A 35-year-old woman has recently started a new medication and is now suffering from facial flushing. Which medication is she most likely to have been started on?

• A. Amlodipine
• B. Nifedipine
• C. Diltiazem
• D. Verapamil

Answer: (C)

Facial flushing after starting a new drug points to a medication that causes vasodilation of the skin. Calcium channel blockers do this by relaxing vascular smooth muscle, which increases blood flow to the face and makes you look flushed. Among the options, the drug that best fits this vasodilatory mechanism and the patient’s new-use scenario is a calcium channel blocker that commonly contributes to flushing. While other drugs in this class can also cause flushing, this particular agent is well recognized for producing facial redness as an adverse effect due to its vascular effects.