Amlodipine Hell.. coming off it.

Dr. Did bring that up today as possible issue. I did point out prior to this medicine never had issues before. So if this is amlopidine I still can only hope side effects end soon . I was reccomneded anti_depresents. Turned them down...last thing I want is more meds. And seems to be the trend on this forum. Peolpe go to doctors complaining of side effectsm only to be given more meds. Two months ago i could run through a wall. Now im feeling pretty feeble. Again all my bloodwork checked out for other stuff.

Now think about this 120/80 blood pressure for all of us?  It's impossible doctors can not tell me a 20 year old has the same bp as a 70 year old.. Pushing the numbers down with drugs does more harm than good and advice from doctors etc. is the 3rd leading cause of death across the board..  Doctors want ALL of us to be on drugs, there is big money in it for them. and the pharmaceutical companies.  In 1977 bp was changed from 100 + age to a low number.. Nine of the ten votes came from people who had ties to pharmaceutical companies.. The medical profession is one of the biggest hoaxes around today...Search the internet and you will see what I'm talking about.. Your doctor does not walk on water.. please be careful what you are taking...

I just came off of antidepressant hell, myself. I commend you for avoiding them.

Thank you i hope you are right. Feels like im not getting better, I know I have had at least 1 panic attack few days ago. Hopefully after I see cardiologist i can relax some.

Hello Debra...

I am on the 50th day off now after 3 yrs with all the problems building up ... would you care to share yr current progress ?

I have had most mental issues relieved months first 20 days .. right now .. the bad effects have somewhat been more controllable but I still get a heavy head... sore neck .. some fatigue and tiredness.. and bloating ... these come and go .. at 50 days ...

Hi Debra.

Just read your last post saying you're 40 days off the dreaded Amlodopine and still having the horrible side effects. Anxiety being one of them. Same here. Been off the Am since 1st Sep and still suffering with anxiety, constant palpitations, headaches and literally feeling ill most of the day. Blood pressure spikes around 4pm and 10pm, highest being 178/110. Am on Bisoprolol 1.25mg for the palpitations but that's another terrible drug l want off. I want to be myself again and not this person who is constantly analysing my health hour by hour. Will it ever happen? We have to live in hope l guess. Good health to you.

Hi Christine - I am now closer to 90 days off of the dreaded drug & believe it or not still have some symptoms.  I still have the shoulder/neck/jaw aches and overall muscle pain (some days worse than others).  I will say that my heart palpitations, overall dread has lessened quite a bit and my anxiety has subsided measurably, but still have occasional "freak-outs", but nothing like before.  The headaches, flushing, burning & lightening like feeling in my hands & feet are gone as well as swelling.  Unfortunately the bloat and gas is still with me, but GERD has been controlled with papaya enzymes, ginger & apple cider vinegar, kefir & fermented foods. 

It's a long journey, but I think things improve daily.  As far as the B/P readings, I am not going to tell you to stick your head in the sand, but I would lay off of taking your readings so often & maybe once or twice a week at the same time of day.  I think anxious people like us are making ourselves crazy with these readings, probably more important to concentrate on truly relaxing and learning calming techniques supported by healthy food, exercise and supplements.  All these drugs are just making us sick and crazy, we need to find health and calm another way - stay strong, there is light at the end of the tunnel -

Hi Deb.. good day ..

Could you say more about yr neck and shoulders muscle pain... is it ...

1. A pain..an ache.. a sour feeling....a tired tenderness?

2. Does it come and go and how long does it last?

3. Does it also come with anxiety?

4. Does it relief with creams ... NSAID s..... acupuncture or such?

Hi Chi000- Well I remember the first time I felt the unusual neck pain...it was on my left side & actually felt like it was in my artery.  I had never felt pain there before, so it made me pay attention.  The neck pain has been random, but it definitely has been the result of me taking the Amlodipine.  I pretty much have constant lower neck, top half of my arm and shoulder pain that I seemed to have also aquired since taking this drug. I would describe the lower neck pain more tension related and the arm/shoulder pain as my muscles being very taxed, like I had lifted weights way too heavy for my ability. I also suffer from left jaw pain, where it feels like it is affecting the roots of my teeth, but that also is random.

