Amlodipin disagreed with me

Treatment and medication
1

:cry:

I was put onto these and soon developed a bad cough and cold. I went back to my doctor. he assured me they were good - \"no problems with any other patient\" and he doubled my dose.

Soon afterwards, I noticed a big brown blob on the pavement in front of me - and it went before me.

I only have one good eye. I suspected this medication and took myself off them. I had an eye test with an optician who couldn't see anything wrong.

I found some Atenolol and reckoned that 50mg was ok (I have a blood pressure meter).

I told my doctor that I was finished with Amlodipin - he put me back onto Atenolol and made an appointment with an eye specialist at the local hospital - he couldn't see anything wrong.

My cough and cold cleared up within a week, and my eyesight has slowly recovered, but it took several months.

2

Hi I have been on amlodipine for about 3 years now and the only thing I have noticed about it is a dry cough and a little bit tired all the time, how ever while I have been taking them I have had to go to hospital because I suddenly had a big purple circular colour in my vision in my left eye and its still there they told me its sort of mascular like fluid at the back of my eye, I am still on amlodipine I wonder if there could be a connection

are there anyone else out there that have had eye problems who are on amlodipine it could be important.

3

I got onto Amlodipine after telling my doctor that I had read that Atenolol was old and that there were newer alternatives. I have been ok since going back to Atenolol - no cough, no cold, no eye trouble.

I am 74 yrs old (born July 39).

4

Hi davids do the atenolol keep you blood pressure completely under control, I might ask the doctor to let me go it if it suits me, because I am not happy about my eyesight suddenly going like that, I asked the eye doctor if there could a conection to amlodipine he just said he had not heard anything that could connect amlodipine to eye problems. so I would like to know if there are any one else who may of had the same problems.

5

Hello Len. My BP is currently 128/60, pulse 54. I take 50mg Atenolol + 2.5mg Bendroflumethiazide after breakfast and 5mg (2+2+1) Doxazosin + 100mg Losartan potassium tables after my evening meal.

I also take 600mg Gemfibrozil tables 1/2 hour before breakfast and evening meals - that's 'cos I stopped taking a Statin tablet which I thought was making me weak.

If you read the leaflet that comes with the Amlodipine tablets, it says (or did when I was taking them) that it can cause eye problems but didn't say what that sort of eye problems.

I had an eye test at a local optician and by a consultant at our local hospital. Neither could see anything wrong in my eyes, from which I guess that the problem was in my brain and how it was interpreting signals from my eyes - but all cleared up soon after I stopped taking Amlodipine.

Good luck

6

I am a 76 years old male, put by my doctor on Amlodipine at 5 mgs per day, in order to bring down my 'normal' old age high blood pressure to 130/80.

I have been taking this medicine faithfully everyday for 3.5 years.

3 weeks ago I noticed edema, i.e. swelling in my feet, conspicuously in the left foot.

I went for a blood test and a urine test, the results indicate everything to be normal.

I consulted my doctor -- and I also read a lot in the internet on Amlodipine and pedal edema.

He told me, Yes, that is the side effect of Amlodipine.

He instructed me to stop Amlodipine, and instead to take Irbesartan 150 mgs per day, informing me that the edema should subside in a week's time.

So, I have been taking Irbesartan for 10 days now, but the edema does not seem to subside.

What experience do you folks here have with edema from Amlodipine?

The pedal edema does not cause me any trouble whatever, no pain, no discomfort, just that I am aware of the swelling and my tight feeling with my feet inside my shoes, so I switched to slippers and sandals.

More probably it will take more than a week's time for the edema to go down; it took 3.5 years of Amlodipine to bring about the edema, I fear it will take more than one week for the edema to show sign of lessening.

In the meantime I am taking now only Irbesartan, that is the only medicine I am taking: for I am healthy and active otherwise.

I will see the doctor in perhaps 20 days, if the edema does not show signs of going down.

I hope it is just the side effect of Amlodipine, and nothing else of any trouble unrelated to side effects of Amlodipine.

What do you folks experience?

Cornelius

7

hi, yes from what I can under stand feet swelling is one of the most commen side effects of amlodipine the higher the dose the more its likely. I don,t get that problem, I get a dry cough and tiredness, I can cope with that , its my eye problem that's getting me down they tell me theres nothing they can do just hope that it goes away. if theres any one else who is having the same problem please could you post a reply.

8

Hi len7.

Has your doctor told you to stop taking Amlodipine, and to switch to another antihypertensive?

You inform readers: "I get a dry cough and tiredness, I can cope with that, its my eye problem that’s getting me down they tell me theres nothing they can do just hope that it goes away."

I suggest you go and see a doctor specialist in cough, and one specialist in tiredness, and also most important an eye doctor for your eye trouble.

That eye trouble the way I think is the most serious.

Good for us that we can exchange ideas about our troubles with Amlodipine.

The terrible disappointment for us all is why the manufacturer of Amlodipine, the original patent holder, has not ever taken the task to improve its Amlodipine, so that it does not cause dry cough, tiredness, eye trouble, and yes pedal edema in the long term.

I think it is that Pfizer company that is notorious for keeping useful information from people for the love of money, and misrepresenting the benefit of its products.

These guys kill folks who trust in their products, and the only punishment they get is just to lose some money, chicken feed for all the money they make from us trusting folks.

But what can we do, simple folks like us without influence in the government, these medicine companies have government people in their pocket.

From law makers to agents in charge of our food and medicine, that they be safe and fit for human consumption, and not only good for satisfying the greed of these corporate monsters.

By the way, this Amlodipine medicine is prescribed by a lot of doctors for folks with high bp, and doctors don't bother to tell their patients to watch out for side effects.

Yes, they the doctors get rewarded by drug companies for acting as the most productive marketers of these corporate monsters.

Cornelius

9

yes Cornelius I tottaly agree with all that you have said. they are licenced to test and trial all drugs if something turns up later they hold back on informing the patient that is wrong we should be able to make an informed decision on the pros and cons of continuing to take certain medications. all the best.