Amlodipine

[IndieDot]

I have yet another question about Amlodipine😂 I'm new to all this high blood pressure stuff and meds so bare with me! Has anyone that's been on Amlodipine either for a short time or long term found the occasional day when after weeks of normal blood pressure readings you get a bit of a spike and your pressure goes up for a day. I have experienced this only on a couple of occasions since starting Amlodipine in December. On 27th Jan it was 142/83 and yesterday, 16th Feb 141/78. I know these are not particularly high but my usual readings are consistently around 115/74. On both those occasions I've been very aware of my pressure being raised, very tired and generally feeling under the weather and usually with a headache. I've not done anything different, just gone about my normal day. Anyone else experience this? Maybe in my naivity about the whole subject I thought that the tablets would keep my blood pressure down regardless! Appreciate any input. Thanks.

[Happyrosie]

are you aware of the specialist charity Blood Pressure UK? This gives a very good outline of blood pressure - though it doesn’t answer, I think, your particular issues.

I expect when you take your pressure at home you sit down quietly for ten minutes with the cuff on. As well, if your pressures are a bit haywire (though not very much) you may like to close your eyes and take three slow breaths before starting the machine, and no talking at all. Write down the first reading, take two more and if the first is a bit high then discard it and take an average of the next two. Or three. Take the pressure at about the same time each day.

You might find it all evens out.

[IndieDot in reply to Happyrosie]

Thankyou for your reply however I follow all that process when taking my blood pressure and, as I said, my readings are usually normal but I have had 2 occasions when they have been high all day, despite taking my readings as normal. Thanks again for replying.

[fishonabike in reply to IndieDot]

occasional spikes are normal - the main thing is to bring the average down to within the "normal range" - there is no medication which can keep your blood pressure absolutely steady all the time

so add up your readings over a period and work out the average - if that is in the desired range that's as good as it gets 🙂

[IndieDot in reply to fishonabike]

Thanks that makes sense. Fortunately all my daily readings come in as within normal range. I know not to worry if I get the occasional spike unless it's particularly high of course. Thanks again.

[Fanfab1]

Monitoring consistently and correctly over a period of say a couple of weeks may help shed some light I,e. A pattern or triggers and if necessary have something to show to a doctor. Or they are just blips.

I think amlodipine (can’t speak for other BP meds) in my case generally keeps my BP in the healthy range but other factors can still raise it in response to the heart working harder on occasion albeit temporarily.

Before amlodipine my BP was consistently high.

👍

[IndieDot in reply to Fanfab1]

Thank you for your reply.

[Maxbar]

hello indieI had the same problem for many months even changed drugs but still got spikes eventually doc put me on a 2 drug approach which has worked for me upto now. I am now on ramiprel 10mg and a low dose of felodipine . as everyone says each person is different so best to keep talking to doctor and maybe try and find out what is causing your high BP .👍

[Murderfan58]

I was on it from 2017 and it made my legs swell . As I was overweight at the time just thought it was fat. After finding out in 2020 I was born with a small hole in the side of my heart . Then after palpitations and my heart racing and missing heart beats. After being taken several times to A&E but by then my heart was back in rhythm. Luckily in 2021 was on the ECG machine and was in AF. Had and emergency appointment and referred to the AF clinic. First thing they did was take me off the Amlodipine as that's why my legs and ankles were so swollen.

I was already on Ramipril. I was diagnosed with PAF and put on Flecainide and Apixaban had no problems with either tablet. BP does fluctuate everyday day and different times of the day. I have had to take my BP every morning since 2017 as my old GP did a in house ECG and said I had borderline LVH . I was misdiagnosed.

I had jaundice in 2017 which left me hearing my heart beat in my left ear. And that's why I found out I was missing heart beats. If you take your BP everyday you get to know what is your normal range I was told if my BP was higher than normal for 3 days or it was high and I had any chest pain to go straight to the hospital. Luckily I don't get any chest pain but do get out of breath at times. But the AF nurse told me that was to be expected.

