Amlodipine symptoms and conditions

I am a 61 year old mail. Two years ago I suffered chest pain resulting in the fitting of two stents was placed on Lipitor and had the usual liver function test which proved normal. Initially I was put on a low dose but as my cholesterol level did not improve eventually I was placed on 80mg which is the highest dose and this did lower my cholesterol level to a satisfactory level. A few months ago I had severe unexplained back pain which I thought might be due to the statin and when I stopped taking it, very quickly the pain went. I have restarted the medication for about 6 weeks now and in the last few days have had intense pain in my lower legs, hips and lumbar region. I have decided now to stop taking the drug and will be seeing my doctor shortly. Although I am taking other medication (amlodipine, perindopril and bisoprolol) for blood pressure I feel quite sure that my intolerable pain is due to the statin.

Well, let's see now.................
I am a 48 year old female who has always been healthy.
4 months ago I went to the clinic for stomach pain that was gnawing at me. That's when my nightmare started. I was told to go straight to the local hospitals ER room because my Blood Pressure was 238/127
I was kept for 2 days in the cardiac unit. Tests were run and they all came out perfectly fine. I was then put on 50 mg toporol along with 20 mg Lisinopril. I was sent home and couldn't hardly function. Nauseous and dizzy, I was hanging onto walls just to go to the bathroom. Doctor switched me to Diovan instead of the lisinopril but insurance would not cover it. So once again I was switched to Avapro taken along with toporol.
By the second day on Avapro I was itching extremely and my skin was on fire. I called the Doctor once again and he said to Quit the Avapro and just take the Toporol alone. Well, within 4 days I ended back up in the emergency room with an elevated bp of 204/107. Once again, I was kept overnight and put on Labetelol (an alpha and Beta Blocker).
I did quite well on this med for a month and then the bp levels started to rise once again. I called the doctor this evening and was told to take 20 mg of the Lisinopril I had in the medicine cabinet along with the Labetelol.
It's been two hours and I'm starting to itch from the Lisinopril now....sigh.
Thank God I go to the clinic in the morning!!
I am really getting anxiety problems from dealing with these meds!!
Hopefully I can get everything straightened out. I am willing to hang in there until I can find something that works. It is obvious to me that I need HBP medication. I just wish They could find the right ones for me without having to go through all this . To all of you that have high BP, Hang in there. If one med doesn't work, keep trying!!
God Bless All Of You!!!!

Hi I am from Nepal, and I am 28 years young, male. I have been taking Lisinopril for about 2 years now. At the beginning this drug seemed to have no side effects at all but as the days progressed I could see the side effects. As side effects started to climb up hill day after day, my friend suggested me to consult my physician immediately. So I consulted my physician yesterday and he told me to do an array of tests; blood test including thyroid hormone test, ECG, and chest X-Ray. My reports will come in due 1 weak time. For now my doctor has changed this medication and given me amlodipine and atenolol combination and its trade name is "amlobet" (manufactured in india by: sun pharmaceutical industries). I took 1 dose yesterday and some of my symptoms seemed to disappear, but I'm quite not sure whether its my Psychology that has contributed to the sudden disappearance of some symptoms or the drug itself. I still have to take this medication for some time to make sure of it.
Some side effects experience during Lisinopril intake:

1. Extreme fatigue and lack of interest in doing day to day work this symptom has disappeared as i started on the new medication.
2. Depression like feeling specially early in the morning and at night times.
3. Waking up in the middle of the night.
4. Vivid dreams.
5. Foggy thinking.
6. Nervousness.
7. Palpitation.
8. Anxiety.
9. Profuse sweating.
10. Shaking of hands and legs during nervousness.
11. Slight Memory loss.
12. Lack of concentration.
13. Mood swing (extreme).
14. Dullness (extreme).

As I progress on this new medication I will update this blog. And I'l also give information regarding my blood tests and ECG tests after my report comes. For now this much. But I recommend Lsinopril users to consult their respective physician seriously before taking this medication and consult even if you are on the medication. This drug seems to pass the blood brain barrier and reach the brain so it affects the central nervous system directly which is not the case in some HBP medications like; amlodipine, atenolol etc.

