My doctor is concerned about my blood pressure which has been up for some time - he recently prescribed amlodipine 5mg and I started it on sat, by last night I woke up with pounding in my chest and racing heart - this lasted for about an hour and I fell back to sleep only to wake up again at 3.30 with the same, I was so worried I was having a heart attack I was going to call an ambulance but my mum who has dementia was wandering around so could not leave her - am currently waiting for my doctor to call me back - has anyone else been on this medication or dis anyone have a similar experience?
My doctor is concerned about my blood pressure which has been up for some time - he recently prescribed amlodipine 5mg and I started it on sat, by last night I woke up with pounding in my chest and racing heart - this lasted for about an hour and I fell back to sleep only to wake up again at 3.30 with the same, I was so worried I was having a heart attack I was going to call an ambulance but my mum who has dementia was wandering around so could not leave her - am currently waiting for my doctor to call me back - has anyone else been on this medication or dis anyone have a similar experience?
I will lut my pharmacist head on and tell you this is one of the common side effects
Summary of the safety profile
The most commonly reported adverse reactions during treatment are somnolence, dizziness, headache, palpitations, flushing, abdominal pain, nausea, ankle swelling, oedema and fatigue.
However it is very common for side effects to fade as your body gets accustomoed to the drugs effect on you.
It WILL pass - and ultimately your high blood pressure will a lot more dangerous to you. There are of course lifestyle measures you can take to reduce your blood pressure - but given what you say about your circumstances I suspect things like regular exercise and meditation are probably not practical. But I do urge you to make sure your nutrition is good and that you are not eating too much salt. Also make sure you are getting as much help as you are entitled to as a carer. I am quite sure stress will be a large factor in causing your blood pressure problems
I used to have high blood pressure, and I was put on medication - although not Amlodipine. I have been OFF medication for years now and my blood pressure is fine. It CAN be done.
Good luck
Sally
Hi - I have been on amlodipine at 5 mg. May have had occasional mild palpitations but not as marked as your experience.
Perhaps you could consider asking your GP for another blood pressure medication if you think this one may be disagreeing with you too much. My guess is that it's probably one of the cheaper brands of drugs for high blood pressure. Don't be fobbed off.
Eventually (after years) I had to come off of this drug since it made my ankles swell (causing oedema) - another one of its side effects.
Many thanks Tashanie and Amy, I was so worried I had a blood test done for my heart and I have no heart disease. It is a lot to do with my home situation - I work fulltime and then the rest of my time is taken up with looking after my mum, a good nights sleep is long gone as she wanders around and has hallucinations and tries to get out of the house etc. she also falls and is a dead weight to get up :(......so have to start looking after myself for a change.....easier said than done..I saw an article about ginger bering good for the heart so have started using that in my cooking the past few nights, have set a 3 months timeframe to get healthy and slimmer and then review the blood pressure meds..wish me luck!
Many thanks Tashanie and Amy, I was so worried I had a blood test done for my heart and I have no heart disease. It is a lot to do with my home situation - I work fulltime and then the rest of my time is taken up with looking after my mum, a good nights sleep is long gone as she wanders around and has hallucinations and tries to get out of the house etc. she also falls and is a dead weight to get up :(......so have to start looking after myself for a change.....easier said than done..I saw an article about ginger bering good for the heart so have started using that in my cooking the past few nights, have set a 3 months timeframe to get healthy and slimmer and then review the blood pressure meds..wish me luck!
[COLOR="Green"]Whilst ginger has beneficial effects on the circulation (boosting it), I was surprised to read that you are taking ginger with amlodipine. If you read the prescription leaflet carefully it should warn against this.
[url]Herbs That Interact With Amlodipine | LIVESTRONG.COM[/url]
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Oh dear didn't realise that, but doctor has changed me to coversyl - does this react to ginger as well?
Oh dear didn't realise that, but doctor has changed me to coversyl - does this react to ginger as well?
I have never heard of this interaction.....so I am unsure how serious it could be. It certainly isn't one the medical establishment is aware of. Assuming ginger does reduce blood prerssure then there is a potential porblem with ANYTHING you to take to reduce your blood pressure. The problem is it may drop it too low but that is a problem with a lot of other drugs and it doesn't mean it will cause problems. But i am intrugued by thus ginger information so I am going to research it. If your bllood pressure is too low the most likley symptom is giddyness when you stand up or when you get up in the morning. If you have either of those - then give the ginger a miss, But I think it is unlikley to be a problem unless you are having a very dose of ginger.
I have never heard of this interaction.....so I am unsure how serious it could be. It certainly isn't one the medical establishment is aware of. Assuming ginger does reduce blood prerssure then there is a potential porblem with ANYTHING you to take to reduce your blood pressure. The problem is it may drop it too low but that is a problem with a lot of other drugs and it doesn't mean it will cause problems. But i am intrugued by thus ginger information so I am going to research it. If your bllood pressure is too low the most likley symptom is giddyness when you stand up or when you get up in the morning. If you have either of those - then give the ginger a miss, But I think it is unlikley to be a problem unless you are having a very dose of ginger.
`i have done some investigation and found this
Ginger: The underground stems (called rhizomes) and above ground stems of ginger have been used in Chinese, Japanese, and Indian medicine for hundreds of years. There have been anecdotal reports of reduced blood pressure in people who took ginger. However, this use has not been scientifically studied, and it remains unknown if ginger can effectively treat hypertension.
Now I don't discount anecdotal reports but if it was really effective there would be more than anecdotal reports - and I feel the potential interaction would be better known. Ginger after all is a commonly used herb. My feleing is any hypotnesive ability will depend on having a high dose whihc is actually quite difficult to get. I remember years ago i wanted to provide 4G ginger capsules to the ladies wtih hyperemesis gravidarum because there is evidence it helps. sadly no-one made them.
Hppe that helps
Hi Sally,
Many thanks for your replies I am continuing to use a small amt of ginger in my cooking - every little helps eh! Mums mental state is not very good at this stage and is slipping into severe dementia so lots odf stress - if you dont mind me asking how did you get off the medication - am am trying to eat healthy but weekends are my problem being alone with mum.......I was also doing zumba classes 2 nights a week but she gets upset when I do not come right home from work.....any advice will be greatly appriciated.
Hi Sally,
Many thanks for your replies I am continuing to use a small amt of ginger in my cooking - every little helps eh! Mums mental state is not very good at this stage and is slipping into severe dementia so lots odf stress - if you dont mind me asking how did you get off the medication - am am trying to eat healthy but weekends are my problem being alone with mum.......I was also doing zumba classes 2 nights a week but she gets upset when I do not come right home from work.....any advice will be greatly appriciated.
My hypertension was never that severe but I got off medication by making the lifestyle changes - mainly walking more.
The situation you are in with your Mum will be putting masses of stress on you - and I do feel stress reduction techniques would be helpful to you. If I may recommend a book (if you have time to read) try 'The art of being Brilliant' or indeed any NLP based self help book. NLP was another major factor in me coming off and staying off medication - both for high blood pressure and depression.
Love and light