Jump to: What is amlodipine? | What is Mounjaro? | Why take Mounjaro and amlodipine together? | Take home message
You can take Mounjaro (tirzepatide) with amlodipine if you meet the eligibility criteria for Mounjaro.
You won’t be prescribed Mounjaro with amlodipine if you’re in the healthy BMI range, as it could lead to unnecessary weight loss.
No known interactions exist between Mounjaro and amlodipine. However, this doesn’t mean interactions don’t exist, but as of October 2024, none have been observed yet.
Still, caution is advised when taking Mounjaro with amlodipine due to Mounjaro’s impact on the gut, which has the potential to alter the metabolism of amlodipine.
Additionally, Mounjaro and amlodipine lower blood pressure, so there’s a potential risk of experiencing very low blood pressure, particularly during dose adjustments.
If you were to take Mounjaro with amlodipine on Second Nature’s Mounjaro weight-loss programme, our clinical team would review your situation and provide the necessary guidance.
We’d recommend telling your GP if you start taking Mounjaro with amlodipine.
What is amlodipine?
Amlodipine is a widely prescribed calcium channel blocker for people living with high blood pressure and unstable angina. Its primary function is to dilate (or relax) blood vessels, effectively reducing blood pressure.
This vasodilation extends to coronary arteries, improving oxygen supply to the heart and alleviating angina symptoms.
Beyond its immediate effects on blood flow, amlodipine has been shown to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes, compared to other blood pressure medications.
What is Mounjaro?
Mounjaro is a dual-action weight-loss injection. It supports weight loss by mimicking two hormones, GLP-1 and GIP, that communicate with the brain’s appetite control centre, the hypothalamus, to lower hunger and food-seeking behaviour.
By lowering hunger and our desire to eat, Mounjaro helps us eat fewer calories to achieve a calorie deficit.
A calorie deficit occurs when we consume fewer calories than our body needs to fuel its essential functions, such as digestion, blood flow, and brain function.
By creating a calorie deficit, our bodies will ‘burn’ the excess fat stored for energy, and we’ll lose weight.
Mounjaro also slows down the rate at which we digest food so that our stomach and gut send signals to the brain to signal the feeling of fullness.
So, Mounjaro supports weight loss by making us feel less hungry through two mechanisms:
- Communicating with the brain’s appetite control centre
- Slowing the rate that food is digested
Randomised controlled trials have shown that Mounjaro leads to an average weight loss of around 26% after one year.
Why take Mounjaro and amlodipine together?
People living with obesity have an increased risk of developing high blood pressure.
Research from Framingham (a longitudinal cardiovascular study of over 5,000 adults in the U.S.) showed that people living with a BMI of over 30 had 16 mmHg higher systolic and 9 mmHg higher diastolic blood pressure compared to those with a BMI below 25.
While there’s a connection between obesity and blood pressure, it’s more likely due to the lifestyle that leads to obesity that’s causing higher blood pressure than it solely being a direct effect of having excess body fat.
Poor diet, a lack of physical activity, poor sleep, and stress can all lead to higher blood pressure, and many people living with obesity have normal blood pressure, much like many people who are a ‘healthy’ weight will be living with high blood pressure, despite lower levels of body fat.
Still, research has shown that losing weight (or the process of getting healthier to support weight loss) consistently reduces blood pressure.
Additionally, randomised controlled trials have shown that tirzepatide (the drug in Mounjaro) significantly reduces systolic and diastolic blood pressure by around 7 mmHg and 4 mmHg.
The number of participants on Mounjaro with elevated blood pressure significantly reduced during this trial, and the percentage of participants with normal blood pressure increased from 30.2% to 58% after 72 weeks of treatment.
So, if you’re currently living with obesity and high blood pressure or unstable angina and are taking amlodipine, Mounjaro may help you lose weight and have the complimentary benefit of lowering blood pressure.
However, Mounjaro’s impact on the gut could affect amlodipine’s metabolism as it is an oral medication (taken in pill form).
Combining the two drugs may also lead to very low blood pressure, particularly when adjusting doses.
It’s worth monitoring the response to both medications and keeping your healthcare team informed of any adverse effects you experience.
Take home message
Weight-loss injections are most effective when combined with a healthier lifestyle. They can help kickstart weight loss while you commit to developing healthier habits.
Mounjaro and other weight loss injections, like Ozempic and Wegovy, can allow you to make lifestyle changes to support long-term weight loss.
These medications can help silence food-related thoughts and give you a boost of confidence with more immediate weight-loss results.
They can also buy you the time and headspace to understand why your body may have struggled to lose weight and build new long-term healthy habits.
The core focus of our medication programmes is to calm down the feeling of food noise, lower your cravings, and allow you to build healthier habits to keep the weight off for good.
The ultimate goal is to make losing weight feel second nature.
Second Nature’s medication programmes
Second Nature has two medication-supported programmes: a Wegovy weight-loss programme and a Mounjaro weight-loss programme.
Why should you choose Second Nature over other medication providers if you’ve decided to try Mounjaro or Wegovy (assuming you’re eligible)?
For peace of mind.
Second Nature has worked with the NHS for over 6 years, providing weight-loss programmes across the UK.
While our Wegovy and Mounjaro weight-loss programmes are private and not currently used by the NHS, we’ve built the programmes focusing on scientific evidence, patient safety, and data security.
We hope that our 6+ years of working with the NHS and building a track record of effective weight-loss results will give you peace of mind to give us a try.
