I know its was amlodipine!

I have tried every alternative remedy from A-Z you name it I have done it, my blood pressure was diagnosed 27year ago I was 26 and had just had my first baby, A bit of an overenthusiastic doctor shoved me on tablets and I took them and the result over the years has me like an old woman of 90 unable to walk, I had my tablets changed and they were alright for a while but they ar still calcium channel blockers related to amlids, I have so much pain in my muscles and bones I exercise through all of this, Fully understand the drunk feeling and constant tiredness nobody listens not one Doctor really cares we are blood pressure patient

THE MONEY MAKERS for the pharmacuetical industry

Wawet - I firmly believe this drug caused me pain through inflamed muscle groups. I originally thought I had strained say my left shoulder through inadvertent exertion . But 24 hours later the left shoulder would be ok and the right shoulder became painful. Maybe 3 days later it would be my sternum that was tender and the shoulder fine. Being diagnosed as PMR (experienced pain even after stopping BP meds) put on steroids which has been a rocky ride but my painful limbs were 95% 'cured ' within 3 days of taking 20mg of prednisolone a day. These of course produce other issues but at least you are always working towards reducing the level taken until your body tells you no longer need them at all . Now down to 6mg after 18 months . 24 hours after each 1mg reduction I feel really ill for 48 hours then the pain returns intermittently for a while , when this clears time to reduce by another 1mg.

Wawet, I am interested in what you say about your CCB being changed for another one yet you still feel the same. I was on amlodipine for some years and felt dreadful - spaced out, so tired I could hardly function, heart pounding and missing beats, lack of motivation, painful joints etc. 12 months ago, at my insistence, or rather pleading, my doctor very reluctantly changed them for lercanidipine tablets. I have to say I feel even worse on these than I did on amlodipine! The problem is, my doctor didn't really believe me last time, so there is even less chance that he will believe me now, and I don't stick up for myself well. I dread having to go and tell him how I feel and ask for them to be changed yet again. It's even worse that I had bad reactions to lisinopril some yearsago (even though I have also been told it was all in my mind!). I thought everything would clear up when I went from amlodipine to lercanidipine, but I still feel terrible. My joy of life has gone completely. I keep getting told I am suffering from depression, but I KNOW I am not. It's just a nightmare Would it be possible for you to say which tablets you were on before and are on now? I need all the ammunition I can get to throw at my doctor, and this is very interesting.

Fluttery52 My tablets at present ar Lercnidipine, I was put on these as the Amlodipine was causing excessive swelling in my legs, I am due back in the hospital in october for another 24hour monitor and then to see specialist. I am at the point of just stopping tablets and risking what comes at me,

I like you feel I have no quality of life,, I have to exercise as the weight I have put on since begining CCB's is not funny over 2 stone almost immediately after starting on them,, My doctor refuses to believe me that it was the tablets, I watch what I eat and if I didnt exercise I could only imagine the size I would be, They won't listen they just want to treat the disease not the person,

Fluttercaby52 before I was put on Lercanidipine I was on amlopidine, have also been on coversyl, innovace, atenelol, Istin you name it and everyone has had a reaction. Out of interest since going on Lercanidipine I have developed an awful cough and a need to go to urinate constantly but nothing happens when I go, just had dose doubled not feeling very energetic I feel drained in the 4 days of taking increased dose,

Hi Wawet, sorry late replying. It is very interesting that you were on amlodipine and now on lercanidipine, just like me. I don't have a cough on lercanidipine, but have to run to the toilet frequently, starting about an hour or so after taking my tablets. My heart also starts pounding around that time too. I have been on lisinopril before, and had bad reactions to that, even though my doctor didn't believe me (do they ever??) and had nightmares on propranolol. Plus I am diabetic so that cuts out some meds. It's so hard. It just seems that doctors don't like to be challenged, and it's too much like hard work for them to look for new medications. What do they get paid for? I hope you can get yourself sorted out. And I have got to get back to the doctor to tell him, yet again, that I want to try something else, sigh

Glad to find this forum. I have mid hypertension, when my sister had a stroke I started taking felodipine and on occasion my feet/ankles would swell. A couple of minutes on the lounger and the swelling would go away. The clinic switched me to amlodipine (10mg) earlier this year and that's when it went south. I lost my best friend to a heart attack, which put me in a emotional funk in Feb. But didn't realize all these other symptoms that have stayed with me were from this amlodipine. Symptom's range from anxiety, insomnia, sleepiness during the day, breathlessness, lightheadedness, heart palpitations. The most aggravating is the inability to get a good workout without becoming faint.

The Dr. took me off amlodipine for 21 days and I'm to monitor BP. I will not go back on it. I haven't taken any since Tuesday (24th) and so far BP and all else are just fine.

Sorry - should read Tuesday the 17th!

I hope you are lucky enough to be able to stay off amlodipine, and that your blood pressure doesn't start creeping up. I feel awful if I stop taking my meds, my head pulses at the back, my heart pounds and I feel shaky and sick until I take them again. They reckon you don't get rebound high blood pressure when you stop taking CCB's but I beg to differ. I certainly know about it. Good luck!

Amlodipine side effects : fatigue, heavy legs, depression, gas.

I am 60; I live in the US.I have taken amlodipine 5mg for 2 years. I have felt depressed, fatigued; I have heavy legs, no energy. My doctor was convinced I had depression and wanted to prescribe an antidepressant (paxil), for which I strongly objected. I mentioned that I have felt very tired since he prescribed amlodipine; he told me to stop it for one month.

