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  3. Amlodipine

I know its was amlodipine!

  1. By the way ,WHITE COAT ,when you visit the docter or nurse, sure put the fear of god into me when i was told you dont feel any symtoms with blood pressure,you COULD have a heart attack or stroke,so i beleave these meds create symtoms then you realy beleave your ill, bit like chicken and egg or is it egg then chicken ,well folks get some high strenth GARLIC amazing stuff . Now i have to watch my blood pressure dont go too low or is that too high hooo maggie stop fretting you know what MIGHT HAPPEN , HO and dont forget the omega 3 ,and a stache of banana,s lots sunshine plenty sleep do you the world of good ,

  2. Hi Stacey and all. Stacey, thank you for your comforting words posted in May. I have only for the first time since May felt human enough to follow up on things.

    Having been to the quack as planned in my earlier posting, he decided to take me off Simvastatin and insisted I remained on Amlodipine while he awaited results of scans to ascertain what was causing what. Took until June to get the scans and the results. Last Thursday I went to see him to discuss the results which apparently showed no problems.

    Now back to Amlodipine! In order not to be distracted by what the GP had to say, I took with me a list of all the symptoms I have been suffering for the last seven months of being on this deadly drug. What amazed me the most was that the GP seemed to be surprised that I could have been suffering so many side effects from this drug. In fact I almost felt he was losing his patience when I suggested that after trying amlodipine for seven months and putting up with all the disastrous side effects, I was now at my wits end and would like to be taken off it. I felt tempted to refer him to the Mayo Clinic website where a catalogue of the different side effects of Amlodipine is maintained including a list of drugs that should not be mixed with Amlodipine (Simvastatin being one of them!). I finally agreed with him that I should stop taking this terrible drug for two weeks to monitor the side effects I had been complaining about and then go onto a different combination of drugs. But I have to monitor my blood pressure very closely.

    Am I the only one who thinks that a lot of GPs in England probably have such a massive workload that they do not have time to investigate properly some of the drugs they are recommending for us?

    Having been off Amlodipine for past six days, I feel that I am now back to the land of the living. However, I am now suffering from what I think are the withdrawal symptoms from the drug – tremors, eye pain and swollen eyes, body heat, feeling of things constantly crawling through my body, numbness in the face and hands etc. But they get less with each day and I find myself a much happier person. One other thing that astonished me was that my blood pressure taken by the GP last Thursday (120/70) was not too far from where I started (160/90) in December 2011. Has Amlodipine helped me much, the jury is out. I called at a pharmacy in the south of Spain yesterday where a charming Assistant offered to take and record my blood pressure while I am out here. My reading was not too bad – 130/90. I should see her again in two days.

    Meanwhile I shall enjoy these few Amlodipine free days and see what the GP has for me in another week. Situation calls for serious life-style changes!

    Will keep the forum posted. Have a great Amlodipine or Amlodipine-free summer!

  3. I wanted to add that I had a very bad experience with Amlodipine, I didn't associate it with the medication at first so this went on for a few months. My Doctor had been prescribing different medications because I had so many problems with side effects. I just thought I was really run down when one day I decided to check it on the Internet. I saw so many bad reports that I stopped taking it immediately and recovered very quickly.

    I can only decribe my symptoms as complete exhaustion, I used to sit in a chair at weekends thinking I couldn't be bothered to get up to make a cup of tea even, I'm not the type of person that normally sits around much. I also went from going to the gym from work in my lunchtime 3 times a week to sleeping in my car. It was only afterwards that I realised just what it had done to me.

  4. I am a 61 male and I was put on 5mg of Amlodopine in April and didn't suffer any side effects. However, when I went back in June she wasn't satisfied with the pattern of my BP as it tended to spike at times. So she upped the dosage to 10mg.I had to go back and see her this week as I was suffering from swollen ankles and knees and aches in my leg muscles. I also told her that I feel tired most of the time and I thought the drug was making me impotent. She asked if I had any of these effects when I was on 5mg - answer no. To be fair she immediately took me off 10 mg and back on to 5mg. That was two days ago and apart from a severe pain in the heel of my left foot I feel better allthough I still have some swelling of the ankles. Knees feel better though. .I am due to go back to see her in 2 weeks and if the symptoms are still there she says she will take me off Amlodopine and try something else.

  5. Hello every one I hope that we are all feeling ok. I am still on the Lorsatin Potassium but stopped it for a few days to see if my BP would behave but it didn't and shot up again, so I will now taking the medication as advised. I will conform to my Doctor's advise because I would never want to be put back on Amlodipine due to the side efects. I have spoken to a few people who I know that have been diagnised with HB and those who have been prescribed Amlodipine are really suffering , They also want to come off of the drug, but their GPs are reluctant to stop prescribing it. Therefore our GPs need to sit upand listen to what we are saying . However what they have to realise is that the side affects are soul destroying, and result in more mental health and domestic problems . Therefore our GPs need to sit up and listen to our concerns and worries because at the end of the day we know our bodies and what affects them.

