Q: I have been taking drugs for high BP and cholesterol for years. Among others, I take atenolol and amlodipine daily. I feel that the calcium channel blocker is responsible for the edema of my lower legs and feet, and now, increasingly, my pain in the same areas. Every time I have tried to get off the calcium channel blockers, with a doctor’s advice and prescriptions for alternates, the pain went away in a day or two and I felt 20 years younger as a result. Yet my BP went through the roof, and I always had to go back to the calcium channel blockers. I went to a cardiologist recently to see if I could try again the cut down on some of my meds, and he won’t consider it, if my BP is controlled. So, am I doomed to stay with something that gives me increasing pain and discomfort, just to control my BP?
A: Swelling is a common side of effect of amlodipine (Norvasc). If a different calcium channel blocker with a lower chance of causing swelling, such as ditiazem (Cardizem), has not been tried, discuss this with your doctor. Wearing support stockings helps to prevent the swelling. You may need a prescription for stockings with enough support to help you. It is possible Reperate use will allow you to get off calcium channel blockers and switch to other drugs. I would suggest
you start using the Resperate before you have your doctor try to switch you again.
Further Reading:
What is RESPeRATE? – RESPeRATE.com
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I’m having a similar experience with my BP but my cardiologist put me on Bystolic because I had a few episodes of tachacardia? They have also tried different BP meds along with it but I always have side effects. I have always been healthy and don’t like the way the meds make me feel. I’m having a hard time losing weight, shortness of breath, mild depression, etc. But I’m afraid to stop taking the meds.
Amlodopine made my mouth swell badly and my gums were constantly bleeding as a result. AS soon as I changed to candersartin this stopped but I do get periods where I have constant skipped beats. I use respErate every other day and find that my BP has come done considerably.I hope to be able to drop the co-amelofuse soon as i do not like the fact that I am still on them.
Have had very simular side effects, When i first started on BP meds 2 yrs ago, i was taking ENALAPRIL 10 mg 2 or 3 a day, along with 25mg water pill HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE,i was out of it most of the day, NO Motivation. Told my DR but did not care. So i made my own ajustments, stop taking water pill, help alot. 8 months later saw a different DR she put me on AMLODIPINE, which help me alot, i agree it is not as strong. All the BP meds have side effects. i had some swelling in the lower legs, to much SUN exposure will swell you up, it DRY’s you up in your mouth etc. I ask my Dr about being on Disability, he said it’s hard to get because the state said it not a major Disability. Some day are good for me, but some are bad. Need to fell good everyday to go to work.
For years i was on calcium channel blocker an old fashion one called methyldopa. I could barely stay awake, i would fall asleep the minute i sat down, my pressure still wasnt where my dr wanted it so he increased it to 3 times!!! And valium. I started to have swollen legs, i had a pain in my stomach every time i ate it got worse. No matter what i told the dr. He said keep taking it… a month ago i fell down the stairs and the er took xrays of my stomach. Unbeknown to me, my pancreas is damaged and in turn damed my liver wich causes severre!constipation because neither pancreas or liver is making enzymes necessary for digesting fats or digesting food to enable elimination of waste so my stomach kept getting larger and higher. Dr. Said due to no exersise! I went to an endocronologist he said among a long list of things that caused the damage to my organs was my specific bp medicine,, and my aspirin and so many over the counter things. I slowly weaned myself off my bp in its place i now take 20mg of lasix in am and a 10 mg valium mid day and a powder aspirin (stanback) in warm water at 8pm, than at 10 i take another 10 mg valium and elivil for bed time. My blood pressure after 3 weeks of this regimin is lower than when i took what would end up killing me slowly!! Ive changed my diet and take specifis suppliments to turn my health around. It seems to be working for me. I feel more alive, energetic no pain, stomach is down and legs too. I believe most drs work for rx companies and dont want us healthy!! If you look up the side effects on line dont except the generic answer go deeper, i did. I kept looking until i got to the drs area!. Good luck and God Bless!!… if I EVEN THINK WHAT I DID STOPPONG MY BP MEDS, ID RATHER A FAST ATTACK THAN A SLOW TORTUOUS PANCRAS DEATH!! THATS JUST ME.
