I know its was amlodipine!

Nigel,

I was diagnosed with high blood pressure 10 years ago which was a result of un-diagnosed kidney disease(IGA Glomrule Nephritis)

I was initially put on Ibertisan* and I spent the last 9 years exhausted. Initial side effects were so severe I had to nap in college during class. It got so bad I dropped out. I have missed SO much from being on Ibertisan!!!!!!!!!

After having a tonne of tests done for a multitude of things including anemia NOTHING was found to be causing my fatigue........ Not one of my general practioner Doctors I've had, nor either of my two Kidney specialist Doctors ever considered my medication to be a factor in my extreme fatigue. Unbeliveable!

Only threw my own research on the web was I able to find out that Ibertisan could be the cause of my extreme fatigue. I reduced my dose from 300mg to 150mg for a month and then I quit taking Ibertisan altogether. I had been Ibertisan free for about 3 months when I really started living life again.

However,

My blood pressure was still high 139 / 93 (for someone with kidney disease) so I discussed a new possible medication, that wouldn't cause fatigue, with my Doctor AND pharmacist. Guess what they recommended?

Amlodipine 5mg

I've been on the 5mg dose for a week now and I am already getting the extreme fatigue. It feels like my head is wrapped in steam compresses.

I think I need to start looking for a new doctor and a new specailist and in the meantime do my own research.

Thanks so much for sharing your experience, and I am relieved to have confirmation that it is not just me.

I'll be sure to post updates here as to my progress with my blood pressure and any possible developments with new medications.

I've also seen folks here mentioning they've had good experiences with their new "med" but they leave no written name for the medication. If you're going to brag about how good your new blood pressure medication is, at least leave the name so others could benefit from your experience.

Thank you!

Emis Moderator comment: I have removed the profanities from this post. As per the T&Cs please refrain from posting profanity in these forums.

Hi Dennis 33.

My doctor just stopped my amlodopine without any substitute, but I am still taking 2.5mg of ramapril. My bp varies from 108 over 73 to 128 over 76, so it seems fine. I also have a mellow heart which beats between 44 and 53. I am having my blood test results tuesday and I am hoping that she will say all is fine and somehow my body has just sorted out the blood pressure which i have had over 10 years but only really knew about 3 years ago when started meds. If it turns out all is well and healthy, I think its just because I am extremely happy and content at the moment, stress free and totally in love ! ha ha

Hi,

I am 57, reasonably active, although have been taking Amlodopine, in addition to Perindopril for several years to control raised blood pressure. A couple of months ago, I was finding that my ankles were very itchy, particularly at night. I visited GP, who instructed me to replace Amlodopine with another drug, which made my ankles swell up so I stopped taking it after about a week. GP then prescribed Bendroflumethiazide (after first suggesting to double the dose of Perindopril to 8mg) which I have been taking for around 5 weeks. Alarmingly, I am getting headaches most days, and my blood pressure is around 170/120 on a quiet Sunday morning. I don't know how long BFZ takes to cut in, but I was around 140/90 before stopping Amlodopine, so guess It's back to GP again soon.

OMG. I can't believe what I have been reading.

I have been taking Amlodipine for about 8years!. After going through an early menopause my GP picked up my HBP so I was taken off HRT and put on Amlod and after 6 weeks my GP added in Olmesartan and jointly they have brought my bp down from 200/100 to 120/80. now it is starting to creep up again and so my amlod was increased to 10mg. this brought on severe swelling in my lower legs so I went back had it reduced back to 5mg and was then given Indapamide to aid the swelling and assist in lowering the blood pressure.

That was 3/4 weeks ago and since starting with the water tablet I have experienced severe upper back pain and muscle weakness in my upper arms so this made me think that I should go back and discuss the options again with my GP, however she has now left and I worry that none of the other GP's will see my side of things.

Since being on these bp medicines, I have been treated for depression, I gave up work because Icouldn't concentrate, could never remember anything and was constantly in tears, so emotional - this blamed on the menopause as well - and I was scared I would be sacked, antidepressants didn't help so I stopped taking them, I took part in some CBT as well and this did help me see what I was going through and how my mind was working but I couldn't seem to stop the cycle.

