I know its was amlodipine!

Nigel, if you go to the home page on this topic you will read on other threads  of many patients who have complained of differing side effects from Amlodipine, and I came off it after a few months because of very swollen ankles/feet and legs and a rash on the lower legs which led to a diagnosis of varicose eczema.  The swelling disappeared completey in around 3 weeks but the varicose eczema looks here to stay!  And my starting dose was a tiny 2.5mg!   I've tried several other BP meds since but have experienced unwanted side effects from all of them.  I'm now on Losartan which my pharmacist tells me is the one he hears least complaints about from his customers - however, I now have a bowel problem!!  Me and BP meds don't mix it seems, but I don't much care for the risks of leaving my BP untreated either.   My hubby takes Amlodipine 5mg plus a small dose of Ramipril and he's fine.  

Nigel, my experience with Amlodipine was horrible.  I am a 3rd stage kidney person and they put me on amlodipine.  I also have a potassium deficiency and after taking the Amlodipine I started waking up in the middle of the night on the floor having muscle spasms. To make a long story short, this went on for a year and I finally figured it out and once I stopped taking the Amlodipine, I was like a new person.  Now I have to take Clonidine for my b.p. but I have no side effects.

 

Hi Nigel,

I was diagnosed with high blood pressure about two years ago. I started with lisinopril. After the doctor continued to increase the dosage without seeing me, I started to get severe dizzy spells so they switched me to Amlodipine. Everything was fine for the first few months. Then I started to exercise at the gym every other day. Then I started to feel weird, like mentally weird but I didn't want to tell my doctor this. This I got the hip aches, the fatigue, the sleeplessness then the bomb. My doctor told me that my white blood cell count was low and that I was a borderline diabetic. Guess what? These are side effects of amlodipine. My doctors response was,"I hate to take you off this medication because it is doing such a great job". I didn't even respond to her. I told her in a later appointment that I had discontinued the amlodipine and was getting by on a direutic. There was a project done by doctors called the "ALLHAT" project where this group of scientists are suggesting that "a water pill" is just as effective if not better than any blood pressure medication and/or cholesterol medication. It was working pretty good for me. My blood pressure is usually 125/75 with the water pill (hydrochlorothiazide 25mg). I have recently tried to stop taking the water pill to see if I can get by without it. If not, I can live with just the direutic. Suggest this to your doctor, but read about it yourself before you do so. Good luck to everyone out there.

 

This drug is not for me or my husband. The doctor took both of us off it after having trouble with his kidney and me with leg cramps at night. I am waiting for a new drug now. I am not a doctor, but would never go near this drug again. Keep your bottle if there might be a later law suit. Better safe then sorry. Annamay 8/2014 God bless.

I am a 62 yr old female and I was put on Amlodipine 6 months ago,at first on 5mg, then after a month it was doubled to 10 mg.  I have the start of arthritis in my knee, and ever since starting on the Amlodipine my knee has deteriorated drastically, with constant pain, making it difficult to walk and especially to go up and down steps and stairs.My ankles have also been constantly swollen. I have also felt more tired, and have been woken at night at first once, then increasingly to three or four times needing to urinate, and also with knee pain. I mentioned this to my Dr. saying I believed the medication was causing the problems, she said that arthritis does deteriorate etc etc. and the medication is not causing it. She said we could try a different medication but that may have different or simiilar side effects. Well... since finding this forum and reading of others suffering identical problems while on the medication I stopped taking the tablets 3 days ago and have already noticed my knee improving, no ankle swelling etc. I have a home blood pressure monitor and I am checking on my blood pressure.. which at present is lower than when I was on the tablets !!