Dear Dr. Roach: I am a 77-year-old man in good health. I take 7.5 mg of amlodipine a day for high blood pressure. Since taking the medication, I have developed lower-leg swelling that is annoying. Are you aware of any adverse consequences from the edema associated with this medication? — L.B.

Answer: Amlodi­pine, like similar calcium channel blockers, works by relaxing blood vessels. This reduces pressure, but it can allow fluid to leak out of the vessels — and the fluid tends to be pulled down to the feet by gravity. People worry about it because foot swelling can be a sign of serious liver, kidney or heart disease. However, the swelling from amlodipine usually is just annoying and can be managed by raising the feet periodically or wearing compression stockings. Rarely, people can develop chronic skin changes, and if that’s the case, the medication needs to be changed.

Dear Dr. Roach: I am a relatively healthy 62-year-old male. I’ve been advised by my doctor to get the shingles vaccine, but I’m not sure that I should, considering that I don’t believe I’ve ever had chickenpox. — S.M.

Answer: This is a very common question. Most 62-year-olds have had chickenpox, but if you were young enough, the case may have been so mild that it was unrecognized as chickenpox. Even if you never had chickenpox, though, the shingles vaccine still is recommended; it’s a more potent version of the chickenpox vaccine.

Another question I get is whether someone with a history of shingles should get the vaccine, and the answer is that the vaccine is recommended in that case as well. Recurrent shingles is uncommon but not unheard of.

Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible.