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Posted , 8 users are following.

suzanne56
suzanne56

My doctor has just changed my medication from Amlodipine to Ramipril. 4 weeks in, my blood pressure is fair in the morning and evening but erratic during the day and high at 150-60/90-100. I have headaches, feel tired, minor tingling on lips and nauseous. This is frightening. Is this normal? I was started in 2.5 and am now on 5mg

0 likes, 17 replies

17 Replies

  • anthony17480
    anthony17480 suzanne56

    Posted

    hi suzanne

    i was on ramipril 7 years it damaged my immune system

    was in resus 36 hours swellings that nearly closed my throat

    consultant and a private immuneoligist said it was ramipril

    i am now on amlodipine

    ramipril very bad tablet

    it left me with urticaria/ angio-oedema/ anaphylaxis

    i am not a doctor but only telling you my problems with ramapril

    any info you require let me know

    regards

    tony

  • daisymay2
    daisymay2 suzanne56

    Posted

    Hi Suzanne,

    I would  be wary of the tingling lips symptom as it could be a warning that you are allergic to the drug.

    I was prescribed ramipril and took it for two weeks before I had an allergic reaction - swollen face and lips. This seems to be a common side effect with some people unfortunately. I stopped the drug on my doctors advise.

    I would contact your doctor for advise/

    Good luck.

    There do seem to be an awful lot of problems with anti-hypertensive meds.frown

  • MrsO-UK_Surrey
    MrsO-UK_Surrey suzanne56

    Posted

    Suzanne, I was unable to take either Amlodipine or Ramipril, but some people take both medicines with any problems, my hubby included.  We are all different and what suits one may not suit another.  There are lots of other BP lowering meds to try, and If you were ok on 2.5 then perhaps your GP would considered lowering you back down to that dose and adding in a small dose of another pill - that is what happened to my hubby.  Prescribing two or three medicines of low doses rather than one medicine of high dose seems to be the preferred option among many doctors these days.  

     Losartan Potassium is the only pill so far that hasn't given me any discernible side effects but unfortunately the low dose I'm on isn't normalising my BP.  I'm not able to increase the dose owing to a long-standing chronic kidney condition.  

  • dave80329
    dave80329 suzanne56

    Posted

    Hi Suzanne, blood pressure varies a lot in the day, I tend to take a reading after 5-10 minutes of rest to give it a chance to settle down. That reading is also above the normal level so I would be asking your doctor about that. I guess you didn't have those symptoms on the Amlodipine so that needs bringing up even more urgently and sorting out. I was on 10mg and had different problems but got it down to 5mg after weight loss and exercise which I am still working on. Looking at diet, alcohol and smoking can also make a big difference. Good luck
  • Nanny1086
    Nanny1086 suzanne56

    Posted

    Hi, I was put on Ramipril last summer ,,,,the first time being diagnosed with high blood pressure, ,,,all I can say is ,,,I was tired ,no energy,,,,,couldn't be bothered ,,,and had like a flutter feeling in my chest   ( as if there were butterflies fluttering around in my upper chest  ) ,,,just generally not my myself, so I googled them ,and read this,generally not prescribed for people over 70 ( I'm 69 ) and not reccomended for people with Asthma, or breathing problems, so I stopped taking them ,and rang my GP ,he changed them to LOSARTAN 100. So far so good, after speaking to friends it seems Ramipril is usually the first tablet doctors prescribe for high blood pressure,,,, which makes me think is it because it's the cheapest one ,,,,I don't know if if it is ,,,but it makes me wonder,,,if I was you I would make an appointment with my GP ,,good luck ,
  • jane243
    jane243 suzanne56

    Posted

    I wonder how old you are? I ask because the usual system as I understand it is for Amlodipine [or other calcium channel blockers] to be offered as a firstline for anyone over 55yrs or of African Caribbean origin. For anyone younger then they recommend an ACE inhibitor as a first line. I was 70 yrs when first put on meds and refused Amodipine as there are certain restrictions on what you can eat, you can't eat grapefruit for one thing and that was a no-no for me.

     

    Ramipril is an Ace and is well known for the dreadful cough. I know we are all different and some people can be on it for years with no ill effect but it did affect me especially when the dose was raised. So the dr changed it to Losartan which acts in much the same way I think. Certainly I have no side effects.

    • MrsO-UK_Surrey
      MrsO-UK_Surrey jane243

      Posted

      Jane,

      Like you, I don't have any noticeable side effects on Losartan - glad it works for you in lowering your BP... just wish it did the same for me.  What does are you taking?

    • jane243
      jane243 MrsO-UK_Surrey

      Posted

      Hello Mrs O.

      I was on 50 mg Losartan for 10 months and prior to that an equivalent dose of Ramipril. There was no difference between my average readings on both these drugs then last July the dr reduced the Losartan to 25mg as I was getting some really low readings. The numbers did rise slightly on  the lower dose as I would have expected  and I sent in an 8 day chart of home readings when I needed another prescription. The review was somewhat overdue and I wondered if they would refuse to renew but they didn't.

