My "recovery story" from the misery of Amlodipine
Posted , 46 users are following.
I apologize in advance for the lengthy post. For a very long time, I had been suffering from a lot of intense aches and pains in my joints and muscles and was not able to get any proper diagnosis for it. I was beginning to very worried that I had some serious illness like cancer. Thanks to the posts in this site, I was able to pinpoint amlodipine as the source of my misery. I shall try to put as much details as I can regarding my own experience in journal form, in case it becomes helpful to others.
Background: I am male, 40yrs old, former competitive swimmer and in good shape (apart from the hypertension which is genetic). I was placed on 5mg amlodipine after being diagnosed with hypertension 6 years ago. 5mg seemed to work fine with no side effects. In July 2016, I went to our local clinic due to a serious case of the flu. The GP on duty was not happy with my 130/90 and said that I should increase my dosage to 10mg. Thinking nothing of it, I complied but did not consult with my specialist. In hindsight, this is when my symptoms started to appear.
Symptoms: It first started with muscle pain in my left forearm and joint pain in my left shoulder. I assumed that this was due to carrying my newborn baby in the same position for hours on end. These disappeared but then I suddenly started suffering pain in my hands and feet as if someone had taken a hammer to them. I felt like my bones were crushed. In December, pain in my knees and elbows followed. My knees felt swollen at the back while my elbows felt as if there was constant pressure on my funny bone. There wasn’t any actual swelling or inflammation, just the sensation of pain really. I then started to have muscle spasms at the beginning of this year. The spasms and twitching were almost constant at night.
How amlodipine became a suspect: After researching everything from arthritis to cancer, I stumbled across this site and the symptoms posted seemed similar. So I figured, what the heck! Let’s give this a shot. So on 29-Jan, I decided not to take my medication and felt some relief almost immediately. My “recovery” is detailed in the journal below:
Day 1 – 0mg. By the end of the day, muscle spasms stopped completely. Have not had any ever since. This was my first clue that amlodipine may be the culprit. Pain in my right knee completely disappeared with pain in my elbows and left knee lessening and not constant.
Day 2 – 2.5mg – Afraid of rebound hypertension, I decided to still take 2.5mg. Pain in right elbow, completely gone. Less pain in left knee and elbow. Developed slight occasional shoulder pain though. Pain in right thumb and toes.
Day 3 – 2.5mg – No more knee and right elbow pain. Though pain in left elbow remains but significantly less. Foot and toe pain greatly reduced.
Day 4 – 5mg – Started getting a headache and uncomfortable feeling in left arm so I thought I could be getting hypertension again so decided to take 5mg. Slight pain in left index finger and right thumb. Slight occasional shoulder pain. Joints in elbows, shoulders, knees and ankles started popping and clicking.
Day 5 – Back to 2.5mg – No more pain in elbows and knees. However, shoulder pain increased and developed lower back and hip pain. This was after I took the 2.5mg at mid-day. Also developed a stomach upset about ten minutes after taking it.
Day 6 – 2.5mg – No knee and elbow pain. No pain in fingers and toes but have feeling of stiffness. Joints still popping and clicking. Shoulder pain increased. Felt like stabbing pain. Something new is that the front of my neck felt sore and muscles felt swollen.
Day 7 – 0mg Since it was the weekend and expected less stress, I decided to try and not take amlodipine. No pain in major joints. Neck and shoulders felt stiff and sensation of neck swelling still there but not constant.
Day 8 – Still 0mg – Felt almost normal. Neck soreness was there upon waking but became negligible towards the afternoon.
Day 9 (today) – Pain free!!!! Still some tightness in the neck from time to time but nothing like it was in the past days. In fact, it is non-existent as I type this.
Observations – Symptoms seem to get worse before they get better for each joint. Improvement also seemed to start from the bottom and progress upwards with pain in the upper joint getting worse or appearing just as the bottom joint was feeling better. Example, as my knees were getting better, my left elbow pain got worse; and as my elbows were getting better, I started to develop pain in the shoulders and neck which I did not have previously.
Conclusion – I am not sure if I shall be getting off amlodipine completely. I actually plan to take 2.5mg again for a few days and work my way back to my normal 5mg dosage. I did not have any side effects then. I do plan to go back to my specialist but he only comes in on weekdays and it is a problem for me to get time off from work.
Again, apologies for the length of this post but I do hope that it is able to help someone.
9 likes, 89 replies
scott12683 ramvin
Posted
Hi Ramvin,
I am wondering if you experienced muscle twitch in forearms and legs? My GP upped my amlodipine from 5mg to 10 mg about three months ago. For the last 2 months I have been experiencing numbness in my hands when lying down reading a book, and the muscle twitching. Thanks
laura49462 ramvin
Posted
WOW. I am amazed! PLEASE do not ever apologize for anything for this post has confirmed everything I have felt for months. I am celebrating the rest of my life without amlodipine. I have experienced it all. I am 24-hours-free and can now leave my anxiety behind. It took a lot of thinking and an aggressive feelings in my joints within 30 days. I thought I had some serious illness considering how i felt. After reading many experiences in the last 24 hours, I will NEVER take amlodipine again. THANK YOU, FDA.
