How Long Does Amlodipine Take To Clear Out Of The System After Discontinuing?

Posted on Tue, 24 Oct 2017

Question: I have taken Amlodipine Besylate 2.5 mg pills and have experienced severe side effects. Namely swelling of hands and feet, joints that are stiff and painful. It has been 8 days since i stopped taking the pills. How long will it take for this medication to clear out of my system?

Answered by Dr. Ilir Sharka (19 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
I would recommend as follows:

Detailed Answer:
Hello!

Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!

I understand your concern and would explain that leg swelling is a common adverse effect of amlodipine.

I agree with your decision to stop taking it.

Its effects on blood pressure may stay up to 3-4 days after stopping it.

Regarding its adverse effects, they may take up to a couple of weeks to disappear.

So, you should just wait patiently.

Instead of Amlodipine, I would suggest starting Hydrochlorothyazide, to help maintain a normal blood pressure. It has also a mild diuretic effect and can help reduce the swelling faster.

If the leg and hand swelling persists after this period of time, I would recommend consulting with your GP and performing some tests to exclude other possible causes of increased fluid retention:

- a cardiac ultrasound to investigate for heart failure
- blood electrolytes for electrolyte imbalance
- fasting glucose for diabetes
- kidney and liver function tests.

Hope you will find this answer helpful!

Kind regards,

Dr. Iliri

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar