BS: high blood pressure

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 07 Feb 13 - 01:51 PM

Thank you ChanteyLass.
I know an elderly lady of 86 who lives alone and has never married. She's a bit of a property tycoon and owns many lettings in the Norwich area, which she manages herself. She's fiercely independent, and totally admirable. She goes for annual check-ups at Spire (private health care) and for the last several years her BP has been near 200 over 90. She refuses to take any medication for this (I don't know why she bothers with the check-ups!) and declares that this BP is normal for her and who's to say otherwise?

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: GUEST,Lighter
Date: 07 Feb 13 - 08:18 AM

For most people blood pressure varies significantly, even from moment to moment. So if you eat a particular food and check your pressure a little later, it could be higher or lower without any connection to the food.

It could go lower especially if you're confident the food will work, because you could be more relaxed next time you measure.

What makes "real" hbp a problem is that it's too high most all the time.

Doctors don't usually diagnose hbp unless they've seen it consistently high over some period of time.

My personal experience and belief is that diet and exercise are extremely important, particularly in the long run, but special foods and supplements by themselves won't help much. The studies that support them are usually small and inconclusive, but the supplement companies and the media boost them to the skies for the obvious commercial reasons.

Doctors don't know everything, but your own physician is your best source of advice. He's "selling" care and expertise, not bottles of super-duper capsules.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 06 Feb 13 - 11:17 PM

Good luck with this, Eliza!

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 06 Feb 13 - 06:19 AM

Oh crumbs, had a hospital appointment with a consultant gastro-enterologist last week. The nice nurse decided to take my BP and test urine for diabetes. The good news - not diabetic. The bad news - BP was 186 over 90. Gulp. But the consultant shrugged and said not to worry too much(??!!) My ever-doom-laden-doctor-sis was shrieking down the phone that evening. I'll die of a stroke at any moment, my kidneys are packing up as we speak, my arteries must be thick with fat, my heart will stop etc etc. So I suppose I'll have to see my GP and get some tablets or something. Sometimes my sis can be a pain, but she means well.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: gnu
Date: 05 Feb 13 - 09:02 PM

16 cherries... two hours later... significant bp drop.

Anyone else?... with any other foods?

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 09 Mar 12 - 11:16 PM

I don't know anything about onions and blood pressure, but I do know foods rich in Vitamin K (usually green leafy veggies but also onions and green tea which of course is made from leaves) affect blood clotting. People who take warfarin are supposed to eat the same amount of those at the same times daily. (Right!) The more they eat, the less warfarin they need. I don't know if those foods could also affect BP.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: Janie
Date: 09 Mar 12 - 10:18 PM

Not sure is bp is measured in the same units in Canada as in the USA, gnu, but those numbers look really, really good to me.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: gnu
Date: 09 Mar 12 - 06:45 PM

Good to know, Greg.

Mum told me oatmeal is another food that will reduce blood pressure. She's 85 and she oughta know.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: Greg B
Date: 09 Mar 12 - 05:13 PM

Foods high in potassium help lower blood pressure, and more important, stabilize it. If you're on a diuretic such as hydrocholorothiazide (HCTZ) to reduce your bp, it becomes even more important to keep your potassium intake up, as HCTZ flushes out potassium along with the sodium that you want it to. In fact if you lose too much potassium, your bp will go up and/or become unstable.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: gnu
Date: 09 Mar 12 - 03:36 PM

Well, well, well... it wasn't bad. Well, the dystolic was for one day. It was 74 the day before the 115/82. I had salad with salad dressing, steak (and I gotta have salt on my steak), mushrooms and onions for supper and for "snack" type meals two days in a row. 105/56 and 102/57. Anyone else do "the onion thing"?

I am gonna keep track of my blood pressure AND the food I eat from now on. Also, I am gonna try to investigate this "onion thing". Anyone else know of such foods that might influence BP in a positive way?

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: gnu
Date: 14 Aug 11 - 01:19 PM

"You made clear that it is not a question of lack of providers in your area..."

I am at a loss again. There is ONE provider. A corporation set up by and funded by the provincial and federal governments.

