Nicardipine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands

Nicardipine is a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker sold in the U.S. under 6 brand and generic names, for variant angina pectoris, hypertension and stable angina. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.

By the pharmaranks editorial teamReviewed against the FDA (openFDA label, NDC Directory & Enforcement) sourcesUpdated Jul 24, 2026How we research

Key facts

Drug class: Dihydropyridine Calcium Channel Blocker
Treats (across its forms): Variant Angina Pectoris, Hypertension and Stable Angina
Available as: Injectable · Capsule, extended release
Sold as: 6 products — Cardene, Cardene in 0.83% Sodium Chloride in Plastic Container and Cardene in 0.86% Sodium Chloride in Plastic Container, and others
Prescription?: Prescription only
Generic available?: Not in our catalog
What the pharmacy pays: about $41 for a 30-count supply — not your price

How Cardene is dosed

From the FDA label for Cardene (application NDA019734). Other nicardipine products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.

For Intravenous Use. ( 2.1 ) • No further dilution is required. ( 2.3 ) • When substituting for oral nicardipine therapy, use the intravenous infusion rate from the table below ( 2.1 ): Oral CARDENE Dose Equivalent I.V. Infusion Rate (0.1 mg/mL) Equivalent I.V. Infusion Rate (0.2 mg/mL) 20 mg q8h 0.5 mg/hr = 5 mL/hr 0.5 mg/hr = 2.5 mL/hr 30 mg q8h 1.2 mg/hr = 12 mL/hr 1.2 mg/hr = 6 mL/hr 40 mg q8h 2.2 mg/hr = 22 mL/hr 2.2 mg/hr = 11 mL/hr • In a patient not receiving oral nicardipine, initiate therapy at 5 mg/hr. Increase the infusion rate by 2.5 mg/hr every 5 minutes (for rapid titration) to 15 minutes (for gradual titration) up to a maximum of 15 mg/hr until desired blood pressure reduction is achieved. ( 2.1 ) Conversion Table (mg/hr) Equivalent I.V. Infusion Rate (0.1 mg/mL) Equivalent I.V. Infusion Rate (0.2 mg/mL) 5 mg/hr 50 mL/hr 25 mL/hr 2.5 mg/hr 25 mL/hr 12.5 mL/hr 15 mg/hr 150 mL/hr 75 mL/hr • If unacceptable hypotension or tachycardia occurs, discontinue the infusion. When blood pressure and heart rate stabilize, restart the infusion at low doses such as 3-5 mg/hr. ( 2.2 ) 2.1 Recommended Dosing CARDENE I.V. is intended for intravenous use. Titrate dose to achieve the desired blood pressure reduction. Individualize dosage depending on the blood pressure to be obtained and the response of the patient. Dosage as a Substitute for Oral Nicardipine Therapy The…

Everything below is the FDA label for Cardene (injectable). Nicardipine is also sold as capsule, extended release, and those are different medicines to take — follow the label for the one you were prescribed.

Cardene side effects

Most common adverse reactions: are headache (15%), hypotension (6%), tachycardia (4%) and nausea/vomiting (5%). ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Baxter Healthcare Corporation at 1-866-888-2472 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. The adverse reaction information from clinical trials does, however, provide a basis for identifying the adverse events that appear to be related to drug use and for approximating rates. Two hundred forty-four patients participated in two multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of CARDENE I.V. Adverse experiences were generally not serious and most were expected consequences of vasodilation. Adverse experiences occasionally required dosage adjustment. Therapy was discontinued in approximately 12% of patients, mainly due to hypotension, headache, and tachycardia. The table below shows percentage of patients with adverse events where the rate is >3% more common on CARDENE I.V. than placebo. Adverse Event Cardene I.V. (N=144) Placebo (N=100) Body as a Whole Headache, n (%) 21 (15) 2 (2) Cardiovascular Hypotension, n…

Who shouldn’t take Cardene

Do not use in patients with advanced aortic stenosis ( 4.1 ). 4.1 Advanced Aortic Stenosis CARDENE I.V. is contraindicated in patients with advanced aortic stenosis because part of the effect of CARDENE I.V. is secondary to reduced afterload. Reduction of diastolic pressure in these patients may worsen rather than improve myocardial oxygen balance.