It was taking my joints over along with a muscle or two very slowly.
laura49462 ramvin
Posted
WOW. I am amazed! PLEASE do not ever apologize for anything as far as this post. It has confirmed everything I have felt for months. I am celebrating the rest of my life without amlodipine. I have experienced it all. I am 24-hours-free and can now leave my anxiety behind. It took a lot of thinking and aggressive feelings in my joints within 30 days. I thought I had some serious illness considering how i felt. After reading many experiences in the last 24 hours, I will NEVER take amlodipine again. THANK YOU, FDA. {sarcasm}
It was taking my joints over along with a muscle or two very slowly. Thank God I figured it all thanks to RAMVIN's post!
laura49462 ramvin
Posted
48 yo female taking amlodipine for approximately 8-9 months (I will confirm). DAY 4 without amlodipine. Your story is my story; however, I will never take it again. My doc said no more for a week, and then we will revisit again to adjust my meds which were previously 5 mg amlodipine and hydrochlorothiazide. I was taking 5 mg for about 3-4 months, and my left elbow is what began hurting about a month after i began taking it. I just thought I was sleeping on it incorrectly and then began thinking I had arthritis when the pain was 24 hours/day. I was about to ask my ortho doc for maintenance shots to tolerate the pain. Then it moved to my shoulders and hips.
About 30 days ago, what I eventually thought was bone cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, or osteoarthritis set in almost overnight and gradually worsened. The rapidity of the onset is what made me question my Rx. I went to go to bed one night and was walking like a penguin as the pain in my hips was just incredible.
Thanks to you and your post, I figured it out. It has been 4 days since my last dose, and I am getting back to life. As you stated, it takes time to get it out of your system. I sobbed with relief when reading your initial post. THIS Rx SHOULD BE ILLEGAL TO PRESCRIBE! Thank you for taking the time to summarize how you progressed along your way to recovery.
laura49462 ramvin
Posted
I was mistaken. i have taken this since July, 2018. MAY 1st was my first day of no amlodipine. I have my life back. My joint pain disappears more and more every day. MY LIST OF SIDE EFFECTS WAS 20+ THIS DRUG SHOULD BE ILLEGAL. It changed my life in a way that makes me appreciate my life more than ever. This was the scariest experience ever.
kevin35127 ramvin
Posted
I've been loooking all over for evidence of 5mg amlodipine being the cause of a sudden swollen ankle (on just ONE foot) which quickly worked its way up to my left knee. I've used this med for a few months with no apparent problems, but I have noticed lately I've had some problems remembering certain things. I've stopped taking it for 2 days, and my pressure has been fine. I believe it takes about 12 days to clear from my system, however. The crux of my symptoms has been pain on the inside/side of my knee--very painful to the touch. It particularly hurts when I'm pressing the gas pedal in my car. As I write this, I have ZERO pain--even when I flex my foot forward simulating driving or tippie-toe. I also feel no pain when pressing against parts of my knee have been very painful recently and/or been numb. I will see about switching to another med if my pressure rises. Come to think of it, my wife (also on 5mg Amlodipine) has been complaining about numbness in her fingers. THANK YOU for bringing this to my attention!
ti76071 kevin35127
Posted
been off amlodipine for 6 weeks now still have pain in shoulders , hands and neck been through test after test all being good could this still be from the side affects of Am i feel like this will never go away
laura49462 ti76071
Posted
I stopped taking it May 1st. Most of the pain is gone aside from my hips. They seem to be off and on depending on the day. No pain in my elbows, whatsoever. I am wondering the same as far as my hips.
ti76071 laura49462
Posted
Wow Laura thats a long time off the drug and still having some pain in the hips .I also suffer from that if i sit for s long time. Cant believe they would prescribe such a horrible drug . Well i quess i have a long way to go and this pain is like nothing i have ever felt before i'm glad most of your side affects have gone away and i hope your hips clear up as well . thanks for responding it helps a lot with the anxiety of it all
laura49462 ti76071
Posted
My sentiments, exactly. Getting further testing if it's not gone by year end. Best of luck to you, too!
kevin35127 ramvin
Posted
I'm sorry to hear that. I've stopped Amlodipine completely. Still have no pain driving or otherwise--except my fingers are sore from an abrupt move I completed in a week. How long have you been on Amlodipine?
jean55347 ramvin
Posted
I had been taking Amlodipine 5mg for over a year. The first week I has incredible pain in my thighs, so bad it made me cry, stopped it for a week, started again and all was fine. A month or so ago i had what my Dr said was bursitis in my right shoulder, cortisone injection did not help, then painful muscles in my left forearm then in my right forearm, then my knees, then below my neck. then my legs and hips.
3 weeks I cut the drug to 2.5 for one week with no change and have ceased it altogether, and still in pain. I am taking Celebrex 200mg and it takes the edge off for half the day. I am low carbing to keep my BP down. Does anyone have any info about how long it takes to get any positive results from stopping the Amlodopine? It of course may not be the drug, I get some blood CK test’s back tomorrow.
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meles jean55347
Posted
So pleased you have found the culprit of your illness. I had a similar experience, pain all over, becoming like a cripple, until I stopped taking Amlodopine. By which time I had an inflamed shoulder and bursitis followed by 18 months of physical therapy which did nothing to help. I only took is for a year. I have been off it for nearly two years now and my second shoulder has gone weak. I think it was damaged then and the drug had created degeneration in the muscles. Still I feel overall better. I would never touch this drug if I had known what it does to people. Thank you for sharing your story as a warning to others. I wish you well and to get completely healed soon.
jean55347 meles
Posted
I get some blood test results in the morning. It should tell me if my creatin kinase is raised. I’ll let you know the results,. a bit depressing that your shoulder joint has not gown better.
meles jean55347
Posted
I shall probably try some cortesan injections but have been putting it off....weightlifting and pilates seem to help surprisingly!
jean55347 meles
Posted
My blood test show only a small rise in inflammatory markers. I believe the pain is minimally better, better than worse I guess! The Dr said I could take 400mg of Celebrex for 5 days only, it’s quite a temptation to be able to take 200 mg in the am and then another 200mg in the pm.
perhaps I would not feel so crippled in the morning. But I am too concerned with raising my BP. I can’t do my garden or my housework, I try to save what energy I have for my part time work.
Still low carbing to try and keep my BP down.