If you don't like your family doc, you can go to an "after hours" clinic. They are jammed because there are not enough family docs. If you want see a specialist, you need a referral from a GP. Here's how that works, by example. Referral by my family doc on July 13, 2009. Saw ENT June 2, 2010. Operation June 14, 2011. And she is a GREAT doc. Here's why I asked for her....

That was the fastest referral available because she is the new kid on the block. The second fastest referral would have been with the ENT that was VERY upset with me when I told him that I had moved a stone in my parotid gland from just forward of my ear to just forward of the jaw muscle by massaging it. He said, "No." with a scowl and pronounced it a node. I was treated very poorly after that because that just could not happen and I was obviously lying or delusional... Beer, a Mudcatter you may know of was visiting me and saw me do it. Yes, it was a stone and the subsequent problems that arose from the misdiagnosis were nasty and could have been avoided.

I shant go into any more detail. Fact is, ya don't piss them off on accounta you don't HAVE a choice.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 14 Aug 11 - 09:07 AM

Rumncoke said "I am a little dumpy grandma, but ..."

Little dumpy grandmas are sort of special.(?)

Within the past year or so there has been some increase in attention paid to differences in female vs male characteristics and responses to cardovascular health. The tendency has been to assume that the experience with treating males is typical for all, but recent opinons based on limited studies have lots of practitioners "a bit confused." (The tendency to lump everybody together could be because men "whine more about their heart conditions" so they've gotten more attention?)

It is fairly typical for females, at any age, to be less susceptible to "high blood pressure" than for males, when the "male standards" for "high" are applied to both. The numbers are lower for "typical" women than for "typical men," but there's been little attention given to whether what's considered "satisfactory" in women should be different than the "satisfactory" in men.

There is a significant amount of evidence that says that women don't show the same symptoms as men when a "cardiac event" (heart attack) occurs. This is cited as the reason why fewer (percentage-wise) women survive a first attack. Doctors simply don't recognize what's happening because they've been trained to expect the "typical male symptoms" and "women are different."

There is an apparently growing "opinion" that cardiovascular damage can typically occur at lower bp elevations in women than in men. There's a lot of debate about whether testing/data support the opinions, but there probably is a real shift in opinions.

It appears that elevated bp in women may be slightly more likely to result in a "stroke" than in men, while in men it's most often the heart.

Others here have discussed the hazards and benefits of alcohol. There really has been little change in the prevailing opinions here, but there have been shifts in what kind of emphasis should be given to the various aspects of the subject by the medical profession. Some common alcoholic beverages, particularly red wines, are credited with containing "antioxidents" (a.k.a whatever your advisor wants to claim is in 'em) that can be helpful.

The alcohol by itself, in any drink, can have an apparently benficial effect on bp in moderation, but can be damaging in excess.

An effect with more than minimal consumption that is well documented is an increase in the triglycerides in the blood. There is lots of discussion about increasing the HDL (high density lipoproteins) and lowering the LDL (low density lipoproteins) as being beneficial to cardovascular health, but any elevation in triglycerides can be damaging. Some opinon is that this effect gets less attention than deserved because there are few "treatments" effective for specifically/separately controlling it. (If you ain't got a pill for it, don't worry about it(?).)

While it's best to start being healthy at an early age, at a certain point nearly all of us reach the point where we really need a carefully and regularly managed program for maintaining what we've got left. As for deciding what's the "best" thing to do, about all that we can do is to work with the best advice we can get now and promise to watch the news for new developments while we hang on.

It ain't easy getting old(er); but it ain't all bad either.

John

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: Jack the Sailor
Date: 14 Aug 11 - 01:32 AM

Not anywhere I lived in Canada.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: Janie
Date: 14 Aug 11 - 12:17 AM

Still trying to come to grips with your perception that to partner with your medical provider, or even to ask basic questions puts having medical care at risk. You made clear that it is not a question of lack of providers in your area, though it may still be a question of choice regarding access to care. Is that that typical of the Canadian system of care?

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: gnu
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 07:57 PM

Hahahahaha. Makes quite a party hat!

