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I know its was amlodipine!

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Nigel
Nigel

I am a healthy 58 yr old and normally very active. BP was rising over the last year or so to 178/98 and so this Jan my Doc put me on Amlodipine 5mg. Thats when it started. Firstly with a loss of energy, then total loss of stamina, I felt like a Zombie all the time. As the month progressed I started to get forgetful, dizzy spells, very tingly left hand and painful joints all througfh my left side. BP did not drop as fast as hoped so Doc added Lisinopril 2.5mg. Hey... off with the faries now! After two weeks I could not concentrate on anything people were telling me and to the point that I was becoming detached from the real world. And that was only after a couple of weeks on the cocktail. I decided to trial which drug was causing this and first removed the Lisinopril for a few days then swapped over to stopping Amlodipine. Cor.. what a difference. Almost the next day after stopping Amlodipine I started to recover. After just one week people at work are now saying 'welcome back' and I know what they mean. BP not down yet but I am never going near Amlodipine again, its a wrecker!

Has anyone else had anything like my reaction?

42 likes, 815 replies

815 Replies

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  • delores09873
    delores09873 Nigel

    Posted

    Nigel 

    I thought it was just me. My Dr just

    Put me on 5mg of Amlodipine. I tookit for 3 nights.At work today I felt like

    a zombie . I was so tired and felt

    Blotted and I couldn’t concentrate. I was looking for side effects

    when I came across your experience.

    They will check my pressure later

    this week .

    I will tell them this is a no no. Thanks

    for posting.

    • AlastairIan
      AlastairIan delores09873

      Posted

      I have been taking 10mg of amlodipine for  15 months, together with 10mg of ramopril & beta blockers.  Feeling tired, but no other side effects.  My BP is 103/65.  It takes time to adjust to these meds, but they work. Give it longer...

  • Merlin
    Merlin Nigel

    Edited

    Hi, I was given Amlodipine as a start to control Blood Pressure, some 6 yrs ago. At the start my health was one of feeling Depressed and lacking energy. But as I continued I starting to feel depressed and out of sorts. continue for about a couple of weeks and then decided to stop taking the Tablet. Almost at once I began to feel better. My Blood Pressure did not drop while taking the Tablets so I started to look for other means to lower the B/P. I found exercise helped and dropping my weight. Now some 6 yrs later and although I had a mild Heart Attack at the beginning of this year (caused by a blocked Artery and three others narrowing down) and being prescribed yet more B/P tablets I started losing weight and keeping to Healthy diet and although the B/P is slightly high have decided that unless a disaster happens a nature way of reducing B/P is more beneficial. Age (nearing 80 yrs) does play a part in increased B/P I am feeling better without the Drugs that may help some, but not all.    
    • woodwiss
      woodwiss Merlin

      Posted

      Ah bless you for replying.

      I had a bad reaction after being increased to 10mg alongside ramipril. Huge, swollen legs, cold hands, bright red face, dry and itchy skin, blotchy rash on legs.

      The dose was reduced to 5mg last week and these symptoms are lessening.  However, I have noticed that have become very anxious and emotional. I re read the side effects and sure enough this is on of them.

      My BP was 232/119 (ouch!) but for the last 2 days I have had readings of 140/80 which I am happier with but I cannot stand feeling like this - what a price to pay!

      Do you follow any particular diet?

      Thanks for your time.

    • Merlin
      Merlin woodwiss

      Posted

      Hi woodwiss. One thing I have learnt, is simple each person reacts in some way or other to "Drugs". As I posted the 2 weeks I took this Tablet is was becoming a real pain. Age does have an effect on one's B/P and as I posted my Heart Attack was not due to High B/P just a block Artery with three others becoming narrow. Bit as I again posted nearing 80 yrs one expects some completions. I do try to eat more fruit and have lost over 14 lbs since my H/A earlier this year. I have just stopped the other B/P Tablet and am becoming what I can only described as near normal. I also think that having a mind that does not get over Anxious is a must. Thank you for your update and hope things settle. Best john.

    • woodwiss
      woodwiss Merlin

      Posted

      Bless you John.

      Wishing you a happy, healthy New Year.

    • Merlin
      Merlin woodwiss

      Edited

      Hello woodwiss, thank kindly for your good wishes as to next year. I send my best wishes to you hoping that next year will be all you wish. I am now nearly 4 days since taking my last Tablet for B/P. I am now more sure then ever that one should check as to side effects. Kindest regards John
    • woodwiss
      woodwiss Merlin

      Posted

      Good morning John! Let me know how you get on and keep an eye on the BP too. I have reduced the amlodopine even further so fingers crossed. Here's to 2018! Best wishes

    • Merlin
      Merlin woodwiss

      Edited

      Good morning Woodwiss, yes "fingers crossed". I think that when it comes to B/P as I have posted a lot can be done "naturaly". To many rely of "a quick fix", and then as I have found the side effects of some tablets, and I was on only 2mg, do cause a worse situation. Anyway best for the New Year and weather here very windy but no Snow. Kindest regards John

    • woodwiss
      woodwiss Merlin

      Posted

      Cold and wet here but no snow thank goodness.

      I will raise a glass to you and your health on NYE.