When I was on the drug, I had so many more aches & pains that I was eating Ibuprofen & aspirin like candy.  I have since stopped taking any of those things since I know ibuprofen can raise your blood pressure.  I do go to acupuncture and that has generally made me feel better overall, I can't say that it takes away all my aches, but generally I feel much better after I have had treatment. I also have found that a cold wash cloth around my neck has helped in the past or a lavender infused bath helps also.  I sometimes don't know what is causing my discomfort, all I know is I never suffered with all these ailments before I got on this drug.  I am actually going to make an appt with a functional medicine dr to get another opinion about what I am experiencing in regards to the anxiety....sometimes I just don't know what is at the root of it all...sometimes I feel fine, than other times, panicky, very irritable, head rushes and pulsating head- ugh! I will say with every day I tend to battle through a little bit better.  Hope that helps!

Hi Debra,

Thanks so much for your advice. I will try to follow it as it makes good sense. And l am glad you are having better days even though it's still a journey for you. Hope the good days soon outweigh the bad.

I had a bad night/early morning as started with dreaded palpitations around 10pm. Couldn't sleep at all and catnapped most of the long night. Come the morning l felt my heart jumping out of my chest so checked the reading on a finger pulse oximmeter. It was 146. So scary and straight away l took my Betta blocker and blood pressure tablets. Eventually it calmed down but has left me feeling frightened of what's to come.

I am at the Drs this morning so hopefully she might be able to explain why this happened.

Best wishes.

Hi Deb..

I experience 80% same as you .. except I don't take meds for the neck ... I tried 20mg propranolol if the neck and anxiety comes together but now I also avoid because it also creates more tension ....but we are almost the same . I am 80 days off...

Hello Debra - the way you described your neck pain shoulder pain & arm pain is exactly to the t of how this amlodipine is making me feel . Sometimes I worry because the neck pain feels as if it’s an artery in pain . My shoulder hurts all the time and about half way down my left arm - like you said almost like I have lifted weights that were to heavy and the muscle is sore . I never had this before I started the amlodipine & it took a couple of months for these symptoms came . Did u get off the Amlodipine ? Sometime I feel like I can’t do anything with my left arm . My toilet is push button on the top & I have a hard time flushing it with my fingers because my arm is so sore . I will try the cold rag on my neck to see if that helps . I’m not sure what to do about it . You know the doctor thinks it couldn’t be the amlodipine . Very frustrated with this med, alothough it does help my blood pressure . Can you give an update on your progress & anything you did to relieve this arm & neck pain . Thanks so much . You just described the way I feel exactly . Thanks for that it is starting to make me feel crazy . 

Cynthia 

Hi Cynthialoulou - I have been off of Amlodipine for roughly 5 1/2 months.  I will tell you that with each month my symptoms have become less & less & I rarely have that scary neck artery pain anymore.  I will say though, that I was on this awful drug for 5 years.  I will also say that I think I am super sensitive to this drug, because I started experiencing symptoms early on while taking it & never put It together that it could be the amlodipine.  I do know people who have taken it with no problems for years & it seems to do the trick of lowering your blood pressure, until for some, the awful side effects outweigh the benefit of the stupid drug - take care - 

Hi Deb Cyn..

...

The artery pain is like when u feel the 2 front bones at yr shoulder .. just behind is a depression before the trapezius muscle... press into the depression u feel the sour feeling of the carotid nerve bundles .. and that stretches up the sides of yr neck to the back of yr head .. is that the one you ate describing ?

I had very bad pain in my shoulder for about 18months. It started  about 6 months into taking Amlodopine. Then about a year in, my right thigh started aching as if I had run up 1000s of steps - it hurt whenever I walked up steps. I came off the drug a month ago and have stopped feeling 'old' and like I am crippled. I went for a scan and the doctor said I have a bursa which is full of liquid. The bursa sits under the tendon in the shoulder and was giving me all the pain. It may be permanent damage - I ahve to see a specialist. The leg showed up on the scan as having toughened tendons. I put all of this down to Amlodopine as I had nothing like it before. I am now on Candestaten (has anyone tried this, and what are the side effects?). I would really like to come off everything but need to lose weight first and try and cut my alcohol intake. I would advice anyone with shoulder aches (or anywhere else) to request a scan.

Thank you Debra- I have to get off this stuff . I am about 6 months on it. There’s got to be something else without these horrible side effects. Did you replace it with something else. That artery pain is scary & I am so tired of my arm & shoulder hurting.

thank you very much 

cyn5ia 

dear Chil000

yes that’s exactly it . Starts in the back of the neck & goes up the side. What a scary feeling . I have been on this med for 6 months . I M so tired of my shoulder & top of my left arm hurting . The dr said it’s not the med but I know it is . I have not taking anything else . My hubby takes it no problem . My shoulder & arm hurt so bad it’s hard to put on a bra & shirt 

or to move my left arm to the back . I have got to get off this stuff . Any recommendations ? Thank you so much for describing this neck pain .i was starting to wonder if it was just me .

cynthia 

See my text here. Had the same problem and asked for a scan. Yes, its the Amlodopine eating into our tendons and inflaming a bursa..

