Swollen feet and ankles

I take amlodipine as well & was told my feet & ankles swell bcuz it is one of the side effects. They may be able to switch your b/p med. I tried lisinopril & had pinprick feeling w it. Metropolol made my hair fall out so sticking w amlodipine.

I have been massaging my legs, toes to torso, elevating my legs and "pumping" heel to toe movement to help circulation. If I sit awhile I wear compression socks. No diagnosis.

I was forced (very regretfully) to have to discontinue the only antidepressant that ever worked for me - NARDIL, an MAO inhibitor - because of serious side effects. (No, no hypertensive crises - I was diligent about my dietary restrictions).

I was crushed, and tried to continue the Nardil at a reduced dose, but even that was clearly endangering my cardiac health. I had severe pitting edema, especially in my ankles and calves (classic sign of water retention).

When I realized I was bringing on congestive heart failure, I finally relinquished the Nardil (and regained my severe depression 🙁 ).

Not that your problems stem from an MAO inhibitor, but just another example of how medications can cause this edema (and serious systemic dangers)* I'm sure there are other causal medicines.

Sorry if I missed such a reference, but aren't you prescribed a diuretic to reduce your water retention (besides, the obvious requirement of eliminating/reducing salt consumption)?

*I was VERY interested in the report on how amlodipine can cause this leg swelling even though I don't take it! Thanks for the heads up.

I have MCTD (akin to Lupus) and it seems like the swelling is more noticeable since I had to stop taking my NSAID (etodolac). I am on Zoloft, taken in the morning. You might inquire about 5-hydroxy gaba, which I was given from a local compounding lab/nurse pharmacist. The leg thing is a pain to deal with. I don't eat processed foods and cook low salt. I could be better about hydration. Like you, I am leery of adding too many more meds, and have been very stable for years. Nothing cardiac going on for me.

The good thing is when you go grocery shopping the amount of salt is listed. When I started reading the labels, I was so surprised to see how much salt is in foods.

I try to eat foods that are not processed and if I want seasonings, I'll use fresh herbs. We are blessed with basil, lemons, oregano, cilantro, etc. Nature has provided us with such wonderful flavors.

Hello, @adr

Thanks to your mentioning Amlodipine, I've since talked to my primary, and she has advised I stop taking Amlodipine, at least for a term, and instead double what I take of Losartan; also, to monitor my blood pressure and report back to her in a week or two.

You're so right about salt being in almost everything! I'm lucky: my partner is a great cook––from scratch, all natural ingredients––and neither of us eats processed foods. I became a careful reader of ingredients labels way back in 1976 when I read William Dufty's "Sugar Blues." Back then the shock was seeing how much refined sugar was in almost everything on the supermarket shelves.

Ray (@ray666)

@ray666 - I'm a 80 year old woman with new uncomfortable swelling of left foot & ankle. My internist ordered a pelvic ultrasound, suggesting my tendency to grow lipomas might have caused it. She also rx 10 mg/am of Lasix.
Another possible culprit is my varicose veins from chronic constipation (tortuous colon and adhesions). @john bishop's mentioning possible "congestive heart failure, kidney disease, and liver disease" weren't discussed.
Levothyroxine has a possible side effect of heart problems with edema but I've used it for about 35 years and the edema is new.
I hope everyone's ideas result in some good solutions for you and others.

Hello, @notmoff

What has puzzled my doctors––and why they have ruled out several possible causes of my swelling––is I have no pain and no varicose veins, just the swelling. I believe what made my primary give serious consideration to the Amlodipine as the culprit is my swelling first appeared not long after I started taking the Amlodipine.

Good luck––and good health––to us all!
Ray (@ray666)

@ray666 - Swelling of ankles and feet is high on the list of Amlodipine side effects. It is good to find the cause!

I can attest to Amlodipine being the culprit when one has tried eliminating all the more obvious causes of edema and pain. Takes time to be diagnosed but there are alternatives so push for discontinuing until success. Everyone reacts differently to each med...could be a combination of meds too. I’ve had problems with so many meds cardiologists prescribe for arrhythmias, blood pressure and congestive heart failure, but it is a relief to find the most workable regimen. I’ve taken gabapentin for pain
too with mixed results. If a new med is prescribed, I insist on buying a limited amount until I am sure it fits! Seems I’m not alone here on so many issues.