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: Jack the Sailor
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 07:35 PM

>>

Right... perhaps oveyears, But on an evening, it has quite the opposite effect.<<

I think I know that effect. Don't get excited. It just means you are too drunk to put the cuff on properly.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: Rumncoke
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 06:54 PM

I always enjoy watching the expression on the nurse's face as she takes my blood pressure and finds it to be in the 'ideal' range.

A young buck at a gym once decided that his testing device had broken because it showed I did not have high blood pressure.

I am a little dumpy grandma, but I eat low carb, don't add salt to my food, avoid processed foods, get about on a bicycle and play on my trampoline in the garden.

In the past there have been people who have told me that they would rather be dead than give up eating the sugar and flour part of their diets, which is a good job, because they are.

I have my own BP measurer, they are quite cheap - and if I had found my results were higher than normal I would have been round to the doctors like a shot. My father had circulation problems which kept him from working for years and eventually resulted in his death.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 04:21 PM

They're now saying that moderate alcohol consumption reduces the risk of a heart attack. But they're always changing their tune. First a thing is terribly bad for you, then we should all be eating or drinking it. I wish they'd make up their minds. I was thrilled the other day to read that butter is actually good for you, as I eat loads of the stuff, much to my sister's horror!

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: gnu
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 04:07 PM

Right... perhaps over years, But on an evening, it has quite the opposite effect.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 04:01 PM

A max of 2 units a day (for men) can lower BP a little. But more than that significantly raises it.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: gnu
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 03:55 PM

"Having more than three drinks in one sitting temporarily increases your blood pressure..."

Huh? Quite the opposite.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 03:49 PM

My BP is 'borderline' (152/90). My GP is monitoring it every month, but she said that meanwhile to lose some weight and take more exercise is never a bad idea. I was moaning to my sister (a doctor up in Scotland) on the phone, saying I hope I wouldn't need medication. She was very stern, and pointed out that untreated high BP can end in a whole lot of bad trouble, and that having a stroke could 1) kill me or 2) leave me seriously handicapped for life. Also, high BP damages the kidneys (which I didn't know). She made me promise I'd accept meds if the doc. deemed it necessary, and I think she's right.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: bobad
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 11:47 AM

Re alcohol and blood pressure, from the Mayo Clinic:

Does drinking alcohol affect your blood pressure?
Answer
from Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D.

Drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure to unhealthy levels. Having more than three drinks in one sitting temporarily increases your blood pressure, but repeated binge drinking can lead to long-term increases.

Heavy drinkers who cut back to moderate drinking can lower their systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading) by 2 to 4 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and their diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number in a blood pressure reading) by 1 to 2 mm Hg.

If you have high blood pressure, avoid alcohol or drink alcohol only in moderation. Moderate drinking is generally considered to be:

    Two drinks a day for men younger than age 65
    One drink a day for men age 65 and older
    One drink a day for women of any age

A drink is 12 ounces (355 milliliters) of beer, 5 ounces (148 milliliters) of wine or 1.5 ounces (44 milliliters) of 80-proof distilled spirits.

Keep in mind that alcohol contains calories and may contribute to unwanted weight gain — a risk factor for high blood pressure. Also, alcohol can interfere with the effectiveness and increase the side effects of some blood pressure medications.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: gnu
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 11:34 AM

"Sometimes, it may lead to better info on what to ask your doc, etc."

Well, that was the point of my post.

JtS... you forgot "quit smoking".

I forgot "quit drinking beer."

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: Jack the Sailor
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 11:07 AM

Lose weight, less salt, most importantly cardio-vascular exercise, if you are well enough.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: MikeL2
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 10:50 AM

Hi BWM

<"Talk to your GP - that's what he/she is there for. You know it makes sense! ">

I am with you 100% on that.

cheers

MikeL2

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: katlaughing
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 10:47 AM

As he put it, "If you go on a website and look up every condition on there, you will convince yourself that you're dying from at least 50% of them".

In the USA, all you have to do to do that is watch television, ever since they started allowing adverts for prescription meds!;-)

To be fair, there are some very good, legitimate medical websites including WebMD which also provides a magazine to most docs' offices and the Mayo Clinic website is good, too.

