Amlodipine and Anxiety: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Mrs...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 13, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "I hate this drug. I was put on amlodipine after developing a severe lisinopril cough. I'm 47 years old and I started exercising and carefully watching my diet. Within the first week of being on 10mg of amlodipine, my feet and ankles swelled so bad I could not fit in my shoes. I was always exhausted. Dropping to 5mg helped with the swelling and fatigue, but the physical side effects were not the worst part of it. Since starting amlodipine, I have become anxious to almost the point of being agoraphobic. I'm irritable. Some days I want to crawl out of my own skin. It has been less than a month and I'm already getting off amlodipine! It and lisinopril have destroyed my faith in modern medicine. I would rather have high blood pressure than feel this way. God help me during the withdrawal process."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 23, 2022

For High Blood Pressure "This drug has the worst side effects! I am 34 years of age, African American, very fit and muscular. I’ve never experienced side effects or discomfort like I’ve been feeling for the past 6 months. I’ve been trying to ride it out, thinking the side effects would fade away, like the cardiologist said, but no, this drug has been affecting my life from my 3 beautiful kids and wife. I was working a full-time job cleaning houses (would clean 3 houses by myself in a day shift), now I can barely sweep my home floors without being fatigued. The side effects ruined my 2021 past Christmas and Thanksgiving. I’m so happy I’ve read these reviews, and I thought I was all alone experiencing these episodes of severe dizziness, lightheadedness, tightness in the chest area, nausea, fatigue, tiredness, feeling faint, confusion, mood swings, dry mouth, pressure in the neck and head area, bad anxiety, anxiousness, and depression."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 23, 2022

For High Blood Pressure "This drug has the worst side effects! I am 34 years of age, African American, very fit and muscular. I’ve never experienced side effects or discomfort like I’ve been feeling for the past 6 months. I’ve been trying to ride it out, thinking the side effects would fade away, like the cardiologist said, but no, this drug has been affecting my life from my 3 beautiful kids and wife. I was working a full-time job cleaning houses (would clean 3 houses by myself in a day shift), now I can barely sweep my home floors without being fatigued. The side effects ruined my 2021 past Christmas and Thanksgiving. I’m so happy I’ve read these reviews, and I thought I was all alone experiencing these episodes of severe dizziness, lightheadedness, tightness in the chest area, nausea, fatigue, tiredness, feeling faint, confusion, mood swings, dry mouth, pressure in the neck and head area, bad anxiety, anxiousness, and depression."

• TOa...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 10, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "I was put on amlodipine besylate for hypertension about 2 years ago. I immediately felt lethargic, dizzy, tired, and anxious. I used to walk and hike, but could not anymore as my legs and feet got severely swollen, and I had pains in my legs. I also got bouts of vertigo and was very short of breath when walking up a mild incline. It felt like I was having a heart attack with chest pain. I gained about 20 lbs and struggled to get a good night's sleep. I went off it about a month ago, and my blood pressure is normal, my symptoms are gone, I have more energy, and can now hike as before. I cannot believe this is allowed to be prescribed."

• bob...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 18, 2021

For High Blood Pressure "I am on Amlodipine 10mg for almost 3 years. My BP before I started taking it was 150/100, and white coat effect can spike up to 190/110. I am a 40-year-old male, ex-military, etc. Also using Ramipril 10mg and diuretics (for edema, usual amlodipine side effect). The first 2 years all works well, my BP ranged from 110/60 to 130/80 with white coat effect at 140/90. However, after two years, side effects showed up: anxiety, tremors, headaches, pressure in the head, constipation causing spikes in BP, tiredness, etc. Anyway, I am fighting with these side effects every day now, they usually come after 6 hours of taking amlodipine, which is the peak time of this medication. It is difficult to stop taking it without causing any 'damage.' I tried taking it at half the dose, but the side effects are still there. I am trying natural remedies like black seeds, turmeric, coq10 enzymes, but this will take some time to see changes. I exercise cardio daily, follow strict diet with no salt, sugar, or fat, and avoid stress, these changes must stay as a permanent lifetime change."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 2, 2023

For High Blood Pressure "I have been on amlodipine for over 3 years, and the side effects are still horrible: dizziness, fatigue, anxiety, heart palpitations, numbness and pain in my ankles, swelling of my ankles, frequent urination, memory loss, and blurry vision. I need to diet and exercise so I can get off this medication. It does help my blood pressure, but I don’t have quality of life and am suffering."

