I was asked to monitor my blood pressure twice a day for 7 days and forward results to my GP Surgery. Unfortunately none of my readings were normal. I have now been contacted to arrange an ECG and Blood Test. I was told that a prescription would be available from my pharmacy, I said that I couldn’t take Statins owing to RLS and was told that’s ok as would be Prescribed Amlopodine. I have tried to find out if it makes the RLS worse and got rather confusing results both on line and on the forum albeit in old posts. The basic side effects are very unpleasant to say the least.
Has anyone experienced increased RLS while taking Amlodopine as I’m currently reducing my Ropinirole dosage so don’t want to make the condition any worse than it is now so will not start taking it just yet my ECG and blood test is Tuesday 29 November.
Best wishes all
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HipHop1972
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Amlodopine is a calcium channel blocker and they generally make RLS worse. A better bet would be an ace inhibitor and there are a couple of them: Zestril (Lisinopril, Qbrelis, Prinivil) and Perindopril (Coversyl). Other possibilities are: Clonidine (Catapres) an Alpha-2-Agonist used to treat high blood pressure, insomnia and ADHD (not a stimulant) and may help RLS, tenex (Guanfacine, Intuniv) treats adhd and high blood pressure, prazosin (Minipress) - alpha-adrenergic blocker that treats high blood pressure; useful in managing sleep-related problems caused by PTSD and Tadalafil (Cialis, Adcirca), a Vasodilator that treats erectile dysfunction, enlarged prostate, and high blood pressure - in one study completely eliminated RLS. If the problem is high cholesterol, I have other suggestions. Talk to your doctor about these.
Sue, what can I say, you are an absolute angel and am so grateful for all that information which I will screen shot and show to the GP.
As you are so knowledgeable I thought you were a doctor but you said not. Obviously you don’t have to say what you’re background is but I am intrigued by how easily you come up with answers, so are you a Professor in Pharmaceuticals 🤔 whatever your background is your brilliant and that’s a sincere compliment
Nope no medical background. I was a programmer for IBM. I went through what many others did. I augmented on ropinirole and was then put on gabapentin and my symptoms are now completely controlled. I am retired and decided to learn everything I could about RLS and pay it forward by helping others. Most of my advice comes from the Mayo Clinic Updated Algorithm on RLS and the rest from my research and my own experience. I have 37 single typed pages of medicines and OTC supplements that I have researched, although many are listed more than once since I list them under each of their names.
Well Sue that is interesting and I could not have been more wrong. You certainly are doing what wanted and giving help and advice to, I can’t imagine how many people. But I was right about one thing I said, and that you are an angel, spreading hope within the community. Take very good care of yourself. 🤗
Hello Sue, small success today Thursday managed to contact the Surgery about the blood pressure and they have agreed to change it to Lisinopril. I gave them tall the options on your list and was told they would check them but they have to follow guidelines! I asked for Tadalafil as that also treats enlarged Prostate and RLS but guess it was outside of the guidelines. Anyway a result with your help Sue. I have blood tests and an ECG next week so feel the surgery is supporting me. Just need to get them to understand more about RLS but working on that.
Amlodipine certainly has various reported side effects (but then so do all these medicines) and some people have reported that it exacerbates their RLS. But (as with many things) other people say that it doesn't affect their RLS!
I'm afraid the following doesn't really answer your question about Amlodipine/Istin, but outlines how I was treated and what I was prescribed:
After a mini-stroke I was referred to the Wolfson Centre for the Prevention of Stroke and Dementia - the UKs leading research centre on the subject - and put on a home blood pressure monitor for a while and had many other tests.
I was put on statins to lower cholesterol, and when I stopped taking them because of RLS both my consultant and my GP reluctantly recommended Ezetimibe for cholesterol (reluctantly because they still believe in statins in all cases). This works against cholesterol, if more slowly than statins, and doesn't trigger my RLS.
My consultant put me on Perindopril to lower high blood pressure: this worked and didn't trigger my RLS - however, it gave me an irritating cough. My GP then moved me on to Losartan: this doesn't trigger my RLS, but either this or the Ezetimibe seems to be giving me joint pains...(Both drugs, as seems inevitable, have a long list of possible side effects)
Amlodipine was never suggested as a treatment for my high blood pressure by either the consultant or the GP, but it may depend on the severity of the blood pressure problem. I'd discuss the possibilities with your GP again.
Hi Chris, what a bunch we are. Thanks for your post and it was helpful and of course Statins are for reducing cholesterol and I generally don’t have serious problems with. My blood pressure isn’t dangerously high and am sure it increases as soon as I think about measuring it, a sort of white coat effect. I just love this getting older but fed up with being told that various issues are age related but I am extremely fortunate and thank the Lord that what I have is nothing compared to a lot of people and remember what my Wife suffered with a rare and misdiagnosed cancer, luckily we went privately for second opinion and the team was brilliant she is fine and that was 14 years ago.
So best wishes and as it it was written in Charles Dickens book A Christmas Carol and said by Tiny Tim, God Bless us every one.
i maybe an exception, but if I have any starchy food my blood pressure goes up from 120/72 to 160 /80 in the same day, Recording BP is probably only useful if you are tweaking different foods and keeping a food diary.
Hello Jilk well my blood pressure post has generated a lot of advice for which I’m very grateful. Your comments about starch is interesting as I love bread but only eat wholemeal, also love potatoes in all forms. Eat pasta which I’m not a huge fan off unless fresh and in an Italian restaurant, also rice which I’m ok with so will give that one a try and another benefit of that is I may be able to wear some trousers hanging in the wardrobe that shrunk in the wash. Ha Ha ye right.
It has been said - to get well give up your foods that you do not think you need to give up, or want to give up . the addictive factor comes in here as well
I recently had a stroke becaused I didn't take my blood pressure seriously enough and didn't recognise the signs of extreemely high BP. I have been put on amlodopine and it doesn't cause RlS. I have eliminated my RLS by avoiding inflammatory foods (search 'foods that cause inflammation'). As it happens many of the foods to avoid are the ones that have contributed to your BP problems and high colesterol.
Hi Eryl, and I recognise exactly where you are on that photograph we have walked down to Penmon nearly every year we have been staying on the Island of the Druid’s it’s lovely. So sorry to hear about your stroke but looks like you made a good recovery seeing you with your cycling gear.
I do take BP seriously and it’s not dangerously high but never the less it needs controlling, my cholesterol levels are generally fine as indicated by my last blood test but one of the readings was higher than is desirable. I agree entirely with you regarding diet and don’t do to badly but can always do better, my wife keeps telling me thank you for the advice and warning
Making a quick recovery, going home tomorrow, less than amonth since thr stroke. Gait is almost back to normsl already. Check out the video below for some truth about statiins and cholesterol
Hello Eryl, yes thanks I was just listening to it when visitors arrived unexpectedly. Will resume later. Really pleased that you are recovering didn’t realise that your stroke was recent
Hi Jumpey, wow you have been a member for a long time. Thanks for the reply, I’ll make a note of the medication but as I’ve found on this forum there isn’t a one fits all as we are all different but the only way is to try them.
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