Connect
Blood pressure meds and side effects
My doctor prescribed Lisinopril 40mg, Amlodipine 10mg and Metoprolol 50mg since March 2025. Side effects are for me diaharra every couple of days, ankle swelling, bad sleep and dreams, very sleepy during the day to the point I'm so tired, depressed and frustrated. Doctor says no real worry but I am to the point I'm thinking of cutting Metoprolol in half and maybe even Amlodipine in half. Doctor doesn't seem to help figure out how to fix my anxiety over the side effects.
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Heart & Blood Health Support Group.
Connect
Amlodipine was one I've taken for a while, and then also prescribed metropol, both in addition In addition to already taking Lisinopril. And,byes, have stomach cramps almost every day, diarrhea about 3 times a week, squishy gums, lack of taste and blurred vision.
Stomach cramps and diarrhea were not side effects of Amlodipine for me, Side effects of Amlodipine were just the swelling mostly in my ankles and some light fatigue. I should mention that I was on Rosuvastatin at the same time, which was causing fairly severe myalgia, and so I was switched to Praluent and Carvedilol (6.25mg 2x day) instead. Drug combinations can sometimes have different side effects. I had been on Lisinopril for several years previously with no problems or side effects whatsoever, but switched to Losartan a few years ago. This new combination of Losartan and Carvedilol so far appears to be helping to keep my blood pressure down within the normal range with no significant side effects; however, I recently (just last week) had to increase the Losartan from 50mg to 100mg 2x day to reduce blood pressure from the 140-150/70 range. Now, I'm getting some readings as low as 111/70, which could go lower, so I might need to back off on the dose of one of these drugs in the future.
One more thing. I changed from Amlodipine and Rosuvastatin at different times. The swelling went away when I stopped using the Amlodipine, weeks apart from stopping Rosuvastatin (which reduced much of the myalgia I was experiencing when walking any significant distance).
My doctor had me do a two week log of my BP readings at home. They were in the 129-150 readings and she said they weren't bad, yet they were in that same readings when she put me on the Metropol. My thoughts were I was sick from Feb thru March when my readings were high and I only assume they were high because I had an UTI and symptoms of covid or the flu. It is confusing and one big complaint I have is some doctors don't talk about a possible reason BP is higher. If we don't know the right question to ask we are left finding a support group like this one.
It seems like a "start over" of prescribing new prescriptions for our high BP would seem wise but taking away a med all at once after taking it for a while is not what I hear is smart . So how do we know what we're taking over a time, especially if our BP is going higher, isn't making BP worse because it's causing bad health in other parts of our body. I'm just tired of wondering what I should do or if my doctor is doing what's best for me.
After taking the combination of Lisinopril, Amlodipine and Metropopal in the morning,bI get so sleepy and it lasts most of the morning. I'll get swelling in one ankle one day, the other ankle another time as well as both ankles sometimes. I have squishy gums, very little taste if food, dry mouth and I dread drinking water because it almost makes me gag.
My guess (and purely a guess), is that some of your symptoms might be the side effects of Metropopal, or Metropopal in combination with other medications, especially the Amlodipine. I've taken Lisinipril with no side effects, and Amlodipine with some side effects (the edema that I mentioned, and a general feeling of not being my full well self). But I've never taken Metropopal. You could ask your doctor if it would be wise to substitute another beta blocker for the Metropopal, such as the one that I've been taking so far (Carvedilol) with no noticeable side effects. There might also be another suitable calcium channel blocker other than Amlodipine to consider, but that's just my layman's guess. Of course, everybody is different.
Everything you've said is helpful and more information then I've ever received from a doctor. Funny, but I've still not heard back from my doctor!
Please, what can be done for low BP?
Appreciated your comment here about Amlodipine and the ankle, feet swelling. I have very recently started with slight swelling in just lowering the dose amount slightly. Would seem like it should be the opposite (higher dose, more swelling?). Also a new to me cardiologist asking why I was on it at all. We can see over time that each MD has their own experiences with varied Rx and their patients' varied symptoms. Such complex challenges.