Have recently developed very swollen ankles and shin rash .have been on Amlodopine for years as I had slightly raised BP but also have white coat syndrome.i checked my BP and it was low so came off my Amlodopine and my ankle swelling reduced quickly .have monitored my BP and it remains low.my doctor says I can continue to monitor BP for a month without medication.am wondering that I have been treated unnecessarily for years on a medication that has given me some really bad side effects.(unable to sleep,hallucinations,bad dreams,swollen joints ,anxiety to name a few.)when all along the white coat syndrome has raised my BP at the doctors.today it was 110/65 and that was after a mile and a half walk.the doctors put you on these meds as they say they protect you from stroke etc.i just hope I am not puttingmy body under pressure by coming off them.i would be very grateful for any help in this matter.thank you
In my opinion they’re all poisen. Everyone suffers awful stuff from these meds Although there is a small percentage that seem to do well on them I believe they are giving out too quick for stuff that could be treat it naturally with a few dietary changes and exercise
Did you taper off this medication or did you stop it cold turkey ?
I have white coat hypertension as wel. Was given Metoprolol and it was a NIGHTMARE
I carefully tapered off of this medication under my doctors care and believe me it was hell but now I am feeling much better from the hall I deal with some tiny residual issues but I’m working on those
You’re blood pressure is awesome
What are your readings when you go to the doctor
Amlodipine (and Losartan) wrecked my legs. Seriously. I already had high heavy metals from exposures at work, so that combined with this BP drug. My BP was high because I was in pain! from a tooth/jaw infection which was being successfully treated with antibiotics.
I had most of the side effects that you listed. They were so severe I fell down and could not get up and had to schooch to my phone to call 911. After one month and 11 days I refused to take it any more. Then things got better. But 5 months later, that bad doctor prescribed a bad drug cocktail of Losartin and Wellbutrin (I actually just needed a hip replacement) which landed me (within 10 days!) into the emergency center where they actually put me on suicide watch! Gads, they did not even check my blood salt level. Drugs can seriously lower one's blood salts causing all sorts of wreckage. I found out later that it was 124. You'd think that if I can learn how to read blood test results the doctors could too.
It was the medical assistants and nurses who knew. My advice is to make friends with them! They are great and a wonderful source of valuable information. Much better than the doctors! Much much much better for the patient. Surgeons know how to cut (and that is fabulous when we need that) but medical assistants and nurses know how to do care.
So now it is 3 years since the emergency experience and I have refused to take any BP drugs since - and certainly went off that Welbutrin too! I am working on getting my leg function back. Some progress. Elizabeth, I can hear that you are asking in earnest, and I am telling you that you might not need those heavy duty BP drugs. Lower salt (as opposed to electrolytes) works. Taking off a bit of extra weight (if one can), moving around (if one can), having a few blessed calm emotions/feelings a day, and beginning and ending each day with a feeling of gratitude - that all helps!! So does a sense of humor about all those bad doctors!
Best wishes for your health and life! K
Hello Tee 19..thank you for your reply.my BP was raised when I was nursing my parents so even though I had white coat syndrome they started me on Amlodopine as my kidney function was decreasing slightly.i lost 4 stones at slimmers world andthe high protein diet reduced my kidney function to 41 percent which has caused some problems, BP stayed level at about 125/75.recently my ankles started to swell dramatically(seemingly a side effect of Amlodopine)and one day I didn’t take my tabs and my ankles started to go down and my BP stayed low.thought ,why am I suffering all these side effects when my BP seems to remain low without the tabs.so I went cold turkey for a week and lo and behold my BP remains low ( even when I went back to the docs) and is 110/65 most days.my doctor is allowing me to keep off Amlodopine and check my BP twice daily for a month.the only thing is GPsin Britain are paid for every one they prescribe blood pressure tabs and statins ,so are eager to keep you on medication.they say it protects your heart and helps prevent stroke ,so not taking them ,makes you feel you are not doing the best thing for your body .as you say looking after your body with diet and exercise is beneficial if you can keep your BP down.just wondered if many people have come off Amlodopine and kept their BP low without having to have further BP medication.thank you.
Hi Tee 19 have just read some of your posts and wish I’d read them earlier before I came off my meds.fortunately my BP was low and continued to be low and I started to feel better without any side effects ..unlike some who are really having problems.wish I had seen this forum a long time ago ..I didn’t know some Amlodopine had been recalled and that so many people were suffering with the side effects it causes.i have had 3 periods of erratic heart beat and each time I was told it was anxiety.!
