Amlodipine: does anyone have any experience of this, please?

[PrincessFiorimonde]

DP has high blood pressure and for the last several years he has been prescribed various tablets to control it. For the last year or so, he has been on Losartan, which seems to have helped. He saw a new doctor yesterday, who said (basically) that Losartan is yesterday's news and so he prescribed Amlodipine instead.

Can anyone tell me, please, if they have any experience of Amlodipine, and also tell me if it helps more than Losartan?

I would be grateful for any comments. Thank you!

[littleshinyone]

it's not really that one's better than the other, but how they affect you.

If amlodipine gets a similar result to losartan, it'll be saving some money, but getting just as good results in terms of blood pressure and risk of complication such as heart trouble.Losartan is a slightly different (but more expensive) class of medication that work via a similar pathway to meds such as elanapril, ramapril, so i'd expect that he's tried these and had sideefffects from them?

if he has other health problems like kidney problems or has had recent changes in blood tests, there may be more specific reasons for changing his meds.

On the whole, i would personally be as happy with amlodipine as with losartan, the most noticeable sideeffect for many people is swelling of the ankles, so don't be alarmed, but mention it to dr if he notices it.

hope that helps. good luck.

[PrincessFiorimonde]

Littleshinyone, have only just seen your response. Thanks for taking the trouble to post; sorry not to acknowledge it sooner. Interesting about the cost of the drugs. No he hasn't had Elanapril or Ramapril before, I think. He's a bit worried about the potential swelling of the ankles, I know (doctor warned him about this). I guess he'll just have to see how it goes.

Thanks again.

[littleshinyone]

very strange to be started on losartan straight off without trying the others first. First line would be either amlopdipine or elanapril etc really...

it might take a bit of juggling... also just thought, a benefit of amlodipine is not needing blood tests with an increase in dose (which might help it!?) but all in all there's no reason to expect sideeffects with either, and the most important thing is the impact it (as well as lifestyle things like diet, alcohol, exercise) has on blood pressure...

[PrincessFiorimonde]

Poncey and Footle - thanks for your comments. It's reassuring to know that things with both your DHs are ok - especially about the fell-walking! My DP is worried about the possibility of swollen ankles, as he already has problems with swollen joints (rheumatoid arthritis). He did say this to his GP.

Littleshiny - DP was on something before the Losartan, but I can't remember the name. I know it wasn't the 2 drugs you mention (I Googled them to check this), but thanks for suggesting it.

I'm a bit concerned, because a couple of years ago DP's previous doctor prescribed him a drug for his high blood pressure. Then, when DP saw another doctor in the same practice, they said, 'Mr X, why are you taking that drug? It will thicken your blood - but what you need is something to thin your blood!' In other words, he had been prescribed the wrong drug. And this mis-prescription might have killed DP. So that experience rather undermined our faith in GPs. (Even though DP has since ditched that GP and registered with another practice.)

This was a while ago, but I guess I might be overly concerned about a possible mis-prescription once again. Hence my concern about this Amlodipine, I suppose.

Sorry to drone on at you all, and thanks again for all your responses.

[IslandMoose]

I was on amlodipine for a while but it really made by ankles balloon. First thing in the morning they would be fine, but by evening I could barely walk on them.

My current cocktail of blood pressure meds includes lisinopril, atenolol ( a beta-bloacker) and doxazosin. Ultimately, however, it seems to be a question of trial and error to find what works for the particular patient with the least adverse side-effects.

Hope your DPs current meds turn out ok.