• Ebb...
• January 31, 2014

For High Blood Pressure "I've been taking this medication for about 4 months. The first month was fine, it brought my blood pressure down to acceptable numbers. The side effects started gradually. I was really forgetful and would sometimes feel confused. Then the trembling in my legs started, then spread to my arms, went from trembling to twitching really fast, then it spread to my face. During this time, anxiety slowly crept in, it was getting a little worse every day until it was a constant feeling. Pressure in my head constantly and full-blown panic attacks by month 4. I discussed this with my doctor, and I stopped taking this medication 2 days ago and was prescribed something else. I can feel my anxiety subsiding."

• Mrs...
• January 14, 2020

For High Blood Pressure "I started taking Amlodipine 10mg 6 days ago. I was switched from Nifedipine 30mg because I had some unpleasant side effects. Every day on Amlodipine has been worse than the last. I now feel an unshakable sense of dread. My head is stopped up. I can’t taste or smell. I have a headache that will not go away, facial flushing, brain fog, depression, and very high anxiety. IT. IS. NOT. WORTH IT. I noticed the initial symptom of lightheadedness on day 3. It was like I hadn’t eaten (even though I had) and I stood up too fast all the time but even worse when I actually stood up too fast. I will immediately switch back to Nifedipine and then make the lifestyle changes necessary to wean off of BP meds hopefully for the rest of my life. They are awful. I tried to stop taking it but my blood pressure shot up to 162/91. I’ve never seen my top number that high EVER. So I took my Amlodipine because I was scared and as I had guessed everything just got way worse from there."

• Jun...
• November 18, 2018

For High Blood Pressure "I have been taking Amlodipine Besylate 10 mg for over 6 years now and the worst side effects have been: heart pounding/palpitations, fatigue, and increased anxiety. I also noticed that my problems were noted when the manufacturer changed to Teva. When the manufacturer was Camber, problems were not noticed. For several years, I take Metoprolol XR and Hydrochlorothiazide with no problems. I stopped taking the Amlodipine Besylate 10 mg over 3 weeks ago and have noticed that my energy level has increased, anxiety lessened, and heart pounding decreased. My blood pressure has been about the same as when I was taking the Amlodipine Besylate, so I plan to discuss this with my GP. I feel there are problems with this medication and hope that with numerous complaints/concerns it will be further investigated."

• col...
• July 25, 2015

Amlodipine for High Blood Pressure "I hate Norvasc! It made my blood pressure worse. I was always borderline with my blood pressure. It didn't help that I work nights and my diet isn't the greatest. My doctor wanted me to try this medication for a month to see if my blood pressure would lower. Within a week, my blood pressure, which usually hovers at 140/80 with a pulse of 80, shot to a ridiculous 200/98 with a pulse of 98. My blood pressure always spikes around the evening. My anxiety worsened, and I got headaches. This medication does not work for me, and I am not going to be tricked into staying on it longer."

• Mai...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 8, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "I was diagnosed pre-hypertensive with some spikes, so we put me on 5mg amlodipine. For the first 6 months, it was great. Then the anxiety started to pick up after year 1. Then by about 18 months in, I was REALLY anxious. Couldn't sleep, couldn't concentrate. I noticed muscle tics all the time, heart palpitations, more joint pains, memory loss, and more. Dr. Google helped feed this obsession, and I had myself convinced I had contracted some fatal condition (ALS, MS, etc...). After every specialist I could find, we decided it was anxiety. Then one day I read someone's account of anxiety and amlodipine. I asked my cardiologist, and we decided to try a switch. Today I am back to my old self. Even better because I added those other coping habits in. I write this not because amlodipine is bad. BUT, if you're like me and a few years in and dealing with anxiety, switch it out. Don't wait as long as I did. It's not a hard drug to move off of and onto something else."

