high blood pressure

Heart health and blood vessels
1

Hi to you all, 

doctors has been trying to control my high blood presure,

tablets i have taken amoldaphine , Doxasin, felodipine,

tablets are classed as ace inhibitors 

unfortunately i have stopped taking them without telling doc, they have caused me to have extreme anxiety little sleep ,i know i have to take some kind of blood pressure tablet ,i am so scared of going back to doc 

 i am thinking of alternative tablets i am so desperate as to what to do next, doc  trust is now an issue with them

. i am also caring for my terminally ill partner where i need a clear head to tend to him

i am feeling despair as to what to do next in explaing to doc again i cannot take ace inhibitors 

Thank you for reading my post x

 

2

Hello.  Glad that you reached out to share.  It sounds like you have a full plate at the moment.  You probably need to check in with your doctor.  If you are uncomfortable telling your doctor or his nurse what you wrote in your post, print off the post and hand it the doctor.  Sometimes it is easier to explain your situation in written format.  You may also want to ask the doctor for a referral to a counselor-someone professional to talk with who can help you sort through your concerns and help you come up with a plan to manage the things on your plate.  Or visit your clergy for some emotional support finding the balance you need to keep everything in balance.  One step at a time i.e. touch base with your doctor first...  God bless you!!

3

Hi, sorry to hear about your partner. I took care of my mother and a very dear friend in the late stages of dementia. Different cases, but the stress levels can be similar so I can understand some of what you're going through.

First, and most important: what is your BP? Some doctors have strange ideas about what constitutes high BP.

It also depends on your age. These days medical opinion is generally becoming more tolerant of slightly raised BP after middle age.

Also, do you have a home monitor on which you can check your own BP regularly? Many people suffer from "white coat syndrome", which means their BP shoots up alarmingly in their doctor's office while remaining more or less normal most of the time. BP monitors don't cost much, and are generally very reliable if bought new from a reputable supplier.

Secondly - though perhaps less relevant - none of the drugs you've listed are ACE inhibitors! Amlodipine and felodipine are both calcium-channel blockers. Amlodipine in particular seems to cause bad side-effects in a lot of people, though some tolerate it well. Doxazosin is an alpha-blocker.

As a former nurse, I know  a bit about the subject, but my experience isn't recent so I'm not up on the latest drugs. At age 73, I have slightly raised BP myself, but I'm lucky enough to have a doctor who's prepared to "wait and see", and let me try lifestyle improvements before reaching for the prescription pad, so I haven't had to take any BP meds myself so far. However, there are many others on these boards who have a lot of personal experience of taking these medications, and will be able to give you some useful advice.

To repeat - the most important factors are the actual level of your BP (upper and lower figures), whether this value was recorded in your doctor's office or your home, and your age.

4

Hi the more anxious you are the higher your BP will go, try not to become completely fixated on it, do u know your numbers, have they tried you on enalapril it is the only one that my partner can tolerate and his was sky high and he wasn't anxious about it.

Do not be afraid of seeing your Dr and telling them how it made you feel.

Are there any other things you can do to help lower it, diet or losing weight and if you don't mind me asking how old you are and are yoy receiving and outside help with your partner, you need to be feeling better to cope with this horrendous situation

5

Optivita,

My heart goes out to you,  I tended to my husband 4 years ago when he was dying

from complications (respiratory failure) attributed to muscular dystrophy.  I tried not

to be stressed, buy it's not easy.  My BP meds had to be increased in strength, but now my BP is running low since I suffered another MI last September.  This will be

the third one I've had, but at least they're not caused by blockages, rather they are

caused when one or more coronary arteries goes into a spasm.  End result is still 

not good, especially if they take too long to become unspasmed.  At 64 I feel like

I'm living on borrowed time, and I have to look out for my 90 year old mother who has had diabetes for 30 years.  Good news is: she has never had an infarct.  I take

after my father, who unfortunately died the first time he experienced one.  He was 

62, and i suffered from refractory depression for close to 5 years or more, because

I couldn't accept that he was gone.  You need to get back on a BP med, there are many different types, maybe an ARB would be better.  I was on an ACE as well, buy now I've been on an ARB for close to 3 years.  I also take melatonin every night (3 mg) to fall asleep, it works, it's cheap, and it's natural, since it's something

that is produced  by the pineal gland in the brain, but it becomes depleted as we

age.   I hope you can find something that will work for you, take care of yourself.

6

so sorry i know what its like to care for loved ones.  i hop pressure goes down. i am new to this group.