Had MRI on my heart with dye November 2021. In the machine for over 90 mins but I had to follow instructions taking a deep breath in and holding it. Which helped me as I don't like small spaces and always get bit panicky in the machine. But it showed the connections between the chambers of my heart where hole free but did show the small hole in the side . As I don't get chest pain it's safer to leave it. Any way I was born with it and have had 2 minor ops and 3 major ones all with a dicky heart and still here. Plus I was born with a rare hereditary neurological condition.

Hope this has helped

[Dollywow1999]

See if its a day of eating too many carbohydrates ??

[Class52]

I have exactly the same for no logical reason, a once a month approximately, like this morning 143/98 later on it will be back to normal. I cut my amlopidine dose in half and then stopped it about two weeks ago. I was concerned with itchy hot legs. My normal BP is around 120/75. The other use for amlopidine is to reduce pain from angina which it doesn’t do either which I wanted to see if it did. It hasn’t. I haven’t discussed with my doctor. So I see that’s one less tablet screwing me up. I’m also looking at reducing the 20 mg Atorvastatin as my cholesterol levels are below average. Again I’m looking at side effects. Could be causing my twitchy hot legs and possibly my permanent tiredness. While I’m at finasteride has just about finished me sexually it’s like beating a dead horse. All said and done I’m nearly 72 so what can I expect

[scentedgardener]

There is a different way to think about this, is it possible that you are a bit under the weather and your blood pressure reflects that, not your BP is higher thus you feel a bit rubbish?My BP can be very up and down, and has in the past made me a bit anxious because it was so variable. I was advised to work out the averages and it's quite remarkable how much it evens out. I was also given a target BP, so that basically it needs to be below that, and if it goes above that and stays above it then I need to get advice about raising/changing my BP meds.

I've gone for a cardiology appointment and BP was 195/109, and a CT scan when it was 210/112, so have to accept I have white coat syndrome and doctors always accept my home readings as a more accurate representation.

I've never felt particularly unwell from high BP, but on the occasions it's gone low I have felt pretty rotten. When I say low I mean just a little above the medical emergency low.

I hope I have given you some food for thought, but if you are concerned the best person to speak to is your GP. Good luck.

[peterjones105]

I have been on Amlodopine and Ramipril for >3 years, when I have a spike it is because I have eaten dark chocolate or drunk herbal tea both of which spike my BP; when it raises I feel fatigued, my limbs seem hollow, my face feels flushed and I feel very unwell. just like having an inbuilt BP monitor! You may well find something that you have eaten or drunk which either interferes with your medication, causes hypertension or both, when you have a spike ask yourself what have I done, eaten or drunk differently to the norm?

[IndieDot in reply to peterjones105]

Thankyou that's very interesting. For the first time, last week when I had the spike, I had drunk Cadburys Highlights (low calorie) hot chocolate for the first time and had 3 cups during the course of the day instead of tea or coffee. Maybe it was that on this occasion. I'll avoid it from now on just incase as I don't fancy feeling that way again. You describe how lousy it makes you feel very well!! Thankyou.

[peterjones105]

We are lucky in having built in BP monitors, I can measure mine within 100 mmHg just by the way I feel, most people are asymptomatic; who knows what affects us? We are all different, who would think that dark chocolate or herbal tea raises BP? Maybe in your case it is hot chocolate?

[Jedi14]

Hi There,

I have been recently started on Amlodipine to help with my recurring angina! I was warned about swelling and lowering of blood pressure too. both of these things have happened as I am also on perindopril to lower my BP as well.

In fact the swelling only lasted a couple of days, mainly on my feet (maybe in other parts I couldn't see?). Who knows?

Well I thought my BP was becoming too low down to 113/70 from my usual 144+/70. But after a few days it has settled to around 123/69. So for the time being things are working out fine, my body is responding/adjusting well. My angina is well controlled, down from taking GTN spray daily, to almost zero times a week.

I am also tweeking my diet and drinks I love tea, but now take a very watered down version and no coffee at all. Every little helps. Also pre-diabeteic, my sugar is well controlled,. Having to keep an eye open on all these parameters most of the time!

[Weeme53]

I found similar but these were days maybe I was dehydrated I honestly now can say I think that had a baring on my higher readings

[IndieDot]

Thankyou for your reply. Unfortunately the ACE inhibitors really don't agree with me, I suffer badly with side effects and had to be moved to the Calcium Channel Blockers which are better for me. Thanks again.