Amlodipine – swelling of feet, difficult to walk
Posted , 15 users are following.
I am aged 55, male, and I suffered a stroke five years ago, with a loss of much of my eyesight. I find these days that even the slightest stumble, for example hitting an uneven paving slab, can cause my feet to swell up badly. Three weeks ago, I was unable to walk, and could only get around the house by hands and knees. I am gradually starting to walk again, but only slowly and with great care. After previous episodes, I have been unable to walk quickly.
I have found, after a visit to the GP, that Amlodipine has a common side-effect of causing swelling in the feet. She seemed to be of the point of view that since it is only a side-effect, it does not really matter. She suggested that it would be a good idea to keep my feet up. Since for fortnight I could not walk, and found it uncomfortable for me even to sit up, this all seemed like a banal statement of the obvious.
I was on 10mg of Amlodipine. I have not dared to try this again since, and now my mobility is gradually improving.
I find it horrifying that this dangerous drug is routinely prescribed. If approximately a tenth of patients prescribed this drug have suffered from abnormal swelling of the feet, and other extremities (peripheral edema), and if many others suffer from other nasty side-effects, the cure seems worse than the illness. Surely there must be less aggressive drugs?
0 likes, 19 replies
janpaulcel colinim
Posted
Hello i have been taking Amlodipine for 2 weeks (along with Ramipril) I have no swelling, but a shooting pain down my right leg, especially my calf, so have stopped taking it. Which is s shame because it was very good at getting my BP down.
The pain is still there though. Would anyone recommend hot or cold cures? keeping my leg raised?
Thank you
melinda54371 colinim
Posted
Hi I'm new here.
The begining of January my GP put me on Ramipril, had to come off them because of coughing which kept me awake at night too. On the 19th January I was put on 5mg Amlodipine, had a bit of swelling in the ankles, but went very quickly. A couple of weeks ago started coughing again and swelling in feet and ankles. The swelling went down but the pain in my feet and legs is awful and can hardly walk,burning sensation too. Up until then I would walk everyday. This has happened all of a sudden. Rang GP, but getting an appointment at the moment with Covid-19 is hard. Anyway eventually saw GP on Wednesday, never seen her before. She said, no amlodipine wouldn't do all that and you don't get a cough with them. I said, according to side effects you do! Anyway she said, oh it's arthritis in lower spine, that is causing it. I said how would you know that without x ray or scan? She didn't answer me! I am ringing the nurse who is monitoring my BP tomorrow, and telling her I want something else.