Cardene drug interactions

Cimetidine increases oral nicardipine plasma levels. ( 7.2 ) • Oral or intravenous nicardipine may increase cyclosporine and tacrolimus plasma levels. Frequent monitoring of trough blood levels of cyclosporine and tacrolimus is recommended when co-administering CARDENE I.V. ( 7.3 , 7.4 ) 7.1 Beta-Blockers In most patients, CARDENE I.V. can safely be used concomitantly with beta blockers. However, titrate slowly when using CARDENE I.V. in combination with a beta-blocker in heart failure patients [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ]. 7.2 Cimetidine Cimetidine has been shown to increase nicardipine plasma concentrations with oral nicardipine administration. Frequently monitor response in patients receiving both drugs. Data with other histamine-2 antagonists are not available. 7.3 Cyclosporine Concomitant administration of oral or intravenous nicardipine and cyclosporine results in elevated plasma cyclosporine levels through nicardipine inhibition of hepatic microsomal enzymes, including CYP3A4. Closely monitor plasma concentrations of cyclosporine during CARDENE I.V. administration, and reduce the dose of cyclosporine accordingly. 7.4 Tacrolimus Concomitant administration of intravenous nicardipine and tacrolimus may result in elevated plasma tacrolimus levels through nicardipine inhibition of hepatic microsomal enzymes, including CYP3A4. Closely monitor plasma concentrations of tacrolimus during CARDENE I.V. administration, and adjust the dose of tacrolimus accordingly. 7.5 In Vitro Interaction The plasma protein binding of nicardipine was not altered when therapeutic concentrations of furosemide, propranolol, dipyridamole, warfarin, quinidine, or naproxen were added to human plasma in vitro.

Every nicardipine product we track (6)

Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.

Nicardipine products
#	Drug	Rating	Type	Form	Generic?	Pharmacy pays
1	Cardene	70/100	Prescription	Injectable	Generic	$41	View →
2	Cardene in 0.83% Sodium Chloride in Plastic Container	70/100	Prescription	Injectable	Generic	$41	View →
3	Cardene in 0.86% Sodium Chloride in Plastic Container	70/100	Prescription	Injectable	Generic	$41	View →
4	Cardene in 4.8% Dextrose in Plastic Container	70/100	Prescription	Injectable	Generic	$41	View →
5	Cardene in 5.0% Dextrose in Plastic Container	70/100	Prescription	Injectable	Generic	$41	View →
6	Cardene SR	70/100	Prescription	Capsule	Generic	$41	View →

Nicardipine recalls

From the FDA Enforcement database. A recall covers specific lots — not the drug as a whole.

How long nicardipine keeps

The date on a sealed pack is not the only one: some nicardipine labels start a second clock once the product is opened or mixed, as short as 24 hours.

Does nicardipine expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labels

Nicardipine and breastfeeding

From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.

Because of the low levels of nicardipine in breastmilk, amounts ingested by the infant are small and would not be expected to cause any adverse effects in breastfed infants. No special precautions are required.

Full LactMed record for nicardipine: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider instead

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised November 15, 2024. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.

What people report to the FDA about nicardipine

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 2,769 reports naming nicardipine, and the FDA flagged 98% 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:

acute kidney injury167 reports
hypotension122 reports
premature baby106 reports
maternal exposure during pregnancy94 reports
pyrexia92 reports
fall86 reports
foetal exposure during pregnancy86 reports
confusional state82 reports

Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean nicardipine 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 July 25, 2026.

Related calculators

How long it stays in your system →

Frequently asked questions

What is Cardene?

CARDENE I.V. (nicardipine hydrochloride) is a calcium ion influx inhibitor (slow channel blocker or calcium channel blocker). CARDENE I.V. for intravenous administration contains 20 mg (0.1 mg/mL) of nicardipine hydrochloride per 200 mL in either dextrose or sodium chloride or 40 mg (0.2 mg/mL) of nicardipine hydrochloride per 200 mL in sodium chloride.

What kind of drug is nicardipine?

The FDA classifies nicardipine as a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker. Dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers stop calcium from entering the muscle cells in your blood vessel walls. With less calcium, those muscles relax and the vessels widen, which lowers blood pressure and eases the heart's workload. 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 nicardipine 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 nicardipine 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 nicardipine sold under?

We track 6 nicardipine-containing products in the U.S.: Cardene, Cardene in 0.83% Sodium Chloride in Plastic Container, Cardene in 0.86% Sodium Chloride in Plastic Container, Cardene in 4.8% Dextrose in Plastic Container, Cardene in 5.0% Dextrose in Plastic Container and Cardene SR. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.

What forms does nicardipine come in?

Across the brands we track, nicardipine is currently marketed as injectable 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 nicardipine?

We do not currently list a generic-labelled nicardipine 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.

Has nicardipine been recalled?

The FDA's Enforcement database lists at least 5 recall records whose product description mentions nicardipine. The most recent: niCARdipine Hydrochloride Injection (Apr 18, 2025). A recall applies to specific lots, not to the drug as a whole — check the record for the affected lot numbers.

Cite this page

APA: pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Nicardipine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/nicardipine
MLA: “Nicardipine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/nicardipine.

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 nicardipine on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.