swollen ankles

Ann - a post was removed by the Moderator only a week or so ago because it is a rumour!   Don't believe all you read even on the internet - there is a lot of rubbish out there.

I could be pedantic and say there is not a country called Holland it's called The Nederlands. Holland is one of the providences of The Nederlands and part of the County of Lincolnshire in the UK!!

Yes it is a rumour, Ann. Amlodipine has NOT been banned in The Netherlands (or Holland - which is a perfectly acceptable alternative name for the country). I read Dutch and did a lot of internet research on the topic when this came up a couple of months ago. It is still being widely prescribed in that country.

I also researched it in French and Italian, and also found no evidence of a ban. So that means it's still being prescribed in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Monaco, Italy, Switzerland etc. That exhausted my language competencies, but EU countries all tend to follow the same rules on drug authorisations.

What I did find were many references to the fact that it's come off patent in most European countries over the past few years so can now be prescribed in generic form.

This isn't in any way an endorsement of amlodipine on my part. I've never taken it and neither has anyone I know, though my mother took a different CCB for 15 years with very few side-effects. It's just an attempt to set the record straight.

Thank you Lily.

Lily, I've read many of your helpful, informative comments. One would've assumed you were a health care professional simply based on your caring nature and knowledge. I'm reminded of how wonderful all of the nurses, doctors, and technicians are when I read posts such as yours.

Hi Jackie

Thanks for your reply.  I have visited my GP who has agreed to change me to losartin.  I started these on Saturday and my feet are nearly normal.  Downside I am peeing for England, but I would rather have this side effect.  Don't know if there are any changes to my BP yet, as I haven't had time to take new readings.

Good luck on your new tablets

'Having read that this pill has been banned in various countries'  

Jackie, please don't re-post rumours - they are not banned, certainly not in Europe or the US.  This has come up time and time again and please read lily65668 and my post above.

Hi Jackie, Sorry to hear you've been having so many problems, and glad that you've now found something that helps without giving you awful side-effects.

I've never taken amlodipine myself, but know it disagrees with many people. However, just one correction for the sake of good order: amlodipine has not been banned in any European countries. This was a rumour that was circulating in parts of the hypertension community - including these forums - a few months ago, but it's not true. It probably arose from a misreading of a Dutch site that announced it was coming off patent so can now be manufactured in generic form.

I hope you continue to be helped by indapamide.

I do not normally look up drugs but a friend told me to go to a forum for info on certain drugs , the USA can really frighten you, best to stick to good old UK sites I think

Hi Jackie, You don't have to go onto US sites to hear rumours - the entire internet is full of them!

As a general rule, any site whose domain name contains the mention of org plus the initials of a country, or gov, is reliable and won't entertain rumours. Webmd, Mayo Clinic and another site simply called drugs (with the relevant internet bits around the name) are also good. I'm having to be careful here, as this site will automatically delete posts containing anything that looks like an internet address!

Another excellent site covering research on all kinds of medical topics is the NCBI. They can be a bit technical, but it's often worth skipping to the Conclusions section at the end for a straight answer.

I keep reading about the banning of this drug in other countries, after taking it I feel it should be banned as it didn't lower my blood pressure and gave me horrible side effects.  i'd be curious as to a poll of people taking this - how many it actually helps and why that was the drug of choice for my doctor to prescribe - don't doctors keep up on this sort of thing - ? It's certainly upsetting when you have to tell the doctor, I won't take this one - give me that one - and you have to fight with him about it

First: it's NOT banned in other countries

Second: it's a proven med for lowering BP.  Has been around for decades and in the majority of patients it works very well.  Unfortunately, for the minority that are prescribed do experience some side effects some  minor and some more severe.  This happens for the vast majority of meds - we are all different (thank goodness!)  At least we have the option to have prescribed another similar drug unlike those of us on steroids that have considerably more side effects - so consider yourself very lucky you have a choice.

I'm not defending amlodipine. I've never taken it myself and from some of the things I've read on here, I wouldn't want to! (I'm just beginning to have age-related BP problems so am lurking on sites like this one to pick up tips.) I just don't like to see the dissemination of false internet rumours about anything on principle, as this can ultimately be harmful.

There's also the point that forums about a specific medication mostly attract posts from people who've had problems with it. In the same way, forums dealing with chronic illnesses mainly attract contributions from those most severely affected, giving newly-diagnosed patients the impression they're going to suffer horribly. I'm afraid that's just human nature. There are probably millions of people taking amlodipine who get no significant side-effects, so don't feel the need to come on these forums.

Have you tried contacting the original manufacturer of amlodipine, Pfizer? Either that, or the name of the company who makes the generic you're taking, which will be on the packet. This isn't as crazy as it sounds. I did it in desperation when a dear friend was suffering terrible symptoms which I suspected were due to a powerful antipsychotic she was being forced to take in a psychogeriatric home. Her doctor refused to admit that the creeping paralysis of her hands was due to the drug, so I contacted Eli Lilly. The response was surprising - seven calls from their offices in two countries within three weeks!

