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
meles ramvin
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 don't know if I have found the cause of my problem. My C Reactive Protein is raised and I have had more instances of severe pain. The Rheumatologist first of all thought PMR, and gave me Prednisone, which was magic for a few days. Then excruciating pain and swollen knees. Said it might be Psoriatic arthritis and has added Methotrexate. I am having a fair amount of relief, but my right shoulder still bothers me enough to have to add a Celebrex in the morning. I'm a bit despairing really, the idea of having to take these sorts of drugs long term. Maybe I always had a propensity for Psoriatic Arthritis, and the Amlodopine just tipped me over the edge? I would prefer it was PMR, then there would be hope of getting off these drugs in a year or so.
Still low carbing, hard to lose any weight though whilst taking Prednisone, I was hoping that losing some weight would naturally lower my blood pressure.
Perhaps I should try the Rice diet!
Still not taking Amlodopine, BP slight raised, but nothing major.
margaret90930 ramvin
Posted
130/90 and he upped you to 10 mg what an idiot! That's completely normal for a 40-year-old. From these discussions it appears to me that most people don't know what their normal blood pressure should be. As I keep saying white coat BP is a recognised phenomenon apart from the people in white coats, who don't seem to take account of the fact and are putting perfectly healthy people on this poison medication. BP monitors are not expensive so if you're concerned, get one and take your own BP over a period of a month and you will see normal fluctuations.
david17920 ramvin
Posted
I was glad to come across this experience. I had been taking amlodipine for a number of years (mid 40s, 2.5 mg) since being diagnosed with hypertension. Looking back, and crossing the 50yr barrier (dosage 5mg), i thought i was beginning to have develop arthritis in my large toes. It was very painful to get them going in the morning. Now approaching 20 years on amlodipine -- i was beginning to experience swelling more significant in my left leg, than in the right. There was joint and tendon pain in my ankle and calves. The swelling would diminish overnight - but by end of the next day, i was very uncomfortable again. I started looking as discussed in this story from ramvin -- i too thought similar thoughts for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, bursitis, etc. Finally after dialing back my amlodipine dosage to around 2.5mg again, there was moderate relief. In discussing with my primary care, we agreed to let this run another 2 weeks or so, and then review effects again. After attempting this lower dosage -- i approached the doctor again and he agreed we were going to drop amlodipine, and move to Losartan. I am just over 2 weeks into the medication switch, and within the first week - i was achieving significant relief. My feet and ankles are returning to normal with no more swelling or pain.
brian00205 ramvin
Posted
Whilst agree with pretty well all of the above having suffered too I must caution users to have blood samples taken. I suffered from serious sodium depletion from the Indapamide and had to come off it immediately. It did not prove to be the saviour expected. I have now moved to Losartan + Doxasozin but am in the middle of assessment. The results so far are promising.
shelly88742 ramvin
Posted
hi-
first time posting. first, i hope you are well. im so sorry you endured this. your story made me feel not so crazy! ive been on amlodipine just 3 months and thought i had some weird autoimmune disease or leftover covid symptoms! Joint weakness, knees hot and red and swollen, nasal swelling and THE FATIGUE! after a negative autoimmune work up, today my doc suggested my symptoms were amlodipine! yikes! Needless to say... no more for me. starting a new med.
sallyRN ramvin
Posted
hello ramvin,
i have a very similar story. Amlodipine is causing me calf and knee pain. The pain is so bad it hurts so much to climb up and down the stairs. i did find it a great drug tho in lowering bp. I hate getting on another med and suffer from another side effect ( God knows what side effects other meds would cause)!!
i started on 10mg , then tapered off to 5, then to 2.5. My blood pressure remained wonderful. I decided to come off the med! big mistake!! it caused me a horrific rebound! now im back on 10mg again. I didnt find a relief when was on 2.5, my legs were still hurting. But i dont mind the pain, bcz i know switching to anothef bp med will come with a price! i'd rather the leg pain versus the racing heart beats that comes with Nifedipine.
But the question is, dose Amlodipine cause a permanent damage in the long run?! Would the leg pain stay limited to my legs or would it get worse and spread out to the rest of my body? is that dangerous?! unfortunately the drs i went to dont know, they said muscle and joint pain are not a side effect of Amlodipine!!!
I called Pfizer two days ago and talked to the medication department. They told me that 2% of people reported muscle and joint pain. Pfizer said its not a common side effect.
Did your symptoms got better eventually?
TsingTau ramvin
Posted
I have a question that I hope someone can help me with. I have been using Amlodipine for over 30 years, which was well tolerated for a long time. But for the past 3 1/2 years I have been experiencing gradually worsening pain, tenderness, and weakness mainly in my knees and shoulders, but also arms and legs, with considerable functional disability. So far the cause has been undetermined despite many tests. Having recently learned that Amlodipine may be causing such problems, a week ago I convinced my physician to switch my medication to Ramipril.
