Thanks Mike. I have a call into my Doctor Who hasn't called me back yet. When he put me on the amlodipine my pressure was only 159/78. Borderline high. Since I started taking the meds I've been checking it and it's only a little lower. I stopped the meds two days ago and my pressure today is 140/67. The pharmacist said to keep an eye on it so I am.
BrandyinPA...To be sure your monitor is accurate, take it with you when you see the Dr. Having proper calibration goes a long way to accurate readings.
Be sure to take your readings at appropriate times, NOT when you're feeling stressed or anxious, or within 30 min of a bath, shower, meal, drinking coffee, alcohol or smoking. Try to take readings at the same time every day. Don't just take 1 reading...take say 3, about 1-2 min. apart, then average them.
Hi BrandyinPA
my mother was perscribed these and took them for 2 weeks as well as other blood pressure medicine , she had terrible side effects , she was like a zombie and couldnt consentrate on anything , she has stopped taking them and is still having the side effects after 1 week of not taking them , they are awful , she is still taking her other tablets as they are ok with no side effeects
Whoa! Thanks for the post! just got back from the hospital because my dr sent me there thinking i was having a heart attack with all the same symptoms you just described. I told these drs its amlo side effects but no one listens. I will be going off these meds and hope to feel ok soon. I know this was an old post and was wondering how you made out? all the best Pat.
Pat lol
I was on amlodipine for almost 3 months. Stopped cold turkey without docs knowledge (because he thought all my side effects were because I read the side effects to see what if any this medication had on my breathing issues) turned out they did. But the withdraw effects came on 7 days after my last dose. My pressure shot up to the point it scared me back on them. Luckily when I called the docs office my doc was out on holiday. The other Doc put me on a diffrent regiment of blood pressure meds. I'm trying like all heck to lose weight and get off of these things a.s.a.p.!
worst mistake I ever been talked into was going on these B.P. Meds to begin with.
any newbie's reading this blog response try everything you can do to stay off these B.P. Meds as possible. Don't fall for it. That is unless it totally medically necessary for your health. They do work and they will help but the side effects are just plain crazy.
i sincerely hope all that read this blog post response get better and are able to remain medication free.
I know exactly what you are saying about the anxiety part.
my doctor of 20+ Years told me that it's not the amploidine but it's my anxieties that were causing my shortness of breath. Funny part was when I took a seven day hiatus the breathing issues stopped. It was the medicine that was causing it not my anxieties that he sternly pointed out to me.
Boy it seems that our health care professionals are all knowing and should not be challenged? Their egos are way to big sometimes. Hang in there and rely on your gut instincts. Best wishes and good luck.
Great advice!
Hello Mike I am new to this forum. I was reading the conversations and I was recenty put on Amlodipine by my new dr a few days ago. The side effects were horrible and the reason my pressure went up jn the first place was because of something terrible that I witnessed. It just so happened that my appt with my dr was the next day and I got an update on the person's situation which was devastating while I was at the dr's office. My pressure was 141/100 so they gave me a pill. Then she placed me on amlodipine. I honestly do not think I needed to be on medication. I went to the cardiologist on 6/1/17 and I did not take the medication that day as I wanted to see how my BP was as I had the stress test. I was told my stress test was good and I told him how the meds made me feel and he told me to stay off of them until the next time I see him which will be next week. God willing. On the pills I had chest pain, terrible pain at the top if my head, headaches, lower back aches you name it. I have not taken in for 3 days now and I am still feelig side effects but I do feel alot better than when I was taking amlodipine. The only think is my heart rate is still fast but my BP has been ok. I changed my diet and have been exercising. I just been feeling those imminent doom feelings and I know my anxiety has alot to do with my pressure being high as I have bad anxiety. I do apologize for the book I just wrote, but I was only on the amlodipine for a few days and stopped it. I was on 5mg and my dr upped it to 10mg which I thought she was nuts as the day I took the 10 my BP got higher and my headaches were even worse. I am monitoring my BP ans will see what she says about the cardiologist taking me off as I think my pressure would have been too low if I stayed on them. Just wanted your insight. Thanks..... Candy
hi pat--i just got back from my dr and he basically discounted what i tried to tell him about the side effects of the bp drugs he put me on--coversyl plus 4mg-- i am still off them as my sister-in-law called me out of the blue for advice about the panic and anxiety she was feeling after just starting the same drug--we connected the dots and realized that it had to be the drugs and not some failing on our part--my question to the group is as well as the anxiety,doom and depression feelings,i have what seems to be GERD -with severe morning nausea and anxiety(they seem to arrive together and leave together--i am taking pantoprazole for that and it seems to be helping--i would love to know if anyone else developed GERD after taking coversyl.i apologize for the length of this letter guys, but one more comment--i also got what appears to be a yeast infection(balanitis)(im a male) and i put that down as a product of the severe and debilitating anxiety attack abut i notice other writers have talke about weird rashes and symptoms--anyone else had symptoms like these come within a week or two of taking this cursed drug?