I have used Diltiazam, Norvasc and Verapamil. the verapamil was prescribed because it also had better control over heart function. all three give me not just swelling but some sort of joint pain. Diltiazam and Verapamil are by far the worst. both affected my knees to the point where i could barely walk at times and required strong inflamatory pain killers (I use Advil because quite frankly nothing else touches the inflammatory pain). usually bursitis etc. finally got cardioligist (nephrologist also agreed) to switch to Norvasc.
Norvasc has about 10-15% less control over blood pressure so now it is higher but i do not have the constant knee pain. it had interfered with sleep and walking and everyday life. however, i now have some pain in my wrist since switching. so now i constantly wear a wrist support and that seems to keep it under control but can no longer use the mouse in my right hand. this pain is far less than the knee pain. i had to ask the question one day and i guess i was not careful with my right knee and i found out which hurts more.
perhaps there is a better calcium channel blocker pill out there somewhere????? please . . . .
Have you tried Magnesium? Magnesium citrate is one of the most absorbable forms of it, Mg is nature’s channel blocker, it calms a person and is great for muscle pains.
Calcium channel blockers have this unfortunate side effectof oedema of ankles and legs; in my own case iI have tried other antihypertensives but they don’t work as well in face they sonmetimes don’t work ar all! I have worn support stockings for yrears but they stopped being effective and even aggravated the oedema. The district nurse suggested another type with a pressure of 10mm of mercury instead of the 30mm Hg I had been wearing; they work a treat – problem solved!Un fortunately, many Gps are unaware of them but the name is ACTIVA Liner pack. Code 326-9776
I take Atenolol 25mg twice daily, magnesium, Spironolactone (25mg twice daily) and for circulation ProArgine Plus (online). My BP is below 110-101 systolic and 75-70 diastolic. Have not had edema or joint pain at all.
My biggest problems with Amlodipine were the dull headaches and awful dizzy spells and lighthededness. Almost passed out on numerous occasions. Also noticed some swelling of the face. Maybe this qualifies as facial Edema. An absolutely terrible drug that didn’t even control my BP very well.
Odd. I have been on Amplodipine for a couple years now, and am starting to experience more frequent dizzy spells myself, kinda interupts my day-to-day life. Why now? After all that time of taking that medication? It just seems weird to me.
Verapamill is another calcium channel blocker that works in a different way than Norvasc. I had a similar discussion with my dr a few years ago and went to a nephrologist instead. They are the blood pressure experts and, at least, mine has been much more flexible at prescribing alternatives. If you haven’t tried Tekturna, this is renin blocker that could be added to your regimine and has virtually no side effects.
I take several meds for HBP,but I run hard every day too. No side effects from the HBP meds,but certainly from the Lipitor I took until last year when I switched to Crestor.
Some people are mismatched with CCBs when they should be on another class of drugs. Try another class. Demand it. I could not tolerate CCBs and was put on Hydralazine and Clonidine and do fine, combined with a diuretic to move the fluid build-up in my stomach out. Beta-blockers were horrific for me, FYI. If they don’t work, try another class.
i got off all blood pressure meds doing resperate once aday an also l-arginine plus THATS A MUST. It opens all your arteries an my blood pressure went from 210×110 to below normal. IT WILL WORK. ONE SCOOP EVERY MORNING ON EMPTY STOMAK FOR 30 MINUTES AN RESPERATE AT NOGHT. ITS A DONE DEAL I PROMISE. L-ARGININE PLUS NU IS 1-800-583-8004. Its natural an can take with any meds. Also will lower high cholestrol in 3 months. CAN TAKE IT ALSO, AS LONG AS YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE IS NOT EXTREMELY LOW. Great for many things. TRY IT YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY, I PROMISE.
like your comment, how much L-Arginine Mg, is it in pill form or powder?? All BP Med effect u some how.
stupid doctors had me over medicated on 4 drugs for HBP Sides effects included severve depression,insomia,etc. A cardiocist helped me get rid of three of the drugs with little trouble. However when I tried to get off the calciun channel blocker (ditiazem) my blood pressure went through the roof. Research has taught me these drugs are made so you can’t get off them . I am still going to try. My cardiologist said with my history of low blood pressure such low colestrol (139) that I should have never been put on blood pressure medicine. He said what I had was anxiety and white coat hypertention that day i went to the doctor.
