I know its was amlodipine!

Thanks Alan.

Just been telephoned by doctors surgery as results of yesterdays blood test show potassium still high. Told to stop taking Valsartan (been taking for years) immediately, have an ECG, and to repeat blood in a weeks time. Obviously getting very concerned. I also now have a very dry mouth!

Annie

Alan has kindly answered your question re creatinine with a link. I was always led to believe that as long as your urea and creatinine tests were normal then kidney function was fine - important to me over the years of living with one kidney. However, it now seems that the more recently introduced eGFR (estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate) blood test is a more reliable marker. It's a test to show how well the kidneys are filtering out waste. Perhaps you could ask what your results of that test are which at least should reassure you that your kidneys are working fine. It is worrying when potassium levels become raised due to medication, possibly the diuretics or the Valsartan in your case, but you'd think they'd return to normal after coming off the suspect meds wouldn't you. I assume you don't add salt to your food and that you drink plenty of water? For your dry mouth, you could try sucking some chewing gum which is what I was advised to do when suffering a dry mouth a few years ago following a severe throat infection which led to a consultant suspecting an auto immune disorder on top of the one I'd already got! A certain chewing gum was recommended but for the life of me I can't remember which one - the advice came from a member of the Charity concerned withSjogren's Syndrome, one of the symptoms of which is dry mouth.

My systolic BP was up in the 200's at my hospital appointment yesterday and the consultant suggested adding in a diuretic to reduce the ankle swelling side effect of the Diltiazem BP pill - he felt my ankles and said they were full of fluid, whereas before BP medication they were always skinny. I find it so difficult to accept this whole concept of adding in another pill to counteract the effects of the first one. However, I now face a barrage of tests to rule out a cause for the high BP, following keeping a diary of my BP for the next 2 weeks. He advised me to take 3 BP readings within a few minutes of each other when at rest and write down the average of the lowest two readings. Today it was 157/80 which is good because even at home it sometimes spikes to the 180/190's, in spite of the medication.

Good luck with the ECG etc, Annie.

Feeling really ill again today. Saw GP as planned and he spent a lot of time with me. I said I had been too scared to do my own BP this weekend as I had been taken off the valsartan. He did it and when I asked what it was, said you don't want to know. It was up to 180/80, obviously because of coming of the medication. He has put me back on with a lower dosage for 2 days, and then an increase for the next 2. I mentioned the dry mouth, constant urine infections, lack of appetite etc. and he did a 'prick' blood test. Although he said it was not that high, considering I had not eaten for almost 20 hours he would have liked it to be lower. Sent off to do fasting bloods etc. Cancelled ECG as he said would not give accurage reading because of high blood pressure. Has booked me appointment to see him on Thursday when blood results will be back. So possibility of diabetes maybe? Just hope potassium level has dropped too.

Sorry to hear you had a bad day yesterday, Annie. I hope your fears of diabetes are unfounded and that your results are good on Thursday. I do remember reading a couple of years ago that the Beta Blocker, Atenolol, taken alongside diuretics carried a risk of causing diabetes in some patients but I haven't heard the same being said of Valsartan so hopefully you will be fine. Hope you feel better today.

Thanks MrsO for your good wishes I do actually feel a bit better today, (not brilliant but compared to yesterday and the weekend, heaps better) and I did have a better night albeit getting up some 4/5 times. Wonder if going back on Valsartan has contributed. Will find out all on Thursday.

Just a quick updat having seen my GP this morning for the r Results of tests. Potassium level up even more, so taken back off Valsartan. Blood pressure still high, put on Bendroflumethiazide (refused to go back on Amlodipine). This was doctors first choice and I said no way so will need to watch this one. I have to repeat bloods one week and also do a special urine sample test. He has referred me to a specialist as despite renal scan being okay, filtering is not working obviously. Also why suddenly should Valsartan which I have been taking for a number of years, suddenly become problematic. Doctor says to relax and not get stressed as this will increase BP - how can I do that when getting worrying results like this.

Feeling really sorry for myself.

Annie - my booklet on BP meds from the Stroke Association mentions that diuretics such as bendrofluazie can cause a severe drop in potassium levels, so hopefully this means that you potassium levels will normalise. I would think they've taken you off the Valsartan in case it's that which is causing low filtering rate of your kidneys. Difficult I know from experience to relax and not worry about it - do try though.

