Severe dizziness

bigpat81...I'm not sure what to suggest to you. The 5mg Amlodipine wasn't too bad, but you've had minor dizzy spells since taking it, & it's gotten worse over the past few days. I would have thought that the dizzy spells would have worstened sooner..say..just after starting the 10mg Amlodipine, not a few months. 

I wasn't familiar with "Olmatec", but looked it up...& it was just as I thought. "Olmatec", or Orbesartan is an ARB...a different class of bp medication, which means you are taking a Calcium Channel Blocker (Amlodipine) & and ARB (Olmetec) to lower your bp. You also went on to say that with 10mg of Amlodipine your bp readings are 135/85 which is good, but was 145/95 on the 5mgs...without anything it's 160/100..Why would you not be taking your bp readings or did you mean the 160/100 was before you started taking bp meds? Never ever stop bp medication without your Drs knowledge or permission. That could be a very dangerous game. 

Now back to the dizziness. When do you take your meds? Try taking them in the morning...as soon as you finish breakfast. Food in the stomach helps things along, & it's not so hard on your system taking pills on an empty stomach. Some people will take them at bedtime, so that when they're sleeping, they won't experience the side-effects. You may want to run this past your Dr. You also didn't say how long you'd been taking the Olmetec...that could be key.

Please let us know how you get on. Good luck!!!

Hi Mike, after we spoke last I stopped the olmatec because it didnt do anything any ways and split the amlodipine so 5 mg in the morning and 5 mg in the evening. The dizziness went away and all was pretty good except for a few minor pulpitations once in a blue moon. That is however up until last week when i started getting the light headed feeling with a couple slight dizzy spells. I also started to feel zoned out and foggy, anxiety when not busy, slight headaches that would last only a couple minutes,periodic random tingling in my chest and flushing in my neck and face. So I went to the dr to complain about what I fealt may be side effects of the amlodipine and she took my blood pressure as soon as I walked in the door with no time to rest which was 180 over something. So she sent me to emergency thinking I may be having a serious heart problem. I went to the hospital (now probably bp is through the roof thinking Im having a heart attack lol) where they take my bp which was 157 over 100. They did some blood work and ran some tests and sent me home. When I first spoke with the emergency dr i had mentioned that I think the amlodipine may be part of the problem and i want to change it but he said i should stay on it and add another bp med because of my high bp and the side effects should have came on at the beginning of taking 10 mgs of amlodopine not several months in. However at the end before he sent me home he said I should go to my dr and look into the bp meds. So I am going to go back to my dr but lowering my dose in the meantime and take it right before bed except for tonight because I want to see if i feel better tomorrow if i skip a dose. Its 2016 and this is what its come down to.

bigpat81...Considering your symptoms, I'm not surprised to read that your Dr. sent you to the ER. While the BP was high, I doubt it was high enough to cause anything life threatening (remember, we're all different) but with having periodic random tingling in the chest, & flushing in the neck & face, etc..the right thing certainly was done by sending you to the ER..even if it was a 'just in case' preventative.

By all means...get back to your doctor.

Oh ya it was a good call for sure and a second opinion too. I havent taken amlodopine since yesterday at 9 am and even though not feeling completely better I feel great- the best Ive felt in months actually. Still slightly foggy, a little bit of racing heartbeat and a very short periods of anxiety. And my sore feet that I was told was plantar faciaitis after spending 1000$ at the foot clinic (thank jebis for benefits) are almost not sore at all but I want to see how they are in the days coming. Ive been monitoring my bp all day and its generally been 145/ 100 which is high but thats with no bp meds, just whatever amlo is left in my system. I was at the doctors today and took my bp in the parking lot which was 145/100 or so. 15 minutes later my doctor takes it and it was 174/? so right away I checked on my portable bp machine and I got 166/111 so Im obviously getting white coat syndrome. So that being said I told her I cant do amlodipine anymore no matter what. So she asked if I had any ideas of which bp med I would like so I chose Coversyl HD. My dad has high bp and it works for him so if its heretitary it only makes sense to try it out. Still too early to say for sure if it was all amlo but it seems like this is the case. I will keep an update. If it wasnt for this forum and the hundreds and hundreds of people documenting their experiences I wouldnt have known where to start and neither would my dr. She told me normally she wouldnt stop the amlo but would add another drug lol. Hopefully the rest of these side effects are gone soon and it is just amlo side efects and I can be back to being 35.

Thanks all!

Hi again bigpat81..Monitoring your bp so soon after not having the Amlodipine would hardly give you an accurate reading. Yes, the Amlodipine was still in your system; it's just that you hadn't taken it yet..at 9am. You said you took your bp reading in the parking lot. What type of monitor are you using? If it's a wrist band type..those are known for inaccuracy. The Dr took your bp & got a reading of 174/?, then you checked with your portable bp machine & got 166/111. It's possible you may have 'white coat syndrome", OR simply your machine doesn't match with the Dr. What boggles me a bit is the Dr. asking you if you had any idea of which bp med you would like. THEY are the ones who are supposed to figure that out, not the patient, but in any event, you chose a good med in the Coversyl HD. What strength has been prescribed? I'm sure you already know that the Coversyl HD is an ACE..& a common side effect of ACE is a hard, dry cough. Also, the Coversyl HD has a diuretic in it as well. Remember, just because a med works for one, doesn't mean it will work for someone else. We're all different, even if the high bp is hereditary, which I don't believe hypertension to be hereditary. Take the meds at the same time every day...stay away from the bp machine for the 1st couple of days while you try the new medication. Then after those few days, take a reading.

