Anyone here taking Norvasc or Amlodipine ?

[dieselgal]

If so do you have side effects? I started it 2 days ago and think I have taken my last one for sure. It appears to cause me restless leg. This is the second night of no sleep for me and as you can tell it is 2:29 in the morning and I am sitting here on the board.
Just curious if this is a common problem with this drug.

[mymontreal]

Hi dieselgal

I have been on 10mg Norvasc for about 3 years and have not noticed any real side-effects

Mike

[jsmythe]

Hi dieselgal,

I have been taking Amlodipine for well over a year now , and have not noticed any side effects of it at all. I also take Lisinopril with it. No problems, as of yet that is.

[Goofproof]

I have been taking it, AMLODIPINE (NORVASC) 5MG (1@DAILY) for 4 months along with COREG 25 MG (CARVEDILOL) (2)(1@ A.M & P.M), and ZETIA 10MG (1@DAILY), No side effects except some numbness of hands and feet, but I have Diabetes damage too. I get RLS, but not often or too bad. When it bothers me, I take a Members Mark (Sam's Brand) Calcium 333mg, Magnesium 133mg & Zinc 5mg (1)Tab and it ten minutes the RLS is gone. It's a very cheap fix and it works for the wife too. As far as the blood pressure meds, I think they drop it a little to low for me, but that's how the Cardio doctor wants it. Jim

[dieselgal]

I quit taking the Norvasc and the restless leg went away so I am very hesitant to try them again. Another thing is that I went online to check to see if others had restless leg on the pills and oddly I didn't find that symptom to much but I found many other horror stories! YIKES. It isn't a good idea to check online about a medication if you need to take it.

[mymontreal]

I quit taking the Norvasc and the restless leg went away so I am very hesitant to try them again. Another thing is that I went online to check to see if others had restless leg on the pills and oddly I didn't find that symptom to much but I found many other horror stories! YIKES. It isn't a good idea to check online about a medication if you need to take it.

So I'm curious what horror stories you found about Norvasc ?

I remember looking online last year & I thought it was one of the better BP medications in terms of side effects ?

Mike

[jules]

I would be curious if you are taking a generic version and who makes that generic. I have taken this med 5 mg twice a day for 8 years now. I get a little spacey if I do grapefruit juice (which I love) in excess and might have had a similar reaction with pomegranate juice (which I love even more). My liver has its own set of problems going back to early childhood so I can get spacey just on it not wanting to work right.

I get the generic med now but so far all I have received has been made by Greenstone which I believe is the generic company owned by the original manufacture. It is when that changes to an other brand/company I will get scared and might ask to change meds. I had some serious and strange reactions to another generic med last summer and I felt the meds were not only wrong strength but were tainted.

I haven't experienced any leg problems at night any more than I had prior to starting this. I do get "tendon" freezes - probably tarsal tunnel syndrome in streaks -- it is like carpal tunnel but affects the ankles and feet (toes) instead o the wrists and fingers. I might get a few more incidents of this now but I did start getting these "freezes" which increased when I started taking neurontin several years before starting norvasc.

[WearyOne]

Don't know whether this will help any. Seems leg pain, cramping, etcetera can be a problem. Although restless legs isn't mentioned specifically, it could be showing up in you that way.

This is from the site Drugs.com (http://www.drugs.com/mtm/norvasc.html)

Less serious side effects may include:
· headache;
· drowsiness, depression, nervousness;
· dizziness, spinning sensation;
· warmth or redness under your skin;
· nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, loss of appetite;
· diarrhea, constipation;
· urinating more than usual;
· sleep problems (insomnia);
· strange dreams;
· mild skin rash or itching;
· joint or muscle pain;
· dry mouth, thirst, increased sweating; or
· weight changes.


These are just some of the comments from people who have taken this drug.
(http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.a ... me=NORVASC)

…Swelling in legs…leg cramping…

…I also had swollen ankles and tingling in my lower legs which interfered with my standing for any length of time…

…I started getting swollen feet every night…pain in my legs. Turns out that it is the generic brand AMLODIPINE is causing these effects. Do not take generic stuff, no matter what they tell you. …

…tingling in legs; burning or heat flashes in legs and feet; tiredness in legs; feeling that somehow not enough energy getting to legs…

Pam

[nancynurse]

I take amlodipine and have been taking for over 5 years I have restless legs at night exactally at 8:30p.m. that lasts for about and hour then stops , I have noticed it will be unbearable when I take allergy medications.

[goose]

I've been taking Norvasc and now the generic Amlodipne for five or six years now -- along with Benazapril and Atenolol for BP...I have not noticed any adverse symptoms from any (I also take pravastatin for cholesterol along with a whole cocktail of stuff for various afflictions). I've heard others say the same about generics as well, but I've never had any problems with any of the generics that I've been given. (Knock wood!!!)

I take all of my BP meds in the AM as they seem to amp me up a bit and also have the diuretic effect (don't need that at bedtime!!!!).....