Hi Elizabeth. That’s terrible they are paid to keep people on meds. These med in my opinion are awful. If you are feeling better off this dreadful drug I say stick to that. Tell your Doc. Sorry they will be short changed but Your well-being and health and peace of mind is more important than taking a pill that doesn’t do anything but harm you. I truly would tell them no more med
Your BPs are great. ♥️
I hate anyone to suffer on bad med. I went through it with Metoprolol. A total nightmare
I hope you don’t have to stay on it. You seem to be much better off it
Love the U.K. 🇬🇧 have dear friends in Scotland. Have visited England Ireland and Scotland years ago.
Hoping the best for you. Please keep me posted.
I actually had to be put on Aprazolam (Xanax) low dose to get through the anxiety of what the Metoprolol did to me. It was awful
While I do have a bit of anxiety due to serving in two combat zones as a Nurse I was dealing with it. Then came this horrific BP drug and everything went bad quick. I’m so thankful it’s out of my system
Yes please read my other posts as there’s lots of info
Now to appease my doc I’m doing excercise even though I don’t need to lose any weight but it’s difficult with MS and I end up with a headache afterwards but trying to show her it won’t matter When it comes to my BP because I truly feel I suffer from a form of white coat hypertension not to mention I have always run a little high and other doctors in the past never did anything about it because they didn’t feel it was something that warranted medication
When it comes to my BP because I truly feel I suffer from a form of white coat hypertension not to mention I have always run a a little high and other doctors in the past never did anything about it because they didn’t feel it was something that warranted medication
Hope you’re able to speak with your doctor soon
I forgot to say that the BP drug caused me terrible anxiety even worse when I tapered off it. I got through it with the help of my hubby and great people on this site
Hi Tee19 you seem to have had a really tough time with your meds..hopefully you are feeling much stronger now.it must have been very difficult for you working in combat zones as a nurse and went through enough without being put on a medication that caused so many problems.iam a retired nurse midwife and the effects of Amlodopine made me feel so mentally ill I really felt like giving up sometimes.i received treatment for my anxiety ,sleeplessness ,nightmares,fear of death,hair loss from a homeopath and has worked really well.perhaps this with weight loss has reduced my blood pressure though it was only at the doctors when it rose.thank you for your all your advice .i live near the Lake District and not too far from Scotland in fact we were up at gretnagreen the other day.pleasekeep in touch I value your good advice.ElizabethT
Thank you for your good advice Katherine it gives me hope knowing you can come off BP tabs and survive by doing those certain measures you describe.am trying to lose more weight and get walking more and I will watch my salt intake.so sorry to hear about the awful effect Amlodopine did to your body .you have worked so hard to get where you are today ..best wishes to you and thank you for your advice.Elizabeth T
I stupidly stopped taking mine 2 weeks ago. My bp went sky high. However, all those horrible side effects have nearly gone. No joint pain, no muscle ache, no skin probs, no chest pain, clearer vision, no palpitations, no cramp, insomnia, yet extremely tired. Etc etc. The list goes on. Before my ecg was fine, the withdrawel affects have driven my heart potty and given me an extra beat. It was normal during first few days, my pulse returned to normal after an average of 40. Then it started climbing until last friday it was 160/100 and after a tablet under the tongue at the docs, it went up to 160/120. Another half tablet and an injection got it low enough for me to go home. I spent the weekend seriously worried if it would ever go down.
My husband takes them, he is fine. I was not fine. I have never felt so ill in my life before. New tablets and I feel on top of the world.
So yes, please be careful that they have done no damage, and I wish you luck. And high protein causes your kidneys into overdrive, I ended up peeing blood. Not pleasant.
Looking forward to a normal life again now.
Hello mrsspot..what a terrible experience you have had ..luckily my BP has stayed down and no side effects except I feel so much better.its terrible that something prescribed to help has caused heart problems after you stopped taking it . I experienced an erratic heart beat whilst on Amlodopine and made sure I had no alcohol or caffeine which helped.i do hope you have no lasting effects to your body after your terrible experience coming off your medication and your BP is now settled on your new pills..
Thanks, its not been pleasant. Cardio says I can drink a small amount of alcohol and have already ditched caffeine. I am hoping that it won’t cause long lasting problems and can only wait and see.
Off amlodopine and on others and feel like my life has been given back. Some doctors need to go back to school for lessons on listening to their patients!