Resperate did not work for me because I have Atrial Fibrilation (irregular heartbeat) of the worst kind. Had to send it back to the company.
It is a very good product! Try it, also Arginine Plus.
White coat or not.
THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS IN MY E-MAIL I HAVE FOUND OUT WHY MY LEGS,FEET ARE SWOLLEN I’VE BEEN ON DILTIAZEM SINCE 1989 I’VE BEEN TELLING MY DR MY LEGS AND FEET HURT NOW I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE MY DR AND GET ME OFF THIS PILL, OH THANK YOU AGAIN.SUE
I was prescribed amlodipine, but had unpleasant side effects including very swollen feet and legs, so had to stop taking it.
I have had every class of BP meds, and have had problems with all of them, but I too find l-arginine and magnesium citrate have brought my BP under control, and don’t need any prescription drugs now.
I also find that a low carbohydrate diet coupled with all natural food and almost nothing processed helps enormously.
For me it is unbelievable to witness all the pain and misery associated with most anti hypertensive medication’s side effects, so much of it that one wonders if the touted benefits (maybe 10 or 15 points reduction in maybe just “white coat” hypertension:i.e., the one that solely manifests itself at the doctor’s office readings, and not 90% of the remaining time, at home, at work, during leisure moments)justify such horrendous tradeoff. One thing I know for sure: once a person is started on these drugs (medications, if you want)his or her organism make adaptations to it so after a while it is very, very difficult( and dangerous) to try and quit it or even reduce its dosage, on the contrary, often it happens just the opposite: you will need to increase the dosage to attain the same level of BP reduction (does it look any similar to what happens with addictive drugs?). What probably happens with calcium channel blockers is that the blood vessels compensate for the Calcium Ion unnatural blockage done by the drug and once it is removed, that overcompensation (probably, an increase in Calcium Ion receptors at cellular level) is what makes your blood pressure skyrocket to higher than before, dangerous levels. Same thing happens (but still more dangerously)with the beta blocker drugs (Atenolol, Sotalol, Metropolol, and all ending in “ol”)that normally act by blocking the beta adrenergic receptors (the ones sensitive to adrenaline and other cathecolamines, i.e., stress hormones), in this case the body’s compensatory mechanism is probably to augment the number of beta receptors and so, when you try to reduce or completely cut the drug, the cardiovascular system is suddenly in an “hypersensitive” state to the adrenergic hormones, due to the abnormally high number of beta adrenergic receptors suddenly (again, resulting to the organism compensation to the drug), and the result is again an abnormally high levels of BP and heart arrhythmia (probably tachycardia). I am 67 years old, not overweight, don’t smoke, of course, practice aerobic exercises regularly since my thirties, eat mostly fish and poultry with lots of vegetable and fruits and nothing canned, have been diagnosed with HBP (mostly, as I noted before, at the doctor’s office but not at my home, mostly), never took a prescription for that or did it very sparsely, and I feel quite well for my age. On another hand, i had an elder sister who also was diagnosed with HBP in her late thirties and since that time, she was started on several kind of anti hypertensives, which were changed from time to time “to keep her blood pressure under control”, she also took sleep pills, anti anxiety drugs (benzodiazepines). To make the story short, she had a massive heart attack shortly after her 60th birthday and lived her last 9 years of her life with a very disabling heart failure (although she got four coronary bypasses) and sadly passed away at age 69. The lessons from this personal story for me are clear, from the medical standpoint.
I WAS ON 4 BLOOD PRESSURE PILLS. MY BLOOD PRESSURE WAS ALWAYS 200/100, FOR YEARS. I TOOK ALL OF THE SAME MEDS YOU ALL DID, BUT THEN AFTER I HAD A BRAIN BLEED 3 YEARS AGO, I STARTED ON A DRINK THAT ONLY CONTAINED GREENS. OMG, WHAT A DIFFERENCE. I BARELY HAVE TO TAKE MEDS AT ALL. JUST GET ON SOME GOOD LIQUID SUPPLEMENTS……..
