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anyone had problems with their eyes while taking amlodipine.

Posted , 6 users are following.

gill72653
gill72653

I took this medication for about a month along with hawthorne capsules and since the hawthorne trees are in leaf, eating fresh leaves. My blood pressure came down but i had a range of effects..consciousness dulled, constriction of the throat, aching leg.. went back to see the GP who said take a break for a few days and start on something else.

In the meantime i noticed a problem with my eyes.Pink and green patches when looking at white - cieling, white paper etc also halo effect, and interesting silver flashes in sunshine. I went to the Opticians, ran loads of tests, pronounced the eyes were perfect, said if i had headaches or tingling in fingers he would have thought it might be a brain tumour. I went home and looked at amlodipine 'side effects ' and found 'visual distortion' on the list.

I decided not to take the new meds as my BP has come down (and stayed down) I am still taking hawthorne caps and grape seed extract.  My BP was in the normal range yesterday. BUT ..the eye problem persists in my right eye..reading is a problem, i have to concentrate so hard to get beyond a blur. Has anyone else experienced this? any advice?

1 like, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • sharon34402
    sharon34402 gill72653

    Posted

    Hi gill72653,

    I stopped drug about two weeks ago and have been noticing black configurations on the wall or in front of me. If I look at ceiling which is white the right eye almost covered with the black patches. I thought at first they were just floaters, but never experienced to this effect before. No pain or other symptoms, but strange. Just had eyes checked in Jan and everything good.

    • gill72653
      gill72653 sharon34402

      Posted

      Some people pay a lot of money to have visual 'hallucinations'...me, I prefer to see what IS there! Just dont change your spectacles until the eyes are 'normal'...I have just wasted a lot of money..specs are now no good.
  • MrsO-UK_Surrey
    MrsO-UK_Surrey gill72653

    Posted

    Gill, visual disturbance is quoted as a common side effect in a list of possible interactions between Calcium Channel Blockers, including Amllodipine. and Hawthorne.  So perhaps it was this combination that has caused your eye problem.
    • gill72653
      gill72653 MrsO-UK_Surrey

      Posted

      Thanks for your message, you may be right. I decided to take myself off the prescribed meds and stick to hawthorne. Have been to see the practice nurse today..told her what i have done...my BP reading today was in the normal range. We have another appointment in a months time. She has asked me to keep a record of a daily BP reading during this month to be sure I am still OK.

      The pink blotches have gone but the 'halo' is still there. Unfortunately in ignorance i had an eye test and got new lenses while all the high BP stuff was going on and now that BP is back to 'normal' my new lenses (£350) are no good.

    • MrsO-UK_Surrey
      MrsO-UK_Surrey gill72653

      Posted

      Gill, worth a talk with the optician who supplied your new specs - perhaps they'll at least do a deal!  Gld the pink blotches have gone and perhaps the halo will follow suit.
  • david_s
    david_s gill72653

    Posted

    Hello Gill

    I had been taking Atenolol for 20 years or so when I read in the newspaper that it had been superceded by new and improved drugs. I told my doctor and he prescribed Amlodipine. I developed cold-like symptons so returned to the doctor who said "can't be Amlodipine, it's good medicine" and he doubled the dose.

    A few weeks later, I noticed a big brown blog on the pavement that went before me as I walked along. I took myself off Amlodipine. An optician declared my eyes ok, as did a consultant at the local hospital. I have been back on Atenolol for 5 years with no further trouble.

    Good luck.

    • mike92384
      mike92384 david_s

      Posted

      David...Amlodipine is NOT an upgrade of Atenolol. They are in 2 different classes. Amlodipine is a Calcium Channel Blocker, whereas

      Atenolol is a Beta Blocker. Amlodipine seems to be the drug of choice amongst doctors, but there are a lot of people who experience side effects from it...me being one of them. If you read some of the posts on here, you'll see that some people have had horrid experiences. This isn't to say you will..you may be lucky. I have a relative who does quite well on Amlodipine. Everyone is different. How does your doctor know about your side effects by saying "Can't be the Amlodipine" . Of course, it can!!!!! Anything I've educated myself on, says that doubling the dose isn't the answer. Doubling simply increases the chances of side effects being worse. Perhaps you could discuss this with your pharmacist. I see from reading further, you took yourself off the Amlodipine. I'd never encourage anyone to do that without doctor's supervision,but this worked for you, & you're back on the Atenolol without problems. Good for you!!! Keep up the good work. Its rather 

      sad that we as patients have to take control of our health issues. Doctors, especially the younger ones, need to listen more to us rather than spend most of their time on the computer while we're in their office.

    • gill72653
      gill72653 david_s

      Posted

      Thanks for your message David..I suppose most drugs have some effects other than the intended ones....as long as it clears up...
  • mike92384
    mike92384 gill72653

    Posted

    Hi gill72653. How do you know the vision distortion isn't being caused by the "natural" products you're taking. Sometimes people think because something is 'natural'., it's ok to take with prescription medicines. That is NOT always the case.

    The 'naturals' CAN interact...big time. I really don't like it when someone such as an Optician, who certainly is NOT a doctor would say "i would have thought it could be a tumour". THAT can scare a person out of their skin. I hope you didn't pay too much mind to that. Perhaps you can get your doctor to refer you to an Opthalmologist. THEY are the specialists for the eyes, AND they're doctors. Quite frankly I couldn't tolerate what you're experiencing for very long. 

    • gill72653
      gill72653 mike92384

      Posted

      Thanks for your message Mike....You may be right about the Hawthorn..time will tell. I am being monitored by the GP's practice nurse. My BP was normal today and its about 10 days since i took amlodipine.  The pink blodges have gone..but i still have other issues..new lenses..blurred vision in one eye, halo effect. My optician didn't suggest i had a tumour, just that the symptoms i was having were found ,alongside other symptoms i don't have, in people who have tumour.  He took photos of my eyeball and compared them to the ones he did 2 years ago...no change, measured the pressure in my eyes again, put drops in to open the pupils and spent a lot of time looking down a microscope at both eyes. He is sure the eyes are OK and thats as far as he can go. I felt re-assured rather than scared. I am going to wait and see how it pans out without amlodipine. One problem at a time.....
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