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Amlodipine and Atrial Fibrillation?

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gandalf
gandalf

I am 45 years old and I have been on 5mg amlodipine for about 2 years for a blood pressure that tends to spike. I was first on Lisinopril and then Valsartan though I had to stop those medications within a few weeks of starting due to tachycardia/palpatations which prevented me from walking any significant distance at one point.

During my time on amlodipine, I commented to my GP about a fluttery/thumpy heartbeat. These were first diagnosed as ectopic beats and reasonably common. Time has moved on and (to make a long story short) a cardiologist has now diagnosed atrial fibrillation (AF). ECGs taken previous to starting any blood pressure medicine as part of routine health exams were normal.

I would be very grateful for any similar experiences anyone has had regarding a suspicion that calcium channel blockers like amlodipine led to an Atrial fibrillation/Atrial flutter diagnosis or even an increased awareness of an arrhythmia in your heart rate.

3 likes, 47 replies

47 Replies

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  • patricia_08242
    patricia_08242 gandalf

    Posted

    I've been on amlodipine since last November had ecg s 3 all normal now I've suddenly developed atrial fibulation I say it's the drug cardiologist say no but I no I'm right but what can you do
    • cpwood
      cpwood patricia_08242

      Posted

      Like I did, go on a blood thinner and watch your pulse.  If it drops too low like mine did (30 beats per minute when i passed out) have a pacemaker implanted.  I found the Afib took away my stamina.  If you feel that happening, discuss it with your doctor.  My Afib started within a week of when my dose was increased from 5 to 10 mg, so there is no doubt in my mind that it was caused by the Amlodipine.  Maybe someday someone will take the drug company to task for it, but right now I have also been faced with denial.
    • patricia_08242
      patricia_08242 cpwood

      Posted

      May be if enough people got to gather something may get done I'm now on drugs for life now because of this awful drug any one offered this drug by there Dr should say no if enough people say no thy may stop give out therefore prevent others having af
  • tim83259
    tim83259 gandalf

    Posted

    Yes. I have neen taking it for 5 urs and having issues.
  • Hot_Water_Tech
    Hot_Water_Tech gandalf

    Posted

    I too was on Amlodopine for many years. Had the same issues. They as well as others started getting real bad real fast. Doctor wanted to blame everything but Amlodopine. Kept insisting side effects were rare. After I did some research and reading in forums like this, I took myself off Amlodopine and told my Doctor Ill never take that poison again. Its actually banned in some countries. Long story short, I noticed a dramatic difference almost immediatley and all the problems I was having were gone within a months time.

    Amlodopine is bad stuff!!!!!

    • leila57691
      leila57691 Hot_Water_Tech

      Posted

      Hi there, I know this is quite an old

      post now but my husband was put on Amlodpine 5mg about 7 weeks ago for border line high blood pressure. He has seen his BP come down to almost too low a level but more worryingly his resting heart rate is now between 80 & 100 wheras previously it was between 55 & 65 (he's always very fit & active) and he has received AF notifications on his Apple Watch for the last 4 days and stopped taking the medication 2 days ago. In your experience does the AF cease when you stop the medication/once it is out of your system? He's had numerous ECG's over the last 3 months and has always been in a sinus rhythm so I feel quite sure its since the introduction of Amlodopine. Thanks

