Nifedipine (Procardia)

ATI-format individual drug card with NCLEX-focused assessment, safety, teaching, and source attribution.

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CardiacOB / Newbornneeds review

Nifedipine (Procardia)

ATI class: Calcium channel blocker / Dihydropyridine

Action

  • Relaxes vascular smooth muscle to reduce blood pressure and afterload.

Therapeutic use

  • Hypertension
  • Angina
  • Pregnancy-related hypertension or preterm labor protocols when ordered

Nursing assessment

  • Monitor blood pressure, pulse, edema, headache, dizziness, and chest pain pattern.

Administration

  • Verify route against the order and source table.

Side effects

  • Headache
  • Flushing
  • Dizziness
  • Peripheral edema

Adverse effects

  • Hypotension
  • Reflex tachycardia
  • Worsening angina in selected contexts

Interactions

  • Other antihypertensives
  • Grapefruit
  • Magnesium sulfate
  • CYP3A4 inhibitors

Contraindications

  • Hypersensitivity

Precautions

  • Use caution with severe aortic stenosis, hypotension, and concurrent magnesium sulfate per protocol.

Client teaching

  • Change positions slowly.
  • Report severe dizziness, chest pain, swelling, or shortness of breath.
  • Avoid grapefruit if instructed.

Medication outcomes

  • Therapeutic response with no priority adverse effects.

Antidote / rescue

  • No specific antidote is seeded; hold/question unsafe doses and manage toxicity per provider, facility, or poison-control guidance.

NCLEX priority cues

  • Hypotension after nifedipine is priority.
  • Peripheral edema is common but dyspnea changes priority.
  • Pregnancy use still needs maternal/fetal monitoring.

Medication classes

Calcium channel blockers

Source attribution

Engage_MedTable_Nifedipine.pdf
ati-pdf
Google Drive source topic: Hypertension
google-drive
Sentinel pharmacology API reference
sentinel-api
Manual ATI-format NCLEX normalization
manual-seed

Related study cards

Shows the medication class, ATI cues, source references, and connected study cards for this drug.

12 study links
Med classmedication class
Calcium channel blockers

Relaxes vascular smooth muscle and, for selected agents, slows AV node conduction.

ATI cueTherapeutic Use
Angina

ATI medication therapeutic use concept.

ATI cueClient Teaching
Avoid grapefruit if instructed.

ATI medication client teaching concept.

ATI cueClass
Calcium channel blocker

ATI medication class concept.

ATI cueClient Teaching
Change positions slowly.

ATI medication client teaching concept.

ATI cueInteraction
CYP3A4 inhibitors

ATI medication interaction concept.

ATI cueClass
Dihydropyridine

ATI medication class concept.

ATI cueSide Effect
Dizziness

ATI medication side effect concept.

ATI cueSide Effect
Flushing

ATI medication side effect concept.

ATI cueInteraction
Grapefruit

ATI medication interaction concept.

ATI cueSide Effect
Headache

ATI medication side effect concept.

ATI cueContraindication
Hypersensitivity

ATI medication contraindication concept.