I started to put on weight, decided to go on a diet, would be good for a few days and then I couldn't be bothered after that. I seem to live in a constant fog, as though there is a great weight on me. My family don;t want to spend time with me because I am so irritable and I just have no life left. The problem is I know all this but I just can't be bothered to do anything about it!

For some reason today I just decided to research my meds - well actually I have been going to do it for some time but kept forgetting - and I have been shocked at how many of my symptoms seem to be caused by this drug. I have to come off it now, it has already caused such damage to my marriage, i used to be such an easy going person, avoiding confrontation, now some days I seem to be looking for it!

Thank you to everyone who has posted on this site, I am going to go back to my GP and see what other options I have. I may give the Omega 3 and Lloyds breathing machine a go,x

Hi, update on my progress... I have been off the amlodopine for a few weeks now and I still feel fantastic, bp is good, no swollen ankles, hardly any cramp and a lot less heartburn and I am so much happier and have energy. Went to the drs on tues and my blood test results are good, cholestrol good, kidneys good, sugars good . I have been taking my own bp readings at home on a lloyds chemist bp machine. I took readings over 2 weeks and all were good and below 120/80. Dr is so please she has said yes come off the 2.5mg of ramapril as well and see how things go..................so I am now drug free after nearly 4 years !

I am begininning to wonder if I was maybe "mis diagnosed" as I am quite an anxious person at times, rest of the time pretty chilled out! but when I go to the drs or dentist or sometimes even out shopping on my own I get quite nervy and anxious......So......dr said maybe I have white coat syndrome and my bp just shoots straight up when I go to the drs, therefore my previous dr thought I had high bp......well I will see how things go and fingers crossed my bp stays were it is.

The dr said that they do now prefer own readings of bp at home because you are naturally more relaxed and get a truer reading. So I would recommend getting yourself a bp machine and check your own bp.

Well, after another migraine yesterday, I went back to GP. He's ordered complete rest and to come off BFZ. I'm now just taking 5mg Perindopril, and another replacement drug called Vascalpha, 5mg. This drug apparently works much faster on bringing down bp. Interestingly, the pharmacist told me that NHS are reluctant to prescribe it, as It's almost 10 times the cost of Amlodipine!

Hi Nige

Re your statement about the cost of Amlodipine, I was quizzing a pharmacist yesterday about all the different BP meds and asking him if he knew which was the one least likely to causes side effects. I also mentioned that everyone I was in contact with on BP meds seemed to be on Amlodipine as though it was the flavour of the month. He agreed that all surgeries in my area were prescribing Amlodipine! I said is that because it is very cheap and the answer was yes! I asked him what the non-generic brand of Amlodipine was called and I'm wondering about asking my GP if they will meet the cost of prescribing that thinking that I just might not have the side effects from the original - it's called Instin. Even on a children's dose of 2.5mg Amlodipine I am suffering from puffy ankles which feel really stiff - a worry for me as I only came off 5.5 years of steroids a year ago for an inflammatory auto immune illness which affected all my large muscle areas and caused all-over body stiffness including my ankles. Of course, the children's dose isn't doing anything for my high BP and I know the dose will either be icreased or I will be switched to another medication when I visit my GP next week - the hospital renal consultant has recommended Doxasosin if the Amlodipine doesn't suit but I've looked at the potential side effects of that and don't fancy it at all. I've booked a session of Reflexology for Monday in the hope that it may help, fingers crossed. I hope your head pain improves quickly Nige now you're off the BFZ, and that the Vascalpha helps with the BP - I've never heard of that one - it doesn't seem to be one of the ACE, CCBs or ARBs.

I think Vascalpha is simpy felodipine, just another calcium channel blocker. I've been on two CCB''s now, and both have given me similar side effects. Swelling, foggy, detached feeling, lack of motivation, depression, etc. etc. So I wouldn't be happy about trying another one myself Problem is, I had bad reactions to lisinopril so I can't try an ACE inhibitor again, and I am on doxazosin already, which has its own issues. Beta blockers and diuretics are difficult as I am diabetic, so what choice does that leave me?

Well I've just come back from my GP appointment and my doctor recommended coming off the amlodipine!