  6. Hi all - I am very nervous now about starting the AM now. I am 33 years old and a student nurse. I was prescribed it yesterday for having an average bp of 165/113. I really feel for all of you who have suffered on this medication. Slightly worried now, but glad i googled it!!!

  7. Hi Moncheeka - Since I started this thread, I would say try it. It works for some and not others. BUT if you have any of the problems, I or others have had, or your BP stays the same even with the medication, then try something different. The issues are readily noticeable if you know what to look for, and make sure you record your base line condition before you continue. Ie, how fit you really feel, how far you can walk without joint pain, you level of alertness etc. If you notice any depreciation in this baseline after you start taking, get off it quick. There are other pills but for some reason some Dr's don't seem to want to listen, although mine was very helpful and changed me immediately. However, if everything works OK, then its not affecting you and you might even notice a lowering of your BP!

  8. Hi moncheeka - agree with Nigel. I was in hell of a mess after a very short while on AM. Been off AM & on Lisinopril for almost a fortnight. All the aches & pains gone as well as the swollen ankles etc & bouncing again.....in fact running & back in the saddle - not quite Bradley Wiggins you understand - but great feeling. So, like previously said, see how you go, works for some but not all.

  9. Sarsons,

    You are missing the point, it's not about being negative, it's about someone recognising that how they are feeling may be related to taking this medication. It's to stop people going through what you have gone through. If it works for you then thats fine, it's not a contest.

  10. Hi I hope that every one is well. I have just read some of the above comments and feel a bit concerned by the use of the word nagative relating to the above discussions regarding some side effects experienced after taking Amlodipine.. I would like to say that I am a fit and active 56yr old who knows my body, how it functions and what affects it. So I was in a desperate state when after taking AM I began to feel ill, sluggish, my legs were swollen and I couldn't walk a few yards. My job and family started to suffer because I could not function and felt as though I was on a different planet. After many attempts of trying to get my doctor to listen to me, I eventualy got taken seriously when a blood vessel popped in my leg and I was nearly hospitalised. Once off the medication I began to slowly recover and was soon back to my old self and thanking my blessings that I was off AM. I did not write about my experience on this forum to promote a negative attitude towards the medication , I wrote because I was very scared, felt very alone, and didn't know what was wrong with me, also no body would listen to me. I am so pleased that I found this forum because I now feel a lot happier knowing that others have experienced some of the same side effects, and that I was not just imagining them. I am on Losartin Potassium and apart from feeling a little tired at times I am back in work and functioning as well as ever, so I would promote Losartin in a very positive way. Anastasia

  11. Hi everyone I have just spotted this website as I was suffering like most of you with swollen feet and ankles so much so last week I could not put my foot to the floor. I was hospitalised and they did various blood and scan testing and could not come up with an answer. I came home the same state as I went in. I looked up AM and there was my answer looking at me in the face. I have just come back from my GP who agreed this could be the reason for all my aches and pains, depression and just lack of energy really. He has withdrawn my perscription so I would warn all others in my predicament to do the same GET OFF IT NOW. I will let you know if it has worked or not in a few weeks time if I am feeling better and if the swelling has gone down biggrin

  12. My goodness.... why the bun fight? Thank goodness for this website/forum & those taking the time to contribute & help people like me, in a situation that I personally couldn't understand & needed some idea as to the problem. It would have been great to get some professional, immediate answers from my GP, but at the time of my posting I was desperate, due to my GPs unavailablity for almost a week.

    Now, of course, it is stating the obvious that for everyone one that suffers, many, many don't. So flippin' what? If I hadn't have been suffering I wouldn't have bothered to 'Google' would I?

    I did come off the script..... after some HELPFUL information off this forum. A decision 'rubber stamped' by my GP later...... when I was much improved.

    So if you are ok with AM fine.... if you’re not..... well it is probably worth considering some of the advice as offered above. It's not crap or panic sarsons - some of us are adults & can take a balanced decision based on the information provided. Others of course 'throw their toys out the pram'.

  13. Hi all. Thanks Victor for returning this discussion to the adults! As I indicated in my last posting, I have now been off Amlpdipine for two weeks and boy do I have a feeling of being back to my old self! Walked and walked to my heart's satisfaction while I was away, something I could not have contemplated a month ago due the lethargic and depressive feelings I experienced while on the drug. The severe pains in my eyes have very dramatically reduced. Blood pressure has been closely monitored and is a bit up and down varying between 130/90 and 149/71. I have started to make some life-style changes which I have no doubt will help me control the blood pressure better. I am due to see my GP this week so that we can review things and most probably try another drug if he so feels. I will keep the forum posted of progress or lack of it.