Hi Pat:
I wish I knew. I only took amlodipine 5 days and legs and eyelids swelled and are still swollen after 10 days.
My Doctor prescribed Amlodipine to me on April 10th and I experienced severe swelling in my legs from below the knee to the ankles and feet swelling by about two weeks later. It would be gone when I woke in the morning and swell again in the afternoon or early evening, every day. It was painful and my legs felt hard as rocks. Then I noticed a mottling red, blotchy appearance on the lower legs. I should have contacted my Doctor right away about this most uncomfortable side effect but I waited to see whether the side effect would subside. After being on the Amlodipine for 53 days, my Doctor switched me to Perindopril on June 3rd. I noticed that the leg swelling finally stopped by June 14th. My Doctor sent me for blood tests on June 1st, while I was still on the Amlodipine, and my liver enzymes were all over the place, high readings in white blood count too. High iron. My blood tests have always been good in the past so I attribute those high liver enzyme readings and the high white blood count to the Amlodipine as well. I am going for another set of tests this week, about 56 days after being off the Amlodipine, so I’ll have a better idea on this. I believe that it takes a couple of weeks for side effects to abate from this drug. After all the horrible side effects I’ve read that people have experienced, I believe this drug should be taken off the market! I was lucky to have only had my lower legs swell. If you have uncomfortable side effects from any drug, you should tell your Doctor right away and not wait and suffer. There are many drugs out there that are for the same ailment so why stick with one that you suffer on? You have been off it for 8 days at the time of this post so another week and you should be okay, but if I were you, I would talk with the Doctor about all the symptoms you are experiencing to be on the safe side. I hope this helps you. I’ve just seen that your post was from 5 years ago, but maybe my post can still help someone… 
Hi Pat,
so far it has been 10 days off Amlodipine and i am still experiencing side effects. I was only on this med for 4 weeks at 5mg dosage and still feeling the wrath. mostly for me cramping, aches and pains, lightheaded, nauseous, numbness, hard to swallow, legs unsteady and weak at times, blurred vision, chest pain, tight chest, sudden sweating, back pain, malaise..
not every symptom everyday but combination of several a day. this stuff is awful and not sure why any doctor would prescribe it. after 3-4 weeks on it i had an appt with my doctor and told him some of the symptoms and he told me to stick with the plan a while longer (i was also weaning off bupropion which i was only on for 4 weeks) so he thought that could be causing my side effects. after 1 more week on Amlo and 4 weeks off bupropion i was convinced it was the Amlo causing these . first 3-4 days were not bad but from the 4-10th day i have good and bad days. i hope it is gone from my system soon as living life feeling like this everyday is not a happy life.
hi dave, how are you now? im in my second week of withdrawal and the lethargy and tiredness is uncanny. I hope it resolves soon
I was prescribed the Amlodipine 5mg once a day due to high blood pressure with Daflon and compression stocking after giving birth (130-140/80-90). After 5 days, out of balance. Then shortness of breath, high heart rate and anxiety. BP became normal (110-120/80). My Cardio decreased dosage to half a tablet a day (2.5mg) after 1 month. Out of balance and shortness of breath happens in the afternoon if i am tired or have anxiety. BP still normal (120/80). Cardio decreased dosage to 1/4 tablet (1.25mg) after 2 months to taper. No shortness of breath, normal heart rate, no out of balance. After 4 months, stopped taking amlodipine. However, had withdrawal symptom. Shortness of breath. On the 10th day, shortness of breath was the worst but bp and heart rate are normal. I thought of giving in and take the amlodipine again but was thinking that the amlodipine will go out of my system after 12 days. i focused on God. On the 11th day, shortness of breath is gone. I feel ok now. Thank you, God!
hi michael, how are you doing now?
I recently stopped 9 days ago & I still feel bad.
I stopped taking amlodipine 14 days ago,due to swollen feet.
The swelling as not gone down yet, but hope it will soon.
It will go down. That’s one thing I have noticed. It happened around the 2week mark for me. How long had you been on amlodipine? I was on it for about 2 1/2 years.
The good thing about the drug is that it stops me worrying about my blood pressure and it is certainly better for me than Ramipril which was absolutely dreadful.
i sincerely hope all that read this blog post response get better and are able to remain medication free.
Hi! These are common symptoms, along with many more. I myself have experienced these, including the anxiety(i deal with it even when not on this medication). I’ve been on half the dose that my doctor prescribed me bc I’m weaning off it, while also taking beet root capsules and Hawthorne berries capsules as well. my bp has only went back up just a few times in a month. I’m still having the side effects but not quite as severe.