I have just come across this discussion. May I say, for the huge number of people who must be scared wtless by people's experiences, that I take 5mg Amlodipine plus 10mg Ramipril and have had no side effects whatever.

I was diagnosed with very high BP last March and the diagnosis hit me badly psychologically as, of course, I had no physical symptoms whatever. I am a health journalist, small, slender, very healthy otherwise and not young. However, it was in the family. My dad died of a heart attack at 53 and my mum of a stroke at 56.

I gradually took both medications and to this day, apart from the obvious getting used to the medications in the first few weeks, i have been fit, well, my BP is down and I have had no swelling, water retention, chnges of any kind.

And by the way, my BP was off the scale when i was diagnosed. I fought the dagnosis hard and laughed it off. I refused to take anything at first, not believing it. I have been a triathlete, a mountain climber..... yet I could have had a stroke at any time.

I completely understand the obvious distress many people are in with Amlodipne - just want to say it isn't always the case. I feel as well now as I always did on it, plus the ramipril. .

You are lucky Kate that the first medications your GP put you on have worked so well. It is true that most of the posts here are on the adverse side effects of amlodipinel, but it does seem out of all the different medications for lowering BP this one is outstandingly the worst for the numerous and debilitating side effects.

Unfortunately for me I am still having great probems in getting one that I can tolerate. I have now tried a couple of diuretic types and this just causes me to lose too much salt. I then find that my old BP tablet Valsartan has raised my potassium levels very high. Back to diuretics, great reduces potassium but guess what - yes salts dangerously low. Am now trying Cardozin XLProlonged Release tablets which I think is a different type and works in a different way. Again not sure if this having adverse reactions. Problems seem to be that because of all the side effects from other BP pills, I have been given others to counteract them, such as anti nausea tablets, sleeping pills for the insomnia etc etc. So who knows what is causing what!!!!! Sorry to have gone on, but feel so frustrated, and so very fed up with feeling ill all the time.

i just wonder sometimes if the drug companies post on these forums?

Yes, you're so very lucky, Kate, that both Amlodipine and Ramipril work well for you with no side effects at all. Like Annie I am another one sensitive to the meds but as they've taken me off Amlodipine due to the very swollen ankles and legs, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the Adizem slow release is also causing the same problem.....it is from the same family of blood pressure medication as Amlodipine after all!! I've now been advised to add Ramipril into the mix - frightened silly because I only have one kidney and CKD3 and I'm being told that Ramipril will reduce my kidney function even further, but protect it in the long run - now what's that all about....perhaps I'm just thick.. I guess I'm between a rock and a hard place. I'm not overweight, don't smoke or drink and eat a very healthy diet, mostly organic, also walk every day, so nothing I can do to help myself it seems.

We don't wish to "scare people witless" as you say - but I guess only those with problems such as our's would normally join this forum anyway. I'm therefore surprised to see you posting.

Yes Mrs O, we do indeed to be in the same boat. There does not seem to be any reason why some of us seem to have such problems getting sorted. I do so hope you can get sorted, I just love the mixed message you have been given regarding Ramipril (it was one of the first I was put on years ago before Valsartan and I did not react well to it. However it is so long ago now I have forgotten why.) I don't smoke or drink, but I must own up to being overweight and because of arthritis in both hips don't walk much. Mind you with the loss of appetite side effect I seem to be experiencing I must be losing some of it. I too am surprised at Kate posting here.

It seems as if both you and I Mrs O are in the same boat, in having difficulty being found the right BP medication that we can tolerate. I too was on Ramipril long before Valsartan, and had adverse effects (but it was so long ago I cannot remember what they were). I too do not understand the mixed message you were given about it, perhaps you could ask your chemist if he could explain it more simply as it seems to be a contradiction. I do not drink or smoke, but I must admit to being overweight, and I do not do a lot of walking due to artritic hips. However as one of the side effects I have is lack of appetite, I am sure I must be losing some weight!!!! Every cloud....

I do hope you can get some reassurances Mrs O, and I too was surprised to see Kates posting

Sorry about repeat.

Thinking about you Annie and wishing you well too! I'm nervous about starting the Ramipril as I developed a serios auto immune illness within a couple of weeks of starting it once before 7 years ago. Consultant believes it was a coincidence - hope he's right! I'll post further developments.