Horrible side effects Amlodophine

Thanks so much I’m planning to have this discussion next visit. Glad you found a better option., I’ll keep you posted..

Yes I’m tried dietary changes and have tried every natural thing people talk about garlic, celery juicing, less meat. Still got a ways to go on the exercise front.  I delayed meds as long as I could but dr say it’s gebetic..

The hot flushing are the worst.  I, too, am in the throws of menopause but after a week or so of being on the amlodipine the flushes were 100 times worse. At first I attributed it to the hot humid summer we are having along with menopause but after talking to my gyn dr she said it could be the amlodipine. I'm So glad I'm off that stuff now. I'd only been on it for a short time so after I d/c it I noticed my symptoms subsided rather quickly. I DO still get the menopause hot flashes which ar annoying but tolerable and nothing like the ones I got while on the amlodipine. I would be sweating from head to toe and my skin was so red and hot i was so embarrassed when this happened out in public. There has been much improvement since I've stopped the amlpodine and thankfully, so far the new bp med seems to be agreeing with me. We do have to be our own advocates. Have u noticed help with the menopausal hot flashes with the beet juice and magnesium? Best of luck to u both!

Hi Joyceny - Without boring you with all the details, the last six years of my life have been an “e ticket ride” regarding my health - When I was put on Amlodipine in 2012, it was also the start of a very stressful next few years of my life, so when I started exhibiting all these weird sensations and feeling like crap most days, I just chalked it up to stress or menopause.  When I stopped taking Amlodipine one year ago, I crashed & burned, there were days I couldn’t get out of bed...I had heart palpitations, headaches, burning body parts, electric shock sensations, tingly hands, flushing, hot flashes.  If you google the 66 symptoms of menopause & then read about anxiety & the side effects of this horrible drug you will see very similar symptoms, sooo, I really don’t know what came first, but I do know that amlodipine amplified ALL my symptoms.  I still struggle with symptoms, but oddly enough, when I took myself off amlodipine, my b/p actually came down...I just think my body knew it was so toxic.  I am 61, post menopausal, but still struggling with menopause symptoms.  I have learned a lot in this journey.  1. Trust your body 2. Western medicine drs treat your symptoms, not the cause 3.  Read and get informed about any RX BEFORE you ingest it 4. Mental & emotional health are factors in determining your physical health. 

For me, I had the perfect storm going on in my body...I was dealing with emotional, mental & physical stresses & my health was taking its toll.  I also, am not a huge believer that @ 61, my b/p should always be a perfect 120/80.  I do think everyone depending on age,  genetics will have their own healthy range.  To answer your question, my flushing is less frequent and certainly less severe, but is still there - I need to exercise which I really have not done these last few years because I have felt so horrible, but plan to start & also I need to lose weight, but for now, I am not beating myself up.  I just try to calm myself with self care, meditation and eating clean.  I do believe magnesium and beet root capsules do aid in keeping your b/p down, for now I can only take baby steps in this road to recovery -

I've been experiencing menopausal symptoms for almost 10 yrs. I'll be 60 next month. It's awful becuz the side effects of the amlodipine mimic a lot of the effects we experience during menopause. Stress definitely plays a role in all of this as well. I do know tho that since I've stopped the amlodipine i DO feel so much better. I, too, think ideally my bp should be 110/70 as it always was in My younger years,but in reality you're right ... we're all different and those numbers may not be our Ideal readings. Right now I am consistently 125/80-85 and I'm ok with that. I do think diet and exercise can help keep our numbers in check as well. I need to more diligent about both. I wish you the best And hope you feel better. Keep me updated and I will as well! 

Hi Joyceny - thanks for replying - isn’t this menopause journey a fun ride? 😱 were you always on 5 ml of Amlodipine or 10 ml? & for how long? I am currently on Irbesartan HTZ & was put on that while still only on the 5 ml of amlodipine (very stressed out times) Dr switched me to 10 ml of amlodipine & the world fell apart - after being off amlodipine for a year, my dr wants me to go on another B/P RX to bring my numbers way down, but obviously I am reluctant and hope that I can sustain my numbers & really try to lose weight & exercise & do it more holistically - may I ask what B/P RX you are currently on? All RX’s seem to come with some side effect, I suppose it’s just picking your poison - can I ask you a menopause/flushing question? When you get a flush, do you also (aside from the heat) feel like your brains have been sucked out & you feel a bit woozy? I am so over these horrible symptoms - thanks for your input - 

Hi Debra! Oh yesss menopause is such a Fun journey 😩 and my GYN dr said the symptoms can last well into our post menopause years. Yikes!

Im currently on 5 mg olmlasartan. I was on 5 mg of amlpodipine but only for about 2 months or so. I felt so horrible that I knew I wasn't going to take it anymore. So far, no bad side effects from the new medication but I've only been on it for about a week and a half. You're so right. All meds have side effects and we just have to find one that works best for our bodies. Right now my bp was 135/88. It usually is higher in the morning and usually evens out to about 125/80-85. It was 165/99 when i went on amlodipine. 

As far as the menopausal hot flashes. Yes. Some will make me feel woozy and my head will throb. I get more mild ones through out the day and night (wakes me up thru the night 😡 but when i was on the amlodipine the flushes seemed to engulf my entire body and i literally felt like i was going to self combust. It was horrible. Once in a while I still get a really severe one but nothing like the ones I experienced 24/7 While on the Amlodipine.  My gyn told me about a product called. Hot flash. It's a capsule. She says it's helped some of her patients. Going to research that more along with some other natural supplements. Keep me updated on how you are doing. Best of luck to you!

Hi Joyceny - Thank you for your reply - From my understanding, your current B/P RX is from the same family as the one I am on & they seem to be well tolerated with few side effects.  As you know, when you monitor your b/p thruout the day, you get all kinds of different readings, so it’s important to know what your baseline is.  Even if I was at optimum weight & fitness, I believe for my age my B/P would not be a perfect 120/80.  

I have been going to acupuncture throughout this nightmare amlodipine/menopause journey & my acupuncturist would point out how my tongue was flaming “bright red” when I was on the amlodipine meaning my chi was heated.  Now since off the amlodipine my tongue is back to normal color, so yes, that poison was inflaming my body & making my hot flashes/flushes 10 times worse.  I was also diagnosed with Rosacea at the time, but now I think it was just the amlodipine making my flushing so bad. 

I know everyone describes their hot flash/flushing differently, but I can’t cope with that woozy/brain got sucked out/heat flash - it makes me feel so odd - thanks for sharing - 

Hi Brenda I have had the worst time of my life in the last 6 months. I started Amlodipine and gradually started to get extreme fatigue pain in legs and arms.l never dreamt it could be any thing to do with the pills . As things got worse with pain and sweating I eventually had 2 massive anxiety attack’s ended up in a&e.

Been off work now for 4 months.Stopped Amlodipine 6 weeks ago and improvements are really slow . Ironically BP is now lower than ever.

Just wondering if you think my symptoms should have gone by now or if it’s a long hall ? Thankyou

Hi Steve - Here’s is the good news...you were only on that poison for 6 months.  I was on it for 5 years!!!  I have been off of it for 1 year and I am still having residual effects.  I hope and pray that it hasn’t permanently damaged me in some way.  It does seem to take some time to leave your system though.  I still experience crazy anxiety and aches & pains & flushing that I never had before my Amlodipine adventure.  It could be age & menopause also, but I know Amlodipine made everything so much worse.  Good Luck!

Thankyou for your reply . Like you I can’t believe this has happened to me i

just prey it will end.Good luck to you too.