Brief Answer:
Known side effect for amlodipine, seek advise.

Detailed Answer:
Hello Mr XXXXXXX and thanks for your query.

I shall make an effort to provide you with good professional recommendations specific to your questions.

You have rightly asked a very important question in this forum about the "FDA". USFDA like any other food and drug regulatory agency provides the guidance on the basis of scientific evidence presented in the form of human clinical trials. The internet on the other hand is an unregulated world which is mostly without the scientific evidence. The strength of evidence is what matters for a specific treatment to be labelled as acceptable or not. Doctors base their clinical practice in this regard on such regulatory agencies advise mostly. So, health claims on the internet is at the risk of the one who utilizes it and becomes his own doctor without seeking sound and legitimate medical advise.

Amlodipine does cause peripheral edema in about 10% of people using it. One way to reduce the same, would be to elevate the leg with a pillow at night time, and not standing for long hours. It should resolve in most cases and is not a long term problem. If persisting in spite of measures for long, then a discussion on the medication change will be meaningful with your physician.

Trimethoprim/Sulphamethoxazole (Bactrim) causing impaired kidney function is not documented numerically till date and does not feature in the category of common or moderately occurring side effects. Hence, this drug causing her condition looks remote.

Her diabetic nephropathy, for which her reduced function is looking more obvious. But, the aggravating cause needs to be looked into.

Your anxiety of getting her treated with other options like Naturopathy, is well understandable. But, I would strongly suggest you to talk options first with the treating nephrologist to help tide over the acute condition first. After she is stabilized, you may then keep him informed of any natural therapy you may wish to try. As reiterated earlier, the scientific evidence of any such treatments will be questioned when you fail to find the results. But, if there is really no harm in such an effort, I personally have nothing against such parallel treatments.

In any case, an open discussion with your primary doctor works best.

Let me know if I have missed out any other concern in your question.

Yet again, I duly appreciate your query to me, I do hope that you have found something useful to help you and I shall be glad to answer any further apprehensions.

Sincerely,

Dr Sujeet N Charugulla,
MBBS, MD.
Consultant Physician.

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