Hi mrsspot . They don’t listen that’s the problem and they get paid here for every one they put onBP tabs and statins ( which are another problem -causing medication too)hope you are sorted soon .elizabeth T.
Hi Elizabeth
it seems I may have lasting reminders of amlodopine. Have to have a 24 hr ecg, an echocardiogram and stress tests.
We’ve just moved to Spain from the UK and the stress was immense leaving family. I forgot to take them for two days and felt better and thats when I stopped them. we started medical insurance when we got here, didn’t know this would happen. Now waiting to hear if I’m covered. But bp and pulse are now completely normal. My pulse had dropped before stopping them to 40, which was a concern. Maybe I had a problem and didn’t know it, who knows. But I know now and can do something about it. I feel fine but still get really tired. Maybe its the heat here!
Doesn’t help though when I’m here and my husband is working in the UK but we have good back up here but I don’t want to burden them too much. If tests cannot be done here I’ll have to go back to the UK for them as I’m still a UK resident.
Hi Mrsspot.Amlodopine is noted for disturbing the heart rhythm and causing stress..perhaps this is your problem .i developed this erratic heartbeat 3 times and had to go through the same route and nothing was found.my stress levels were at an all time high and I had homeopathy to help..it worked and subsequently lowered my blood pressure.im sure when you get us ed to the laid back life style in Sp ainyou will find your stress levels and exhaustion will improve.i was so tired all th e time and read about low vitamin D could be the cause.i was found to have a low level which showed in my blood results but never told.you really do have to keep double checking with your surgery as they can overlook so many important things.it might be worthwhile to have yours checked too.i understand how you feel about your husband working in the uk and you being in Spain.i lived like that for 15 years whilst my husband worked in Libya.its very stressful coping on your own but I’m sure you will manage well and enjoy the lovely weather .good luck with your tests.elizabethT.
Thank you. I’m hoping that you are right. It seems strange that my pulse whilst on amlodopine was between 40 and 60, more on the 40 side. now I’m off it its quite happy between 70 and 80. Blood pressure settling down. Funnily enough I’m struggling to eat as well! Not really hungry. Yet amlod can make you eat more so glad that side effect has gone!
I have a homoepathy appt next week, so will be talking to her about it, been taking stuff for stress for a while now.
i’m used to being on my own so that doesn’t bother me but its just being on my own with this problem.
Had blood tests done, all fine too even my cholesterol, which has always been just over 3. Never had a problem with that.
Will post when I find out more. And thanks again as it helps to talk to someone who has gone through it.
by the way, my husband on them too, 10mg. He had a medical for work last week and was told he had a irregular heartbeat. Then we found out the company that had done these tests on everyone virtually told everyone they had a dickie heartbeat! I think he wants to change too now.
Hope homeopathy helps mrsspot ..pleased your blood tests are okay fingers crossed for ECG.thats so strange about the company doing your husbands tests..their equipment must be wrong surely..hope he gets sorted .take care.
I have been taking candesartan for many years which controls my bp. Recently my bp has been quite high so Doctor ( not my usual gp ) prescribed Amlodipine which I have been on for a month now the side effects have been horrendous unable to sleep extremely tired swollen feet and ankles anxiety which I have never suffered with before racing heart Doctor did ecg which was fine then the 24 hour holter monitor which said I too had the extra beat ( ventricular ectopic) I have a cardiologist apt in 2 days but I’m beginning to think it’s from the Amlodipine I have stopped taking it from yesterday and I do feel a bit better no racing heart and anxiety feels much better I haven’t cried once today 😄
These Tablets are evil I will continue to monitor my bp at home and hopefully I get back to my normal self in the next few days as I have read that it can take some time to leave your system as I was only on them for a month it will be soon
Really feel for you Chez 05.my BP remained really static with Amlodopine with only minor swelling of my left ankle but since March have suffered the same appalling side effects as you.doctors say the anxiety is stress related but lots of people on here are suffering all the same effects and we are all wondering what the heck is wrong with our medication.how is it so wrong to give patients a medication for one thing and it to cause so many problems that make every day living for us so intolerable.have stopped Amlodopine but checking my BP 3 times a day.cam e on this forum as I was worried I had left myself open to conditions that might affect me ( stroke etc) if I was left unprotected with a high BP and not on any medication.fortunately my BP has stayed down and am on a months trial with my GP to see if it stays down.hope you get your medication sorted to one that suits you and your side effects diminish soon.Elizabeth T