Amlodipine and palpitations/increased heart rate

Posted , 11 users are following.

Hi,

i have now stopped taking Amlodipine after 6 weeks after originally being prescribed it for high blood pressure, alongside Ramipril 10mg, which I have been taking for years.

a couple of weekends ago I developed palpitations/fast heart rate after having a few units of alcohol, my heart rate rose to 180-200bpm, VERY SCARY!!

i have had smaller episodes since then, but not only does the heart rate I crease but I felt light headed, cold, shivery and jaw/neck stiffness and cold hands and feet, felt like something bad was going to happen. my GP stopped the drug immediately which I did on Monday. Apparently, it takes approx 11 days - 14 days to be completely out of your system!!

has anyone else had the same side effects as these, and if so, do the palpitations disappear when drug is out of your system. I'm hoping these frightening symptoms are reversible once the drug has been flushed out!

i'm scared to have even one drink of alcohol now! 

1 like, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • Posted

    I've been off this drug for 10, days now, I still have palpitations, stiffness in the neck and light headedness at times. It will also cause sexual dysfunction. I only just worked out that I've been on this horrid drug for approximately 8 years after I suffered what i realise was a very scary episode while having minor surgery to a nose problem. I had never had high BP until then, I suffered a cut or rupture to an artery causing severe blood loss, my BP went haywire and i ended up in the cardiac unit, my late wife was also contacted and advised to get up here quick. They never found the reason for the BP problems, I was and still am, healthy, fit, have a healthy diet. i was tried on several BP tablets and eventually on to Amplodipine. I only realised how awful the stuff is following a few months of though and research about symptoms I associated to living with her condition. She had 8 years of cancer and we have 2 young daughters. When I dug deeper and got involved with forums I was horrified, angry, distraught, that the medication was the problem for many of my feelings/symptoms. I'm trying out Beetroot caps 3 times a day as it's a proven BP reducer, a bit more exercise. I was on 5mg Amlodipine, it has a half life of 33hrs, which is quite long so you can work out a time scale on how long it takes to clear. 14 days is a probably about right though it'll keep clearing for longer. Hope this helps and that you get back to normal asap.
    • Posted

      After reading the forums about what people have been going through with this drug, it's making me more and more angry as to why this drug is being left on the market! When people are having their quality of lives taken from them by ending up with more complications than they started with. I am relatively fit and well, eat healthily, take daily exercise, don't smoke, alcohol occasionally, etc, I just hope the palpitations/ fast heart rate are reversible, they only happen when I have alcohol, even only a small amount, never had these before. I hope only taking them for 6 weeks is in my favour! Do you find the palpitations worsen after alcohol?

      keep me posted!

    • Posted

      Jillysteve, the main problem I experienced with Amlodipine was severe swelling of my ankles and legs.  A rash developed on my lower legs and this was diagnosed as varicose eczema.   When I discontinued the Amlodipine, it took about 3 weeks for the swelling to completely disappear.  

      I know there seem to be more complaints on this forum about Amlodipine than any other BP pill but perhaps that could be because it is being more widely prescribed.

      I do know a few people who are taking it without any problems, one being my hubby.  However he did collapse with total heart block about a year ago and I fel very suspicious about the Amlodipine.

      I once read that a renowned hospital in the US was against prescribing Amlodipine for women in particular because of a risk to their hearts.  However, one of my consultants said that nothing further came out of this.  Perhaps there are just some people for whom it is not suitable for some reason.

    • Posted

      because it's cheap! I came across a chart listing various BP meds and their comparative costs!

  • Posted

    Hi Jilly, i don't notice much difference with or without alcohol, I only really took notice after visiting my doctor to try and get to the cause of the palpitations. It was following this visit 4 weeks ago and when back home i started to give it more thought and suddenly remembered I'd had this going on for several years, it may sound as if I wasn't paying attention but I simply assumed it was me being anxious about my wifes cancer etc,,, but now that she has gone and I'm still having all the symptoms, research has shone on the dark Amlodipine cloud and I'm not pleased at all.
  • Posted

    Hi Jill,

    When I was on Amlodipine my pulse rate rose from a healthy 75 beats to 95 beats a minute. I am now taking Lisinopril pulse rate still high but I don't have the swollen ankles or the aches in the back of the legs. I am still not happy though. I have been taking the grape seed extract for two weeks, my blood pressure is fine but the cough (side effect) is driving me insane. Has anyone else ever taken Lisinopril?

