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Side / Withdrawal Effects of Amlodipine or Citalopram

Posted , 7 users are following.

dave2002
dave2002

Firstly I have read the results of taking Amlodipine which are extensive alsoIi have been active on the Citalopram forum where there are again a whole raft of issues involved in taking either or both of these drugs. One thing which is obvious is that the side effects from both sets of drugs are similar in many ways, hence my confusion.

What occurred to me is as follows;

In November 2014 i was placed on Amlodopine (5mg) for borderline BP this was closely followed two weeks later by Cit at a 10mg dosage a few days later Cit was increased to 20mg the maximum for someone of my age group.

Within 24 hours of upping the Cit dosage my world collapsed and lethargy kicked in in an amazing way. I had to drag myself out of bed at 10 am then sat all day staring at the walls or mindlessly at the TV. I was told that the effects of Cit would take several weeks to kick in so I persevered with the drug at the higher dosage for a further 4 weeks . Consulting the GP it was agreed that the drug did not suit me and was finally taken off Cit just prior to Xmas.

It is now almost 9 weeks and i still have issues if side effect or withdrawal symptoms I am aware that Cit withdrawal can take up to 3 months to subside but as I was only on them for a short time I would have thought they should be subsiding or have disappeared by now.

From reading other peoples experiences of Amlodipine I am now wondering if part of the side effects which I am experiencing was due to Amlodipine and not Cit.

The side effects / withdrawal symptoms which are still effecting me are mainly three fold as follows;

1. Lethargy

2. Stomach related issues of nausea and stomach gas which leads to a lack of appetite.

3. Dry mouth and feeling like I have recently scolded my tongue

I was wondering if anybody can illuminate me on any of the above maybe having any similar experiences, if so what did they do about it and how long did they last

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • mike92384
    mike92384 dave2002

    Posted

    Hi Dave2002

    I'm sorry you're having such a rough go of things. Amlodipine has caused problems for a lot of people. Whatever printout I had regarding this drug certainly didn't state nearly as many as the problems as people on this forum had experienced. Of course it wouldn't. The main thing it DID state was that swollen ankles was very common. Some people don't have a problem with Amlodipine, others, like myself had a rough time with it. Reading some of the stories on this forum is like watching a horror movie. There is speculation that Amlodipine has been banned in Holland. I do agree that you have to give medicine a chance. 24hrs is by no means any time to measure the effectiveness of the drug, or whatever side effects. Rule of thumb these days seems to be to take the drug for a period of 1 month, then if there's no change..up the dosage, or if side effects are intollerable, come off it. Actually, I'm surprised your doctor doubled the dosage of Cit after just 2 weeks. The effects your experiencing could be a combination of both the Amlodipine & Cit. I quit the Amlodipine over 2 weeks ago, & although I'm experiencing a vast improvement (burning feet & legs), it certainly has not completely gone. I was taking Amlodipine for just over a year, so I honestly don't expect the drug to be completely out of my system at this stage. 

    If I were you, I'd give it a bit longer. Yes,  you'll be experiencing the withdrawal just the same, but you never know, suddenly one day you'll notice a good improvement. I hope this is the case for you. Did you wean off the Cit, or come off suddenly. THAT could be making the difference. With Amlodipine, you don't need to wean. I know this for a fact, because I got that information from 2 very good pharmacists with whom I have a great rapport.

    Please let us know how you get on. Good luck, Dave!!!

    • dave2002
      dave2002 mike92384

      Posted

      Hi thanks for your reply regarding the Cit dosage increase it was the intention to get me to 20mg per day but in a two stage introduction. I have been on Ad for more than three months now which i feel is more than long enough to make an assessmentof it as to how i should be feeling. Off to se the GP in the next few days to discuss the situation. I am thinking of a Ad holiday to see how it goes my BP at present is well in control averaging 118 / 68 over several reading today.

      Thanks for your comments

       

    • mike92384
      mike92384 dave2002

      Posted

      Hey Dave..Not sure what you mean by "Ad"..unless you're referring to

      AMLODIPINE. Your bp is well in control, averaging 118/68...after several readings. That's a GREAT reading!!!!!! Don't fall into the trap of taking your bp readings too often. This can lead to anxiety, & anxiety leads to raised numbers. 

    • dave2002
      dave2002 mike92384

      Posted

      Mike Hi!

      You are correct Ad stands for Adlodipine . I took the reading as i was visiting my GP today and as a norm take readings to report to her as i suffer from white coat syndrome now on a Ad holiday to see if it is Ad which is causing my side effects but wil have to maintain a watch on BP just in case but I take your point.

