Conditions and symptoms
What Is Peripheral Edema? Why Medicines Cause Swelling
Peripheral edema · say it: puh-RIF-er-ul ih-DEE-muhAlso written: peripheral oedema, ankle swelling, leg swelling, swollen ankles
Short answer
Peripheral edema is swelling caused by fluid building up in the tissues, usually in the feet, ankles and legs, and sometimes the hands.
What it means
Peripheral edema is swelling from extra fluid in the tissues of the limbs, most often the ankles, feet and lower legs. Pressing the skin may leave a dent. It has many causes, including standing or sitting for a long time, heat, pregnancy, vein problems, heart, kidney or liver conditions, and medicines. Swelling in only one leg with pain or redness, or swelling with breathlessness or chest pain, needs prompt medical help.
Labels list it as a side effect of several medicines. Calcium channel blockers such as amlodipine commonly cause ankle swelling. Thiazolidinediones, some NSAIDs, corticosteroids, gabapentin and pregabalin, and some hormone medicines can cause fluid retention. On some labels, new swelling is a warning sign of heart failure getting worse, so it should be reported.
Edema just means swelling from fluid. 'Peripheral' means in the arms or legs, as opposed to fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), which causes breathlessness and is more urgent.
Where you may see it
- Leaflets for calcium channel blockers under 'Common side effects'
- 'Warnings' sections of thiazolidinedione and NSAID labels
- Clinic notes ('bilateral pitting edema')
📄 How it looks on a report
Peripheral edema was the most commonly reported adverse reaction and was dose-related.
🙅 What it does not mean
- Ankle swelling on a blood pressure medicine is not always serious, but it should be mentioned.
- It does not always mean heart failure.
- It is not usually a reason to stop the medicine on your own.
🗒️ Questions to ask your doctor
💊 Medicines whose labels mention “Peripheral edema”
Plain-English explanations of each medicine, from its official FDA label.
- Bisoprolol Fumarate
a beta-blocker, which the label describes as a synthetic, beta 1-selective (cardioselective) adrenoceptor blocking agent
- Gabapentin
An antiepileptic (seizure) medicine. The label also describes it as a treatment for nerve pain after shingles.
- Lisinopril
an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, a type of medicine that helps relax blood vessels to lower blood pressure
- Nifedipine
a calcium channel blocker of the dihydropyridine type
- Pregabalin
an antiepileptic drug, which is a seizure medicine that is also used to treat certain types of nerve pain and fibromyalgia
🔗 Read more from trusted sources
- “Peripheral edema” on MedlinePlus ↗
US National Library of Medicine
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