I think drug companies are quite interested in getting feedback from users. After all, it's in their interest to listen if they find there's a lot of dissatisfaction with their products. Doctors are supposed to report regularly on side-effects, but I suspect half of them never get round to it, especially in the UK, where they're particularly hard-pressed. A barrage of complaints from actual users might help to concentrate their minds.

And don't be afraid to tell your doctor if a medication he/she prescribes doesn't suit you. After all, it's your body and you have a perfect right to be heard. Try and look at your doctor as a supplier of health care, rather than an authority that can never be questioned or contradicted.

I was only stating my opinion, your telling me "don't feel the need to come on these forums" was very rude and I do not understand why you feel you have to be harsh with me, again, mine is only an opinion and I had believed that forums were for opinions.  And you are correct, most of the people responding will be those with negative affects, however I state a lot of positive comments on what I am taking now.  I just had such a bad reaction to the amlodopine that I thought I'd share, what is wrong with that.  I never said this was banned anywhere, I do not know, I don't live in other countries - from my experience I said it "SHOULD be banned" because of what it did to me - just my opinion - please keep that in mind before being mean to me.

In March of this year I suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage due to high blood pressure I didn't even know I had, so blood pressure is extremely important to me because I almost died, if in any way my opinion helps, that would be good, if not, please don't scold me because of how I feel.  Thanks.

xizziz, where did I tell you: "don't feel the need to come on these forums"? That wasn't what I meant at all, and there was certainly no intention to be "mean" to you. I just meant that we all need to bear in mind that forums about any medication tend to give a somewhat slanted view, as it's mainly the people who are unhappy with it who post.

These forums are indeed for opinions, and many people here share your view of amlodipine. I've benefited from this: as stated in my post, when the time comes for me to take BP meds - which I know isn't very far off - I'll certainly think twice about accepting amlodipine, having heard all your stories.

I didn't say you had stated it was banned, but you did say: "I keep reading about the banning of this drug in other countries". I was just setting the record straight, to reassure people who might come on here thinking they'd been prescribed a drug that was so dangerous it was about to be banned. In fact, as Oregonjohn has pointed out, it's a highly successful drug that has been used safely for many years all over the world. Unfortunately, however, it has drastic effects on some people, including you.

I'm sorry to hear about your subarachnoid haemorrhage. As a former neuro nurse, I know how frightening that must have been, and I hope you've now made a full recovery from your surgery.

Oooh - I've just spotted what you were talking about, xizziz! It was the last sentence of my second para, wasn't it? "There are probably millions of people taking amlodipine who get no significant side-effects, so don't feel the need to come on these forums." This is probably one of those famous transatlantic misunderstandings (I'm of British origin). According to British syntax and grammar rules, the word "they" would be implied in that sentence: "...so they don't feel the need to come on these forums".

Like the man said: "Two nations divided by a single language!"

2nd paragraph - last sentence:

"There are probably millions of people taking amlodipine who get no significant side-effects, so don't feel the need to come on these forums."

If you didn't mean it the way it sounded, then it's ok.  I have been so depressed on and off that it really upset me - I'm just fragile right now, if you can understand.  Thank you for clarifying and for the kind words

And thank you as I am very lucky to be given the outlook of a complete recovery, I am 63 and it took 2 hours to get to the hospital so I thank God for putting me in the right hospital at the right time and with the right surgeon.  I am told it was catastrophic and very bad - so I do appreciate your kind words.  Thank you so much

I never said that it was banned, I said I keep reading on forums that it was and stated that it should be banned - based on my personal experience with it.  I hope that was ok that I expressed my disappointment with that drug and didn't personally mean to offend you - please reread my statement and you will see I am not passing on rumors - but seems that many people have misread what I wrote - sorry for any misunderstandings.

 Forums are full of rumours and people's opinions generally because they have experienced bad side effects.  The ones who take Amlodipine and find it works well tend not to post on forums.  I'm one! prescribed 16 years ago - no problems but 3 years ago I contracted an autoimmune disease with no known cure only to be prescribed steroids which are the only way to 'cure' the symptoms - with 85 and counting side effects!! 

Choice; become immobile, risk liver failure and many other nasty effects and be in great pain or live a near normal life and 'put up' with some of the side effects - I know which one I would have taken (and did)?  Nobody likes steroids as they are dangerous but they are not banned just because some patients experience nasty side effects - and I for one am very glad.

You can report your experiences to the FDA in the US, the TGA in Australia or if you are in the UK search for the yellow card scheme.

I'm sorry if I misread your post but I have jumped on a number over the years and some have been removed by Alan the Moderator.