Once more, we're on the same page, @rozalia. I quit amlodipine for reasons of swelling feet and ankles. I had used calcium-channel blockers before without such problems, but after a-fib the swelling began. Fortunately, a-fib sped up my heart rate so I had room to use Carvedilol, a beta blocker that slows the heart rate. Spiking BP in the late afternoon is common when meds are not split between morning and afternoon. I take mine in about equal doses after breakfast and after dinner (with food as directed). Lisinopril, however, is a bedtime med along with Coumadin and a baby aspirin. Using the 24-hour BP monitor one day, I found my BP ran around 138/90, but spiked to 150/90 for no apparent reason; it jumps around a bit all day, and that's not unusual.

I haven't felt like walking away from my doctors (except for a couple of cardiologists who didn't know much about BP). My nephrologist bored in on the cause of my hypertension and, with the help of an endocrinologist, found an inherited kidney defect; that discovery will probably extend my life. I get up in the morning now and ask myself, "What am I going to do for the next 20 years?"

I told my primary she had to change the amlodipine because of the swelling. Swelling causes damage to the blood vessels so it had to go. She agreed after a discussion regarding damage and the need to wear therapeutic support hose some day. I don't think it had occurred to her.

I was just diagnosed with stage 3 kidney disease yesterday. I, too, swell from amlodipine. That confuses me because I’m not sure what swelling is due to kidneys or the pill.