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Amlodipine causes severe dizziness?

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Myra
Myra

I have been on Amlodipine for about 15 months having been changed over from Atenolol. Around 6 months ago I started getting bad dizzy spells occasionally. Doctor thought my BP might have gotten too low so reduced dosage to 5mg per day (from 10mg). At first it seemd to help, although I did get the feeling of pressure in my head and tension on the top and back of my head - as mentioned in other postings. Recently, though, the dizziness/nausea has come back and I feel that the Amlodipine is the cause as I never had any problems on Atenolol (apart from weight increase!) Have any other people had problems with dizziness/nausea whilst on Amlodipine?

1 like, 21 replies

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  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Yes my wife also suffers from \"Jelly Head\" as she calls it and usually all day until late afternoon then it starts to clear a bit (her words!)

    We are very interested to find out what the Dutch medics prescribed instead of amlodipine,

    She also has atenelol, simvastim, irbesarten aspirin on prescription also furosomide to remove water retention due to the amlodopine

    It may be a combination of other drugs , however My wife reduced her intake of amlodipine to 5mg per day,

    In order to find out which drug gives her bother, The 5 mg amlodipine is split into two , one half being taken at 11pm the other half being taken at 4am with an atenelol tablet

    We have a BP/ Pulse monitor which records over 24 hours and we find that shortly after taking amlodipine+atenalol at 4am her BP actually rises for about 1 1/2 hours then falls to level what it was prior to teking the tablets

    The other strange thing is that the Jelly head effect is at its worst afer lunch time, about 12 hours after the 11pm dose and 8 hours after the 4 am dose

    I find that when I visit her GP and particularly the Consultant that they tend to react and draw immediate conclusions from the visit , and are not interested in previous records or the side effects.

  • rumrunn3r
    rumrunn3r Myra

    Posted

    Hi, I have been on Amlodipine 5mg for about 6 months and after the second or third month I have been suffering the same Jelly Head and dizzyness your wife is feeling. Have been to my doctor a few times to try and find out what is causing this. I am begging to have my BP med changed to something other than Amlodipine as I to feel is the culprit to this Jelly head/dizzyness. It is a miserable feeling and seems to last all day and sometimes eases at night. My doctoer also prescribed to cut the 5mg in half and take one at night and one in the morning. I want off it this medication period and am waiting to hear if he will put me on something different. I will post back if and what happens. She is not alone in this and it helps to hear other people having the same symptoms. The doctors are so SET to just throw you on BP meds and yet very hard to change them or stop altogether. I have lost 15 pounds and have changed my diet and am excercising daily so I can lower my BP the correct way instead of just taking a pill. Good Luck... Any changes for her that work please post the results.

    Thanks

    • claudia40136
      claudia40136 rumrunn3r

      Posted

      Hiya I'm glad I've found someone going through the same symptoms as me on this awful medication.Ive also gone down the lifestyle route used to be on 10mg Amplodipine and 2.5mg bendro with horrific side effects. I've now gone down to just 5mg of amplodipine and although most symptoms has subsided like you I get that foggy head on and off for the whole day my doctors so reluctant to take me off the meds and put me on another one.He also said I should break the 5mg in half. I take half at 6pm and the other at 10pm started that method this wk but still having that feeling .Has the foggy head subsided the times your taking yours.

    • claudia40136
      claudia40136

      Posted

      Just an update on my 5mg amplodipine dosage. After taking 2.5mg twice a day 6pm and 10pm my foggy head feeling hadn't subsided after 2wks. I then started taking half at 12noon and the other half at 7pm and much to my delight within a couple of days that foggy head feeling has subsided I feel normal again .

      I'm so glad I went down the lifestyle route it's brought my meds down to a very low dose which I'm happy with. I know I may need to stay on meds for the rest of my life as hypertension runs in the family. My readings are text book readings of 120/80 and below.

    • denise93155
      denise93155 claudia40136

      Posted

      Hi I'm really interested to hear other people having trouble with feeling dizzy. I take 5mg at seven am each morning and seem fine till twelve then intermittently I suffer feeling that I am unsteady and not quite 'with it' After reading other people's posts I think I will try splitting the dose but my energy levels are also very poor. 

    • jay08465
      jay08465 claudia40136

      Posted

      BEWARE.       this amlodipine is poison on 5mg..........

      10mg.......?? you may very well be hospitalized!!!           I had the tiredness......depression.......and dizzy feeling on 5mg

      Within 2 weeks of being on 10mg, I was hospitalized.    The room was spinning so badly, I had to  be driven to ER.

  • Mimi247
    Mimi247 Myra

    Posted

    Hi Myra, for the last 2 weeks I have been taking 5mg of Amlodipine once daily which has been increased to 10mg. For 4 days now my dizziness/vertigo has settled thank God along with quite a few other symptoms, I still feel the need to rest and especially when the migraine's kick in. Although I am feeling better, my energy levels drain fast and I need to lie down.