• Leg...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 30, 2020

For High Blood Pressure "After reading a lot about the side effects of Amlodipine, I have serious concerns. I have foot issues and joint and neck pain, sweating, and flushing. Recently, I have felt very upset and anxious, I feel I have brain fog and have been feeling angry often. I started on these about a year ago at 5 mg, which then went to 10 mg. I have asked to try something else but worry that another medication will also have side effects. For my anxiety, I am offered another tablet. For my pain, I’m offered another tablet, it goes on and on. It concerns me how doctors keep giving me more and more medication."

• Mr ...
• August 26, 2015

For High Blood Pressure "I am a 24-year-old male with high blood pressure. I started Amlodipine back in October 2014, and it did an excellent job of lowering my pressure. I was perfectly fine taking 5 mg each day for the first several months. Then around June 2015, I started getting pains in my upper left and right chests, headaches began to hit me, and I began to develop an anxiety problem. I am typing this review three days after I have now stopped taking Amlodipine. The past few weeks have been worse than a nightmare for me - my anxiety has reached severe levels, the pains in my upper chest, shoulders, and forearms were becoming unbearable, I've been continuously nauseous for nearly two weeks now, had high-pitched ringing in my ears, and was completely depersonalized."

• KMG...
• December 9, 2018

For High Blood Pressure "I had been taking 10 mg of Amlodipine for close to 3 years. I had a lot of familial issues going on so the side effects I was initially experiencing I chalked them up to my body being overly stressed. Fast forward to October 2018 after several ER visits for chest pain and left arm weakness, I realized it was the medicine. I have been having horrible nightmares for the past 3 years as well where I am woken up out of my sleep and usually my teen comes running in my room to check on me because I wake them up as well. I have experienced severe anxiety which I never had anxiety issues before, heart palpitations (that had me thinking maybe I had A-Fib), leg swelling and left leg weakness/discomfort especially when I try to lay on my left side at night. I stopped taking Amlodipine at the end of October and switched back to HCTZ. Some side effects have lessened and I'm hoping they eventually completely go away. This drug was HORRIBLE for me!"

• tsb...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 22, 2024

For High Blood Pressure "This is my 2nd review of this drug. I've been taking it for 11 months now. I'm a retired professional in my 70s. What I have noticed is I did seem to have some arrhythmias and a feeling of anxiety. So instead of completely quitting, I decided to do a little trial and error. I wanted to know the half-life, how long it takes to take effect, and how long it takes for it to wear off. That would give me some information that I thought was useful. For me: 1) It took about 4 hours to take effect (including side effects). 2) The half-life seems to me (senior) about 48 hours. 3) It took me about 4 days to clean it out of my system. As a result of the above, I figured I was taking too much, too often, and so I cut my dose in half, and find that I can take the half dose every 48 hours without a problem. Seems to work for me. (Just sayin')"

• mud...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 25, 2021

For High Blood Pressure "I have been on 2.5 mg of this tablet for 4 months only at night and take perindopril in the morning. Last week, the amlodipine has been upped to 5 mg. It has not helped blood pressure at all and so many side effects from this tablet and perindopril, I get ringing in my ears, anxiety, which doctors just want to keep prescribing more meds for instead of changing blood pressure meds, dizziness, lightheadedness, muscle weakness. I've been on blood pressure meds for a year and now feeling like my life is ruined, these drugs have taken over my life. I can see that I am not the only one, so I will be going to the doctors on Saturday asking for a complete change once again, still trying to find one that works, so frustrating."

• joe...
• May 14, 2015

For High Blood Pressure "I was prescribed this medication and don't recommend it. I had insomnia when I was on it, and 2 days so far after. It gave me cramps, nerve pain, weakness/fatigue, lack of interest in doing anything. Anxiety, spasms, and it feels like the veins in the left side of my head have swollen. My left side of my throat and jaw stay mostly numb even 2 days off. If you are seeking advice on high blood pressure just watch your sodium intake. Most Doctors and Nurse practitioners that I've had met just seem to be pushers for the pharmaceutical companies."

• Cin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 13, 2023

For High Blood Pressure "It did lower my blood pressure when taken with my normal blood pressure med, Atenolol... but side effects are not good. Anxiety, trouble sleeping, fatigue, and extremely achy, crampy weakness in legs and arms... and it also gave me stomach issues. Luckily, my doctor let me stop it. Why is this drug on the market when it makes so many people miserable?"

