Anyone else experience any weird hand or foot issues? I have had hot and tingling feet and now my hands are doing it. I am active, eat well and now this developed. I am so sick of this drug.
Dear Time
I don't have hot feet or hands but I have tingling in my thumb and my index finger all the time it never goes away this is the worst medicine I've ever experienced
Hi there - Yep constant tingling in hands & feet, warm to the touch and I even experienced what I called "electric shock" sensation in my hands and feet & especially at night. When I look back at it, it boggles my mind that I accepted my GP telling me it was part of either going thru menopause, stress or getting older or being anxious. No, it was a direct cause of this toxic drug, which after 80 days off, I still have some residual weird sensations in my hands. Believe me, it's all Amlodipine related.
Thank you so much for letting me know. Unless they are "common" side effects the Dr.s do not listen in my experience. I have also had increased anxiety on this med, increased GERD on this med. Those are older side effects and the Dr. response to that was trying to talk me into adding a PPI and Anxiety med to top this off. I have fought tooth and nail because this does not keep my bp down and three different Drs now have wanted me to increase if from 5 to 10 and I will not do it. I have so much anxiety over taking my bp now that I cannot even get an accurate "resting" bp reading. It has been horrible with the Doctors. I finally let them bully me into trying effexor since the anxiety had increased so much and for three days I did not sleep and my pupils dilated. I stopped that drug and switched Doctors. I have had it. Now i need to find a way to get off this.
Hi there - Yes, all the symptoms you have described are ALL caused by this nasty drug & I urge you to try & find natural solutions to your symptoms. Instead of taking the prescription RX the Dr gave me for my GERD, I ate Papaya Enzymes with all food intake, followed by ginger chews. I ate a bunch of pineapple, papaya, buttermilk, sauerkraut and even sourdough bread plus I drink a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in water every morning to help balance out the system. From my readings & from the suggestions on this site, these natural aids absolutely helped resolve my GERD. As for the anxiety, it is a constant battle for me , I carry "Rescue Remedy" with me always & lavender oil & when I feel a panic attack coming on I reach for those things & start meditative controlled breathing. There are many supplements/vitamins that help naturally calm you, you should do a little research there, but I find a good stress vitamin with all the B's is helpful. Yes, we need to be advocates for ourselves regarding our bodies, frankly I would rather have elevated B/P than continue feeling the way I did on that drug... no quality of life -
The burning had gotten a little better but is back in full force now. I wish I knew for sure if it was from this drug!
Hi there time2reclaim - are you male or female? I ask you this because it has been suggested to me that this could be caused by a imbalance in hormones. My tingling burning sensation has now traveled up my calves (front of them) & is also on the tops of my feet. I also have it on my hands. I have been off amlodipine for 9 months ( had it while on amlodipine) but not to this degree. I am still on irbesartan for b/p. I am post menopause, so that could be a factor for me. Just thought I would throw that out there -
I don't think this is hormonal/ Yes I am female and 47. It is like the sensation when your hands start to warm after they have been very cold, like after you would come indoors. It gets worse after I shower and often my palms get very red. It is often accompanied by itching and burning overall which I am coming to find is likely histamine intolerance. I just saw the Dr. AGAIN and she knows nothing... Had her do a pulse ox and I was at 100% so that was a relief to me.
Hi Time2Reclaim - yes, I know the feeling - I have gotten what I like to describe as “electric shocks” in the feet & hands & then the other times just a burning sensation in my veins just on top of feet & front of calves, which seems constant now - I know if I go to my dr & tell her, she will just tell me again it’s not a side effect of this drug or hormonal, but oddly enough started while on amlodipine. I will say that amlodipine side effects & menopause symptoms mimic each other -
My doctor says the same thing Debra. I don't think it's a side effect of the medicine of amlodipine. Well I know it's a side effect of amlodipine
Hi Chris - I just don’t know what to think anymore - I am off of Amlodipine, but still on Irbesartan. When I stopped Amlodipine 9 months ago, I was hopeful that I would feel like my old self again. I definitely have better days than I did while on Amlodipine, but I am not my old self by any means. I have horrible aches & pains, anxiety on any given day,fog brain, flushing and the constant skin burning sensation. All I know is that I never suffered with any of these ailments before I started on blood pressure medication...I certainly hope these RX’s haven’t done long-term damage.
Dear Debra, I agree with you 100%. My body has not been the same since I've been on different BP medications. I take Carvedilol which causes similar side effects to amlodipine. I remember 4 months I had swelling and pain in my Achilles heel my ankle in the back it was so painful and so swollen I could not Flex my foot. I was also uneasy on my legs I didn't feel strong. Or I would get muscle spasms in my back and the darn doctor never listens. So I decided to reduce the dose myself. Do 5 milligrams instead of 10. And I could see a difference I didn't have any more gout. I didn't have any more pains and aches. Because my BP went up the doctor increased it to 7 MGs amlodipine which so far has been okay I hate this medicine is horrible it's like poison. Will you take care and I'll keep you in my prayers
Not my hands. But after taking Ampodipline 5mg once a day, my knees had been sore as well as my ankles swelling. Some can take this tablet others cant.
Morning Chris. After reading your message about Aplodipine. The same happened to me. When I had advised my Dr about this the answer had been just carry on with them. It makes you feel do they care? I have come off them and now my legs are getting back to normal.
Hi Chris - Thank you for those kind words - Interesting what you said about your tendons - after taking Amlodipine for about 1 1/2 years, I developed Achilles Tendonapathy (huge bulging bulbs on my heels) aside from the constant pain, I can no longer wear shoes with any kind of a backing. When I asked my dr what could have caused this, since no one in my family has this, she had no clue. Finally after much research, I discovered an article that said Calcium channel blockers can be the cause of this deformity/ailment. This is truly a destructive drug...for all the good it’s supposed to provide, it leaves you with a laundry list of other issues. I curse the day I went on it!
