Amlodipine

I'd like to cut down on this med. I just can't afford to take one (10/20) every day. Would it be safe to take one every other day?--rather than give it up altogether? I also have some Avapro left (didn't agree with me). Could I substitute this so it isn't wasted? (300mg)

I was just prescribed Norvasc, as Diovan was making my blood pressure go to extreme lows and highs with a very high heart rate when the BP went too low. Heart rate was in acceptable range only when BP was over 120/80. I do not have any symptoms of angina and wouldn't know I had a high heart rate if I hadn't purchased a BP machine. Will the Norvasc control the high pulse rate even if I have no symptoms of angina? I have had a lot of tests (tacky, stress, Holter, etc.) and all showed no problem, but the high heart rate continues when BP is low.

I am having trouble with the different mfg of Norvasc. I was on one for 60 days with just feet swelling as a side effect. I had it refilled at a different place, cheaper, and it is not helping to lower my blood pressure...and I am having other side effects. Please let me know if this has happened to others.

I take 10 mg of Amlodipine along with 50 mg of Atenolol daily. My BP is finally down to a normal level with this combination. My doctor wants me to continue taking the Amlodipine even though my ankles swell slightly. The swelling is not enough to be a bother but I worry that any retention of fluids is not good.

Question: will amlodipine interact adversely with Turmeric root? It is in a combo to treat my husbands aches & pains from exercise. We are searching for ways to help him keep blood pressure down once he is tapered off & goes organic. He has lost 20 pounds slowly from exercising over the last year. We always eat nutritiously. He just ate too much of it. Please help.

I have been taking many medicines for my blood pressure. Currently I am taking Metoprolol ER Succinate (100 MG), Diovan (320 MG), Hydroclorothiazide (12.5 MG), Levothyroxine (0.05 MG), and Amoldopine Besylate (5 MG) for my blood pressure. I also take Mysoline (1/2 of a 250 MG tablet per day. My problem is that recently the Amoldopine Besylate was added. I have been smelling cigarette smoke which is not there.

I thought maybe I was going crazy until I went on the internet and saw that someone else was having the same senses, but it was with a different medicine. I would like to know if any of my medicines are causing this. It is weird. I work in a smoke free environment, yet I walk into the doctors offices and smell smoke and I am the only one smelling it.

The only other thought is that my husband had been a heavy smoker and he died almost 5 years ago. I have been having financial problems and maybe he is just letting me know that I am not alone. What is your take on this? Please answer.

01/16/2010

I have been on Vasotec 10mg and Synthroid 0.125 for appr 20 years.
3 weeks ago I suddenly developed a BP of 230/89. My doctor doubled the Vasotec to 20 mg but no change in BP. He doubled again to 40 mg, no response, he added me 40 mg Lasix with same result. The BP stayed around 200 systolic. He gave me Clonidine in the office and decreased the BP to about 150. Diastolic has held around 80-90, and sent me to a cardiologist.

The cardiologist gave me Exforge (50/160) and Clonidine .1mg both once a day. I woke up every night with a nightmare-my heart was pounding and I was breathing heavily. There was no change in BP, so I asked if I could take 2 of the Exforge instead of Clonidine which I took for a couple of days.

Friday I went with somebody for a test and this doctor asked how I feel, I may have looked bad. She took the blood pressure and it was 220/?, and told me to go to the hospital. There I got a cat scan, neg for stroke. Then they gave me 2 pills and told me to go back to my Dr. I do believe this has to do with the thyroid medication to do but both Dr.s state no. I do believe I need to get down this 200, what do you suggest?

On my doctor's advice, I took 10mg of amlodipine (Norvasc) along with Carvedilol for about a year to control high blood pressure. I am otherwise healthy. After my feet began swelling, I put up with it for as long as I could, but stopped when it became too painful to walk. So I called my doctor and told his nurse that I was stopping the two drugs, and asked if there was something else I could take.

They called back and scheduled an appointment. When I saw the doctor a few days later, he said he would not prescribe a new drug at that time. HE NEVER MENTIONED ANY POSSIBLE PROBLEM FROM ABRUPTLY STOPPING THE AMLODIPINE. About 10 days later I developed extreme "rebound hypertension," with BP soaring to as high as 220 over 118.

Two weeks later, I am STILL struggling with high hypertension!! These jackass doctors cause more problems than they solve by failing to give patients the info they need to make intelligent health decisions. Had I been warned, I would NOT have stopped the drugs abruptly, but sought advice on how to wean myself off of them. Beware: Physicians are very often incompetent.

Is carvedilol a good replacement drug for amlodipine? Will it have the same effect and can it be started immediately after amlodipine?

My 80 year old mother with COPD, HBP and CHF has been on norvasc for a number of years, she uses the generic form. In December we refilled the generic script and now she has developed an itchy rash on her trunk front and back. Looking back on the paperwork that comes with each refill we noticed the manufacturer of the generic has been changed. It is our guess that the new manufacturer has some inert ingredient that does not agree with her. I mentioned this to her doc and we are going to get a script filled from the old manufacturer and see if our suspicions are correct.

Has anyone else had an issue with generic scripts and their inert ingredients causing new side effects?

thanks

Interesting. I noticed the past two years that my feet get really cold at night. I never linked it to my medications. I checked with my Doctor, and he believed it could be a side effect of the Amlodipine. In fact, he was having the same issue with the drug.

What caught my eye here was the comment about smelling cigarette smoke. I've noticed it as well. I thought someone may have been outside my home smoking, but never saw anyone.

I think that the amlodipine is causing much fatigue and some hair loss.
Anyone else have hair loss (female)?