Good side effect of blood pressure medication...

[beech]

I was recently found to have had an increase in my blood pressure, despite already taking Ramipril which had seemed to be doing a good job.

So I’ve been prescribed an additional BP control medication, Amlodipine, a calcium channel blocker. There are various negative side effects, ankle swelling being the one I seem to be developing. Not sure about the BP just yet!

But a pleasant bonus has been that my breathing has been easier. Not with my exercise breathlessness, but the everyday poorer breathing that my asthma (or is there a COPD element too?) seems to cause me despite Montelukast and various inhalers.

I mentioned it to both a practice asthma nurse, and the practice asthma specialist GP, neither of whom knew why. So 5 minutes on Google and I found out that calcium channel blockers relieve restriction in Airway Smooth Muscle (ASM), easing my breathing at rest. Nothing new in the world of asthma, it seems, but frustratingly it does seem that those who are treating me don’t know about it, and really aren’t much help outside the basics.

I hope to be able to continue this happy side effect, and will also continue to do my own research! I’d be interested to hear if others have also experienced this, and also whether there are any problems I should be on the look out for.

[Shaurene]

Hi Beech

I have been on APO-CILAZAPRIL AND AMP LODIPINE FOR MORE THAN 5 yrs. since then my B/P has been steady at 125/80. Had no side effects.

[beech in reply to Shaurene]

That’s interesting - a medication I hadn’t heard about. It seems we are started on the entry level cheapest med, and if you are lucky it suits and does the job. I shall ask about that. 👍

[Ergendl]

I was taken off beta blockers because of my COPD, but it took over a year to find other blood pressure tablets that worked for me without unpleasant side effects, including ramipril and amlodipine. I am now taking indapamide and doxazosin, which seem to work, but I have been advised to lose more weight (BMI at present 24.4) so that I can drop the doxazosin, as my high blood pressure is all over the place. With treatment bp is 140/60, without doxazosin 160/110.

We're all different, so different meds will work for different people. I'm just grateful to this site for giving me the confidence to go back to my GP and say "this isn't working for me".

[beech in reply to Ergendl]

Good points Ergendl - and I have to hold my hand up that I need to lose weight and do what I can to help out here and not just rely on meds to try to do the job 😳

[sinclair61 in reply to Ergendl]

Hi,

Im not sure whether you stopped taking beta blockers due to your own experience with worsening COPD symptoms but it is a myth you can't take beta blockers with COPD. If you google it you will see the current recommendation is to give beta blockers and the benefits far outweigh the negatives.

Best,

Sinclair

[Ergendl in reply to sinclair61]

It was my GP who took me off them. The way they work is the opposite to the way another medication I was taking worked, so the two would cancel each other out.

[Dedalus]

Its unacceptable that the asthma specialist GP did not know of this side effect! Does make me wonder how they become 'specialists'.

[beech in reply to Dedalus]

I agree - perhaps I caught him off guard, but it did disappoint me. Luckily the Respiratory Consultant is good, so I have confidence in her wider knowledge. I just wish it wasn’t all such hard work getting to a reasonable result. 🙄

[danno4749]

yes iv'e just been put on amlodipine and also have experienced a positive effect in my breathing my ankles have also swelled up can only get better just hope the ankles don't get any bigger having trouble getting some shoes on.

[beech in reply to danno4749]

I’m wondering if there may be another version of a calcium channel blocker that doesn’t cause the swelling we are experiencing - I’m loathe to lose the breathing improvement; it’s made me feel so much more like my old self!

[O2Trees]

Good to hear about a positive side effect for once

[danno4749]

worth looking into i don't want to lose the improvement either haven't felt so good for a long time.

[Johnem]

Yes, prescribed about 5 yrs ago along with the Trandolapril I was and am still taking for increased blood pressure and also have the side effect slight ankle swelling. Another good thing is that it is also a treatment for coronary artery disease so it will benefit anyone also talking any blood thinner type medicine.

The ankle swelling is now negligible as I have recently been diagnosed with both RH and LH Heart failure and have massive swelling in my left leg, but I will have had and still have help in this from the Amlodipine, so overall, I regard this as a very good medicine.