hi as some of you know I have been taking amlodipine 10mg for some time, well 2 weeks ago I stoped taking them because I have been having lots of side effects. my blood pressure have gone down slightly , I do not understand that but the only thing I have at the moment is my chest is very empty feeling I am not sure if it has any thing to do with coming off the amlodipine. apart from that I do feel a lot better.
Hi, I am glad you feel better.
I stopped taking Aml back in the Summer, and things just got better and better and better.
Leaden legs are gone; now I can walk without fatigue.
Cramps are gone.
Breathlessness gone.
Anxiety disappeared.
Sleep patterns back to normal.
Energy levels back to normal.
I have a light step, which feels wonderful- no pain, blimey, what is this state of bliss? Well, it is simply a lack of Aml half-killing me.
Stopping the pills gave noticeable improvements in days, but months later I am a different man.
My BP is totally normal too, verified by GP nurse.
I hope others may gain similar rejuvenation , if currently suffering.
Good luck & good health to all!
thanks capncrew. I will keep a close eye on my blood pressure , but I will not be going back on amlodipine. I think my empty chest feeling may be just anxiety like I said I have only been off them for 2 weeks with a bit of luck things will settle down soon. all the very best LEN7.
Hi. I was prescribed Amlodipine for high BP and suffered heavy, leaden legs, oedema around the ankles, plus a persistent runny nose and tickly cough. After feeling really debilitated for months owing to joint pain as well, I insisted that the GP prescribed another drug. I had been taking Aml for about fourteen months. I could not believe the difference I experienced within only about two weeks. All of the above symptoms disappeared, I've got my slim ankles back again - okay, I'm 63, but have never had elephant shaped legs and ankles prior to taking the Aml and now I can see my ankle bones again!
Ramipril, the substitute drug, caused persisten runny nose and tickly cough. As I did more research on line and got more confident with telling the GP that he was there to serve ME, not the other way around, he ditched the Ramipril as well. I am now on Losartan without any side effects at all.
I feel as if I have claimed my life back and am so much more positive in outlook. The debilitating effects of both the Aml and Ram had made me feel like a feeble, aching old biddy with a very bleak future.
Cynic that I am, I discovered that Aml is the cheapest of the BP meds, all of which affect the Surgery's budget, of course!
Remember that there is the Yellow Card scheme which your GP should encourage you to fill in to inform the NHS about any real or perceived side effects. I had to find out about it for myself because the GP's don't seem to want to encourage patients to report back on the negative aspects of these drugs they prescribe.
Now that my system has been free of the Aml and Ram for about 6 months, I am definitely so much better in every way. The BP readings vary only slightly either way from when I was on the Aml & Ram, there is absolutely NO oedema or swellings or leaden, heavy legs, the crippling joint pains, runny nose and persistent cough have gone totally. I feel as if I've got my quality of life back again.
laura78631 thanks for your post. I had similar experienced with Amlodipine. for high BP. My GP did say there might(?) be side effects and sure enough within a week my ankles looked like balloons. Never again.
As I've posted before, soon after taking Ramipril, the drug first prescribed for my high BP I developed atrial fibrillation which is a well known side effect known to everyone it seems, except doctors. I took myself off Ramipril and Sotalol (another drug with AF side effects known to everyone except doctors) my AF episodes have decreased. So no more Ramipril or Sotalol for me and the experience has left me with serious doubts about competence of doctors I've seen.
I was on amlodipine.
Made me feel like a ZOMBIE.
Quit it. Took a while but much better now.
Later another DR. (in USA) put me on Lisinopril.
Messed by mind up big time. Quit it too.
Getting better but recovery is slow.
Messed up memory. Mental mistakes. Mind is a mess.
All these drugs mess with your liver which will screw up other parts of your body too, like your BRAIN!!!
