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What a horrible pill!

Posted , 5 users are following.

mr42206
mr42206

Hi folks,

I have always had borderline bp and stress and anxiety has played a role in my situation. I had a bit of depression lately and for the past 4-6 months my diet has been very poor and I blame myself for this.

I started getting a headache 1+ week ago and went to Er and I hate going there and my BP was around 170/93. I am scared of the ER and I was scared of the headache and my bp is never good in those places. They checked me out and then let me go home. The next day my headache was still there and I was very scared and stressed and I checked my bp and it was worst. I ended up in the hospital and then I was given a mirage of BP pills and They started me on CARDENE. I was in the hospital for 3-4 days and I was checked out for everything.

On my 2nd day in the hospital they started me on Amlodipine. Each time I take this pill I feel spaced out/lightheaded for at least 15 minutes.  This pill gives me a weird feeling, i feel like I am detached from this world. Things feel odd mentally on this pill. It has brought on some fear, anxiety as well that is pretty constant with this pill.

I live alone, so this is pretty bad for my Situation.  I was given 5mg of this med in the hospital for 3-4 days. I came home and took the 5 mg for another 2-3 days. The anxiety, fear and mental abouse this med has given me was driving me crazy. I decided to stop taking the 5mg yesterday. I stopped taking it for almost 24 hours and the hell this pill was unleashing. My head was such a mess and my BP had rebounded pretty bad.  I hate this med and want to get off it real bad. I do not want to touch BP pills. The side effects are horrible. Only problem is that this pill has been in my system for 4-6 days.

So I cut my pill in half and took a 2.5 mg dose. I still feel the anxiety and detachmement and mental weirdness.

Are all BP pills suppose to add anxiety, paranoia and a spaced out/detachment feeling? I am going to my dr tomorrow and requesting another pill.   Can you folks possibly recommend some other pill that does not affect the mind so badly(anxiety,stress,fear,paranoia,spaced out/weird feelings) and has less side effects than Amlodipine.

I am very young and don't need for these pills to ruin my life and not make me productive. 

TY

1 like, 26 replies

26 Replies

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  • jx41870
    jx41870 mr42206

    Posted

    Hi mr42206, sorry to hear of your troubles.  I don't like amlodipine, but I'm not familiar with these psychological effects.  I'll just say that 5mg is a small dose.  But, amlodipine does take a couple of days to clear out of your system.  There are dozens of other BP drugs to try.  Do you have a BP meter at home?

    On the headaches, and depression, I have nothing much to say, only know something about BP.

    There are also foods to help, and to avoid, if BP is the issue.

  • MrsO-UK_Surrey
    MrsO-UK_Surrey mr42206

    Posted

    Don’t worry, you are not alone in suffering nasty side effects from Amlodipine.  It is probably the BP  most complained about on the forum.  I know people who had pacemakers fitted and who blamed the problem on Amlodipine.    Our bodies are all different and therefore will respond differently to different medications but I have been told by a very reliable pharmacist that the BP drug about which he hears the least complaints from patients is Losartan Potassium so see if your Dr will prescribe that for you.  All BP medicines should be started at the lowest dose to give your body chance to get used to it, thus hopefully lessening the risk of any initial side effects, and then titration up as necessary.  Meanwhile, drink plenty of water to get the Amlodipine right out of your system, avoid all salt in food and avoid/reduce caffeine intake.  From the stress/depression you mention, it sounds as though you could do with some relaxation therapy.  Just simple walking in the fresh air will release those feel-good endorphins and help conquer your depression.  Also, I would suggest you join a Tai Chi class or a Mindfulness class which would really help to de-stress you.  Importantly, you mention that your diet has been  “very poor”.  I’m a firm believer that we are what we eat, and here you can help yourself to feel so much better.  So lots of fresh fruit and veg, salads, oily fish, not too many refined carbs (they just turn to sugar in our bodies), not too much red meat, and no preserved meats as in ham, sausages etc.  Live, probiotic yoghurt is an excellent food - kind to your gut.  Go on, you can do it - you are young and you have your life ahead of you, so RELAX and enjoy it.
    • mr42206
      mr42206 MrsO-UK_Surrey

      Posted

      Thank you for your reply. This drug is effecting me mostly mentally right now. Spaced out feeling, fear, detachment feeling from life. Things feel abstract to me. I rather have physical issues than the mind ones. I was on 5 mg for 4 to 5 days and I stopped taking the pill for 20 hours. My body and heart was pumping extremely fast and it was very very scary. So I cut my pill in half and took 2.5mg.

      This mental/spaced out/fear issue is all because of the drug and I live alone with my dogs. I was going to go to the dr today and request a new med. I never took meds before and I was always fearful of the meds and Now I am on BP meds and it is taking a toll on me. Yes, my BP is ok now, but my mind is not.

      Do you folks all take BP meds and they don't bother you? Is it this med that is just awful? I have an uncle who takes 10mg and a friend who also takes 10mg for a long time and it does not affect them mentally or give them any issues.

      I am a strong person, but i cannot have my head be messed up like this. You mentioned a med/bp pill. Do you take it yourself? Does it help? Any side effects?