    This forum was a life saver for me during what I considered to be very dark days. Reading other people's experiences gave me encouragement that I was not alone and the courage to go and have serious discussions with my doctor. Medicines are supposed to make you feel better when you are unwell and not worse! Whether you are the only one it makes unwell or one out of many is immaterial. Once again thanks all for sharing your experiences and if it is one soul this forum has helped recover from a very dark place it has been well worthwhile!

  14. Hi all,

    I have removed sarsons comments as the comments were not helpful and as others have said the forum is for people's own experiences to help others in the same situation. People will not post if they are not having issues, it's like posting in the hyperthyroidism forum saying you and/or most people do not have hyperthyroidism.

    Sarsons - people in here and in the rest of the discussions on this site do realise not everyone has the same problems and if you wish to leave a comment please do but please do not accuse users of panicking etc. They are simply trying to be better informed and have the choice of taking other's advice or not. If you do have an issue with my removing the comments you can send me a PM.

    Regards,

    Alan

    Emis Moderator

  15. Hi Senora I am so pleased that you are starting to feel like your old self again. It is a fantastic feeling when you wake up and can get back to your normal acitivities without the struggle to function as you used to. I do agree with you that our GPs have such a huge workload. They prescribe what they are familier with and also what is the flavour of the month, cost wise. Reps visit surgeries and sell their products where GPs will often opt for the cheapest, because they are also governed by their budget and may have to use drugs that won't stretch their purse strings. I was prescribed AM in hospital after being an emergency admission, however they told me to go straight back in if my feet or legs started to swell . This didn't happen straight away so I went back to my GP which was a big mistake. Also when I took the remaining tablets back to the chemist once my GP had stopped the AM they told me that swelling to feet and legs is a common side effect . I have recently spoken to a doctor who says that the side effects of Amlodipine can be awful and that she felt for those who suffer them. I am so glad that I found this forum because it has helped me to realise that I was not going mad and that other people are in the same boat. I can remember how scared I was when I was in the middle of the side effects and was so pleased to know that I was not alone. I am not one to sit and suffer so once I knew that it could be the effects of the medication rather than the high Blood Pressure that was making me feel so ill, I felt strong enough to go back to my GP. However it was a battle at first to be taken serious but they finally listened to me so never give up, life is too precious to waste if you feel it is the medication that is causing your symptoms.

    Bye for now Ansatasia

  16. When I first started to take Amlodipine I had most of the same side effects as in these threads especially tiredness, breathlessness, loss of memory and generally feeling out of things. When I went back to the chemist (Boots) to fill my repeat prescription I mentioned the side effects to the pharmacist who said that I may be better off taking it at night before I go to bed. This has made such a difference - I sleep much better although I do wake earlier than before but am raring to go. My memory is much better although I do still wish everyone I met wore a name badge! I was a very active person before being diagnosed with high blood pressure and having changed the timing of the pills, I now play squash and tennis again and seem to have more energy than I've had for a long time. Maybe I am just lucky - also I'm not on any other medication.

    Best regards

    Jay

  17. I have just been put on Amlodipine 5mg yesterday. My BP was registered for a couple of days 185/110 average. Having read this thread I am now a little worried if I should even continue

    SteveD

  18. Don't panic just yet SteveD - you may be ok as AM does not affect everyone badly. Jay in the comment above has found that it works for him and thats great. For me it was all ok for a couple of weeks and then the 'wheels fell off' so to speak. It didn't matter when I took them either. So bad for me but not everyone. See how it goes and you'll know soon enough, as the issues identified above seem fairly commonplace with those that suffer side affects. Alll the best.

  19. Hi Steve I agree with Victor to give the medication a chance because it may suit you fine. I tried it but was unlucky and the side effects were not nice. Still I am now on Losartin Potassium and doing great on it. What you need to do is make a list of all the things you can do now ie work, hobbies, sleeping pattern, energy levels etc and see if after taking the medication for a while if any of these have been affected and if so to what degree. Some people can manage the side effects if they are mild but mine were severe. So good luck and let us know how you are gettin on.

    By the way if any one is interested a new web site has been printed in my monthly Blood Pressure Magazine where you can report the side effects that you suffer from medication and they research the drug, So far Amlodipine is not on the Yellow Card List but if enough people report their problems with the drug then maybe it can be modified . I hope that I am allowed to print this web site www.adrreports.eu.

  20. Hi all, I have now been off AM for a week and starting to be myself again. The foot and ankle swelling is going down fast and finally I can get some shoes on. The pain has gone completly. I felt so good at the weekend I had a night out on the town. I go back to my GP on Friday for a check up and see what the BP is like. I will update you on my return

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