Anybody experience withdrawal symptons when stopping Amlodipine?
Posted , 46 users are following.
Hi everyone!
I have decided to wean and eventually stop taking amlodipine. I started at 5 mgs per day and was getting some of the side effects that most people here on these discussion forums have experienced. I spoke to my gp about 3 weeks ago and she wanted me to continue taking the meds.
I was prescribed the meds because I was under a lot of stress and my bp was initally 223/114 on election day here in the US. I have less stress in my life and my bp had gone down to 158/86 at the start of Dec. I don't yet have a home monitor and my next gp appointment isn't until April.
I don't like the way my body was reacting to the meds while I was taking the full dosage. And I don't want to be hooked on something like this for the rest of my life just because of what I feel is the "flavor of the day" type of mentality that (some) doctors have in regards to their patients.
I have been watching my sodium intake and have less stress in my life, thanks to my brother loaning me his daughters' car that wasn't being used.
Can anyone help me with this? Please? Thank you in advance.
5 likes, 55 replies
mike92384 rozanne321
Edited
Glad you were able to see the comments in this site regarding Amlodipine. As you can imagine, this doesn't appear to be a popular medication AT ALL. I hate the stuff,but will be teaming with my family doctor in the near future about coming off it. I'm also on Coversyl Plus HD, & 50mgs. Atenolol. Originally, I was on 5mgs Amlodipine, then my Dr. doubled it to 10mgs....mistake! My feet & legs became swollen...then I went on other meds. It's along story, so I won't bore you.
As for coming off the Amlodipine, you don't have to wean yourself..you can abruptly stop the medication without a problem. I have this from a very close friend who is a Pharmacist. Not only did she tell me this,but my own Pharmacist said the same thing. Having 2 opinions is good.
You said your bp has gone down to 158/86. While it's not the best reading in the world it's not great either. How did you get this reading? Try not to fall into the trap of taking your bp reading by one of those machines in Walmart or the Pharmacy. You never know the accuracy or when the machine was last calibrated. Also, there are variations as to arm size, etc. I will agree though, that any reading is betting than no reading at all.
As for a home monitoring machine, I highly recommend the Omron BP785. You can set it to take 3 readings, (15, 60 or 120 seconds apart), then it will give you the average...or you can set it to take 1 reading at a time, then you can take 2 more on your own, then average it out.
You didn't say what side effects you were experiencing, except to say some of them were the same as what people on the site are experiencing. If you have swollen feet/ankles that will NOT go away unless you stop the Amlodipine. Never stop taking a medicatin without the guidance of your doctor. I hope you don't mind me giving you this advice. Please try not to worry about being 'hooked on something like this for the rest of your life". There are other bp medications out there besides Amlodipine. Your doctor should have explainted this to you...but if the side effects of the Amlodipine persist, by all means get back to your doctor.
Nobody should have to put up with nasty side effects of any medication.
Please let us know how you get on.
rozanne321 mike92384
Posted
I agree with you that 158/86 isn't the best reading, but it's better than 173/92, which what it was when I left my gp's office 2 days after my 4 hour hospital stay. This reading was taken at her office,
Some of the side effects that I was experiencing were fatigue (feeling so tired 30 minutes after taking the meds that I felt like my body was a boulder but I knew that I had to get up!), "zoning out" mentally, loss of enthusiasm that things that I liked to do, hobbies, etc, felt more like chores and just plain dull. I didn't have any swollen fett/ankles. I kept them up when I was sitting at the table and/or couch. I don't have a job, so I didn't need to be on my feet. Driving the car is now a pleasure and not something to worry about whether I am going to zone out and get into an accident. I am also watching my sodium intake and diet. My daughter's boss, who is a chef at her job, gave me a couple of low-sodium cook books. So that helps also. Not that I will make all those gourmet meals, ha ha ...
I will let you know how I am getting along with NOT taking the meds. I do, however, take a multi-vitamin which my gp says is also go for me and doens't cause any side effects.
mike92384 rozanne321
Posted
joyce22002 mike92384
Posted
mike92384 joyce22002
Edited
joyce22002..I can assure you, I am NOT wrong. My own doctor along with two friends who are pharmacists (don't work in the same pharmacy) told me that weaning off Amlodipine is NOT necessary.
Beta blockers are a different story.
If one feels dizzy or severe lightheadedness after stoppage, one must also remember that not taking a bp medication when such medication is required, will cause a rebound bp rise.
