Hi all,
Back in May I went to see my nurse for a well-man check up (I'm 45), all my stats were ok, although at the time I weighed in at 17st. BP came though at 180/120. I was immediately prescribed 5mg Amlodipine, and then over the summer went and lost 3st. September I was averaging 115/85. Gradually my weight crept up to 15st, which I wasn't concerned about, but last week the BP hit 170/110, so I went back to the GP. GP prescribed me doxazosin 1mg to go with the amlodipine, but told me come back and see another GP who 'had an interest' in cardiology.
GP 2 saw me, BP 155/105, and then told me to double both medications. Which I promptly did for a few days and the side effects were crazy. Headaches, palpitations, nausea.
I went back to GP1's recommendation, and average 130/99. It's that bottom number I'm struggling to get down. I'm trying out a no-salt week's worth of diet to see what happens there.
Any other suggestions?
Blah, the salt reduction should help, as will drinking plenty of fluid whilst at the same time avoiding too much caffeine (coffee, chocolate, caffeinated tea) and including a good daily walk. And, most important, avoid stress.
Blag - simple really you are too heavy, and at 45 wow you are exactly the right age for more serious issues to start showing themselves up.
Simple really - get rid of the junk, NO biscuits, NO beer, No softdrinks, No chocolate, NO chips, or food cooked in Oils, with time you will be able to cheat, but now you know what works, your cheating will be more controlled.
Husband and I have joined a weight and fitness group, rather than weightwatchers international, its a fun group with everybody encouraging each other, show and tell from the one's who have lost weight, to be honest some of them were huge, and lovely and slim now, great inspiration.
This sounds goofy to me... you were well within normal ranges at one point and then you were referred to another doctor. WHAT? Get a third opinion outside of the medical practice that is prescribing Rx etc. Sometimes doctors have a field day with patients. They will have you jumping through hoops taking Rx cocktails saying you will be fine but you feel like poop. Do you have a history of heart disease? Do you have some other cardiac issues? Good luck.
I forgot to mention there is a possible kidney issue floating about - my GFR was measured at 62 back in May, and the docs are now worried that it's gone under 60 - the normal range. They can't decide if it's a kidney issue causing the hypertension, or the other way around...bloods done, ultrasound next week.
blag, as far as high blood pressure and the kidneys are concerned, they can both impact on each other, ie if the blood pressure is high it can have a knock-on effect on the kidney function, and if there is a problem with the kidney function it can have an affect on the blood pressure - a bit of a vicious circle! Try and relax (difficult I know) and wait for the results of the latest blood tests and the forthcoming ultrasound - you and your doctors will then be better informed about what is going on and know how to treat it, if necessary. Good luck and do come back and let us know how you get on.
Hi Hi...
Part 1 done - the ultrasound was normal. Blood test results tomorrow. BP 120-130/95-100. I'm taking 10mg Amlodipine and 2mg Doxazosin, which is currently giving me really bad headaches, shivers, and at times palpitations.
Some good news to reassure you there with the clear US result.
Some BP pills can have side effects for some people but the good news is they can eventually resolve as the body gets used to them. Many people struggle on Amlodipine - my hubby is ok on a 5mg dose but not on a 10mg dose. I can’t tolerate it at all but then I’m no-one to go by as my body reacts badly to lots of medications - I’ve tried about 7 BP pills so far.
If your side effects don’t settle down, don’t leave it too long to tell the GP - there are loads of others to try.
Well, they changed my medication, back to 5mg of amlodipine and a Lorsartan 50mg instead of the Doxozosin. My kidney GFR was not below 60, as I'd feared, but was up at 76.
Time for the diet to kick in, and the worrying to stop.
Great news, blag, and long may it continue to be so.
April update, if anyone's interested
Couldn't take the Amlodipine 10mg, so stuck with 5mg which I take in the morning, as well as the Losartan 50mg which I take at night. Now getting 30-45mins cycling every day, which has an interesting effect, my BP goes down to 110/82 when I take it an hour or so after coming home, and it stays low. This is lower than it was when I just took the amlodipine 5mg on it's own and was down at 14st. So positives there.
Negatives are the side effects of the Losartan. Palpitations after taking it, insomnia, pins and needles in my hand, and fatigue like I've never encountered. I took the dog for a walk yesterday morning, and then promptly feel asleep for an hour. Mrs Blag also thinks I'm encountering mood swings...she's probably right.
I'm going to experiment with 25mg of Losartan for a while to see what effect that has regarding the side effects, maybe I'm overloading on potassium with this tablet and the DASH diet that I'm sticking to...I dunno.