Here's the Side Effects listed in Wikipedia:

Side effects

Some side effects[1] of the use of amlodipine may be:

* Very often: peripheral oedema (feet and ankles) - in 1 of 10 users
* Often: dizziness; palpitations; muscle-, stomach- or headache; dyspepsia; nausea - in 1 in 100 users
* Sometimes: blood disorders, development of breasts in men (gynecomastia), impotence, depression, insomnia,
tachycardia - in 1 in 1,000 users
* Rarely: erratic behavior, hepatitis, jaundice - in 1 in 10,000 users
* Very rarely: hyperglycemia, tremor, Stevens-Johnson syndrome - in 1 in 100,000 users

cheers
goose

[spudz54]

HI noob here but not to cpap or BP meds. I've just switched to norvasc due to coughing that was believed to be caused by last BP med (Altace) Coughing much better. Now about those restless legs. I've been in Requip for that long before I started BP meds. I was going nuts with the jerking, jumping twitching. I am firm believer in Requip. Mine start @ 8:30 as well but don't go away unless medicated. I've tried biofeedback and there's no thinking your way out of it! I'm not happy being on any meds but not having problems with Norvasc.

[stone_d]

Howdy!
I'm new here, too, but not to Norvasc. Been taking the generic Felodipine for several years without any restless legs. But I also take it immediately before bed, so I don't know if that makes any difference. I was prescribed Felodipine as a generic equivalent, and the name similarity with Amlodipine (Norvasc) means they are from the same family of Calcium-channel blockers.

From drugs.com entry on Felodipine: http://www.drugs.com/mtm/felodipine.html
"Grapefruit and grapefruit juice may interact with felodipine. The interaction could lead to potentially dangerous effects. Discuss the use of grapefruit and grapefruit juice with your doctor. Do not increase or decrease the amount of grapefruit products in your diet without first talking to your doctor."

From the abstract of the paper "Interaction of grapefruit juice and calcium channel blockers": http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=17948475
"The grapefruit juice-calcium channel blocker interaction is one that has been known since 1989. The basis for this interaction has been diligently explored and appears to relate to both flavanoid and nonflavanoid components of grapefruit juice interfering with enterocyte CYP3A4 activity. In the process, presystemic clearance of susceptible drugs decreases and bioavailability increases. A number of calcium channel blockers are prone to this interaction, with the most prominent interaction occurring with felodipine. The calcium channel blocker and grapefruit juice interaction should be incorporated into the knowledge base of rational therapeutics for the prescribing physician."

Norvasc has no similar warnings, but my NON-MEDICAL advice is this: If you have ANY side effects from taking grapefruit juice, then DON"T DRINK IT!

I'm not sure what the interaction is but it could be counterproductive or worse. Food-drug interactions can and do have CRITICAL health implications!
And, as always, NEVER take ANY postings here as definitive medical advice - Check with your doctor for the final word.

We are good. We care. But we are not all medical professionals, and those who are are not acquainted with YOUR medical history.

best of luck.

[goose]

Well said stone_d!!!!!
What you get on the forum is opinion. Educated opinion, but opinion none the less....

To add to what was said in stone_d's post -- always consult your pharmacist also mprior to taking a drug -- especially a new prescription. If you're like most of us, you get ost of your pharmaceuticals from the same place so the pharmacist will have a list of what you are taking and can run an interaction request.
Doctors do not know drugs to the extent that pharmacists do!!!! They see the inserts, flyers and some will consult the PDR, but that's not their "specialty!!"
A few years ago I was prescribed 2 drugs that were totally incompatible and the pharmacist caught it, phoned the doctor for an adjustment. That phone call could have saved my life!!!! It was an "oops" on the doctors part......

Good stuff here as usual!!!

cheers
goose

[suzie619]

I've been taking Norvasc but I thinking I'm quiting I get swollen feet and ankles plus dry mouth.Not to metion really bad headaches dizzy all the time I thought this was to make you feel better but,not in my case I feel worse is there a better way to lower high blood pressure does anyone know?

[Goofproof]

Don't know whether this will help any. Seems leg pain, cramping, etcetera can be a problem. Although restless legs isn't mentioned specifically, it could be showing up in you that way.

This is from the site Drugs.com (http://www.drugs.com/mtm/norvasc.html)

Less serious side effects may include:
· headache;
· drowsiness, depression, nervousness;
· dizziness, spinning sensation;
· warmth or redness under your skin;
· nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, loss of appetite;
· diarrhea, constipation;
· urinating more than usual;
· sleep problems (insomnia);
· strange dreams;
· mild skin rash or itching;
· joint or muscle pain;
· dry mouth, thirst, increased sweating; or
· weight changes.


These are just some of the comments from people who have taken this drug.
(http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.a ... me=NORVASC)

…Swelling in legs…leg cramping…

…I also had swollen ankles and tingling in my lower legs which interfered with my standing for any length of time…

…I started getting swollen feet every night…pain in my legs. Turns out that it is the generic brand AMLODIPINE is causing these effects. Do not take generic stuff, no matter what they tell you. …

…tingling in legs; burning or heat flashes in legs and feet; tiredness in legs; feeling that somehow not enough energy getting to legs…

Pam

For the last two weeks I have been getting swelling in my left foot and ankle, saw the heart Dr and he cut the norvasc in half, still got some swelling but not quite as bad. It's in the leg they used for grafts when they replumbed my heart. Jim