Side effects on blood pressure meds - Amlopidine and Ramipril

[tumpymummy]

Has anyone else had side effects from blood pressure meds, namely Amlopidine and Ramipril? I was prescribed Amlopidine end of March. Had one tablet then felt awful so didn't take anymore. Dizziness and feeling spaced out then lasted 5 days even though I didn't take anymore. So doctor prescribed Ramipril instead. It's taken a month to get hold of the medication. I started on a very low dose 6 days ago and now today I am feeling dizzy, fatigued, tingly from time to time in hand or lips and now a headache. Pharmacist was surprised I would have side effects on such a low dose but I now feel as awful as I did on the Amlopidine. Everyone else I know taking these medications say they feel fine. Do I continue taking the low dose Ramipril? I don't have a follow up appointment at the surgery until beg of June.

Amlodipine- huge puffy ankles.
Ramipril - cough 😷

How high is your blood pressure?

Sometimes side effects persist for a few days then improve or disappear completely, but if not, or if the side effects are intolerable (I think this is what you describe) then you should contact the surgery for an appointment soon (in the next week ideally) to discuss alternatives. There are quite a few others you could try.

If your blood pressure is only slightly higher than ideal, it might be better to change your lifestyle, so reduce your alcohol and salt intake, stop smoking (if applicable), take up regular exercise, lose weight, etc. Even if you take medication to control BP, lifestyle change is still very much recommended.

BP is around 140/72. Has been for approx 2 years. I've done all the lifestyle changes in that time, literally nothing else I can change. I am 58 year old female and blood pressure has risen with menopause.

This.

if you take amlodipine in the evenings, it reduces puffy ankles.

I don't have the puffy ankles or the cough. It's dizziness and feeling spaced out.

Honestly OP? I'd stick it out for two weeks and see what my blood pressure was doing and how I felt then.

Rampril the cough. Which i only realised from reading on here!!! Was driving me insane coughing through the nigh

I've been on ramipril for years, quite a high dose and if I don't take it now, I get an awful headache, even if I just miss one.

Has anyone wondered of it could be an allergic reaction? Maybe to the coating of the pills or something? It may well not be but it’s just a thought

On Lisinopril or similar name. Been on since 2019. 10mg dose.

Could your dose be too high OP? As your blood pressure without pills doesn't seem THAT high? I think your body needs to adjust to lower blood pressure but best speak to a GP.

I take my pill before bed. Actually helps me sleep. I'm post menopausal. One of my with perimenopausal symptoms was not sleeping so meds quite helpful.

felt nauseous on Bisoprolol when taken a.m. switched to p.m. and no side effects.

Yes me too.
Losartan works brilliantly for me though.

I have tried quite a few and Ramipril is the one with the least worst side effects for me. I can't even remember the names now but one of them gave me puffy ankles and another one made me completely spaced out, like the world was a soap opera on a tv screen far away.

Has your blood pressure been taken by a person (listening to a stethoscope) or just by a machine? I ask because my brother was prescribed blood pressure meds but he couldn't cope with them at all, he would feel faint every time he stood up for instance. It turned out that he had some sort of muscle tremor that the machine picked up as a pulse even when the cuff was very tight. When an actual person took his blood pressure it turned out that he didn't need any meds at all.

Also I always take my Ramipril in the evening although it's recommended in the morning.

What dose of ramipril are you on @tumpymummy? Try taking it at bedtime so the worst of the dizziness should be done by the time you get up. Dizziness should improve in first few weeks, do you take any other medication or supplements? Is there something that could be interacting with it?

Amlodipine - ankle swelling

I am on both.
I have recently (as in a couple of weeks ago) had to up the amount of Amlopidine and I have had several dizzy spells.
The first couple of days the world was very spinny but it's slowed down and I only get a tiny bit dizzy if I do something like bend down.
This apparently is a known side effect.
I think you should go back to your GP to discuss it - don't wait until June.

I've been on Rampril (fairly low dose) for years and l can't say l've noticed any side effects.
I do have a cough but l have asthma so it could be either.
I've always taken the Ramipril at night, when l started on it a pharmacist friend suggested that. She said that if you (potentially) get a drop in blood pressure if you're in bed it won't affect you as it would if you take it in the morning when you're up and about.

I had puffy ankles and a ring of red round them on Amlodipine so am now on Losartan which I find much better.

I was on both, I had no lasting side effects with Ramipril but Amlodipine then Felodipine both made my ankles swell. Pharmacist suggested I swap to Lercanidipine and it works well, with no swelling.
I did feel lightheaded at first but it wore off gradually.

I had the side effects you are describing with both of those. I'm now on a low dose of lercanidipine. It has its own side effects (facial flushing, acid reflux) but on the whole is much more manageable. It also helps with my Reynaud's.

I had the puffy ankles. Luckily I've been ok on Ramipril.

Amlodipine - swollen ankles - my dad was the same. I mean can’t-get-my-shoes-on swollen.
Ramipril - no side effects.
I take Felodipine with no side effects .