Hi I am 28 yrs of age and I've been taking lisinopril (5 mg) for about 2 years now. At the beginning it seemed all well and I was glad that I'd been prescribed with a nice drug. But as the days went by I started to feel the VENOMIC effects of this DRUG. Slowly this venom was killing me from within, at the beginning i thought some other reasons behind and didn't give much attention to the drug, but later the symptoms just worsened and a time came when i could no longer take this medication. I recently consulted a different physician and he has changed me to atenolol+amlodipine. It seems to be working nicely.

Have been taking Lisinopril for some five weeks after Amlodipine did not suit me - flushed cheeks and headaches. Have also been taking antibiotics for intestinal problem. Thought it was a/b that were making me feel so ill. Finished them a week ago. Now just take water tablet (Bendroflumethiazide) Simvastatin and Lisinopril.

Lisinopril makes me constantly tired weak and woozy - no energy - it it difficult just to walk around my home. I am not the happy person I used to be - feel like a zombie - no appetite very shaky and slightly nauseous.

Trouble is damned if you take them and damned if you don't.

I've been taking this medicine Amlodipine Besylate 5mg (generic for Norvasc) for two months. First my feet and ankles are swollen all the time, this only happened to me 34 years ago two days before the birth of our son. Then the itching on both arms and both legs. Then the blisters on my legs and arms. Then the numbness in my right toes. These blisters remind me of shingles my grandmother had in her 80's. I'm (55). I am allergic to anything with sulfur in it.

hello, patches here. Just to update my previous posting. Having stopped taking lisinopril over the past couple of weeks i now have no bloating and can wear rings again as my fingers are slimmer and my tummy is no longer solid bloat, the black tarry loose stools also have stopped but i still have bouts of urticaria from time to time. I wonder if anyone knows how long it takes to get this poison out of the system. Also i got chest pains from the amlodipine and the doctor conducted an ecg and blood test which both came back ok so it must have been the amlodipine. She has now given me candesartan but i have not started to take it yet as she said to wait until after the Christmas break in case i had a bad reaction when there were no doctors at the surgery. I can't believe i am the only one suffering this way and would like to hear from others and maybe someone can give me positive feedback. My blood pressure has gone up as i am not on any medication. Yesterday i felt very ill indeed - dizzy and panicky and later on had a bad rash on my arm and back of neck. today is slightly better so wonder, again, if i had a virus or if it is still the effects of the lisinopril. if anyone can advise i would be so grateful. many thanks.

i've been on lisinopril for about two years and recently have suffered urticaria, itchy rashes on my forearms, neck and now back and shoulders. i also have a bloated stomach but didn't realize this could be down to the drug. my doctor has now changed the drug to amlodipine but so far i haven't taken it - three days no drugs.

I took the generic for Norvasc (amlodipine)for 2 months and all I have
to say is the stuff is pure junk.
I felt absolutely AWFUL.
I felt like I had been poisoned.
My lips and tongue swelled,canker sores on my tongue
and I became horribly depressed.
What a bunch of BS!!!
I'm not taking anymore of these poisonous substances!

In July I was prescribed Lisinopril / HCTZ 20 /12.5. Within one week I started to have side effects. These included
-pain in chest - worsened with high humidity
- trouble breathing - shortness of breath - worsened with high humidity
- slight continuous elevated temperature about 99.6 degrees
- near real fainting spells when outside in heat- granted it was hot, but I've never had these before
- loss sex drive
- urinate often
- don't sleep well
My BP did go down though about 10 to 20 points.
still that was the worst summer I've ever had.
After reading others' side effects, I stopped cold turkey and feel much better.
Did you know Lisinopril is extract of Brazilian viper venom? - no wonder I couldn't breath!
My new doctor has me on new drug: Amlodipine Besylate 2.5 mg. which I hope will do the trick.
Bottom line:if you have bad side effects stop and try another drug - there are prenty out there for BP control.