Hello cyn ......

Strange... i don't wear a bra but i started to not be able to stretch to soap and scrub my back..... ! What a coincidence.......

I may try homeopathy..... was thinking of looking for a good practitioner....

Hi Cynthia - While I was on Amlodipine, I also got put on Irbesartan  300/25 about 3 years into taking the Amlodipine because my b/p was still climbing.  Oddly enough, when I took myself off the Amlodipine my b/p went down which makes me think my body was fighting this toxin and with that came increased cortisol, anxiety and increased b/p.  I am still on the Irbesartan and don’t appear to have any side effects from it but I just read that long term use pcan cause skin cancer (oh joy) I am working very hard on calming my adrenal stress, bringing down my cortisol and dealing with my emotional stresses.  I get acupuncture regularly, am going to a naturopath because I am trying to get to the root of my high blood pressure (not simply throw RX’s at it).  I take magnesium, calcium & Vit D tablet, drink Holy Basil Tea for reducing inflammation & Beet Root Capsules am trying desperately to reduce my sugar & flour intake, eat more plant based diet & exercise more but more restorative like stretching & yoga than amped up cardio.  I also stopped watching or listening to the news because I get very anxious from all the bad news, so I doubt that helps me in lowering my b/p.  I am on a quest to feel healthy again & to get off all b/p RX’s.  I also don’t believe that everyone has to be a perfect 120/80.  You need to factor in age, ancestory, genetics etc.  My parents both lived to 96 years, were smokers, never exercised outside of doing all their own household chores, ate meat every night (but small portions) had elevated but controlled b/p & but the one thing they had was a very “stress free” lifestyle...they lived within their means but had great quality.  Stress is not healthy. 

This is what happened to me. It gets worse and worse until it is painful all day...My legs stopped being crippled straight away when I came off the Amlodopine but the shoulder....still hurt like mad.

 

Please help! I have been on amlodipine for one month. It is my 4th different BP med. I have been on Losartan and had swollen feet, ankles with sore joints. I went off that and was switched to metoprolol which made me in a brain fog. switched to lisinopril which I took for alittle over a year. When dr. increased it my cough became unbearable, so he switched me to amlodipine. I thought at first it was great, but on my next visit they had to increase dose because BP was still up. Now I feel awful. Headache from neck to top of head on right side, ringing in ears and pain in right ear. I feel like crap. In fact, this is the worst one yet. Has anyone else had the ear problems? I have an appointment with my ENT June 11th. I don't know if it's the med or something else, but I don't know if I can wait until then and keep taking it. Please let me know if anyone else has had these issues. It wasn't until they increased it 4 days ago and it's been 4 days of hell. thanks!

Got ear ringing on top of all other bad side effects during two month I was on it. After I stopped taking it took about week or two to go away. Amlodipine is the worst and can lead to AFIB. Get off it look for another BP pill or try all natural way Beet Juice Garlic pills. Garlic pills worked too well for me and lowered my BP to point I thought I would pass out after a week taking them. Now I still drink beet juice lowers both numbers by 10 points, not huge but good enough for me.

Also otoxicity from a drug does not go away unless you stop taking the drug and a ENT can only confirm if you have tinitus. Nothing he can do but say get off that drug. There is no body getting used to it, just longer you are on it more chance it will be permanat.

Thanks Jeff, I was initially put on 2.5 mg as my GP always starts me off on a real low dose. I didn't notice any thing bad, and was so glad to be off of the lisinopril and the darn cough. But once they upped my dose this past week, the ringing and weird headache are becoming so unbearable. I always had mild tinnitus, and sometimes get mild vertigo that can be seasonal with allergies etc. You think my GP, knowing my history, would stay away from anything that effects my ears. He knows I have a ENT doctor for my tinnitus and seasonal vertigo. I'm disgusted as this is my fourth pill. I know they think I am a hypochondriac, but I'm not. I just want a medication that I can live with for the rest of my life if need be. My mom had BP issues when she was 32 and lived her whole life on BP meds. I don't ever remember her complaining of side effects such as this. At 58 I think I am doing good except for getting a handle on this blood pressure. Any other advice or direction from anyone would be so appreciated. I have an appointment with my ENT on June 11th. I will definitely take whatever advice he gives me.