      Thank you for your response and to all who respond smile

    • MrsO-UK_Surrey
      MrsO-UK_Surrey mr42206

      Posted

      Yes, I take Losartan, and have done for several years.  It is the only medication I can tolerate legate after trying about 6 others.  A lot t if people have said that Amlodipine affected them mentally and perhaps as you already said get from anxiety, Amlodipine affected you more in that way.  For me, the effects were more physical but I am someone who is highly sensitive to medication plus I only have one kidney and that is low functioning (CKD).  See your Dr and say everything that you have said to us, and good luck!
    • debra16694
      debra16694 mr42206

      Posted

      Hi there - I totally believe that Amlodipine can affect you both mentally & physically, but I also believe that what you are experiencing is the effects of anxiety, which is probably the culprit causing your B/P to be elevated.  I don’t think the Amlodipine or the other drug you took for BP has been in your system long enough to cause such symptoms.  Google the side effects of anxiety & you will be shocked to see what physical symptoms anxiety can cause.  I am currently struggling with anxiety issues and I am not sure if 5 years on Amlodipine was the cause or if being in menopause is the issue, I too suffer from health anxiety & it is not fun!  My recommendation to you is to purchase a very good blood pressure monitor, take your b/p properly (goggle proper way to take reading) a few times a day @ various times, record it by writing date, time & reading & keep a journal of this.  This will help you to understand your B/P spikes.  Very rarely do drs offices get a “true reading” of your b/p.  I think you are experiencing a fear of your b/p which is very common in health anxiety, but try calming techniques to soothe yourself.  Google natural ways to lower your b/p & Calm your anxiety.  I know how hard this is, but you need to try and conquer your health anxiety - good luck!

    • mr42206
      mr42206 MrsO-UK_Surrey

      Posted

      Thank you very much for your response. Yes this med is affecting me mentally in a big way. I am a athlete that practices martial arts and I went to class today. I told my teacher that I am on this med and this is the first time I am on meds. I told him that I might not be the old student he use to have, so please understand.  I was winded from routines I never use to get winded from. My mental clarity is a bit off due to this med. My BP is good now, but I feel like my mind is not clear anymore. I rather have physical pain, than my mind losing its clarity.

      I live alone with 3 loving and adorable dogs, so I don't have much support and living with a mind that is shaken by this drug is not very easy to deal with.  In general I am a very mellow person, even though I am not very happy with this med, I am not angering myself or getting excited. Just remaining  calm.   I will take this med again at 11 pm and first thing in the morning drive and see my GP and demand to be taken off this drug. I might have to switch around and see which med can work for me. I value my life and remaining healthy but not at the cost of being spaced out and mentally and possibly physically miserable.

    • mr42206
      mr42206 debra16694

      Posted

      Ty.

      Yes I am the last one to admit it ,but I have been anxious in my life and it could be possible that my anxiety is triggering this. I still firmly believe that this BP med is horrible, but My anxiety is not helping it at all.

      I will go to my GP and ask for a new med very soon. Thanks a lot to you and those that have cared and answered my thread.

    • debra16694
      debra16694 mr42206

      Posted

      Hi - it sounds like you are a very young man, before I would chain myself to a life of B/P RX’s, I would definitely try lifestyle changes, natural b/p remedies & calming the stress & anxiety - obviously if you have extremely high b/p you need to bring it down, but monitoring it yourself will give you a truer reading than in a drs office & you can bring your readings into the drs office to compare notes to properly assess your situation.  Again, good luck to you in your health journey - 

    • mr42206
      mr42206 debra16694

      Posted

      TY for your advice. I had a question. I was originally on 5 mg for 5 days and then I stopped the med yesterday. I was hoping to quit the med, but after 20 hours it was putting hell on my body. Very fast/scary palpitations, very loud ringing in the ears. It was a mess. I was afraid for my life. I cut my 5mg pill in half and took 2mg. Am I supposed to take the 2mg for another 1-2 days before I can stop this med and not have it mess me up.

      I am 5'6 145 lbs and I am a dedicated martial artist. I live on water and yogurt and rice practically. I know my BP issues are all stress related. I will go to my gp in 1-2 days and try some minor stress pills that are not addicting. I really cant see myself staying on BP meds all my life. Im in my 40s.

      This all started with me having very bad head pressures 1-2 weeks ago and due to the dear and anxiety my bp was crazy in the ER and then they sent me to the hospital. Yes, i need to bring my stress down and my anxiety, but i don't think I am the right person for BP pills...

    • jx41870
      jx41870 mr42206

      Posted

      > I live on water and yogurt and rice practically

      You should mention this to your doctors, who may have you see a nutritionist.  Meanwhile, go have a nice chicken salad or cobb salad, and see if you don't start feeling better immediately.

      I've tried some crazy diets in my time, and when I look back on it now, I'm lucky to still be here.