I have been taking 20mg of Lisinopril and 5mg of Amlodipine for more than 5 years.The only physical complaint that I can directly attribute to these drugs would probably be the dry cough in the back of my throat. Other symptoms such as general fatigue and insomnia could possibly be attributed but I don't know for sure. Recently I visited my doctor and asked him what would be the perfect number for both systolic and diastolic pressure for someone of my age . This question proved unbelievably difficult for him. After much prevarication we somehow agreed between us that systolic between 140/145 and diastolic between 80/85 would be good numbers.I then told him that I had stopped taking the Amlodipine for over a month. Also during this period I had taken blood pressure readings twice a day and apart from a couple of spikes I was satisfied that my numbers were acceptable. He then said that unless my BP monitor was calibrated once or twice a year then I could not rely on my readings as they could easily be 5 - 10% out. Is this correct do BP monitors have to be calibrated to be accurate? Since I thought my BP readings were acceptable my intention was to lower my intake of Lisinopril and eventually stop using it altogether. My hope was that exercise, diet, supplements etc. could replace the snake venom circulating in my body but I am no longer convinced that this is a realistic aim.

I took Lisinopril for five months. The dose was increased from 10mg to 40 mg per day. At my request my doctor switched me to Amlodipine Besylate. With Lisinopril I was tired all the time and had Abnormal hair loss. Within a week, after the switch, I was back to normal.
My daughter experienced the same thing. She was switched to Amlodipine
and is back to normal. It may take a while for the hair that was lost to come back in.

I don't seem to have any choice other than continue taking Lisinopril, its the only blood pressure med I can afford, but taking it and coughing until my ribs ache is getting old. Sore ribs, hacking cough, blurred vision and nightmares...hmnn...or a stroke. There's got to be another option. Garlic?

Hi all! I have recently started to have a very strange feeling and thought I would post here to see if anyone else can elaborate on it.

I switched from private healthcare to the VA system in March 2008 and the MD at the VA immediately switched me from Toprol XL 100mg per day to Norvasc ( Amlodipine Besylate) 5mg, a generic version and from Zetia 10mg to Zocor. This is mainly due to the fact that the VA does not have the Toprol XL or the Zetia in their pharmacy.

I am a very active person, work out 3 times per week, play tournament level racquetball and generally stay very active. I was feeling fine on this medication for almost 3 years with the only side effect being a little light-headed feeling with hard physical activity. Approximately 2-3 weeks after changing meds I started to get this lumpy feeling in my chest and then it started to progress into an air hunger feeling which felt like my breath was being taken away for a split second. I called the MD at the VA and requested to go back on metoprolol tartrate, which is what the VA has in place of the metoprolol succinate (Toprol XL). The air gasp feeling has only gotten worse and with any excertion I become tired now and start to get the gaspy feeling. Very scary. When it started to get real bad one evening I called 911 and went to the emergency room. Tests came back "ridiculously normal" the ER MD stated. Went back to the VA and the same MD, who doesn't listen, says I am under stress and prescribed me Paxil. I am completely lost as to what to do. I am going in to have another EKG and a holter monitor put on as well as a stress test.

Does anyone have any advice for me? I am desperate to get this resolved as fast as I can. Feel terrible lately and the MD doesn't seem to be listening to me.

Help!

I am 58 with mild hypertension. Started Lisinopril 10mgs and started to cough and feel like I was getting a cold within 48hours. 4 days later I was in the MD office with what I thought was an Asthma exacerbation. We treated it with Solumedrol dose pack and xeponex nebulizer treatments. Two days later I am in the ER unable to stop coughing. My MD was on call and realized that this was due to the Lisinopril!! This dry hacking cough also sometimes produces some phlegm but I am exhausted. This is miserable. It appears from what I have been reading that Lisinopril has the worst record of the ACE Inhibitors for this cough side effect. I am an RN and had no idea that this could be so bad. No more ACE inhibitors for me...they go on my "allergy" list. There are other allternatives and I think the Calcium Channel Blockers are a better alternative.
Maybe it is time for the FDA to re look at Lisinopril????

Last week, I was prescribed to take Lasix, along with Klor-Don (potassium supplement) for Congestive Heart Failure. Also Levaquin for pneumonia.

I returned to doctor, to state that the Lasix was not having an effect on my urinary habits at all.

SO, the doctor prescribed 60mg Lasix per day, 30mg Klor-Don per day, with an additional 5mg og Lisinopril per day.

