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Amlodopine Vs Ramipril

Posted , 5 users are following.

RHGB
RHGB

I can't believe there is a forum just for this medication. I have read the odd thread in the Hypertension section about it, but it has taken me nearly 10 months here to stumble upon this.

I imagine you can sort of guess why I'm here. I am on Am, have been for two years since I came out of hospital, along with many other medications.

I started to get foot/ankle/lower leg oedema/swelling about seven months ago and then venous ulcers, which don't have open wounds any more, but that doesn't mean they won't come back and the scars are there.

Prior to finding this forum, I have done a fair bit of research, which is how I narrowed it down to which medication it was. I have been meaning to see my GP and get it sorted, but I'm always getting round to doing things.

Anyway, picked up my parcel of medications from a well known high st chemist and the pharmacist wanted a chat as I'm a long term customer. Asked me how I was and any problems with the medications. So I spoke up, mentioned the Am and showed my ankles.

She winced and said I need to get it changed, I must speak to my GP and she will talk to me next month when I come to pick up my meds. She mentioned I think, Ramipril as an alternative. But I don't want o swap one side effect medication to another side effect medication. And a quick internet look up says Ramipril has its fair share of problems.

Any suggestiosn/advice, I have already sent my GP an email asking to change it.

2 likes, 15 replies

15 Replies

  • MrsO-UK_Surrey
    MrsO-UK_Surrey RHGB

    Posted

    RHGB.  Snap with that side effect of Amlodipine.  My ankle swelling was so bad that it led to a diagnosis of varicose eczema.  I came off the tablets and the swelling improved but still have the red and blotchy patches, which are further being aggravated by my lates BP pill, Doxazosin, so I don't recommend that one.  I am being the consultant's worse nightmare in that I hve had horrid side effects from all the pills tried to date, including Ramipril which made me nauseous.  However, that doesn't mean to say that it will affect anyone else in the same way - we are all different.  The only pill out of about 7 so far that hasn't thrown up any nasty discernible side effects is Losartan Potassium 50.  It is also the one that my pharmacist says he hears the least complaints about.  However, it doesn't control my BP on its own so a second pill is a necessity.....only wish that there was one out there that I could tolerate!  

    I hope you will be luckier with whatever alternative medication you try.

    • mike92384
      mike92384 MrsO-UK_Surrey

      Posted

      Hi MrsO-UK Surrey. I take Doxazosin 1mg/daily & have no problems. 

      The key to avoiding diziness, if that's experienced is to take it at night, which I do. Remember, what's good for one person, may not be good for another. RHGB just may have luck with the Doxazosin as I do. 

    • MrsO-UK_Surrey
      MrsO-UK_Surrey mike92384

      Posted

      Mike, yes, of course we're all different and can therefore present differently with our symptoms and respond differently to the treatment.  Anyway it looks as though RHGB is in line for Ramipril in place of Amlodipine in the first instance.

      Dizziness is not one of my side effects from the Doxazosin - they are mainly shortness of breath when walking, swollen ankles and and itchy skin.  

      I'm now drinking a glass of cherry juice made from concentrate which has recently been advertised for reducing blood pressure, plus the latest recommendation is grana padano cheese daily which the experts are saying is so successful that it can replace blood pressure medication.  We will see!  Anything is worth a try when someone has problems tolerating the medications. 

  • Alberta23
    Alberta23 RHGB

    Posted

    Hello, I had problems after being on Amlodopine for only a few days Dr has changed meds to Felodipine I was ok on 5 but when it was increased to 10 ankles swelled and Cardiac Arithmia came back DR. wanted to change to 20 but I have refused. I am fed up with being used as a guinea pig. Ramipril caused me to have a cough and put on weight lisprinal gave me skin rashes Lercanidpine kept me awake all night.   
  • mike92384
    mike92384 RHGB

    Posted

    RHGB..not meaning to be critical here, but you should never have waited so long to speak up about the side effects you were having with the Amlodipine. Foot/ankle/lower leg swelling is very common. Waiting 7 months do something about it should never be done. Sorry, but this is how I feel. You have suffered with the side effects far too long. Yes, yiour chemist suggested you could try Rampiril

    as an alternative, but ask about the common side effect of a dry nagging cough when taking ACE Inhibitors,which is what Rampiril is. Not everyone experiences

    that cough though. I for one take Coversyl which is an ACE as well, but never had the cough whereas 2 of my friends most certainly did. IF that should plague you,

    you can suggest trying an ARB e.g. Valsartan, Candasartan, Irbesartan, etc. Your chemist & Dr.will know about these.

    Good luck!!!

     

    • RHGB
      RHGB mike92384

      Posted

      I don't mind honest criticism,it isn't something I know already. I felt that I had brought it upon myself, because it never used to be a problem for a year when I wasn't drinking. Then a lapsed for about four months, which seemed to be the catalyst for it reacting.

      I have been off the alcohol for all of this year and I thought it might rectify itself and go back to normal, but that didn't happen.

      I looked at the alternatives and it seems pot luck whether you get something that doesn't cause a problem.

      To all that have answered, thank you. My GP emailed me this morning, I'm not long back home, to say there is a felodipine prescription waiting for me to try initially. I think Im about to go on rolling medications until I find one without bad side effects.

