amlopidine swollen ankles

[Sylviepri]

My first Bp tablet was amlopidine. I was taking it, no obvious side effects happily Bp very well controlled Then my ankles swelled up so I stopped taking it. Changed to ramipril. Only took for a few days , had a cough. Tried Losartan but my bp started going up again. So I was put on a duiretic instead to see if that would bring down bp. I only took three tablets and couldn’t wee properly it had the opposite affect of what it was meant to . What I’d like advice on really is if I go back on amlopidine Is there anything you can take with it to stop ankles swelling.

[Happyrosie]

if you’re in the UK, Sylviepri, you’ll find that most pharmacists are happy to look into this for you and most will contact your doc with a suggestion as to a better medication or combination. Many pharmacists do stints at their local hospitals and as such advise the docs there so you’ll (probably) be in good hands.

[Sylviepri in reply to Happyrosie]

thanks Rosie. I spoke to my pharmacist yesterday. They suggested I spoke to the doctor. But that’s impossible. I was hoping for help from someone on similar situation

[Happyrosie in reply to Sylviepri]

oh that’s a pity. I got great service on this sort of subject - though not your particular circumstances - from my pharmacy, who reported to the doctor. Doc in turn agreed with the pharmacist and medication was changed.

I read somewhere that 80% of UK pharmacists are happy to do this.

[GrannyE in reply to Sylviepri]

I could not take Amlodipine cos my ankles swelled up like mad. Was put on Candesartan which does not have the same effect - although now my bp is OK most of the time.

[Sylviepri in reply to GrannyE]

Losartan and candesartan are similar. It didn’t work for me.

[GrannyE in reply to Sylviepri]

So sorry. Candesartan comes in multiple different strengths. I know of 8mg,4mg, and 2mg.

[Sylviepri in reply to GrannyE]

I did suggest trying a higher dose but as my blood pressure had actually gone up when I was taking it I think we decided it was g the right type for me So back to a ccb type.

[GrannyE in reply to Sylviepri]

Lousy.

To help a bit with high bp have you tried deep breathing 4 in, hold 2 and out through mouth 7? Also inhaling relaxing essential oil of lavender and even putting some on your wrists and smelling it? Cannot do any harm - if nothing else it makes you stop and relax for a while.

[shazzafloyd in reply to GrannyE]

It also comes in 16 mg and 32mg

[Dovedale4]

Hi Sylviepri,

What strength of amlodipine were you taking? I ask since 10mg caused my ankles to swell so I had to stop taking it two years ago, although it brought my blood pressure down beautifully. I then went on to try other meds and had problems (one of which was indapamide which caused an issue with low sodium) so I went back to amlodipine but at 5mg. I also take losartan 25mg. I don't have any swelling at all with 5mg so just wondered if your GP had considered dual therapy in your case? I think you are far less likely to experience side effects with lower doses.

[Madlegs1 in reply to Dovedale4]

I agree-

I'm on Amlopidine 5mg which brought BP down from 180+ to low 150s.

Dr added in Omesar (Olmesartan) 10mg and BP now at 125/130.

I have no side effects from either .

[Dovedale4 in reply to Madlegs1]

Thank you, Madlegs, and I'm pleased that combination works well for you too. Amlodipine seems to engender quite negative reviews on this forum but, if it can be tolerated, it does seem to be very effective at reducing blood pressure which is probably why it's the GP's first port of call when prescribing.

[Sylviepri in reply to Madlegs1]

ty. It seems the that combo of amlopidine and any sartan might be the answer. I’m thinking of emailing the doc and suggesting.

[Sylviepri in reply to Dovedale4]

it was only 5mg And it took a while for the ankles to swell. It was fine at first.

[Dovedale4 in reply to Sylviepri]

With that in mind, I have another suggestion.

It may sound odd, but different brands can cause different side effects. I have found this to be so and likewise others on the forum. Therefore, ask the pharmacy to dispense a different brand to the one you had last time (if you can remember the name of the brand). You may well find that that you don't experience any issues with a different one. It's certainly worth a try!

There was a post on the forum in March 2021 entitled 'Generic Med Reactions' on this very subject so you may wish to take a look. If you type this into the search box, it should hopefully come up. Good luck!

[bryzy69]

I was on Felodipine 5mg, caused ankle swelling. Was then put on Felodipine 5 mg slow release version. This caused no swelling. Also on Losartan 50mg. My blood pressure now in normal range.

[Sylviepri]

I’ve spoken to the nurse at the surgery. She’s put me on a tablet similar to amlopidine. Have t picked it up yet. So not sure what it is yet. But she said ankle swelling isn’t a side effect. Will update later today

[Les57]

I had similar problems with Amlodipine and got changed to Felodipine 10mg slow release which sorted ankle swelling, now take ramipril 5mg as well as Felodipine and no problems with ankle swelling.

[Sylviepri]

Ramipril gave me a cough. My prescription is ready I’ll see what it is when I pick it up

[Sylviepri]

ok. They put me on Lercanidipide See how we go on that. Side effects says Swollen ankles but should go after a few weeks. Maybe I won’t get that side effect. Anyone else on them ?

[Ascb in reply to Sylviepri]

Hi, did you start taking lercanidipine? I am considering a swap from amlodipine so would be interested how it's going for you?

[Madmollyb]

Hi Sylviepri..I was in the same position,took amlodipine for years with no problems until my ankles started swelling.I switched to lercanidipine which has controlled my bp abd no more swelling..maybe try that?

[Hidden]

I take nothing rather than pain & swelling in ankles and feet.

[Miriam123]

I also find amlopidine causes swollen ankles so I take it at night. Ankles swell a little bit after one hour but since I then am lying in bed, by morning they are fine. Amlopidine really brought my blood pressure down.

[Sylviepri]

I’m now back on Amlopidine 5mg. I tried a few others and either had side effects or they just didn’t bring my bp down, My ankles seem to be ok unless it’s a very warm day.

[AgedCrone]

The “pril” cough is notorious with all BP meds ending in ‘pril’…I often wonder why they still prescribe it’.

But re the Amlodipine..I have been on it successful for 30+ years. My cardiologist reckons it’s the best tolerated BP med!

It was a long time ago, but I do remeber I had to try an awful lot of meds before taking the Amlodipine.

[cornishgal23]

I had swelling and flushing on 10 mg amlodipine, but it wasn't quite so frequent on 5 mg. Then doc added 4 mg candesartan to "balance out the side effects" ... which it did seem to. However, when BP rose, she increased the candesartan to 8 mg, and from then on I have had shortness of breath and the occasional irritating little cough as well as dizziness. As a consequence, they want me to have a nuclear stress test, even though I am convinced it is the meds. Why are doctors always so reluctant to believe it's the medication? Some days the breathing is so difficult that I feel like flushing all these pills down the toilet. I probably would if it weren't for the fear of having another TIA or worse!