blood pressure,” published in Hypertension Research in 2005, 55 patients receiving cilnidipine had significant reductions in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure across 24 hours. Systolic pressure is the upper reading; diastolic pressure is the lower reading.

The same research recorded an average reduction of approximately 1.2 beats per minute in 24-hour pulse rate with cilnidipine. This provides a clinical example of blood pressure falling without an accompanying average rise in heart rate, consistent with its action on sympathetic nerves. These findings concern cilnidipine treatment rather than a guaranteed response to an individual 5 mg tablet.

Package details: 100 tablets

Each package contains 100 Atelec tablets 5 mg, supplied as 10 blister sheets of 10 tablets.

Active components: Cilnidipine, 5 mg per tablet.

Therapeutic effect: Treatment of hypertension. Atelec lowers blood pressure by relaxing arteries and reducing sympathetic nerve signals involved in blood vessel constriction.

Dosage and administration:

The usual adult dosage of cilnidipine is 5–10 mg once daily after breakfast, equivalent to one or two 5 mg tablets. The dosage can be adjusted by your doctor according to your age, condition and blood pressure response, up to 20 mg once daily when prescribed. Follow the number of tablets stated on your prescription.

Do not change the dose or stop treatment without your doctor’s instructions, even when your blood pressure readings improve.

Contraindications and precautions:

Atelec must not be taken during pregnancy or possible pregnancy, or by anyone allergic to cilnidipine or the tablet’s other ingredients. Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding, have severe liver disease, or have previously experienced a serious reaction to a calcium channel blocker. Avoid grapefruit juice. Tell your doctor or pharmacist about all other medicines, particularly other blood pressure treatments, digoxin, cimetidine, rifampicin and azole antifungals such as itraconazole. Avoid driving if you feel dizzy. Seek prompt medical advice for yellowing of the skin or eyes, or unusual bruising or bleeding, which can indicate serious adverse effects.