      I haven't and won't have a chance to look it up until later.

    • mike92384
      mike92384 RHGB

      Posted

      RHGB...Felodipine....hmmmm....Well, I'm certainly not a doctor or pharmacist, but I do know that Felodipine is in the class of Calcium Channel Blockers, as is Amlodipine. You may want to ask the Dr. if there

      is any real difference between the two. If there isn't, then what's the point?

    • RHGB
      RHGB mike92384

      Posted

      This is what the GP said.

      'Try felodipine instead initially. There is another one after that to try if no better. You should know within a couple of weeks if they are improved. Felodipine was designed to avoid this side effect, but still has it in a number of people.'

      I have the stuff, so I will be starting it tonight. I take my cocktail of medications just before I go to bed.

  • MrsO-UK_Surrey
    MrsO-UK_Surrey RHGB

    Posted

    Good luck with the Felodipine, RHGB.  Just because one calcium channel blocker causes problems it doesn't mean to say than another will.  Even the same name pills but made by a different manufacturer can have different side effects.
    • RHGB
      RHGB MrsO-UK_Surrey

      Posted

      Yes, I have thought about that. When I very first got my prescriptions, I got them from my GP pharmacy. But they made repeat prescriptions a bit of an effort to get, so I swapped to Boots, as they get the eletcronic prescriptions each month, make up the order and text me when it's ready.

      I have wondered if they changed brand at some stage, I didn't swap to them at the time of the problem, but that's not to say they didn't swap at a later stage. I am going to make a note of this brand and if it works, insist Boots supply the same.

  • RHGB
    RHGB

    Posted

    Well, this is what I was worried about. My legs are mcuh better this morning, the heat has gone out of the shins and the swelling looks to have subsided a bit - the sock test in a day or so will confirm.

    But now I have a persistent dry cough. Does anyone know the reason for the use of CCB instead of good old bete blockers for control of blood pressure? I used to take antenolol for many years without problem.

    The CCB seem to control BP through the heart, is there something the doctors have failed to mention to me?

    • MrsO-UK_Surrey
      MrsO-UK_Surrey RHGB

      Posted

      RHGB, I would have thought it a bit soon for a persistent dry cough to arrive as a result of having taken jut one dose of Felodipine.  However, anything is possible, for instance look at the fast improvement in the swelling side effect of the Amlodipine having only just come off it.  At least that's reassuring.

      Perhaps you should ask you GP the reason why you were taken off Atenolol after having taken it for so many years wth problem.  Perhaps it was no longer controlling your blood pressure sufficiently?  Were you, by any chance, taking a water tablet (diuretic) at the same time as the Atenolol?  I ask because a few years ago research uncovered a risk of diabetes in those taking both a beta blocker and a diuretic.

      By the way, if you eat grapefruit or drink the juice, it is not recommended whilst taking Felodipine.

      It is only your GP who can answer your last question.  Amlodipine is a CCB and I did read some time ago that following research carried out at the Brigham Hospital for Women in Boston it was discovered that Amlodipine could cause heart problems in women.  I have since mentioned this to my renal consultant (he is the main one dealing with my high BP) and he says that this was not finally proven.  No smoke without fire - both my hubby and my next door neighbour have needed pacemakers in the last couple of years......both on Amlodipine!  Having said that, I'm sure there are thousands of people taking Amlodipine wthout any problem but we don't hear about them as they have no need to seek out the forum.

    • RHGB
      RHGB MrsO-UK_Surrey

      Posted

      I think a bit of background is in order. I have suffered from HBP since about 25, and was given atenolol. In my early thirties, I got a good promotion, but it meant moving around the country a lot and medicaton went out the window. Self medication for stress in the form of lcohol came in.

      And then it all came to an abrupt head about two years ago. I was feeling unwell and my legs were starting to give way, I could hardly stand or walk. Went to the doctors with my wife, GP sent me straight to A&E whilst he rang the bed manager and told me I wouldn't becoming home that night.

      The reason the GP sent me, was he saw jaundice and suspected liver failure (I only found that out recently when I bought my patient records).

      But I don't like to do things by half, so because of my original complaint to my GP, they did a CT and I was found to have a bleed on the brain with a midline shift of 6mm.

      And so got transferred to a specialist hospital, where I had a near on two month stay. All the medications I am on now, I was put on whilst in hospital. I am also on a diuretic now, but I wasn't when I was on atenolol.

      I can assure you I have a tickly persistent cough that I didn't have yesterday and I don't smoke, suffer from asthma, hayfever etc.

    • MrsO-UK_Surrey
      MrsO-UK_Surrey RHGB

      Posted

      It sounds as though you had a bit of a rough time of it a couple of years ago, but so glad to hear your GP acted switftly and you came out of it safely.

      Perhaps as it's the weekend, you could ring your prescribing pharmacist and seek advice from him/her about the tickly cough and whether it could possibly be a side effect of Felodipine - at the same time checking for any possible interactions between Felodipine and your existing medications.

    • RHGB
      RHGB MrsO-UK_Surrey

      Posted

      I would kind of hope that my GP would have checked the compatibility with my other medications.

      Anyway, I just toughed it out of the weekend, I actually wasn't feeling great last night, so I went to bed without taking my medications, so I don't have a cough today. I'll have to see what tomorrow brings.

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