From personal experience...I stopped Amlodipine...but went on a different medication. Wean off?...NO I did NOT.
mrsspot joyce22002
Edited
You cannot just stop them as with most drugs. 4 days now into new meds and bp finally nearly under control. But I have been left with an extra beat in my heart rhythm. All due I believe to amlodopine backlash.
michael07598 mike92384
Posted
My doctor also said it is not necessary to wean off. She said I can just stop. I was taking 5mg for about 30 days.
thurman57978 mike92384
Posted
The Company that created Amlodipine suugests not to quit it cold turkey. your friends might not have correct information.
willy43488 mike92384
Posted
Are you on your feet a lot? I am just wondering if that is related to gravity + the amilodipine
and whether its different with people that sit all day long..
willy43488 mike92384
Posted
All this depends whether you have other factors at play. My mom withdrew and Doc changed to another hypertensive. She had a broncho spasm.
john44832 mike92384
Edited
I have to agree with Mike92384 on taking BP readings at WalMart or CVS or any other business which has a BP monitor. These machines are basically 'advertising gimmicks' which are deliberately set high so you feel like you have to go to your doctor for meds. I took my BP on a CVS blood pressure monitor and had a reading of 165/110, which I knew based on all of the of the other readings I was getting at home was entirely too high....maybe by 20-25 points!
I took amlodipine for 4 days, the first three days which were characterized by declining BP, BUT the 4th day I had chest pains, so I e-mailed my doctor and asked him to switch off the amlodipine and onto a med which has a little more flexibility (eg., lisinopril). My blood pressure was also elevating while on the amlodipine, which I guess happens with some BP meds before they take full effect.
I'm also having some withdrawal symptoms associated with the amlodipine. I've had sweaty feet, some rebound hypertension (155/100 BP and about 30 minutes later the BP is at 130/90). I also have issues with panic attacks, which are most uncomfortable and actually downright dangerous, especially if I'm driving!.
Bottom line is that amlodipine is quite dangerous, and I will not consider this as a BP medication again!
thurman57978 mike92384
Edited
if you have been on Amlodipine for an extended time period definitely do nit stop cold turkey. I did and ended up in hospital on day 2 and day 3. My heart started skipping a beat, never had this before in my life. Day 4 doctor gives me 5 MG Amlodipine and heart returns to normal beat. 1000s of testimonials on the internet but will tell you similar stories.
Wean off it.
jeremiah60782 michael07598
Posted
were you ok
erika33980 michael07598
Posted
Hi. are you taking another bp medicine? I was on Amlopidine for two weeks and it lowered my bp but i felt horrible. I had two days off it and I felt dizzy, chest pain, I had a dry cough and felt very hot. My bp went high again so i was forced to take it one more time. During these two week I have been eating low sodium and super healthy and doing croossfit. I stopped it for another two days and I feel fine (as today).. My blood pressure is normal right now. I'm doing good cardio eveyday. I wonder if i should stop it completely by now? the doctor doenst believe in chaging a life style. He suggested me to take meds for life. I dont know about that. The side effects are horrible.
chantelle44782 john44832
Posted
Hi John how long did you have those symptoms and did it get better. I am currently going through withdrawal symptoms. Sweaty feet, heart palpation, jitters, headaches and I've been off Amlodipine for almost a month.
teresa76738 joyce22002
Posted
I agree!! I take 10mg of this a day, but the 10mg dose makes me VERY TIRED and for some reason my insurance won't cover the 5mg twice a day so I split the 10's in half, but it doesn’t have a line on the med to cut it evenly so it would rnd up in pieces so I decided to just get the 5 mg pills and just take one of those per day. It didn't go well... I've been taking 5mg for one week and today I was sitting on the couch and all of a sudden my heart started pounding EXTREMELY FAST/HARD so I took my blood pressure and it was to high for the machine to register so I tried to relax and I could feel my heart beating so hard in my head and ears! I took it again and it was 160/100 and my pulse was 140 (just sitting) and my pulse normally runs 65. Things do effect people differently, but I highly suggest not doing it Cold Turkey!
teresa76738 thurman57978
Posted
I tried to wean down from 10mg to 5mg and my blood pressure ended up high and my pulse was extremely high just sitting on the couch, heart beating Very Hard and FASSSST. Sometimes I feel as of these doctors put us on this crap so we keep returning!!