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Felodipine and Amlodipine - definitely not for everyone

Posted , 5 users are following.

Kathyn61
Kathyn61

Just sharing as this site helped reassure me when I felt horrendous with the side effects.  I take Losartan but, as it isn't sufficient to bring my blood pressure down to safe levels, the doctor tried me on Amlodipine in conjunction with the losartan, pretty quickly I developped pains down my legs and in my ankles and knees but especially in my shoulders where i lost range of movement, I felt sluggish and exhausted and as though I'd aged 10 years  in the space of a few weeks.  It did however normalise my blood pressure so after a month of trying it but hating it I asked the doctor to try a different variant of the same kind of medication just in case it was specifically the amlodipine so he switched me to Felodipine.

The Felodipine was REALLY REALLY bad or maybe it was the accumulative effect of  continuing to take this kind of medication for 2 months.  I can't find the words to adequately describe how I felt - I had the worst brain fog imaginable, I had no energy and would sit at my desk at work almost in a drunken stupor waiting for the hours to pass so I could go home, I'd feel dizzy (I kept worrying that I would get run over as I could barely walk) and confused and would have several hours each day when I could barely frame a sentence or speak.  I felt cut off from everything happening around me.  It started becoming really frightening - just in the space of a month my ability to function dropped by about 90%.  In retrospect it sounds ridiculous that I wasn't sure it was the Felodipine but I started thinking something was seriously wrong with me and then I found this website.  I read a couple of peoples' experiences and realised I had exactly the same thing which gave me the courage to tell my doctor I couldn't continue with it.  

I came off the Felodipine a week ago and have switched to a diuretic - the first few days off Felodipine I still had terrible bouts of dizziness and worried maybe it wasn't the drug but by day 4 my energy started to return and the bouts of confusion etc become fewer and shorter.  I'm now pretty much back to normal and do a full day's work, can talk to people again and do all those things which we take for granted.

I read a posting on here where someone said that their workmates said "welcome back" to them when they came off the Felodipine and the same thing happened to me the other day with my deputy - she said whilst I was on it she hadn't felt like she was talking to the me she knew and she really noticed that I often couldn't complete a sentence - she now feels like the old me has come back. 

I'm not knocking the drug - it works well for a lot of people but if you are suffering then do try something else - I'd almost reached the stage of such apathy that I couldn't be bothered to do anything about it but I feel I've got my life back just by stopping taking one tiny tablet each day.

 

3 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • colin143
    colin143 Kathyn61

    Posted

    This is really interesting. From almost the first day of taking amlodopine I starte getting missing heart beats and when the dose was doubled I got such a violent reaction I was second away from asking my wife to phone for an ambulance. I stopped taking it sosme weeks ago now but I have a sensitivity to potassium (it is a potassium sparing drug so lets potassium remain in the system rather than be excreted). I am now doing my best to follow a low potassium diet because even a small portion of potatoes, sweet potatoe, tomatoes, etc gives me palpitations and missing heart beats. My blood tests have always shown the kidneys to be healthy and the electrolites, which include potassium levels, are "normal". I am living in hope that whatever effect amiloride might have had on my system will eventually fade away and I can begin eating my normal, potassium rich foods again. Neither my GP, who is very smart, nor an eminent cardiologist have any explanation for the potassium sensitivity.

    Of course, the drug works well for many people but it doesn't happen to suit me.

  • radioman02
    radioman02 Kathyn61

    Posted

    I cant comment on amiodopine as my combination is Lercanadipine and Candesartan.  That said, I have an increasing number of side issues , which include muscular pain , particularly down the right side from hip to foot. ALSO , a rash has developed on both forearms. 

    Needless to say , I have had ultra sound, x ray, and MRI scans of my leg, all of which show normal wear and tear of the knee joint. My consultant is now requesting an extended MRI scan on my spine to check out nerve damage.

    Neither he nor my GP think the pain is connected to my BP drugs but i am not so sure!!!

    Hence , I continue to monitor this forum, if there are any similar stories out there , lets have them please.

  • maggie64
    maggie64 Kathyn61

    Posted

    I have been taking Felodipine for some time now,around 10 years.But I have been having awful dizzy spells,weird feelings in my head.This has been going on for a long time.I asked my GP if she could change my tablets,but she said no they are the best on the market.Each time I had a dizzy spell I would eat something,Well Im getting cheesed off with keep doing that.lol.

    I haven't taken any tablets this weekend an not had a dizzy spell yet.I am going to a differant  GP next month an will try again to get my tablets changed.

    Glad you feeling back to your normal self.

  • brian60529
    brian60529 Kathyn61

    Posted

    This is what's happening to me know to everyone else you may look drunk to them bit it's no jock ur coordination goes you feel weak and want to go to sleep mine is related to a different set of drugs but I do take amplodipine I think the body can reach a tolerance level after many years on the drug and become triggered by another I never used to get pins and needles and body parts become very cold even though its not cold the only thing that is against me is my age having a long conversation can be difficult at times as its like you get very tired and my body is getting thinner and then one day I aged my good looks just disappeared over night and I aged very quickly like something sucked the life out-of me which I found rather strange

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