- The next day, I was full of energy, with no fatigue periods anymore

- The second day, I felt my muscles full of strength. I enjoy life again.

- The third day, to my surprise, I noticed that I haven't felt ballooned with gases anymore.

My legs are still heavy, but I am very optimistic.

I too live in the US. Been off the stuff for a week now. The last 2 nights are the first time in 7 months that I've gotten good sleep. BP is around 130+-/low 70's. Starting to get back into workout shape - very, very optimistic!!!

harvey - after 2 months on Amlodipine I came off it due to swollen and inflamed ankles, a rash on my lower legs and a feeling of very heavy legs making walking unpleasant. The swollen ankles subsided in just a few days but the heavy legs took almost 4 weeks to get back to normal. Hopefully, with time you'rs will improve too.

Hello.

Such a help to read all your posts.

Having in past years been prescribed various BP meds, I complained to myself, then to my GP about

tiredness , and severe lethargy when using other types of BP pills. He poo-pooed my reasoning

So, reluctantly I stopped taking them all as a self-help trial. I felt so much better being off all of them.

However years later an unrelated GP visit and BP test led to GP getting me back on BP pills.

Started off with Lisiniprol.

BP was not down much after 2 months, so he gave me Amlopidine 5mg on top.

Initial results were OK- BP came down to acceptable limits for a 58 year-old active healthy man ( me).

Felt ok too.......... Initially.

Working as I was , long days and weeks physically alone in country/seaside environs is demanding. I loved my place of work ( outside on hills etc ) a healthy job, if physical and normally exhausting.

Best then, to ignore sypmtoms of exhaustion, swollen legs & ankles, severe cramps, depression and anxiety, eh? In a spirit of bloke-ish stoicism, I carried on. It was tough going.

One time I got cramps so bad in legs and lower back I thought I would expire- it was agonising , and I was frozen in a rictus of pain on the floor for 30 minutes.

One kept going, day-to-day, pursued the work ethic, and put down symptoms to ageing process, etc.

Then I ran out of AM & Li BP tablets due to being cut off ( on a remote island ) for some weeks.

I got back a feeling of well-being, happiness, energy and legs which stopped swelling and cramping.

Always a trusting patient, I am VERY reluctant to blame medications for negative effects - I want to obey GP and get well again with his learned prescriptions and advice.

I bowed to pressure from GP a few weeks later and went back onto the AM & LI BP dose.

Then for the next months until present time, I became depressed anxious, weepy, tired, achey & swollen.

Mood swings were, and are terrifying, mystifying and SO out of character.

I seemed awfully critical of others, including ones whom I really love.

Thinking I was going bonkers, blaming all of this on myself, I was at my wits' end.

Then today I started to research AM from its supplied pharmacist info / paper sheet " side effects" and got a list of identical symptoms, all present in / with me personally.

Wondering " is it just me" etc., I googled the type of BP pill, and eventually stumbled upon this site; read all the entries and concluded that my suspicions of AM being detrimental to my health are indeed well-founded.

Have stopped taking them today.

Currently having cramps, back pains, lethargy, anxiety, paranoia, angst, skin itching, rashes etc.

Oh, and weight keeps increasing, even though food intake decreasing.

Hoping some or all of these will go away "sans AM"...........let's wait and see.

Will report results on here.

My thanks again to all contributors.

Capn although I'm off this drug I still read the forum. Many posts, but especially yours, remind me so much of the very short time on was on Amlodopine. I feel so sorry that others have to go through what I was going through, mine lasted a short time, yours and others for so much longer.

You are right we are taught to 'obey' our doctors, we are not supposed to question their authority or knowledge and saying in their presence 'I've looked it up on the Internet' is almost a hanging offence. :-)

Yes we do have to listen to their expertise but forward thinking doctors will be pleased that you take ownership of your body. As you will see from my post in July I had such a doctor. Good luck, if you do need drugs for your BP I'm sure there are others out there which will suit you and your wonderful (sounds it to me) lifestyle.

I'm from the United States. Horrible side effects. Had muscle pain and twitches, out of body experience, difficulty concentrating or speaking, tingling and numbness of face/hands/feet, panic attacks/anxiety, depression, palpitations, cold extremities and finally got so bad that ended up in hospital for two days because I thought I was dying. Found nothing wrong with blood work, CT Scans, MRI's, or cardiac ulttasounds. I thought I had MS, stroke, or seizures. They think I had a TIA or panic attack. Came back home still on Amlodipine and put of new drug Toprol and gave me klonopin for anxiety and felt as horrible as ever. I have never had panic attacks in my life or suffered from depression. I came across this forum and felt a sense of relief. I have been suffering in misery for 8 months since I have been on this drug. I am 41 years old and went from a very active life to barely even being able to get through my work day. I have another appointment with my Dr on October 7th. I finally decided yesterday to do a trial run off of the Amlodipine 5mg since I will be seeing him on Oct 7th. I have been off of the Amlodipine now for 1 day and I'm amazed at how much better I'm feeling already. I for the first time do not feel like Im dying, having constant heart palpitations, and cold tingly extremities. BP is 122/82. Heart Rate is 82. While on the Amlodipine my heart would fluctuate from 86 to 105 at rest. I'm feeling better but the muscle twitches are still happening but not bad. Does anyone know how long it takes to get this horrible med out of your body? Thank you everyone for brining me back to sanity.