      Best wishes

    • Merlin
      Merlin woodwiss

      Posted

      And to you Woodwiss, just in from taking dog out windy but not to bad. Intend to stay in and rest. Best John
  • cynthia01
    cynthia01 Nigel

    Posted

    Hi, I absolutely hate taking medication for extended periods!! GP put me on losartirne and side effects where awful all the bad ones... so she exchanged me to amolodipine 10mg i complained and told her it was making me dizzy and couldn't function like the rest of u.. so she gave me 5mg and if needed take 2 a day.. well started with 5mg and for couple days went well, probably because I still had 10mg in my system.. then just 5mg.. my high bp was back .... I'm so confused.. my liver is hating this and so is my foggy brain and I have no energy cant work out mussel weakness.. but if I stop my bp is so high from enternal anxiety.... HELP dont know what to do??.. my dr obviuosly doesnt and I'm worried..

    Never had any problems till I did a diet called Le vel Thrive..

    thx

    • woodwiss
      woodwiss cynthia01

      Posted

      Hi there,

      I agree - I don't like taking drugs either but my BP was ridiculously high so I had to.  When my ramipril was increased to 10mg I developed terrible side effects to the amlodipine.  As a result, I have reduced the amlodipine to 2.5mg.  I also have the "ramipril cough." You need to go back to the doctors and try another or additional drug.  I think all of them have some sort of side effects and when the two mix, it opens another can of worms

      Keep going back til you get the desired result.  I have had good results with acupuncture and that is more natural.  I use it alongside the meds.

    • Hot_Roder
      Hot_Roder cynthia01

      Posted

      Hi Cynthia, I would like to share my experience with amlodipine. First of all I would like to let you know that I am a medical biochemist specializing in lipid (cholesterol, etc) disorders. I have also done quite a bit of research on all 9 categories of BP medications.  For starters, the first time I took amlodipine about 5 yrs ago, I experienced extreme drowsiness and some dizziness to the point of having to quit a lucrative medical consulting job due to my inability to concentrate on my research project.  Like you, I was taking 10mg and dropped to 5mg once a day, but the side effects were the same. The side effects that we are experiencing were a big part of Canada, the Netherlands and Holland banning it's use. The problem is that most BP medications have dizziness, drowsiness or fatigue among other things as side effects.  You might want to ask your GP if he or she could switch you to a Beta Blocker or ACE inhibitor as I did.  If he or she feels that you need a "Calcium Chanel Blocker(CCB)" class of BP medication like Amlodikpine have him switch you another pharma's "CCB". If I knew how high your BP gets and under what conditions, eg: sitting, standing, prone position, exercising, etc, I could give you a better opinion. I don't mean to give you something else to worry about, but the number of years that you have had an elevated BP could have lead to another problem.  Arthrosclerosis. This can occur if you have had elevated BP for more than 15 yrs or so. I know from personal experience because I have extensive arterial plaque formations as a result of 25 plus yrs of high BP. If you have in fact had high BP for a long period of time and are over the age of 50 or so, I would recommend that you ask your doctor for a treadmill stress test. I hope that your not on a statin which can complicate the problem. I hope that some of the above info will help you.     

    • Merlin
      Merlin woodwiss

      Posted

      Hello woodwiss, yes I had the same results when I was given Ramipill and stopped taking it more or less at once. I have now stopped all Tablets and aim to bring my Blood pressure down naturedly

      When they prescribe tablets they have a limited knowledge of what effect they will have. Each one of us reacts differently, and age must come it to the equation. Best wishes for the New Year and hope all works out with the Tablets. Kindest regards John    .

    • AlastairIan
      AlastairIan Merlin

      Posted

      Hi.    Yes there are lots of different reactions to these drugs, but don't be put off too soon. I have been taking 10mg of amlodipine for  17 months, together with 10mg of ramopril & beta blockers.  Feeling tired, but no other side effects.  My BP is down to around 103/65, so they work.  I had an aortic aneurysm.  The risk of re-occurrence  has receded because of these meds.

    • VeeWat
      VeeWat AlastairIan

      Posted

      Hi alastair

      why does your risk of another aneurysm go down due to the meds? What do these meds do to stop it?

    • Bayliner
      Bayliner Hot_Roder

      Posted

      Sometimes we have to get the pressure down quickly ...that is why BP Meds have their place. Hopefully you can develop a natural approach to eliminate them in time. Also it is very important to note that Amlodipine is still on the essential 3rd world med list. Also a Rumor  that has circulated the Web is that Norvasc (amlodipine) has been banned in certain countries..Too my knowledge, NO country in the world has banned this drug. Using milled flax seed, beet juice,beet powder,beet pillls, orderless garlic pills, cinnamon,increasing vitamin d, fish oil, stress reduction,certain teas,diet,exercise in time will work for certain people . Good Luck to all.

       

    • AlastairIan
      AlastairIan VeeWat

      Posted

      The aneurysm causes a bulge in the artery.  The artery may rupture causing death.  Among the causes are high blood pressure. In my case it could, maybe, have been the high blood pressure which resulted from marathon running (this is my guess, no medical comment was forthcoming).  Lowering my blood pressure seems to have worked and my artery has now shrunk to normal diameter.  My obsession with keeping my blood pressure very low is probably understandable !

       

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