I have feet, legs, arms tingling since going back on this drug. Also resting 122 bpm. I used to be ok on this drug a couple yrs. ago, but since going back it, its been crazy. My dr. took me off it, said my BP is ok, just keep an eye on it at home. Said if I need a BP med. again, he'll find me something better for me. Been off it for a week now, still feeling the effects, but my pulse rate is nack in the 70's.
I am 47 year's old and perimenopausal. Was put on a contraceptive pill to regulate prolonged periods then my anxiety levels shot up causing high blood pressure and I was put on this med. Its only day 4 and I have the worst anxiety I have ever had! Feeling nauseas, aching legs and dizziness. Going to see my doctor tomorrow. I know your post is old but are you still taking this medication?
Hi Lisa - Your post caught my eye & I thought I would respond to it - At 55 I was put on Amlodipine 5 ml, I had just entered menopause & had been the sole caregiver to my parents & my stress level was through the roof. It wasn’t until about a year later that I started experiencing tingling & electric shocks in my hands & feet & flushing. During this time I was diagnosed with “Rosacea” & was still unclear why I was experiencing these odd symptoms. My B/P kept getting elevated & I was put on IRbesartan Htcz in addition...I started getting so many weird symptoms like heart palps, anxiety, blurry vision, burning body parts etc & etc. B/P remained elevated even on 2 RX’s then my Dr raised the Amlodipine to 10 ml & all hell broke lose - couldn’t get out of bed, feet & ankles swelled & my lethargy was unbearable. That’s when I found this forum & was convinced after taking Amlodipine for 5 years that this was the problem. I weaned myself off this drug & had bad side affects. I have been off the drug for 14 months. I am still on the Irbesartan & oddly enough my B/P isn’t ideal but remains lower than what it was when on the amlodipine (weird eh?). I could never figure out what was causing all my symptoms & this is what I believe to be true from my experience. The tingling, electric shock, burning body parts, hot flashes/flushing, vertigo, anxiety, blurry vision, blood sugar issues etc. are all Peri/menopause symptoms caused from imbalanced hormones, when you throw a toxic drug (at least it was for me) into the mix it really amplified the symptoms. Looking back I blamed amlodipine for ALL the symptoms, but now I know after talking to so many woman on the menopause forum that these are symptoms of menopause it’s just that Amlodipine really ramped it up for me. After coming off amlodipine, I am calmer, my flushing which was so intense is less & my anxiety is a bit more controlled. You should get your hormones tested, cortisol level checked so you have a baseline & understand what these falling hormones do to our entire body & yes hormones play a part in elevating your B/P, glucose & cholesterol. It is a “not so fun” journey, but understanding the causes tends to put things in perspective. If you think the amlodipine is the issue, than by all means ask for a new RX, but before you take a new one, make sure to read about all the side effects of the drug, something I never did with the Amlodipine & sometimes I wonder if I have permanent nerve damage from it - Good Luck!
I was 38 when this saga started. For some reason, my blood pressure blew out to 210/110. Went to the ER and it calmed down to 160/90.
Doctors couldnt find a reason for this and after a month, my doc put me on blood pressure meds. First one was Olmesartan (a water pill). Brought down the blood pressure nicely but then a month and a bit later, started having issues with anxiety, eye twitches and my legs felt weak and unreliable.
After my situation did not improve, I went back to the doctor and asked for another medication thinking it was doing all this to me. I was then prescribed Amlodipine. This is when the party started.
I had a brief respite from the unsteadiness of the leg situation before it blew out again and my resting heart rate started being at 110 when waking up first thing in the morning.
I then went to the doc and expressed concerns that I might have a magnesium deficiency and the first blood pressure medication was known for reducing magnesium further. Doc didnt have a bar of it and prescribed me Metropolol (spelling? but it was a beta blocker). This got my racing anxiety under control but still didnt fix the unsteadiness of legs.
I then found this forum and saw so many symptoms people were encountering with Amlodipine. I even developed a bursa on my left heel which made it super hard to walk.
I have weaned myself off both blood pressure meds and my blood pressure at rest is in the 130's over 80 which I am comfortable with.
The leg situation has greatly improved but I am having reoccuring issues with my right leg which keeps getting weird feelings running through it. I also have some mild fluid retention in the ankle as well which I am waiting for to disappear. So not really a burning sensation or tingling, the best way to describe it would be that feeling you get after you have sat on a leg for awhile and then you move and then you get blood flow back to your leg. I am also sometimes still slightly unsteady on my feet but that has been decreasing lately.
While I have no evidence to link all this back to Amlodipine, all of this started after being on the drug. Also I am annoyed that all of this could have been avoided in the first place if I had kept my magnesium levels up. (I used to drink heaps, not have a great diet and exercise a lot which resulted in me sweating heaps).
I am happy that this drug works for some people but for me it totally destroyed my quality of life for a few months.
oh my goodness NEDSKI - while taking AMLODIPINE, i developed two huge extended bursa heels on each one of my heels. i went to the orthopedist & he diagnosed it as achilles tendonapathy. i can no longer wear regular shoes. all my shoes have to be "slip ons" and for a woman, that tends to limit your choices. No one in my family has it, so i knew it couldnt be genetic. One day i was reading an article that claimed that calcium channel blockers can cause this defect in people. i am so angry about this, because not only is it unsightly, but it has really impaired my ability to walk long distances without getting extreme pain in my achilles heels. something should really be done about this yucky drug.