• Mrs...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 31, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "I went on this drug, and about 3 weeks later started experiencing horrible anxiety, a feeling of 'buzzing' in my legs, eye pain, and weird sight experienced, etc. I’m talking about HUGE anxiety! I’ve never been a nervous person before. At one point, I thought I would end up in a nervous hospital! I switched meds, and now I feel like myself again. This drug was just awful for me, and my doctor wasn’t listening to me when I told her about my side effects! My quality of life was really going down the hill on this drug! I was jumpy, nervous, had terrible anxiety!"

• pat...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 27, 2023

For High Blood Pressure "I started taking amlodipine for high blood pressure in early 2021. My tinnitus became very high. I had severe stomach cramps and colonic pain, and felt lightheaded and dizzy. I also had brain fog, anxiety attacks, and was feeling very unwell. This was during the lockdown, and I could not get to my GP at the time. Because of the anxiety and severe pain, I did not attribute this to the medication. I would warn anyone taking this drug to stop!!! Amlodipine is a nightmare. I lost weight-2 stone-and was dehydrated. The medication actually aggravated my acid reflux. There is a warning that this medication can make acid reflux much worse. After ceasing the drug, I read it can take 250 hours, or 11.5 days, to clear the system. The drug also affects vision. I am now on felodipine 2.5 mg daily."

• Bis...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 7, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "I was prescribed this medication after I was unable to go more than a week on Lisinopril (10 mg). I figured this new medicine would be okay since it was only 2.5 mg. Oh my gosh, this drug is horrible. I feel like I am constantly in slow motion. I have fatigue and lightheadedness. I have what feels like hot flashes throughout the day and night. THE WORST is the anxiety. I have never dealt with anxiety before. I was in a store and I felt a chill run down my body. I felt clammy and hot, and I had to run out of the store. I could barely drive home. It was awful. I am going off this medication. I lasted 6 days. My blood pressure was in the high 30s at home before medication. I had a few high readings in the office because I was nervous. I am going to try diet and exercise. I am at a healthy weight and I don’t drink or smoke. This drug is evil! I had horrible dreams too!"

• Cab...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 11, 2015

Amlodipine for High Blood Pressure "I am a mid-fifty male post open heart (4 months ago) and stents (3 weeks ago). I have been on Norvasc 5 mg for about 10 days now as the predecessor drug's side effects were horrible. It has been very effective at lowering my BP (117/75). The side effects are still concerning. Dizzy, tired, maybe some depression & anxiety, slight problem with deep breathing and weak muscles. Although I can function normally, the day-to-day functions are an effort so I push through. The mornings (when I take Norvasc) are not as good as the afternoon when I feel better. I believe the side effects are getting better but am unsure. What I want is to be normal again and active. They say it takes a few weeks for the body to adjust. I'll give it its due course."

• Fra...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 1, 2016

For High Blood Pressure "My doctor put me on 10 mg of Amlodipine for high blood pressure. But he had to take it down to 2.5 mg because I was getting dizzy and had double vision. While it does bring my BP down, the side effects are just too much to handle. One hour after taking this medication, I get extreme anxiety along with headaches and not sleeping very well at night like I used to. I also noticed a lot of fatigue. I will be asking my doctor to take me off this medication and switch to something with less side effects."

• anx...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 24, 2022

For High Blood Pressure "I started taking amlodipine several months ago for elevated blood pressure. Now have extreme anxiety, jittery all the time, brain fog, extreme fatigue, and muscle cramps at night. The doctor dropped me to 5 mg from 10 mg, but the symptoms are the same, maybe even worse now. I will take myself off this med and try diet and exercise. Not worth feeling like this every single day!"

• anx...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 24, 2022

For High Blood Pressure "I started taking amlodipine several months ago for elevated blood pressure. Now have extreme anxiety, jittery all the time, brain fog, extreme fatigue, and muscle cramps at night. The doctor dropped me to 5 mg from 10 mg, but the symptoms are the same, maybe even worse now. I will take myself off this med and try diet and exercise. Not worth feeling like this every single day!"