I just hope I can recover to a great degree.
hi, I would just like to say thank you to all who have commented on amlodipine. what stands out to me is all your comments are negative , and you are all saying more or less the same things. I cannot understand why doctors are still prescribing a drug that is giving people so much misery. doctors and chemists must be getting feed back on this drug . they should research the best and safest drugs for BP and make peoples lives a little bit more bearable high blood pressure is hard to cope with but all the after effects that this drug is doing to people is something else. the problem is when you come off amlodipine you have to find a drug that is suitable for you. the drug companies need to get there act together and research a drug that is a lot more user friendly, thank you again for all your feed back. len 7
Sorry if this sounds political, but I think that problems have arisen since GP's have been given charge of their drugs budget ( speaking for the UK ). In earlier years, the GP would prescribe the drug which he / she really thought best fit for the patients condition, irrespective of cost. I know it sounds cynical but if you can be prescribed a tab such as Aml which according to other sites costs only 4p per unit, as opposed to a more expensive drug, there's more profit for the end of month / quarterly profit share for the partners.
Similarly with statins which many GP's insist on many patients taking. They will virtually always prescribe Simvastatin first which is the cheapest and which is regularly reported as having horrendous side effects for many patients. If he / she can be persuaded to change the prescription and give something like Atorvastatin, the majority of patients find relief from the toxic side effects within a very short time. Guess what - Simvastatin is the cheapest of the many statins!
Remember in the UK you can ( and SHOULD ) report any and all side effects, however slight, to the Yellow Card reporting system. I had to do it via trawling the net. I have since discovered that your GP is supposed to inform you about the Yellow Card procedure being in place. I'll bet you've not been informed about it, nor will you find any information regarding it on the boards in your GP's surgery!
Good luck to anyone who has successfully persuaded their GP to prescribe the meds which will help your condition, whatever they cost!
hi laura 78631 thankyou for your insight into the yellow card uk. they do not seem to advertise it , I managed to get one from my local chemist I am going to send it off today. it is correct what you are saying about statins because I was on simvastatins for about a year and my arm muscles were aching all the time I told the doctor on several visits and he just said it could be from your t.i.a (mini stroke) after seeing a different doctor he said it could be the statin and changed me to atorvastatin and the problem went away. so atorvastatin must be the more expensive option. Did you hear back from the yellow card agency with any comments or do they just bin it?
Hitch, are you on any kind of blood pressure medication now, ore have you stoped them all and do you what your bp is now compared to what it was? it seems you have had a terrible time with both those drugs.
Hi. RE: The Yellow Card procedure. I have reported side effects to them using this procedure several times now. Each time they have responded by email ( other options are available ) and commented on my complaints. They will also contact the GP on your behalf if you want them to and you can also use it to complain about a specific GP etc. You can also keep it completely anonymous if you prefer to.
After the last time I used it to inform them about the side effects I was suffering which I could only assume was a result of the Aml, the GP treated me like royalty the next time I went to see him and fell over himself to discuss my condition / review the meds. etc. So I think they had contacted him! It made a difference anyway.
At least I am free of that awful oedema around the ankles which can lead to leg ulcers which are horrendous and virtually incurable. Also no sign of the runny nose and tickly cough which I lived with for almost two years. All gone, within less than two weeks of stopping Amlodipine and Ramipril.
Good luck to anyone struggling to get the GP's to prescribe the right medication for their condition. They receive enormous salaries and should put aside greed for more in the interest of providing the best and most appropriate care for their patients, at whatever cost.
Hi laura thanks for your detailed reply . I have to agree with every thing you have said. I will wait for my reply now from the yellow card and let you know how it all went. Thanks.
Hi Len7, I'll be interested in finding out what response you get from the Yellow Card procedure. Might also be worth mentioning to your GP that you have contacted them regarding your unpleasant side effects. If nothing else, I can guarantee that it will make him / her sit up and notice you!
If you read the paper insert in the tabs box which reports side effects from some of these meds, it's just incredible that they were ever licensed to be prescribed!
When it lists incidences of really unpleasand and debilitating side effects reported for example on "1 in 10 patients" - that, in my opinion is a totally unacceptable percentage ! Even 1 in 100, 1 in 1000 - if that person is YOU, then it truly is a dreadful indictment of that medication. If you do some in-depth research ( thank heavens for Dr. Google ;-) ) you will also discover how recently some of these cheap meds have been released and prescribed for patients. Therefore they have no means of knowing or even accurately predicting what the long term effects of taking them might be.
