Can Discontinuing BP Medications Lead To Fluid Retention In The Ankles And Legs?

Posted on Tue, 24 Oct 2017

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 24 Oct 2017 Answered on

Tue, 21 Nov 2017 Last reviewed on

Question : I stopped taking blood pressure medication a couple of weeks ago as the Doctor felt my blood pressure may be okay without it. I now have fluid retention in my ankles and lower legs; they are puffy. I read that edema may be a result of congenitive heart disease. I have always had a bit of edema in my one ankle but it is now worse that I am off the medication. Should I be concerned about heart disease. I don't seem to have any other symptons of degenerative heart disease.

Answered by Dr. Bhanu Partap (16 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Needs cardiac evaluation

Detailed Answer:
Hello Sir

After going through the medical details provided by you I understand your concern for your health and I would like to tell you that the ankle swelling may or may not be due to heart issues. However Considering Your age group and history of hypertension it's advisable to get basic cardiac evaluation done in the form of an ECG and Echocardiography which will confirm the status of your heart function.

The other possible causes of this swelling can be a kidney problem or low albumin levels. For that part you can get few blood tests done like

1. Kidney function test
2. Serum albumin level

So I would like to suggest you to personally consult your doctor and discuss these possibilities with him.

I hope this information will answer your query.

Kind Regards
Dr Bhanu partap

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D