Q. I know that hypertension can kill you, but my blood pressure medicine nearly killed me. The beta blocker atenolol slowed my heart rate so much I could barely move.
Then I was put on amlodipine. My ankles and feet swelled up so I needed to buy new shoes. I stayed on the drug until I suffered a heart attack.
I later learned that this drug may cause heart failure and irregular heart rhythms. I’d like a more natural way to control my blood pressure. Do you have any information that might help?
A. A large study confirmed that amlodipine (Norvasc) is associated with a higher risk of heart failure (American Heart Journal, Jan. 2007). Fluid retention is a common side effect of the drug and also a symptom of heart failure.
The Guide to Blood Pressure Treatment we are sending has many non-drug recommendations as well as a discussion of pros and cons of various medications. In heart failure, the heart can’t pump blood adequately throughout the body. Other symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath and persistent cough.
