Isosorbide Dinitrate: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Isosorbide Dinitrate is a nitrate vasodilator sold in the U.S. under 3 brand and generic names, for angina pectoris, coronary disease and cyanosis. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Nitrate Vasodilator
- Treats (across its forms)
- Angina Pectoris, Coronary Disease and Cyanosis
- Available as
- Tablet · Capsule, extended release
- Sold as
- 3 products — Sorbitrate, Dilatrate-SR and Isordil
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Not in our catalog
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $6 for a 30-count supply — not your price
Get treated for Isosorbide Dinitrate conditions online
Licensed online providers — consult & get prescribed if eligible.
Advertising disclosure: We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. This never affects our ratings. Details
How Isordil is dosed
From the FDA label for Isordil (application NDA012093). Other isosorbide dinitrate products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
As noted under CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY , multiple-dose studies with ISDN and other nitrates have shown that maintenance of continuous 24-hour plasma levels results in refractory tolerance. Every dosing regimen for Isosorbide Dinitrate tablets must provide a daily dose-free interval to minimize the development of this tolerance. With immediate-release ISDN, it appears that one daily dose-free interval must be at least 14 hours long. As also noted under CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY , the effects of the second and later doses have been smaller and shorter-lasting than the effects of the first. Large controlled studies with other nitrates suggest that no dosing regimen with Isosorbide Dinitrate tablets should be expected to provide more than about 12 hours of continuous anti-anginal efficacy per day. As with all titratable drugs, it is important to administer the minimum dose which produces the desired clinical effect. The usual starting dose of Isosorbide Dinitrate is 5 mg to 20 mg two or three times daily. For maintenance therapy, 10 mg to 40 mg two or three times daily is recommended. Some patients may require higher doses. A daily dose-free interval of at least 14 hours is advisable to minimize tolerance. The optimal interval will vary with the individual patient, dose and regimen.
Everything below is the FDA label for Isordil (tablet). Isosorbide Dinitrate is also sold as capsule, extended release, and those are different medicines to take — follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Isordil side effects
Adverse reactions to isosorbide dinitrate are generally dose-related, and almost all of these reactions are the result of isosorbide dinitrate's activity as a vasodilator. Headache, which may be severe, is the most commonly reported side effect. Headache may be recurrent with each daily dose, especially at higher doses. Transient episodes of lightheadedness, occasionally related to blood pressure changes, may also occur. Hypotension occurs infrequently, but in some patients it may be severe enough to warrant discontinuation of therapy. Syncope, crescendo angina, and rebound hypertension have been reported but are uncommon. Extremely rarely, ordinary doses of organic nitrates have caused methemoglobinemia in normal-seeming patients. Methemoglobinemia is so infrequent at these doses that further discussion of its diagnosis and treatment is deferred (see OVERDOSAGE ). Data are not available to allow estimation of the frequency of adverse reactions during treatment with Isosorbide Dinitrate tablets. To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Oceanside Pharmaceuticals at 1-800-321-4576 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.
Who shouldn’t take Isordil
Isosorbide Dinitrate is contraindicated in patients who are allergic to isosorbide dinitrate or any of its ingredients. Do not use Isosorbide Dinitrate in patients who are taking certain drugs for erectile dysfunction (phosphodiesterase inhibitors), such as sildenafil, tadalafil, or vardenafil. Concomitant use can cause severe hypotension, syncope, or myocardial ischemia. Do not use Isosorbide Dinitrate in patients who are taking the soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator riociguat. Concomitant use can cause hypotension.
Isordil drug interactions
The vasodilating effects of isosorbide dinitrate may be additive with those of other vasodilators. Alcohol, in particular, has been found to exhibit additive effects of this variety. Concomitant use of Isosorbide Dinitrate with phosphodiesterase inhibitors in any form is contraindicated (see CONTRAINDICATIONS ). Concomitant use of Isosorbide Dinitrate with riociguat, a soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator, is contraindicated (see CONTRAINDICATIONS ).
Every isosorbide dinitrate product we track (3)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 70/100 | Prescription | Tablet | Generic | $6 | View → | |
| 2 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Capsule | Generic | $6 | View → | |
| 3 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Tablet | Generic | $6 | View → |
What isosorbide dinitrate pills look like
Imprint codes, colour and shape from the FDA’s labelling data. Match the imprint on your pill — or search any imprint.
Combination products containing isosorbide dinitrate
A combination is a different drug — different dosing, different warnings. It is listed here so you can find it, not so you can substitute it.
How long isosorbide dinitrate keeps
No isosorbide dinitrate label we read sets a separate limit for after opening, but they do specify how it must be stored — and the stability behind any date assumes those conditions.
Does isosorbide dinitrate expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsWhat people report to the FDA about isosorbide dinitrate
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 9,104 reports naming isosorbide dinitrate, and the FDA flagged 82% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- dyspnoea961 reports
- nausea854 reports
- diarrhoea801 reports
- fatigue786 reports
- dizziness778 reports
- vomiting707 reports
- chest pain700 reports
- myocardial infarction646 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean isosorbide dinitrate caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved August 25, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is Isordil?
Isordil (Isosorbide Dinitrate) is a nitrate vasodilator used to treat Angina Pectoris, Coronary Disease, Cyanosis, Gastroesophageal Reflux.
What kind of drug is isosorbide dinitrate?
The FDA classifies isosorbide dinitrate as a nitrate vasodilator. Nitrate vasodilators are converted in the body into nitric oxide, which relaxes the smooth muscle in blood vessel walls and widens them. This mainly opens up the veins, reducing how hard the heart must work and relieving chest pain. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.
Can you take isosorbide dinitrate with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run isosorbide dinitrate against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is isosorbide dinitrate sold under?
We track 3 isosorbide dinitrate-containing products in the U.S.: Sorbitrate, Dilatrate-SR and Isordil. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does isosorbide dinitrate come in?
Across the brands we track, isosorbide dinitrate is currently marketed as tablet and capsule, extended release, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic isosorbide dinitrate?
We do not currently list a generic-labelled isosorbide dinitrate product. That does not always mean none exists — it means none appears under a generic name in the FDA data we track. Ask your pharmacist.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Isosorbide Dinitrate: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/isosorbide-dinitrate
- MLA
- “Isosorbide Dinitrate: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/isosorbide-dinitrate.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for isosorbide dinitrate on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.