Now, everything I read about Lisinopril, is that it should not be taken with Lasix, or any potassium additive stuff.

Plus all the side symptoms that lead to my first prescriptions, are exactly the side effects of Lisinopril. How in the world would I ever know anything was working?

Also, my BP is 108/81. Doesn't look high to me.

Any thoughts? I watched my Dad wither away after being presented additional prescriptions when ones weren't working. To me, it complicated his problems. I'm not about to get into the same piss*** contest with doctors & prescriptions.

I agree with some of you I am taking 5mg and I am always having headaches and Hot Flashes I feel hot all the time and Upset stomach too.

I have been on this drug for a year. I have never felt worse in my life. I am a 54 year old woman who works out daily and am not overweight but I have HBP. My side effects did not start until 6 months after being on this drug, so I didn't think right away that it was this drug.
I would wake up with severe leg cramps at night that would not go away. I had severe pain in the lower back and on both sides where the kidneys are. I thought I had a terminal illness. I could not function in my life at all. My dr. changed my RX to Benicar which is in the same family the results were worse than the lisinopril. I took myself off both drugs for two days and all symptoms went away except the HBP. I am now on amlodipine for two days so far so good no cramps no pain. The only side effect is flushing which is a piece of cake next to what I lived with.
I am also so happy I found this site I thought I was either dying or going crazy.

Hi all,

I am 53 and from the UK. I was on Lisinopril for 13 years. First 5mg, later 10mg then a few weeks ago 20mg as my BP was 169/90. Afetr 8 days of taking this dose I felt strange and felt as if I was about to fall down when walking. Also had a feeling I was kinda walking sideways if that makes sense. Anyway, went for check-up with health worker at docs surgery and after 8 days on this stuff instead of my BP being reduced it was up to 210/120. The health worker took my BP 5 times and looked cncerned while trying to reassure me not to be concerned. She went of to consult the senior practice nurse and made me an appointment for the next day to see my GP. The next day I told my GP how I was feeling and he said he didn't know why my BP had gone higher on the double dose of Lis but to continue taking it along with nother drug he prescribed called Amlodipine 5mg, a calcium channel blocker. After another couple of days I felt very ill. Palpitations, dizzy, and a feeling every ten minutes or so as if my chest was puncched from the inside, a very uncomfortable feeling indeed. I decided on a process of ilimination and stopped the Lis but kept taking the latter drug. Almost imedietly I felt better even though my BP was round about 146/85. I started to realize that symptoms I had for 13 years were probably due to the Lis. Symptoms including, waking suddenly, literally choking on acid as my throat closed in a spasm, Strange nightmares, food sticling halfway down my gullet causing extreme discomfort etc. On top of this, nearly two years ago I was diagnosed with auto immune disease and had radioactive iodine treatment on an overactive thyroid, an overactive thyroid that instead of making me lose weight, made me put it on. A while later I was diagnosed as having type two diebetes which I tried to control with diet. Now since stopping the Lis my blood sugar readings have never been better, in fact I wonder now if I was ever diebetic at all. The most upsetting thing is, I now wonder if the thyroid malfunction was caused by the Lis. I feel much better like a veil has been lifted from my mind, no longer moody or having foggy thinking. I hope I have not gone on too long. I wish you all luck with your meds. I have started taking Hawthorn berry capsules which it's claimed help to lower BP naturally. My BP today is 140/80 but does fluctuate.
Lawrence

I've been taking Lisinopril 20mg + 12.5mg HCTZ daily for 9 months with no cough or other respiratory symptoms. This is my only medication. About 5 weeks ago I was increased to 1 1/2 tabs a day (30 mg Lisinopril + 18.75 mg) to effectively control my boarderline blood pressure. It was only at this time I did have a respiratory infection and nasal congestion, with cough for 2 weeks, since that time the infection has cleared however, a nonproductive cough has persisted the past 4 weeks. This cough is not tolerable. I will be switching hypertension medication within the next couple weeks if the cough doses not go with the next couple weeks. When I laugh hard with my chest, I start coughing and feel very congested. It's not very pleasant in a social crowd. Meanwhile, yes my blood pressure is under control.