      Thanks for the message

       

  • Howard5050
    Howard5050 dave2002

    Posted

    Hi Dave,

    2 to 3 weeks ago i decided to stop taking amlodipine while on holiday after being on it for month and a half. i had swelling of the legs,ankles and feet. At first the swelling apeared and then receded within a day,but while on holiday it just seemed to get worse every day. since being off the drug i am still experiencing slight swelling of the gums, and blood in my nose. feel a little better in myself for coming off the drug, but my BP is still high, much the same as when I first started the drug. i'm off to the doctors tomorrow, but i'm sure he will say to me to carry on with it, and did say if it wasn't working he would give me that drug plus another. i'm definitely not going back to that. as you have said, I have given it a chance, and to my mind it has not improved my BP. I have a cousin who I went on holiday with, i think i have already talked about it on this site. But he is on Lercanidipine for his BP, and to his knowledge he has had no side effects at all. It has reduced his BP. Anybody know anything about  Lercanidipine?

    • mike92384
      mike92384 Howard5050

      Posted

      Hi Howard5050...I'm not surprised you had swollen legs/ankles/feet while on Amlodipine. THAT is a VERY common side effect, more so with the 10mg dosage, but it can happen with the 5mg dosage as well. 

      You were on it for a month & a half..long enough I'd say to see if it worked for you or not. If the doctor tells you to carry on with it, & you are very reluctant because of the side effects you've experienced & the length of time you were on it..you might serve yourself well by telling him "no, I want something else". Amlodipine is a calcium channel blocker..there are ARB's & A.C.E's out there too, but the A.C.E's are known to cause a dry hacking cough, in many people, but not all. I do not have the cough. Inso far as Lercanidipine is concerned, that too is a calciium channel blocker, but there may be a different ingredient in that which may not disagree with you. Remember, we are all different, & can experience things others don't,  & vice-versa.  What I don't understand is why, unless I'm confused here..but why did your doctor say he's "give me that drug plus another".Did you mean he'd give you the Amlodipine again, along with something else? I don't see why you can't come off the Amlodipine, & take another medicine instead. I hardly think you don't need the Amlodipine to be teamed up with another med, but of course I'm not a doctor. 

      Please let us know how you get on with this. Best of luck!!!

    • paul33163
      paul33163 mike92384

      Posted

      I am no doctor either but I believe Amlipodine should be prescribed with a diuretic to help reduce the swelling, but that didn’t work for me. Once I stooped the Amlipodine I kept taking the Diuretic for approx 4 weeks to help reduce the swelling.
    • mike92384
      mike92384 paul33163

      Posted

      Hey Paul33163...I too believe Amlodipine should be prescribed with a diuretic, but that's just my thoughts. Somehow the swelling may not be water retention..but lymphatic instead. When I had the swelling while taking the 10mgs..my doctor did not prescribe a diuretic. I didn't have the swelling at all while on 5mgs..but it didn't lower my bp for very long, which is why he put me on the 10mgs. I'll never take Amlodipine again.
    • MrsO-UK_Surrey
      MrsO-UK_Surrey paul33163

      Posted

      Paul and Mike

      I was horrified when my consultant suggested adding a diuretic to offset the swelling and fluid retention being caused by Amlodipine.  I hate taking pills anyway, and the thought of having to take a pill to counteract the effects of another seemed crazy to me.

      If you come off Amlodipine or any other BP lowering pills and are still having ankle swelling and fluid retention, try including a lot of known diuretic foods in your diet such as asparagus, garlic, fennel and melon.

    • sue2208
      sue2208 Howard5050

      Posted

      Hi Howard, I have been taking Lercanidpine for a month now and have had to stop taking it due to severe swelling and bleeding of my gums.  It was very painful and I am sorry to stop the Lercanidipine as it was bringing my BP down and I had no symptoms for the first 3 weeks. 
  • Bayliner
    Bayliner dave2002

    Posted

    Dave,

    I wish their were easy answers. High BP can be caused by different

    mechinisms as you well know.

    My BP was hovering high...155[85 ...GP put me on 5mg AD/day.

    Same symtoms as you described.

    Found that 4 things are helping to get off it

    1. Monitor (reduced now to @ .75 mg every other day *if needed

    2. Get away from STRESS

    3. Add magnesium, coq10, potassium  w/reduced fat intake

    4. My CORTISOL level off scale. (reduce w/spinach/brocolli

    I am 65 have not taken Ad for three days 112/65 P 60

    I will take it if I see a spike..but maintain the supplement regiment while reducing intake amounts. (requires close monitoring)

    Walking

    Hot baths (soak) also are a BIG help

    I am NOT recommending this for everyone because it takes

    time for it to kick in. *Be careful and monitor frequently

    Your situation maybe totally diffenent...the natural supplements

    listed are well documented in double blind studies..to reduce Bp

    but not if you are a Big time smoker, eater , drinker or drama seeker.

    Good Luck my friend

     

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