Amlodipine and stomach trouble
Posted , 2 users are following.
I'm looking for some reassurance from others that have suffered / suffering with similar symptoms ( although i can see its been well covered)
so before xmas 2019, i was in work and experienced numbness and pins and needles on the LHS of my entire body. took myself to the gp and found my bp was 220 / 120 ( im 34).
after a breif call to a and e for tests, i was sent home and told to contact my gp for adjustment of bp as i was on 5mg of ramapril at the time (although very spasmodic at taking it). my gp prescribed 5mg of amlodipine and upped my ramapril to 10mg to bring my bp down. however, within 2 / 3 days of taking it, was experiencing symptoms of gastritis, severe abdominal pain, bloating, burping etc until the following day, it subsided. as it was the only thing id changed at the time, i decided it must have been the amlodipine causing the pain, so decided to stop taking it. a week later, after another bout of gastritis, i went to my gp who said my symptoms i was describing (abdiminal pain, burping, etc) was a peptic ulcer, causing the gastritis, but said i HAD to take the amlodipine, as it wouldnt cause any of the side effects i was describing. i was given a prescription of lansoprazole and was told if the symptoms didnt improve within 6 weeks, i would need to be referred for an endoscope.
needless to say, since the visit to my gp the second week of january, my symptoms havent subsided, im now waiting for a referral for the endoscope, and have been signed off sick from work, with a prescription for sertraline, for anxiety and stress, due to my abdominal pain. ive had 4 blood tests this year so far with no abnormalities.
has any body else had gastric (gastritis symptoms) on these tablets, and did they subside when they were stopped? its driving me insane looking for the cause of the pain...
0 likes, 1 reply
Pavlina7 Mikesezgreen
Posted
Hi Mike,
I'm also looking for reassurance. Just tonight I started to look at my blood pressure meds to see if they could be causing my increasing problem with GERD. I've now read several medical articles affirming my suspicion about Amlodipine, and numerous reports of other patients having the same issues.
I've been taking Amlodipine for about a year - it was added to my Candesartan prescription. I'm reasonably fit, normal weight for my height, mid- 50's, no other significant health issues, and pride myself on my healthy food choices over the years, am a lifelong non-smoker and drink very little alcohol. However about 6 months ago, I started mild heartburn, which at first I barely noticed. Then I became very gaseous and bloated. It became worse by Christmas, and I saw my GP about 7 weeks ago about it. Omeprazole helped initially, but it's not clearing it, as and I know the next stage will be endoscopy. I'll undergo whatever tests I have to have, but having read so many other people's similar experiences, I'm wondering if I should follow the hunch and ask to be taken off Amlodipine. I used to take Ramipril, before I nearly went mad with the cough it causes.
The reason I suspect the Amlodipine is that I take my blood pressure meds late at night before sleep. I often take them on an empty stomach, but it seems that's not the issue Apparently it makes the oesophagal sphincter relax so that acid escapes into the oesophagus. I'm having a sense of ill-ease in my stomach now as well, but I'm wondering if that's caused by the Omeprazole.
I hope you're getting on okay now. I'd also like to hear from others who have been through this.