While it's true, it is important to speak with your doc, friends do often talk about their own experiences and sometimes that's all they want to do...just share. Sometimes, it may lead to better info on what to ask your doc, etc.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 09:42 AM

My Hypertension is not extreme, so I have a 6-monthly BP check, as well as my annual Diabetes MOT (BP, HBa1C, cholesterol, weight, 'tickle-test' on my feet, etc.). That's all, and my BP is always (as the practice-nurse puts it) 'Spot-On'.

My GP's attitude to Internet-DIY medicine and 'medical self-help books' is that the websites should be closed down and the books burned - they serve only to cause alarm amongst medically-untrained patients who don't properly understand the full ramifications of what they're reading. As he put it, "If you go on a website and look up every condition on there, you will convince yourself that you're dying from at least 50% of them".

Talk to your GP - that's what he/she is there for.

You know it makes sense!

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: MikeL2
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 08:49 AM

hi

I live in the Uk and I don't know much about Us Health provision and even less about Canuk.

Over here I have been on BP medication for several years.

The process here ( free) is the GP (doctor) prescribes medication and reviews it monthly for six months. During this time any changes to medications will be made.

I now attend six-monthly reviews when I have everything checked out. A week before I go I fill out a daily monitor sheet that means I take my BP three times daily - early morning; mid-day and late evening. I take the results with me and first a triage nurse checks my BP. Then if she has any concerns I see the doctor who analises them. He then takes my BP himself and as a result he makes any changes if necessary.

This goes on every year. I have had occasion to take an extra medication and sometimes a stronger dose.

My doc tells me that my BP target is about 140/80 and by and large I achieve this.

As others have said here it does vary at times due to numerous reasons.

The same kind of treatment and review occurs for cholesterol as well.
The reviews are more about checking the the levels are consistent with the Government targets. These have been to constantly reduce the C levels. We are now down to about 4.8.

As I say this is all free. I even can use my free bus pass to get to the surgery !!!

Cheers

MikeL2

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: Jack the Sailor
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 08:27 AM

Its hard to figure out, but as Kat implied medications have side effects. Maybe the Doc was trying to minimize those. It is weird that he wouldn't tell you why though.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 08:19 AM

"Ahhh... I did, I did and I did. (Lost a hundred pounds.)"

Jeez, gnu, it's a miracle you've got any blood pressure at all!
I lost 80, and I thought that was seriously extreme!

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: gnu
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 06:32 AM

"First, see a doctor. There are effective medications which work almost instantly. Second, exercise and if necessary lose weight."

Ahhh... I did, I did and I did. (Lost a hundred pounds.)

"... at least in your area, which I gather is rural..."

Ahhh... one of the largest hospitals in the province is less than a two minute drive from me. Another large hospital (the "French" hospital) is about a ten minute drive.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 06:01 AM

LOL! I surrender! :-) :-)

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: Rusty Dobro
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 03:11 AM

There's no way I'd get my medical advice from a bunch of mostly retired, neurotic, pot-smoking old hippies. :-) :-)

At least we got to be old, so we must know something!

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 02:30 AM

Why on earth would anyone ask here for medical advice? Do you go to your doctor advice on how to tune your guitar, or information on the tune to a song? Duh!

It's your life, your health FFS. Ask an expert, not a bunch of well-meaning amateurs. Get face-to-face advice from a qualified doctor, who can make a proper assessment of your condition taking into account all relevant factors.

There's no way I'd get my medical advice from a bunch of mostly retired, neurotic, pot-smoking old hippies. :-) :-)

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: katlaughing
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 01:50 AM

If you actually read the whole data sheet, you'll not want to take any of it, ever, imo!:-)

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 12:48 AM

re - the PDR.

I've kept a reasonably current copy of the PDR close at hand for a couple of decades, but haven't blown the $90 (US) (current last time I looked) for the latest one, because it's not really as essential as previously.