      Then over Christmas i had the drama with my husband being in hospital and diagnosed with cancer which sent the BP through the roof, and that was only when i got around to measuring it. Things eventually settled down and I did have a review about 10 days ago and took an 8 day home reading chart with me as the dr asks me to.The average was 130/78 and she was happy with that.

       I record twice on rising in the morning and twice before bedtime and it is always higher in the morning. She renewed my prescription and said to have a review in 6 months. Since then I'm starting to worry if it's becoming too high. The past 8 days it was 139/80 but if I do an average of the am and pm readings separately I get 150/89 in the morning and 127/71 in the evening.

      I'm really not sure if I'm right to worry over the much higher morning readings and I don't understand why they should have jumped so much over a short time. i think I' ve read somewhere that Losartan does have more highs and lows than say an Amlodipine but no idea if this is true.

    • MrsO-UK_Surrey
      MrsO-UK_Surrey jane243

      Posted

      Hi Jane!

      Well, it is great news that your BP settled back to usual levels after the highs due to the worries over your hubby's recent diagnosis, especially considering you are on such a low dose of Losartan.

      I think it's fairly usual for many people to find their BP readings to be generally higher first thing in the morning then lower later in the day.  I have been told to take my blood pressure once daily, taking three readings leaving a couple of minutes between,  and recording the average of the last two readings for my consultant.  I've given up taking mine over the last few weeks following being sent home from the gym with it considered to be too high to exercise.  Since then I have tried to relax more and stop rushing around now that all the excitement re son's wedding etc has quietened down.  I will take it again in the next week or so.  

      However, you may be right in suspecting that Losartan does have more highs and lows rather than Amlodipine which did seem to stabilise my BP somewhat.  Losartan doesn't seem to be working at all so it looks as though it's going to be a case of me taking yet another pill and just hoping that the usual side effects are not as bad as those on previous meds.

      It sounds as though you are doing really well in comparison, Jane, so as long as you are getting continuous good evening readings then I doubtt you have much to worry about.  Always worth mentioning it to the GP though to get his/her take on it. 

    • dave80329
      dave80329 jane243

      Posted

      Hi Jane, Ihave a strange sort of condition where I am havng to clear my throat quite frequently which is very annoying. I'm not sure if it's the Ramipril or something else. What is the 'ramipril cough' like?
  • mrsmop
    mrsmop suzanne56

    Posted

    I was on Bisoprolol, then had Ramipril added, developed 'the Cough', so my GP put me on Bendroflumethiazide, everything was fine for quite a long time but have now had Losartan added to the mix and I feel ok and my BP is ok.  [It is pushed up by the other drugs I am/was taking]

    I didn't like Ramipril at all and it didn't seem to do anything to regulate my BP

     

    • Nanny1086
      Nanny1086 mrsmop

      Posted

      I was on Ramipril ,,,,my cough was a continuous productive cough,but I understand most people  have a dry cough, I am now on Losartan 100 , I wait and see how I am on it ,,mad I am also recovering from a chest infection and flu bug, 
  • daisymay2
    daisymay2 suzanne56

    Posted

    I had no side effects at all with the rampril and loved it  and was sorry to have to come off it because of the bad allergic reaction. I am having side effects with the methyldopa thoughfrown but sticking with it for now!
  • mike92384
    mike92384 suzanne56

    Posted

    Hi Suzanne56...

    Blood pressure is constantly fluctuating, & a lot of it depends on what we're doing, if we're not feeling well, stressed, etc.etc.etc. It's best to take bp readings at least 30min. after bathing, smoking, drinking alcohol, eating. Rest a few minutes, then take the readings. Take 3...discard the 1st reading..then average the next 2. I don't know your age, but here in Canada, it's quite acceptable for someone over 50 to have bp readings of 140 (systolic). You have headaches, feel tired, minor tingling on lips & nauseous. Nobody wants to put up with that for very long. The tingling on your lips concerns me. As someone further down in the forum said, you may have an allergy to the Rampiril. I wouldn't mess around..put in a call to your doctor.

    • jane243
      jane243 mike92384

      Posted

      Interesting that you say 140 systolic is OK in Canada. Here [UK] I was told to aim for below 135/85 and I'm 72. I'm struggling with that at the moment. I'm also inerested to hear you say to take it 3 times, discarding the first reading etc. When I was first on meds - 16 months ago i was told to take it twice and just record the lower figure. Then it was changed to taking an average of the 2 readings. It does make a difference.
    • daisymay2
      daisymay2 jane243

      Posted

      Good grief I dont think mine has evere been 135/85!

      I am happy with it in the 140/80 range and so is my G/Pbiggrin

    • Nanny1086
      Nanny1086 daisymay2

      Posted

      Mine varys  so much from when I'm well to when I'm poorly,,,,so I'm not sure what mine should be,,,I'm 69 ,? 
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