Study for the Foundation Year Pharmacy – Clinical Practice Test. Prepare with detailed questions, step-by-step explanations, and test format insights. Enhance your readiness and confidence!

Multiple Choice

In the 54-year-old male patient’s regimen, which medication is a calcium channel blocker?

Calcium channel blockers work by preventing calcium from entering smooth muscle cells in the vessel walls, which relaxes the vessels and lowers blood pressure. Amlodipine is a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker, so its primary action is on vascular smooth muscle to cause vasodilation. The other drugs listed do not block calcium channels: cetirizine is an antihistamine, ramipril is an ACE inhibitor, and indapamide is a diuretic. Therefore, the medication acting as a calcium channel blocker is amlodipine.

Calcium channel blockers work by preventing calcium from entering smooth muscle cells in the vessel walls, which relaxes the vessels and lowers blood pressure. Amlodipine is a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker, so its primary action is on vascular smooth muscle to cause vasodilation. The other drugs listed do not block calcium channels: cetirizine is an antihistamine, ramipril is an ACE inhibitor, and indapamide is a diuretic. Therefore, the medication acting as a calcium channel blocker is amlodipine.