  • rodney92842
    rodney92842 gandalf

    Edited

    I know this is an older discussion. I am fairly new to all of this. First, I have inherited high blood pressure but did not know it until an allergic reaction to a health supplement landed me in a doctors office in 2015. My allergic reaction caused the blood pressure to jump way up; however, one week off the stuff it was lowering on its own but the GP said to start on Amlodipine and Lisinopril. He told me that I would have some weird reactions, to read the labels and just expect it as normal. He took an EKG and all was normal, this in Feb 2015. I started taking the medications but weened myself off of it about 9 months later. Then, this year our family started taking CoQ10 as it was said to be a healthy supplement for all. Well, I had another reaction 12 weeks into it of High Blood pressure but this time with some pain in the chest. I went to ER and was outpatient for 3 days with all kinds of scans and heart tests. I was told it was not heart related- the pain but that my blood pressure was high and I needed to take my medication. That was March 13th of this year 2017. Everything was good until last week and I started having that same chest ache and some pounding. My GP told me to lower the Amlodipine to 5mg and keep Lisinopril at 10mg. I believe my ache is related to GERD as I have put on quite a bit of weight since 2012. So I put myself on a diet and have lost about 10 lbs so far. The pain part is directly related to eating and moving around and especially when I go to bed it is often unpleasant and I have to sleep in a recliner (now two nights since March). I see this as two separate issues- the pain and the beating. What I wanted to get to was that When I was in the hospital they did two EKGs and both showed some irregularity and different from my original pre-medication record. The cardiologist called it dynamic heartbeat and said it was probably the medication but the tests showed no heart condition. I am 55. 
    • cpwood
      cpwood rodney92842

      Edited

      It was 10mg of Amlodipine that caused my Afib.  I'd been on 5mg for several years and it was fine.  There are a lot of good medicines that treat high blood pressure and don't cause the issues that Amlodipine does.  Best of luck.

  • gms_1
    gms_1 gandalf

    Posted

    I was diagnosed with very high BP at 210 and was put on amlodopine 5mg straight away . after 2 weeks dose was increased to 10 mg , After another 2 weeks I was also given a thiazide diuretic -  it is now 7 weeks since diagnosis , I have been getting occasional flutterings in chest during the night, I also get slightly swollen ankles.  I have heard they are developing a new ' 4 in one' pill  for hypertension , tests show less side effects so I am hoping that will be available for me in a few years.

  • arnaldo63889
    arnaldo63889 gandalf

    Edited

    I was taking amlodipine 2.5 mg - a very low dose. I noticed that I had palpitations, but ignored it because I just thought I was unfit, and there is no issue in "feeling" your heart beating - it is beating, right? 

    Then it did  not bring my blood pressure down. Doctor then dropped amlodipine and started me on a diuretic (it didn't work either) and then to lisinopril (which worked better).

    I remember the day I stopped taking amlodipine - a few hours the day I stopped it, t I was lying in bed and suddenly I could not feel my heart beats - then I thought... am I dead?  has my heart stopped beating? Then I realized my heart was still beating, it is just that I couldn't "feel it anymore. 

    So, yes, amlodipine can cause palpitations. I am doing so much better on lisinopril (an ACE inhibitor). 

  • sharon59424
    sharon59424 gandalf

    Posted

    I suggest you get off that drug immediately if you have not already! 10 years ago I had an episode of A-Fib that required cardioversion to convert back to sinus. After that I had ZERO incidences of it. A year ago

    my bp started running way high and I had a new young primary care doc. She put me on this drug and within a week I began having rapid heart beat and ....you guessed it - A Fib. I read the literature and saw it was a side effect. I called and told her I was not going to take this drug and exactly why. Of course she wanted to see me - she arrogantly said there was no way this drug caused irregular heart beat and I pulled out the PI literature that the pharmacist gave me with the meds and showed it to her. She STILL refused to believe it. But referred me to a cardiologist....thankfully. He got me on the right meds and all is well.

    Any one with a history of a-fib should steer clear of this drug.

  • gary55859
    gary55859 gandalf

    Edited

    High BP for 30 yrs controlled by Lisinopril.....at 65 BP up to 180. GP put me on amlodipine...25 days later irregular heartbeat for 12 hours!....See doctor..."amlodopine didnt cause this" stay on amlodipine..3 months later it happens again. This time ECK was taken AF diagnosed..amlodipine stopped, diltiazem started - it's been over a year..NO MORE AFIB......GP & Cardiologist still no buying in that this all caused by amlodipine...as time marches on circumstancial evidence mounts! Thankfully, neither GP or cardiologist felt I needed to be on blood thinners.....

    Bought Kardia...very handy to have..some PVC's were spotted but NO AFIB as yet......

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