       

    • debra16694
      debra16694 mr42206

      Posted

      Hi there - I think jx4180 might be correct - blood sugar levels might also be the culprit for your headache & fluctuating anxiety levels - just so you know, I was on amlodipine for 5 years & quit cold turkey 10 months ago.  It probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do because I did suffer from weird side effects, but I suppose what I am trying to illustrate to you is, after taking amlodipine for 5 days, I think you will be fine stopping it. Obviously there are some b/p RX’s that you are not supposed to stop cold turkey, but amlodipine is not one of them - I think you will feel better knowing that you are not taking it - 

    • Kand2010
      Kand2010 mr42206

      Posted

      Sometimes choline helps with mental clarity. I use choline bitartrate and Alpha-GPC as needed. 
    • Kand2010
      Kand2010

      Posted

      Also, L-Theanine calms me down a bit.  ☺️
    • mr42206
      mr42206 Kand2010

      Posted

      I never had perfect blood pressure. I was always borderline 135/143 over 83 to 90.

      My latest numbers are due to = stress/anxiety and very very poor salty and fatty diet. I am very dedicated to getting off the med and just being healthy. I wish I knew what hell these meds, can bring on before I ended up on them...

    • mr42206
      mr42206 debra16694

      Posted

      Thank you for the comment. I cut my 5 mg pill into 2.5mg been on it for 2 days now. I am now getting the dreaded side effect of peeing a lot.  Tomorrow i will cut my 2.5mg pill in half and take that for 2 days and not touch this stuff ever again. I just need to work on getting my stress and anxiety down. I do have loud ringing in my ears and that is never easy. But i have had this issue for over 20 years, so its nothing new...

      Did you get on a new BP med after you cold turkey? Did you get crazy palpatations and did your BP rebound high? I cold turkeyed off the 5mg and my body was shaking and heart pounding. It was scary, My bp kinda went high as well.

      I know that I need to get off these pills and just manage my stress and anxiety..

      TY again

    • mr42206
      mr42206 debra16694

      Posted

      sorry to ask another question. When you cold turkey did you have another BP med/supplement to help you out? How long did it take for the side effects of the amlodipine and the shaking to stop?
    • debra16694
      debra16694 mr42206

      Posted

      Hi there  - I was put on Amlodipine 6 years ago & then about 3 years ago was put on Avalide in addition to the Amlodipine.  This was a crazy stressful period in my life, I was the sole caregiver to my ailing parents, getting my kids to college & trying to maintain 2 households & am self employed.  I basically crashed & burned about a year ago - my blood pressure was still high even while on 2 blood pressure RX’s & my GP upped the dosage on the amlodipine.  After freaking out about my swollen extremities & feeling horrible my GP wanted me to try a 3 rd BP RX!!! When the pharmacist told me that the new drug could cause my cholesterol to go up I flipped, since my cholesterol was great & I didn’t want that to happen.  That’s when I came home & googled side effects of B/P drugs & found this forum!!! I completely flipped out because all the symptoms I had been complaining about to my GP for 4 years were complaints everyone on this forum also had.  The really interesting thing is, when I took myself off amlodipine, my b/p didn’t rise, it actually went down...I think it was so toxic to my system that my body was fighting it.  I seem to tolerate the Avalide much better, but my ultimate goal is to get off it as well.  I also am a big believer in finding a b/p that you are OK with (hence taking your own readings) I don’t believe all people are perfect 120/80 readings...age, ethnicity etc are huge factors.  I believe drs want everyone to be 120/80 & if not you get put on RX’s - I think in order to be pro-active in your healthcare you must try & find the cause of your high b/p - I have read a few articles stating that salt isn’t the real demon in controlling b/p, but rather sugar is the real evil...whatever you wish to believe, I think whatever drug you are put on, it will come with a side effect, my goal is to try and avoid RX’s - I know there are so many people that take Rx’s And have no issues, this has not been my experience - if I have learned anything from this experience, it is to question everything and not to just take an RX prescribed to you - good luck to you both! 

    • debra16694
      debra16694 mr42206

      Posted

      Hi there - I never experienced shaking when coming off amlodipine, my guess is it is your anxiety causing you to shake.  I suffer from Anxiety & I can tell you from experience it can cause your mind & body to do crazy things - FYI anxiety can also cause B/P to be elevated - 

    • mr42206
      mr42206 debra16694

      Posted

      Yes. My BP issue is not really a BP issue its an anxiety issue. as i lay in bed relaxed i had a reading of 125/71   63 pulse at 2.5 mg of this garbage pill. Yet, when i was taking 5mg i was at 160/89 a few days ago. I read that you were able to just cold turkey off this med with no issues. Do you think your other med(s) might have helped you recover when you cold turkeyd?

      I am re-starting my mag/calcium routine again tomorrow. I have a nice headache as usual that is not leaving and my bp has been very low in bed, while i am relaxing.  This for sure rules out that my headache is because of the high blood pressure.

      I am very grateful to this board/forum. I will be off this med in the next 1-2 days and start living my life again... I'll keep this board posted on my progress...

    • Kand2010
      Kand2010 mr42206

      Posted

      Im feeling much better!  I havent taken amlodepine for 48 hours and feel a major positive difference!  Perhaps the Losartan Potassium im on made the come fown a little easier.  

      Let me know how today goes and make it a great day!

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