1. Community
  2. Heart Health
  3. Amlodipine

Can it give Parkinson's symptoms

Posted , 5 users are following.

karen68752
karen68752

I have been on it for about year and developed Parkinson's symptoms. Is that a side effect and will it go away if it is?

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • lily65668
    lily65668 karen68752

    Posted

    I never heard Parkinson's symptoms were a side-effect of amlodipine, but others on this board may have a different view. You're not on any neuroleptic or antipsychotic meds are you? These are notorious for causing Parkinson's symptoms.

    I hope you're seeing a neurologist about this.

    • karen68752
      karen68752 lily65668

      Posted

      No, I'm only on Atenolol and synthroid. I read in the Norvasc side effects that it can cause tremors and muscle rigidity. I saw a neurologist and she said I have Parkinson's after a 10 minute evaluation. I asked her if it could be a side effect of amlodopine and she said no. I started having those symptoms around the time I started taking it, and it's getting worse daily.
    • lily65668
      lily65668 karen68752

      Posted

      I did a quick search and I see there are a few accounts of both Amlopidine and Atenolol causing Parkinson's symptoms in rare cases. There is also a study out there showing both groups (CCBs and Beta-blockers) actually reduce the risk of Parkinson's.

      I honestly don't know the answer. As a former neuro nurse (admittedly from way back when) my only experience of drug-induced Parkinsonism is with antipsychotic drugs, where it's a very common side-effect. In these cases the effect can be irreversible, especially after taking the drugs for long periods.

      Have you tried stopping, or reducing, the Amlodipine? However, if your BP before starting it was above 180/110 this wouldn't be a good idea. Alternatively, you could go back to the doctor who prescribed the Amlodipine, tell him/her you're not happy with the way it's making you feel and ask to try another medication.

      I'm afraid doctors can be very reluctant to admit to the side-effects of medications, and may not even know the rarer ones.

    • karen68752
      karen68752 lily65668

      Posted

      My blood pressure was never that high. I stopped taking the amlodopine just last night so we'll see. I looked on the website rxlist and that's where I read that it can cause tremors and muscle rigidity. I'm going to call the cardiologist today.

      The neurologists gave me azilect and told me to start that.

    • lily65668
      lily65668 karen68752

      Posted

      Have you considered waiting to see whether there's any effect from stopping the Amlodipine before starting the Azilect? This will give you an idea as to whether or not it was the Amlodipine causing the problem. The half-life is up to four days, and it would probably take quite a lot longer than that to undo any neurological effects. I think a month would do it. You don't want to get stuck on Azilect for life if the problem was only a drug reaction.

      Even if you do have Parkinson's, waiting a month or so before starting the Azilect won't make any difference to the progression of the disease, which is very slow.

    • karen68752
      karen68752 lily65668

      Posted

      I started 3 days ago taking azilect .5 mg. I think I'm going to stop that to see what happens for at least a couple of weeks. My research has shown that these side effects happen in about .5- 1 % of people. I don't know if it's a coincidence that these symptoms happened around the same time as the amlodopine but it might be worth a try to see.

      Also, I don't know if a 10 minute exam can say definitively that it is Parkinson's.

    • lily65668
      lily65668 karen68752

      Posted

      I think you're right to stop both the Azilect and Amlodipine for a few weeks, to get a clearer idea of what's going on. Unless your BP is very high, which you've stated not to be the case, this shouldn't cause a problem.

      I'm inclined to agree with you about the 10-minute consultation. However, Parkinson's is normally diagnosed purely on symptoms, as well as by a positive reaction to the appropriate medication. Hence my concern about a possible false positive if you don't stop the Azilect at the same time as the Amlodipine.

      There is actually a test called a DaTscan available now. I don't know a lot about it, as it didn't exist when I was in the business, but I gather it's not actually a definitive test for Parkinson's. I believe it's used rather to rule it out than to diagnose it and can also pick up more on whether or not a person with no symptoms is predisposed to the condition. It might be worth your while to research this.

    • janice12988
      janice12988 karen68752

      Posted

      My father was on amlodapine and diagnosed with Parkinsons.  If I were you would ask to be put on different med  I had a hard time getting my father off of the medication, he got better after coming off.  I believe that too many drugs are being mied without king how they interact. 
    • karen68752
      karen68752 lily65668

      Posted

      I have been off of the amlodopine now for almost a week and the muscle pain in my arm and calf is definitely subsiding! I'm still having the tremors but they aren't getting worse.
  • patty21479
    patty21479 karen68752

    Posted

    Hi Karen,  I only took Amlodipine for 6 days.  The first day I had muscle aches that worsened with each day.  But I did have little spasms which I described as the little tweeks that you have like right when you are falling asleep, but I was having them all through the day.  Maybe this is the type of feeling you are referring to.  I couldn't stand the muscle pain even only being on them for 6 days.  I attempted many natural ways to lower blood pressure and had some minor successes but a few days ago BP shot up to 170/100 and decided to give meds another try.  I have only taken two days of Losartan 25MG and BP is already at 143/92.  I felt a little funny but not pain and no spasms.  This might be the one for me.  I think you should at least ask your GP to put you on something else to see if it's the meds giving you the Parkinsons symptoms.  That is awful to deal with.  Hope you feel better soon.
  • Guest
    Guest karen68752

    Posted

    Hi Karen,

    was it the Amlodipine?.

    My father has been with the same symptoms, He was diagnosed with Parkinson's and coincidentally this year he began taking Amlodipine and for me it is very suspicious.

    I hope you're doing well!

    Thanks! smile

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.