Many thanks for all of this detailed information Emiliano. I agree 100% with you. My GP has just told me to double my meds to ‘control’ my HBP. I am very unhappy with this type of lazy prescribing. I have been having almost daily headaches and was told it was ‘all in the mind’ and prescribed antidepressants – which I did not take. I know feel it is the Amlodipine which is causing the problem. I have changed GP twice over the last few years for one reason or another and didn’t want to change again. The trouble here in the UK is you are stuck with poor, lazy, tired, almost disinterested GPs (especially if you are a senior citizen) unless you can afford private health care which is beyond the reach of most people. All my faith, hope and prayers now rest on Resperate which I purchased without consulting GP first as there are no side effects. I feel that I just cannot face taking double the dose of Amlodipine, and will just have to take my chances.
You are stuck with lazy MD’s in the United States too! Anyone over 60 they call “old” and kick you to the curb for care
Thank you, Emiliano
Your explanation makes perfect sense. I will continue to argue with my doctor that I have no wish to take any more of their damned anti-hypertension drugs. They are all horrific to my body. I’ll take my chances rathe than have these awful side-effects for ever…..
Wendy, you expdressed my thoughts exactly. My blood pressure has been high for a long time and I take atenolol, which helps a bit & have been trying Resperate (so far no results) I tried many many B/P meds & had terrible side effects from them all. I decided I did not want to live with constant pain. My understanding doctor says its my decision & does not criticise it.
with amlodipine and atenolol i had low pulse and systolic always above 130, after an heart attack my medicine was changed to perindopril arginine and bosiprolol fumaraten now pressure and pulse under control
The calcium channel blockers are the absolute pits. I’m on a diuretic now that works, the smallest dose. along with learning to use Resperate. I’ve found that I’ve learned how to catch a speeded up heart rate, even at night, and automatically use the slow breathing technique to bring down the heart rate. that might not bring down bp, I know, but my numbers have been great with this combination for at least a couple of months now.
I have noted in your first statement that you have been taking drugs for hypertension – and cholesterol. HmG-CoA reductase inhibitors, more popularly known as statin drugs work on inhibiting a natural enzyme that would stall a series of biochemical reactions in the liver that lead to the production of our body’s natural cholesterol supply.
However, this same pathway is responsible for producing a very important essential enzyme – ubiquinone (more commonly called co-enzyme Q10 – which is responsible for catalyzing the production of up to 95% of the body’s energy requirements, including those of muscles. This leads to a depletion of energy supply in the muscles that may cause muscle tenderness, unexplained pains – and in the worst situation, rhabdomyolysis or the rapid breakdown of muscle tissues leading to severe pain and injury.
The Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association strongly recommends that patients taking statins should consider taking 100-200mg supplemental ubiquinone (Essenvida, brand name in the Philippines) per day to counteract these side-effects, which are well proven by scientific evidence.
MY DOCTOR MENTIONED THAT STATINS CAN HAVE A LONG LASTING EFFECT ON THE MUSCLES. IE. ACHINESS AND TENDERNESS. I STOPPED STATINS ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO BECAUSE OF THIS BUT STILL ACHE. NOT BONE…BUT MUSCLE. 1 CELEBREX A DAY HELPS BUT SHE WOULD LIKE TO GET ME OFF OF IT BECAUSE OF HEART ISSUES. I AM ALSO TAKING “STATIN GUARD” BUT IT HASN’T MADE ANY DIFFERENCE. I ALWAYS FEEL LIKE I HAD RUN A MARATHON YESTERDAY!
I have problems with ALL the different classes of HBP meds…on top of that the MD put me on 4 fish oil tablets a day………Now WHY would I want to add 40grams MORE of FAT to my system + it raises the LDL numbers……….western medicine is just plain crazy……… ;-(
I’m new to this forum and also to taking blood pressure meds which were recently prescribed about three months ago. I’m also experiencing side effects that make me feel miserable. I can’t see continuing like this as I’m having trouble being a productive functioning person on a daily basis. This is so depressing and I see others here are also having bad expereinces too. Has anyone found a workaround to these awful drugs? Honestly I felt better with HBP than I do with normal treated BP.