Don't fall into the trap of false hope. It may take more than a few days for you to see the numbers coming down..if in fact they do. Don't be discouraged, & whatever you do, try your best not to be anxious when you sit down to take the readings. That will only elevate the numbers. 

I hope you have a machine that takes 3 consecutive readings then gives you the average. Mine does this. First I set the machine to take a single reading...I discard that reading because as I've been taught, likely as not, that reading is inaccurate. I wait a few minutes, then set the machine to take the 3 consecutive readings, & give me the average.

I can read each reading...& the average. I record the 3 readings & the average..which is what I give to my doctor. 

Yes please let us know how you get on with the new meds. Just a note...here in Canada, the highest dose of the Coversyl HD is 8mg/2.5

The 8mg is the Perindopril, & the 2.5 is the Idapamide diuretic. IF along the way you do reach this dosage, & it's still not bringing the numbers down that you & the doctor would like. there's another way around it, especially if you get on well with the ACE. You CAN take the Perindopril...at a higher dose of course., & have the diuretic seperate. 

See where I"m going with this? It's just that the Coversyl Plus HD only reaches a certain strength. 

Again, all the best!!!

Hi Mike, Its been 2.5 days since i took the amlo or any bp med. Ive been feeling great and enjoying the feeling while keeping a close eye on my bp. My bp monitor is a Life source digital arm band type with the 3 avg option that I do use. The dosage for cov hd is 4mg perindopril and 1.25mg inapramide. My avg bp today during the day was 148/ 90 and i just took it now 142/92 which is slightly lower than yesterday. Ive already decided that I will pay up to $200 a month for an alternative blood pressure reducer if I can avoid the insurance covered free bp meds. Thanks for the heads uo on the coversyl. I will be taking it if I notice a rise in bp or start feeling unwell. I just want a reminder of what life is like not on a bad bp med and if I can get it to stabilize around 140/90 I will spend a few months being creative and making adjustments to see if I can drop it down a few points. I even had the wife pickup 100$ of herbal pills to try, which I never thought the day would come. Lol!

thanks for your reply, Pat

Hi bigpat81...I'm just a little confused here. You say you haven't taken the amlodipine or any bp med for 2.5 days...then there's the mention of the Coversyl. In all honesty, I would not be keeping it aside as a 'just in case' medicine, unless this is what your doctor suggested, but I'd guess this isn't the situation. 142/92 isn't great....the systolic is ok, but the diastolic should come down more..say to around 80. BP is a sneaky ailment..there usually are no warnings. You can feel absolutely great, yet be under terrible threat for a high bp. Some people suffer the worst headache of their lives only to discover their bp is skyhigh. Again Pat, I can't stress strongly enough to you not to keep that Coversyl aside as a 'just in case' medication. If you were to take it, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that your bp readings are even lower than they are now..which would be wonderful. 4mgs with 1.25 isn't a strong med at all. 

As for herbal pills...one must be careful especially when taking bp medications. A lot of people believe that because they're 'herbal', they're harmless, which is not the case. Indeed they can conflict with medications. 

Good luck with this...let me know how you get on.

Hi Mike, 3 days and 2.5 hrs since my last 10mg amlodipine and still not on any BP meds. My BP avg at 9am this morning was 135/95 still high but around the same as on amlodipine. I'm keeping a close eye on my BP all weekend checking it every few hours and no alcohol or fun lol. Going for 30 minutes of light cardio walking today which my dogs will be happy about. I still feel foggy and hint of anxiety but I have so much energy and am a much more positive person. Each day that passes it seems to get better. I just read today that amlodipine can mess with your blood glucose levels and can cause hyperglycemia which is nice so everyone watch out for thirsty, hungry, tired, blurred vision feelings among other symptoms that may be brought on by amlodipine . Hyperglycemia is also linked to diabetes so be careful. Mike, I will take your advice and hold off on the herbal remedy as it does say it has green coffee bean as an ingredient which seems strange. Lol however for the Coversyl HD which I have in my possession but haven't taken yet I am going to wait a bit and add some light cardio and try that for a couple weeks to see if I can drop a few points and pounds. I just want to see how the "other half "lives and make sure 100 percent it was the amlodopine that has been ruining my life and not something else before going back on BP meds.

Thanks again, Pat

bigpat81...Thanks for your note. It's a good idea to get some exercise. I was planning on going for a long walk, but the weather is rainy & very cool, so I'll put that off 'til I see what tomorrow brings. Glad you're holding off on the herbal things. Try to remember, that not everyone experiences side-effects from medications. At 10mg Amlodipine, my feet/ankles & legs swelled, which necessitated me coming off the med. At 5mg., I was ok, but the lowering of the bp just wasn't there. I have a relative who takes 5mg Amlodipine/day...& she has no trouble with it at all. A while back, her bp was spiking in the afternoon, so her Dr. suggested she take 1/2 of the 5mg pill in the morning, then the other half in the afternoon. Presto!!...all is fine again. I'm not that lucky.

135/95 is quite good, but I truly do think the '95' should come down a little more, say to 90 or less. Hopefully at 9am when you took the reading, it was over 30 min since breakfast, showering, tea/coffee..etc. 

I wouldn't go checking the bp every few hours though. Why?... Because checking so often COULD cause anxiety to set in. Remember, bp fluctuates several times during the day. 

I've got fingers crossed for you!

Someone told of krill oil worked for her

Thanks g. I am taking omega krill and high fibre low sodium and cholesterol diet. The krill seems to work well at least for the cholesterol.

Thanks for the reply, pat