I didn't have to ask and he had no criticism for my doing my own research of the drug he just listened to my concerns and at the end just said why don't you stop taking them.. However I did find out that he is a former cardio vascular doctor and so he has more knowledge of these things than a normal GP.

I have been told that the Olmesartan and Indapimide should maintain my bp on their own so I shouldn't even need the amlodipine. What a difference going to another doctor makes.

I am feeling so positive at the moment, just the thought of no aches and pains, and hopefully the return of my memory and concentration, is making me smile.

I'll report back again next week.

Good for you Nessie26 !I am feeling so so great and energetic, and I can run, my feet dont hurt. Just done a days gardening and mowing in this heat and compared with how I was when on the meds I feel as fresh as a daisy and could keep going ! Really has made a difference.

Vascalpha/Perindopril update. After first few days, I can report that my upper bp reading has reduced from around 180 to 150, although little noticeable change to the lower reading, which is around 105. What does bother me however in my heartbeat, which seems to racing at around 100bpm. My normal pulse is 60/70.

Day 3 without the amlodipine and I'm feeling so positive. I feel as though I can tackle anything right now when in the past I might only have had one day a month when I even felt like going anywhere or doing anything.

I know the doctors encourage you to persevere with the meds, but they really should listen to the patients more, we do know our own bodies.

I just wish my memory hadn't been so bad, then maybe I would have found this site earlier.

Nigel61, I would suggest that you go back to your GP if your heatbeat is racing even when resting because that surely can't be right and certainly not good for you.

Hi Nessie

Glad your life seems to be improving without Amlodipine.

I'm having a treadmill ECG on Wednesday, so hopefully, they are equipped to recognise and cope with this sort of thing. I certainly have no problem walking briskly.

I'm pleased to say that BP 140/92 when I took it this am and pulse 77. Maybe body is adjusting to theintroduction of Vascalpha and I feel calmer today!

My memory is not great, but I put it down to the onset of years.

Good luck

I'm a 38yo female with elevated blood pressure since 2007. 4 months ago my doctor changed my BP medication from HCTZ 12.5mg to lisinopril/hctz because the HCTZ seemed to stop managing my blood pressure levels. I developed the cough (tickle at first, later I'd sometimes gag) but BP levels were managed (usually 120s over 80s). 2 Saturday's ago I was bitten by a tick and my doc put me on the antibiotic Bactrim (another drug to stay away from!) And I had an allergic reaction to it which landed me in the emergency room because my throat was swelling/closing. Idiot in the ER didn't want to admit that the Bactrim was the issue so he had me stop the Bactrim AND Lisinopril (keep in mind this is not my regular physician) and put me on amlodipine. That was a week ago today. I took my first dose Wednesday. By Saturday my ankles and calves were so swollen it looked like I aged 20 years below my knees. The next 2 days I was so tired and dizzy and frustrated and all I wanted to do was go home and go to sleep. Yesterday I called my doctor's office and told them what happened, my symptoms, and expressed my concerns with the swelling and I could literally visualize my doctor frantically shaking her head NO to the amlodipine. This is day 2 that I've been off those dreadful pills and back on lisinopril. I can't wait until I'm back to my old self again. I'm so mad because he had no reasonable explanation for changing the medication in the first place and as a result I feel like my whole world was turned upside down in less than a week! I've had depression and anxiety issues in the past and I feel this made me so emotional because I thought the depression was back. In saying all of that, I'll gladly take the sometimes gagging cough ANY DAY over feeling like I'm 20 years older physically and like my life is hopeless. -side note...someone mentioned metabolism and blood pressure on here and I wanted to mention that I eat a vegetarian diet (7 years) but in the last 6 weeks I've been working on boosting my metabolism with proteins (no meat, of course) and complex carbohydrates (21 lb loss so far) and the week I was bitten by the tick I noted my BP was 108/69....lowest ever since 2007...even my BP meds never got it that low-

It's a good job you stopped taking the amlodipine when you did. I almost feel I'm on a bit of a high after being on it for so long. Now that the depressed feelings have gone I almost can't keep up with myself! Only one dizzy spell in the last few days, my mind is so much clearer and I've already lost 5lb, which might be just because I'm more active, interesting to note your thoughts on proteins and complex cards.