In the US, every prescription dispensed must be accompanied by a "drug fact sheet" that very closely replicates the current PDR information on the drug. Some are in "fine print" that I find convenient to scan so I can "blow them up" on screen, but it is a very good idea to actually read them all carefully and to check new ones when you get a refill or any new prescriiption, because occasionally there are changes.

Online, you can look your drugs up - at PDR.net, but you may not be aware that there is a "consumer version" and a "physicians version" of the online PDR. If you're relatively unsophisticated you may find the consumer version helpful for its simpler language, but if you really need to know something you'll want to be sure you get it from the "real (Physicians) one."

Although I haven't looked for it on line, there also is a "PDR for Herbal Remedies" if you want information for such things. This one is sparse on recommended uses but is "authoritative" with respect to known side effects and interactions with other drugs - both with other herbals and with pharmaceuticals you may have had prescribed.

In the US, if you actually read the data sheet that comes with each Rx, you should be well informed about what you're taking. If you don't get the data sheet with an Rx and need an alternate source for what it would say, the PDR (Physicians) is the one you want.

John

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: Jack the Sailor
Date: 12 Aug 11 - 11:22 PM

I think you should probably listen to the doc. But asking him why he did it doesn't seem out of line if you express your concerns in a constructive way.

On the other hand, here in the US I don't trust doctors to do anything but squeeze every dime from me.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 12 Aug 11 - 09:04 PM

Cutting by a third might not be an option because they might not make pills in the right dosage.

I think you could consult the PDR (Physician's Desk Reference) to find out what dosages are available. Most libraries would have it, or you could check their web site: PDR.net. Warning: the language could be very technical—it's designed for physicians, not laymen. If you're not already familiar with the PDR, read the article at Wikipedia.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: Janie
Date: 12 Aug 11 - 08:57 PM

There is an element of thread drift here gne, for which I apologize - I'm also pondering the latest thread on USA healthcare.

Sounds like the guarantee of medical coverage, at least in your area, which I gather is rural, comes at the expense of choice.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: SINSULL
Date: 12 Aug 11 - 08:28 PM

First, see a doctor. There are effective medications which work almost instantly.
Second, exercise and if necessary lose weight.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: katlaughing
Date: 12 Aug 11 - 07:30 PM

In my case the kidney specialist has been cutting mine back due to too low BP, for a change, as in 70s/40s. He also said it had to do with how it effected my kidneys. Since we cut them back about a month and a half ago, my kidney function has improved and he's quite happy about it. There's lots more to it than just the BP, heart, etc. Well-oiled machine and all that.

Another thing, when mine was all over earlier this year when I was deathly ill, I was fanatical about checking it every hour or so. The docs finally convinced me once a day was enough, at the same time each day and to keep a record of it. I got in the habit of taking it before breakfast, before the morning meds., and still do check it on occasion.

I would keep a record for a week or two and see how it goes, though if there are any anomalies, too high, too low, get checked right away.

kat

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: gnu
Date: 12 Aug 11 - 07:28 PM

"... and if you have the option..."

Ahhhh, there it is. We have ONE medical provider. No options. Well, two... go without a "family doc" and see where you end up.

Seriously, you don't piss off a doc here... or a nurse. Definitely don't piss off a nurse.

"Perception." Well, I could tell you stories. Seriously, more than a few. Canuck health care here in NB ain't all Mikey Moore cracks it up to be. I have the scars to prove it... scars... scares... plural on both.

So, yeah, it's a fact... otherwise, I wouldn't have posted that.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: Janie
Date: 12 Aug 11 - 07:01 PM

Is that fact, gnu -or is that your perception? Or is that the case with your particular medical provider? If so, and if you have the option, consider changing medical providers. Medical care needs to be a partnership between the individual and the provider.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: gnu
Date: 12 Aug 11 - 06:48 PM

"quiz" a doc? Here? That could be suicide. Ya just don't piss off a doc in NB, Canada. Ya gotta know more than the doc and kinda ask him if maybe, perhaps, could it be...

