5. Medication
Medication has become the most common lower extremity edema offender, according to Podiatrists. It either comes as a cause or an aggravator of the edema condition, thus swollen ankles would be a side effect of the medication. For example, calcium channel blockers cause small blood vessels to dilate, thereby allowing fluid to leak out from the vessels into the ankle tissues.
Other types include hormone drugs such as estrogen and testosterone, steroids, antidepressants, and high blood pressure medication. Most of the time, the swelling triggered by medication is temporary; it goes away soon after the treatment course or after the medication is fully flushed out of the system. If it is a long-term medication, the swelling subsides when the body gets used to the treatment provided. Failure to do so, you should let your doctors know so that they change the treatment plan that your system will not reject.