Amlodipine cold turkey?

Posted , 5 users are following.

I wondered if anyone has just stopped taking this drug cold turkey without the ok from your physician.

I told my doctor in the past I thought I was having side effects from it and she said no because I was too far in( had been on it 3 months).

The pill was in addition to Ramipril and the dosage 5mg.

I want to stop taking it so badly but wasn't sure if you can just wake up one morning and stop on the spot without it being replaced by another med right away?

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • Edited

    I stopped cold turkey.

    Had no problems, it wasn't helping anyway.

    It takes a couple of weeks to completely clear out of your system.

    Of course watch your BP, you may need something else instead.

    But there is no requirement to taper off, or anything like that.

    • Posted

      Yes it was the 'tapering off' i wasn't sure on.

      Thanks!

  • Posted

    hi Carol - i had been on Amlodipine 5 ml for 5 years & after being on it for 2 years, my dr added irbesartan (avalide) - then after 5 years & a really stressful time in my life, my Dr increased my Amlodipine dosage from 5mg to 10 ml - OMG! i thought i was going to die swollen everything & just felt awful - thats when i discovered this forum & demanded i go off the drug altogether. My dr said it was fine to go cold turkey, but in hindsight, i think i should have weaned myself down to eventually off - i am still on irbesartan & ofdly enough my b/p has come down since being on amlodipine, i think it was just very toxic for me - good luck!

    • Posted

      Thankyou Debra!

      Yes my bp came down but the side effects are not for me. Toxic!

  • Posted

    I quit cold turkey due to severe side effects. It has taken 15 months for me to get back to 95%-- still have subtle side effects, but now much better. It's been a long, painful journey. When I quit the drug, the main side effect significantly decreased in four days (severe muscle cramping in my neck-- could not work, drive, etc.). That's how I knew it was the drug. Plus I had a neck and brain MRI because the doctors didn't know what was wrong with me. My side effects were rare. I'll never go on it again. Good luck!

    • Posted

      I forgot to say that I was only on 2.5 mg. I think my body just could not metabolize it correctly.

  • Posted

    Hi,

    Yes Im on 5mg.

    My side effects are bad neck pain and non stop tinnitus. Whether to chalk both up to the drug I'm not sure. Oh yes and ear pain also.

    Anyway thanks so much !

  • Posted

    Hi, I wrote about my experience previously but I stopped the drug suddenly because I was experiencing all sorts of horrible side effects. One morning the pain in my legs was so bad that I had difficulty getting out of bed and that is when I stopped amlodipine. I felt much better by the end of the day and continued to feel better and better. However, still get slight puffiness in the ankles several years later which I did not suffer from until I started taking this drug. GP not happy but for me quality of life was preferable. Have since read a study which said if you suffer from hbp taking a drug for it will only give you about 5 days extra life. True or not I don't know.

    Now I try to keep my weight under control and very important to manage stress.

    • Posted

      Hi,

      Sounds like you made the right choice in stopping the Amlodipine.

      Was that the only bp med you were on?

      For me it is additional at 5mg to the Ramipril at 10mg.

      My gp says the Amlodipine is fine and I say no it's not fine.

      I've stopped it in any case.

      Thanks for your reply. Take care.

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