Norvasc increasing blood pressure?

[ShinyJabberwocky]

I've been on 50mg of Atenolol for years, and it's done the job well enough. In the past six-eight months or so, I've noticed that my blood pressure has been having a hard time getting under 140/80. It gets under, but it doesn't stay there for very long. When I told my cardiologist, he said we should try to up my Atenolol. I declined to do so because Atenolol gives me brachycardia to the point where my pulse can be as low as the high 40s when I'm sleeping. I asked him if there was a medication that is commonly combined with Atenolol, and he suggested the generic for Norvasc, 5mg.

So I've been taking 5mg on top of my Atenolol for about a week, and I've actually noticed that my blood pressure has been a bit more elevated, not to mention I feel a bit crappy in general and anxious. I'm not sure if this is my body attempting to balance itself with the Norvasc but I never thought that it would make my blood pressure worse. In fact, I was afraid to take the full dose because the cardiologist said it might drop my blood pressure too low. That's obviously not the problem at this point.

Has anyone else had any adverse reactions to Norvasc?