Since the medication change, among other things, swelling in my legs has notably decreased. However, I have been experiencing brief episodes of painful heat, localized to various places and frequently migratory. If anyone else withdrawing from Amlodipine has experienced this, please advise if cold compresses, such as gel packs, have helped. Any other comments on effective treatments for this particular phenomenon are appreciated. I haven't attempted this myself, as my previous experience indicates that local application of heat or cold has aggravated the problems. However the present phenomenon is new.
herman83500 ramvin
Posted
Hi.. So can I assume that amlodipine made your joints clicking and popping? and did it go away after you stop taking your amlodipine? I have been experiencing cracking and other noisy sound on my knee after taking amlodipine but don't know whether it is related or not.. Thank in advance..
TsingTau ramvin
Posted
Although I am still having a lot of other symptoms, about 6 weeks after discontinuing Amlodipine, the popping and cracking of the knees went away quite quickly.
Questions of my own: Has anyone else had had burning and feeling of irritation on the skin. If so, has anything helped? I also developed a feeling of hypersensitivity of the skin, and strange dysesthesias regarding temperature and taste issues. They have not yet abated
My case is unusual, because I had taken Amlodipine for about 30 years, and the symptoms developed slowly over several years. The knee issues and leg swelling that I suffered disappeared quickly. But I still have myalgias in my upper arms and shoulder girdle.
Most of this is not understood by my doctors, but I am presumptively attributing these issues to the cumulative effects of Amlodipine over the years.
janet79007 ramvin
Posted
It's been 4 years so you might not see this, but maybe others will. It's dangerous to suddenly stop Amlodipine. While it's dangerous to take more than prescribed or take it too soon, it is also dangerous to stop abruptly as in completely missing a dose, because when you start up again, side effects like serious chest pain or worse can happen.
I know Amlodipine is not perfect. I too feel pain more sharply and inexplicably than ever before. It also can cause psychological effects like indifference or feelings of unreality. I take it with hydrochlorothiazide and not sure why, but one or the other causes a lot of scary numbness and tingling in some extremities, way more than ordinary neuropathy. Vit b6 can help with that.
Try to take your prescription as close to 24 hours apart as possible. I write mine down after I take it, since taking it too soon could be extremely dangerous yet taking it too late can increase dangerous side effects like crushing chest pain.
Parsi28766 ramvin
Posted
I was prescribed the Amlodipine 5mg once a day due to high blood pressure with Daflon and compression stocking after giving birth (130-140/80-90). After 5 days, out of balance. Then shortness of breath, high heart rate and anxiety. BP became normal (110-120/80). My Cardio decreased dosage to half a tablet a day (2.5mg) after 1 month. Out of balance and shortness of breath happens in the afternoon if i am tired or have anxiety. BP still normal (120/80). Cardio decreased dosage to 1/4 tablet (1.25mg) after 2 months to taper. No shortness of breath, normal heart rate, no out of balance. After 4 months, stopped taking amlodipine. However, had withdrawal symptom. Shortness of breath. On the 10th day, shortness of breath was the worst but bp and heart rate are normal. I thought of giving in and take the amlodipine again but was thinking that the amlodipine will go out of my system after 12 days. I focused on God. On the 11th day, shortness of breath is gone. I feel ok now. Thank you, God!
bryan73229 ramvin
Posted
i have been on amplodipine for many years i must confess i did notice many effects after the first initial bouts i put it down to get used the drug, then after i stopped working because i started having blackout and other various physical ailments i started feeling all the other effects you described im on 5mg when i experienced these side effects they took me off the drug and put me on something else but after many months it did not seem to work they making become very forgetful i went back to the doctors and they put me back on amplodipine id forgotten i took this drug and it seemed to be ok 2nd time around apart from all the pins and needles in my body.
ive been off them for a year now and feel more human but get problems and been off the meds i had severe constipation and my BP has started to slowly creep back up it seems to get worse when i lie down and go to sleep i wake and it high again it only when i get and move it starts to drop, the reason for my coming off them was i started getting red legions all over my arms and legs they start to fester up and bleed the doctor would not see me and say its nothing on the phone so after a further month on the meds i decided to stop them slowly eventually the red infected marks started to heal up and only left a tiny scares im sure it was the amplodipine caused an infection in my blood or body were have no doctors at our surgery know they all seemed to have left i have made an appointment to see somebody else but as you guys know it can damage arteries what ever i am not afraid of death but i don't want to go before my time i be leave in an after life also i don't smoke or drink makes you wonder how it happened in the first place there seems to be a hell of lot of people men and woman with high blood pressure problems i thought about trying different herbal remedies but you have to have a lot of patience and trust in what you are doing, its a bit like somebody who has cancer there's natural cures out there its just finding the ones for our problem high blood pressure the only only ones i can find at the moment are for cancer patients