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: Janie
Date: 12 Aug 11 - 06:40 PM

My second, "I dunno, gnu" in a row (see the gardening thread.) Seems like for a lot of people, getting blood pressure meds. adjusted is often very much a process (sometimes more or less continuous) of trial and error. May be a good idea to keep your doctor well informed and involved in the process, and to quiz him/her regarding their reasoning.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood pressure
From: Bill D
Date: 12 Aug 11 - 06:36 PM

The only way to decide is to monitor BP over time... it often changes due to stress, caffeine, work...etc. 110/70 is a good reading, but doesn't mean much as a single reading. I take one tablet in the AM, and am usually close to normal when tested.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood presure
From: gnu
Date: 12 Aug 11 - 06:00 PM

The doc cut my BP meds in half when I was last in... it was 110/70 at 7:45 AM. I read at various internut sites that "normal" is 90-120/60-80 but he cut the meds. I un-cut the meds when I read 145/89 @ 63bpm at 2:45 PM Aug 7. Took my second pill of the day at 6PM... 94/50 @ 65bpm at 8PM. Does that seem a tad low? Does anybody know?

I wonder. Why did he cut the meds in half? He did it once before and it "didn't work". Seems to me that the reason for the "low" BP (110/70) is because I was an extreme jock when I was a lad. How many 54 year old men have heart rate in the low 60s after years of smoking, overeating, and considering exercise as a good brisk sit with a cup of tea and a smoke... and having the odd ale?

Seriously, anybody have any first hand experience or actual medical knowledge about why 110/70 would be reason to cut the meds in half? Maybe cut them by a third and see what happens? Just seems odd to me. Especially because it didn't work the last time.

Subject: RE: BS: high blood presure
From: catspaw49
Date: 05 Dec 03 - 07:01 AM

For the most part, excellent advice. My BP was originally diagnosed 15 years ago with a 220/170.   That was scary. You may be in a situation where lifestyle be all you need.....maybe not. The first priority is to get it down NOW and modify things later, especially if it is quite high.

I have had a series of problems since then as most of you know but my BPhas always been pretty good thanks to meds and lifestyle change. Sometimesit takes a combination of both. Don't fight that. DO find the proper med or combination of meds at the ptoper dosage.

After my valve surgery, the Docs changed the meds I was on. Over time my BP began to rise again and as these were new "designer" meds, the dosage was difficukt to figure out. Eventually I was running at 180/110 and getting very worried. My GP and I started thinking and I tried to isolate when and why this had happened. I am on Vasotech and Coreg which are really fine meds, but they weren't doing it. They are newer and better versions of what I had before and the Coreg is a far superior beta blocker. And here is where it pays to know your meds.......We had eliminated ProCardiaXL for a number of reasons but it's primary function is as a calcium channel blocker. Tis function should have been compensated by the Vasotech, but my personal need for the calcium blocker was greater and simply by going back on the ProCardia, my BP went IMMEDIATELY back down to 110-120/70-80.

I have also spent time in the hospital with several people who were there simply because their Docs could not get the proper combination to work. That takes some close monitoring, but again, if that's the case, you do what you have to do. Do whatever you can to change your lifestyle into a better position but use the meds if needed and be sure you as well as the docs understand the function and dosages of each one and the possible side effects as well.

One more note on side effects....there are a lot and they differ from one to another. I do not do well on classic beta blockers but Docs love them as they DO offer protection to the heart. In my case, I discovered through trial and error that I couldn't do large doses as I couldn't BREATHE!!! When Coreg came out, it was heralded for a lot of things as each new "designer" med often is (designer med=an older med now updated and presumably more effective which becomes the drug of choice even if it isn't the right one). Well, for a change, this one worked as it has a beta blocker that does not affect the respiratory system nearly as much, virtually not at all.   So for me it's a good choice.

Also learn to take your own BP or get a reliable electronic unit that uses fuzzy logic. They are surprisingly accurate BTW.....even the less expensive wrist models.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: high blood presure
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 05 Dec 03 - 06:08 AM

If you don't drink, don't smoke, don't have sex, avoid fatty foods and salty things too - you may not actually live any longer - but boy oh boy it will really seem as if you do !

Men - if you do suffer from high blood preasure, avoid going to see "Dangerous Curves" as advertised in Breezy's Thread.