7

so sorry i know what its like to care for loved ones.  i hop pressure goes down. i am new to this group.

8

Hello Optivita.

Nowadays, High blood pressure or hypertension is very common and very serious problem. It may cause heart diseases, kidney diseases, sudden headache, fatigue and many other health related issues. You must aware of all these problems as you are suffering from this. If you are hesitating to go to a doctor again. You must go with some regular solutions or treatment.

Make changes in your lifestyle:

Take balanced diet

Lower your alcohol intake

Regular exercise

Reduce salt consumption

Loose some weight

Lowering caffeine intake

Sleep properly

Say no to smoking

Medication treatment:

Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors

Beta blockers

Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs).

Renin inhibitors (Aliskiren )

There are many other medicine available at market. But before taking any medicine consult with a doctor otherwise go with natural treatment. Few changes in your daily life will also helps you to reducing your blood pressure level.

Good Luck.

9

If you are still about Optivita, perhaps I may start by saying you could not do better than refer to the educational sections of this site and learn more about Hypertension, and treatment.

You did not say if you were on the 3 drugs mentioned at the same time, I hope not!

You were not on ace inhibitors, 2 of the drugs ending in "pine" are calcium channel blockers, doxasicin is from another group, also not an ace inhibitor.

I'm glad you are going back to your doctor, he or she will know more about you and what changes you may have to make in lifestyle etc. Fear not, there are many treatment options left for your physician, and in most cases a blood pressure can be brought down to an acceptable level. 

Good luck and follow your doctors advice.

 

10

Well said Rianna, one gets so lilttle feedback, so I thought I would congratulate you on the information given.

I hope Optivia takes notice, so often people just come back with another post, reiterating more or less what they said previously without regard to what has been suggested by others. 

Look forward to reading more of your postings, keep up the high standard.

11

Hello to you all who has replied to me,

DR has told me i am a task as i have so many other problems ,where she has referred me to renal clinic to suggest what is best med for me to take,  i have CKD4 which is quite a challenge not on dialysis yet , also high uric levels which causes me to have kidney stones this problem for 43 yrs. 

I am 73 yrs now slightly overweight , don't smoke or alcohol my last reading 

155/90 . 

I am looking at internet to see what alternative meds i can find. i now am struggling with trust towards doc as i have been given so much meds that i know it is bad to say 

that i am allergic to which was still given to me despite it being in my notes.

i have consultant appointment in month time to see what can be prescribed for me 

feeling so anxious about it , i was on cadestartin last year with frusamide ,unfortunately 

i developed sepsis i was very lucky , all med was stopped then with a suggestion that reinstate when i became well enough , this is the problem medical team in their wisdom decided to change tablets with dire results.

my partner has been told he doesn't need any more chemo for a few weeks for him to have a break he has been taking it weekly for 6 months now. thank goodness he is staying positive, more than i.

THANK YOU TO ALL REPLYING TO ME XX

12

Oh Optivita, I'm so sorry to hear you now have all these health problems on top of having to care for your partner. However, I'm glad to hear that your partner is at least getting a break from his chemo.

But I'm a bit puzzled. Did you or your doctor already know that you had Stage 4 kidney disease? This is clearly what they need to be working on, rather than tinkering about with BP medication. I'm glad that you're at least being sent to the renal specialist now. Make sure you take a full list of all the meds you've been on, as well as the ones to which you're allergic, when you go for the appointment.

I'm also wondering whether you are getting help in caring for your partner. In your state of health you shouldn't have to bear the burden on your own. I know this varies according to where you are in the world, but this kind of support should be available in most Western countries. I really hope you can find the help you need.

13

Hello Lily,

My GP contacted renal consutant where i have been a patient for many yrs

a letter arrived today from consultant mentioning to restart candestartin

which i asked for as i know i was ok on this one , taken off this tablet when i developed sepsis. seeing doc tonight to reinstate tablet also on this letter

for me to start bisoprolol for anxiety.

Docs are finally listening to me.instead of treating me as same as other patients 

Thank-goodness my partner is mobile for now his cancer multiple myeloma is in the bone,

no i don't get help here in UK i am able to do things a little at a time when time comes hopefully it will be there for us.

Thank you all for your support from these forums xx

 

14

Hi Optivita,

Now-a-days, High blood pressure is serious problem. It may cause

heart diseases, kidney diseases etc. Ypo can make changes in your lifestyle. There are some foods that raise blood pressure, you should avoid those. You can get more information here.

www.doctorshealthpress.com/heart-health-articles/blood-pressure-articles/foods-that-raise-blood-pressure-2/