  • kathryn_1956
    kathryn_1956 Myra

    Posted

    I can sympathise. I've only been on Amlodipine for 5 weeks and seemed fine for 2 weeks but then started feeling really sick despite trying splitting the dose to half a tablet on a morning and half at night, and even adding copious amounts of ginger to my diet the nausea persists. I will be seeing my GP this week again and will post progress here as to the next step forward.

  • miriam13562
    miriam13562 Myra

    Posted

    Omg i just came out of the hospital with those symptoms. I thought it could be the medication, but after reading all this am sure it is. Dizziness and feeling unbalanced have been getting worst and worst. I now suffer anxiety due to this. Your not alone.
  • USRider69
    USRider69 Myra

    Posted

    Hi, Myra.

    I did.  I had been on Atenolol for years before I was switched to Losartan HCTZ because the beta blocker had stopped working.  I was fine on that for 9 years until one high BP reading gave the doctor cause to add Norvasc (5 mg).  I immediately had the dizziness you describe along with swollen and peeling eyelids, back pain, anxiety, wildly swinging BP readings (from 130 down to 90 in a matter of minutes and back up to 124) and a dozen other problems the doctor swore couldn't be from the amlodipine.  He prescribed a slew of meds to deal with the symptoms I described.  I had no problems with Losartan.  I changed doctors.  The new doc lowered the amlodipine dose to 2.5, but I ran out before I could get her to refill the scrip and went back on the 5 mg tabs I still had left over.  During my year or so on amlodipine I've had more than just the dizziness.  Two moths ago I cut back to 2.5 mg with no effect at all on my BP (which is lovely,  thanks), and finally stopped entirely.  STILL no effect on my BP.  i track daily, and I calibrated my unit with my doctor's, so I know it's accurate.  After two weeks without amlodipine, all the pain I'd been prescribed pain meds and muscle relaxants for is gone.  The muscle injuries that wouldn't heal have healed.  The dizziness is gone.  The anxiety is gone. I feel normal again for the first time in over a year.  You might want to call your doctor and give him the four page list of "rare" side effects.  

  • just1993
    just1993 Myra

    Posted

    Yes I woke up this morning and if felt like I was drunk I was so lightheaded!! I could not work today my blue pressure is high not low. So I have to take this med. Scary feelingsad what to do. I can't deal with be dizzy.

  • BUZZARD1234
    BUZZARD1234 Myra

    Posted

    I was put on Amlopodine a week ago and almost immediately felt nauseous and dizzy.Then yesterday the dizziness got so bad I thought I was having a stroke.The whole room kept tilting ,my eyes rolling in my head and could not raise my head without being sick.This happened about five times over the day and I honestly felt like I was dying.

    Found this forum last night and stopped tablets,symptoms bad again today but went back to Gp and told them my decision.Wasnt happy and wanted to give antisickness tablets but I refused.

    Bizarrely my BP is now very low so they agreed I should take no tablets till I see docs again next Thursday.To me it shows how strong this tablet is if I can go from 198/105 to 116/60 in five days!!

    Suffice to say I will not be taking this tablet again EVER

    • kathryn_1956
      kathryn_1956 BUZZARD1234

      Posted

      Hello BUZZARD 1234,

      I suffered with being nauseated 24/7 when I'd been taking Amlodipine for 2 months to the extent that I really struggled to cope and I felt dizzy numerous times but wasn't actually sick. I went back to my GP who changed my medication a couple of times before lighting on Adizem SR capsules 120mg twice a day which seems to be doing the trick thank goodness. Swollen ankles are the only side effects I appear to suffer from after taking the meds for the past 6 weeks, which I can cope with up to now.

      Good luck in your search for an hypotensive drug that works for you.

      Kathryn 1956

    • BUZZARD1234
      BUZZARD1234 kathryn_1956

      Posted

      Hi Kathryn,

      Thankyou for your reply.

      I can't believe they are still prescribing this horrific drug.My symptoms are decreasing but still so dizzy and nauseous that I can't risk driving so can't work and that's after only taking them for five days!!

      I'm going back to Drs in a few days but very reluctant to take another drug but will certainly mention what you are on.

      Just so glad I stood up to the dr and refused to take anymore,they are not gods and need to listen to their patients.

      Good luck to you.

  • kathryn_1956
    kathryn_1956 Myra

    Posted

    Hello Myra,

    I promised when I sent my last post to you that I:d let you know how I got on with hypotensive medication after coming off Amlodipine. Finally after 3 different med changes my BP is under control now my GP has prescribed Adizem SR capsules 120mg twice a day. I still get swollen ankles which is par for the course with hypotensive medication but can cope with that. I hope you're getting sorted out with your meds now and wish you all luck for the future.

    Kathryn 1956

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