A very murky area and nowadays I don't care how senior the GP or consultant or NHS person is, I damn well challenge them, make them take their time to answer my questions and fully explain what and why they are telling me to take this or that particular medication. In fact, I occasionally demand that they climb down from their lofty perch and treat me as a thinking, intelligent sentient being. Some of them aren't too good at that and resent being challenged.
I never used to be so direct but I've had such an appalling experience at a local hospital where ( in my opinion, although they won't admit it, even though the evidence speaks for itself ) their negligence caused me to become totally, irreversibly blind in one eye.
Stick to your principles and demand that you get the best possible medication for your condition. Good luck with it!
I have been taking amlodipine for around 2 years, as my blood pressure was high, it went higher so they put me on ramapril as well. doctor ordered blood tests but could not find the cause. I was 60 at the time. after going to the surgery, feeling like a hypocondriac as they couldnt find anything wrong. I had 2 episodes of brain malfunctions, or siezures, as in having memory los, the first time it happened, i went to the doctor and she thought I had beginnings of alzheimers and advised me to see someone privately as it woul take too long on nhs! The second episode I just started talking gobbledygook to my husband, I have no memory of this. But my daughter came to the surgery and insisted I be seen straight away by a neurologist, I was sent that day had a ct scan which revealed I had 2 brain tumours, and was admitted that night. A week later 1 was removed, I still have the other one, which they monitor with mri every 6 months. luckily they are benign, but the high blood pressure was caused by the tumour pressing on my brain, Anyway, that was a year ago i have not been feeling any beter, in fact worse and have been back to docs numerous times ( feeling like a hypocondriac again). Got taken off ramapril. but have really bad aching, joint pain, tiredness, itching, numbness in hands on waking, very hot on a night, sleeplessness, irritability, sneezing fits So it occured to me it might be tablets,. I decided to read contra indications, and lo and behold I have most of them! So last tablet this morning! see how I get on, but I have lost faith al together in our GP's Will monitor my BP as I have a monitor at home, I am praying this is the problem and I get my life back.
Best of luck to you Barbara. I had a really bad reaction on Amlopodine. I was on it for 6 weeks and gradually getting worse. So bad that I couldn't work. I stopped them 4 days ago and I can now think straight. Aches and pains still there but less so, still a slight fever day and night and still need 4 hours sleep during the day. I am hoping this will improve over the next week or so.
I have been given another tablet from my doctors and will start taking that next week every other day. I am on very minimal doses of these tablets 2.5mg as I sometimes have a bad reaction to medication.
I have been on Ramipril for about a year now and have found some side effercts with those. Nothing to Aml but they gave me terrible nightmares. I hope your health improves. Thankfully we have forums and can support one another.
It will be interesting to see how you feel after a few days.
Good luck.
Ginette
Hi Ginett, I have been off Amlodipine a week now, I feel much better, more energy, less aching joints, my mood is so much better, my husband has noticed that! I have been monitoring my BP twice a day, and its better than it was on the tablets! it is normal now. Hope you get as well as I feel now
Babs
Thanks. I will let you know. Blood pressure is lower now and I am hoping although not in te normal range will be better than it was on medication. When I get more energy back I shall start gentle exercise as I think that is probably the bast way forward.
Ginette
Hi len7,
I have the empty feeling in my chest as well. Along with the buring and tingling arms and legs and muscle cramps. I've taken Amlodipine for 2 years, almost killed me then, but my dr said I had to stay on it. Quit it cold turkey at the advise of new Dr and now I'm just as sick as I was when I started. Does anyone know how long it takes to get rid of these side effects or will they ever go away? I wish I understood exactly what these drugs do to your body to poison us so much?
Hi Michele 20247, I can tell you my experience with amlodipine, it all started shortly after taking them ,bones and muscles hurting feeling laboured all the time hardly any sleep did not want to do anything. after stoping them a few days I started to notice the difference more or less right away its been a few months now, and I am still finding improvements all the time . I was on them about 2 and a half years and I did not know what was happening to me. if it is amlodipine that's been causing your symptoms you should start seeing a bit of a difference quite soon, problem is there are other drugs that can give you problems getting the balance right can take some time to find out what is right for you. having an understanding doctor can make all the difference. I hope you get yourself sorted out soon I know how miserable it can make you feel. all the best.......Len 7
Michele , I forget to mention my chest felt empty for about 6 weeks