  • Posted

    I took 2.5 mg of amlodipine for almost three months for pre-hypertension bp levels. My systolic was between 130-140 and diastolic never over 68. 

    After nearly three months on amlodipine, I also developed heart palpitations that were diagnosed as "harmless" PVC (premature ventricular contractions) and elevated pulse. My doctor suggested I also take a beta-blocker to stop the PVCs instead of acknowledging that palpitations are a common side effect of amlodipine. I asked to switch to a diuretic for bp control, and stopped the amlodipine that day. The PVC palpitations subsided in about 12 days. My bp stays below 120/65 on the diuretic which seems to have fewer side effects, but I still want to decrease the 25 mg dose. I also had some mild anxiety on amlodipine which disappeared in a few days after stopping the medication.

    I read that the amino acid taurine is helpful in preventing heart palpitations, and started taking this and a magnesium supplement daily. Not sure if that helped stop the PVCs or just quitting amlodipine did the trick, but I will continue taking both supplements. The side effects of this drug are terrifying, and I don't want this to happen again.

    I hope your symptoms improved soon after your post. Sorry it took so long to reply, but I just found this site recently.

    • Posted

      hi Mary i hope all is well with you . I've been having the same palpitations been on Amlodipine 5mg for three months now i stop taking 5 days now and the frequency of the of the palpitations subsided from every 2mins to 4mins to about a hour to 4 hrs or even longer my PCD told me to stay on the meds because its very rare it causes heart palpitations I'm going to watch it for 12 to 14 days and take some magnesium and potassium .did your palpitations ever got resolved ?

  • Posted

    I have just found this site, and only yesterday was put on Amlodopine 5mg by cardiologist. Am already on a low BP med, Olmesartan Plus. His reason for doing this is after a 24hour blood pressure monitor. States that there were a few high readings, have only had one dose of this last night.

    Today had headache most of the day, and some left breast discomfort, cant really call it pain. I am not seriously looking at making an appointment with my GP and considering alternative therapy such as beetroot capsules. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

    I am only on two prescription medications, nexium is other one. Otherwise take herbal/vitamins to stay healthy.Thanks.

  • Edited

    currently on day 8 of non stop heart palpitations. 4 EKGs in that timeframe are showing PVCs. magnesium seems to help temporarily. i stopped amlodipine last saturday after 2 emergency room trips in one day for these palpitations. it feels like im going to have a heart attack. my primary told me my PVCs are benign. do not take amlodipine

  • Edited

    Sounds like I am dealing with the same thing. Been taking Amlodipine for 6 months, about a month ago I started getting palpitations (skipped beats). finished wearing a 10 day Holter monitor which showed I had SVT and PVC, but told they are benign. Any way I had enough of it....tapered from 5mg to 2.5mg for about a week and then stopped completely 3 days ago, still have palpitations but they have gotten less I am hoping they go away completely in a couple weeks.

  • Posted

    Been taking it for about 5 months now. I have these episodes all the time where i get foggy, lightheaded, chest gets tight i get short of breath and feel like im gonna black out. Ive had every heart test known to man over the last few months and they all are good. now I'm having swelling in my lower legs and the skin looks diclscolored and dry. I have headaches half the time and low energy. Cant believe none of the doctors have suspected the amlodipine. anyone else have these episodes like this come on suddenly? I feel like I'm just waiting to die. like my body is shutting down.

    • Posted

      I was on amlodipine 5mg for about 2 1/2 years. About 6 weeks, I started experiencing the subtle side effects more severe. Heart palpitations sent me to the ER. I also experienced itching, tingling of arm/leg, lightheadedness, swelling in feet. The ER found nothing wrong so I stopped taking amlodipine a week after my ER visit. Coming off amlodipine is a whole another story. I now have anxiety that affects me everyday that I never experienced prior. I had headaches/pains, panic attacks, ocassional light headedness, tension headaches, tingling, numbness/weakness. It has now been about 5 weeks since I stopped that medication & I am starting to feel myself again but from time to time I do deal with some of the side effects but to a much less degree & duration. I went to my primary care & was put on olmesartan.

      Amlodipine is horrible, it did work well for my bp but i'll pass. Everyday I felt as if something bad was going to happen. Thanks to God who has kept me.

      If you feel bad taking this medication, demand to be taken off it...dont continue to harm your body.

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