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candesartan and arthritis

Posted , 8 users are following.

wendy82413
wendy82413

Has anyone else experienced excessive joint pain while on candesartan? or is it a long term side effect of  the Amlodipine which I stopped 3 months ago?

In Februayr Iwent to the dr. to check about my knee pain which is due to arthritis, she said my blood pressure hadn't been checked for a while and the next thing I was put on amlodipine 5mg.a month later  this was increased to 10mg and I was on it for 6 months with increasing swelling in my leg/knee/ankles. My BP went down a bit, but the side effects of swelling, insomnia and increased need to go to the loo were very unpleasant. The young lady doctor said it was not the medication causing the problems but after finding this forum I concluded it was the medication. I stopped the medication and within 3 days the swelling subsided.  I saw the senior male dr. at the surgery and he straightaway agreed it was the medication and changed it to candesartan which he assured me would not cause problems.  I was on 4mg but after 2 months he doubled it 2 weeks ago.  My knee is increasingly painful, I have been seeing a physiotherapist who has now referred me to a knee specialist.  My Bp is not lowered, and taking it on my home monitor is 166/86 today.

I feel disillusioned with the medication and wonder if it is causing my increased knee pain.  Should I stop the medication?  I am trying a healthy diet, and trying to loose weight ( I weigh 82kg and am 5ft 4 so would like to loose 2 stone, but realize that will take some time)

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • jerry53203
    jerry53203 wendy82413

    Posted

    I tried to stop my medication and go on natural diet but it didn't work for meI had to go back on medication
    • wendy82413
      wendy82413 jerry53203

      Posted

      Thanks for your input Jerry, but was your medication getting your blood pressure down?  as mine does not seem to be, but my knee is much worse, and difficult to tell if that is caused by the medication.
    • jerry53203
      jerry53203 wendy82413

      Posted

      yes it did lower it but I developed a hacking cough which I could not stand and that's why I got off of it I went back to my doctor after several months and he gave me losartan potassium and said it has very few side effects. I've only been on a 2 weeks now and I see my doctor tomorrow but so far I have no side effects
  • davidg
    davidg wendy82413

    Posted

    Hi Wendy. I had serious BP problems until my GP combined Candesartan with Bendrofluazide. A year later, fed up with frequent trips to the loo at night the GP tried replacing the Bendroflazide with Amlodepine 5mgs. Now I'm on Candesartan 8mgs and Amlodepine 5mgs for one year. My BP is good, still have frequent trips to the loo. Some joint pains which have been helped with Yoga classes. good luck!
  • MrsO-UK_Surrey
    MrsO-UK_Surrey wendy82413

    Posted

    Wendy, I doubt it's a side effect of the Amlodipine if you stopped taking it as long as 3 months ago.  Have you read the accompanying leaflet in the Candesartan pack to see if it mentions joint pain as a side effect?  I suppose if you already had the tendency to knee pain due to arthritis, any medication could aggravate it.

    If you do stop the medication, you should replace it with something else.  My pharmacist said that the BP pill of which he hears the least complaints of side effects is Losartan Potassium.  I can confirm that after being on 6 different pills for the last 18 months, all stopped because of various unwanted side effects, some seriously causing abnormal blood test results, Losartan is the first one  with which I have no iscernible side effects.  However, it isn't controlling my BP sufficiently, but that doesn't mean the same will apply to you if you were to try it.

    • derek76
      derek76 MrsO-UK_Surrey

      Posted

      Candesartan notes say that 1 in 10,000 will suffer from joint pains. The orthopeadic consultant told me that any drug can cause joint pains.

      Losartan must be well tolerated if 'sensatives' like you and I can take it.  The other that I took for years without much problem was slow release Verapamil but now it slows my heart down too much,

       

  • radioman02
    radioman02 wendy82413

    Posted

    Hi Wendy, I too have high blood pressure and joint pain in right knee which is becoming worse with the pain travelling both down and up the leg plus some pain in right arm muscle. Been to local GP had had two X-rays and one ultra sound scan on right knee. Conclusion of the medics is mild arthritis and normal wear and tear of the knee. However, I am in pain most days and cannot walk more than a few hundred metres before the knee starts to lock up ! That doesn't sound like a mild condition to me . Now to the drugs, I am on candesartan 16mg and lercanidipine 10mg per day. Been on those drugs for about 2 years  joint/ muscle pain for about 1 year without resolution. I am about to go back to GP to request a MRI scan to rule out obvious tissue issues but your note also prompts me to discuss the possibility of the medication aggravating he problem. Will post again to keep you informed.
    • derek76
      derek76 radioman02

      Posted

      Do you wear any type of support on your knee? I used a 'Kneedit' that  really helped. I was told about it by a friend who goes trekking. He was at the stage of agreeing to have surgery on his knee but tried it. Surgery cancelled about five years ago and his Kneedit travels with him on the mountains of the world.

      The most painful experience I have ever had was when my knee locked up after walking over sloping uneven ground.  After that I bought my Kneedit. I stopped wearing it last year when my knee had been all right for some time but have since damaged my knee when getting off trains at Mind the Gap stations.

      My GP says that the cartilage has gone and we will need to discuss options after I have an X-Ray this week. Two years ago I was told that it was in good condition for a 78 year old.

    • derek76
      derek76 radioman02

      Posted

      I posted here recently that drugs like Naproxen for arthritis pain can reduce or increae the effect of certain BP drugs. Check out any combinations on Rxlist. It would have reduced the effect of my Losartan.
  • betty34
    betty34 wendy82413

    Posted

    Hi Wendy,

    I also suffer from high blood pressure, amongst other things!  I usually take Valsartan and that seems to do the trick as far as blood pressure is concerned.  However, mid year there were problems with manufacture so I was put onto Candesartan.  These brought my blood pressure down by I also had problems with locked knee and pains.  I put it down to arthritis, but now I wonder!  Stopped Candesarten when Valsartan was put back on the market.   Blood pressure fine, but pain in joints still persists!

    Hope you manage to sort it all out to your satisfaction

  • deirdre86993
    deirdre86993 wendy82413

    Posted

    Both my husband and I are on candesartan 4 mg. We have both developed a constant annoying cough and my husband had started getting arthritic pain in his knee joint which may possibly be linked to this medication.
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