I have just been diagnosed with HBP and prescribed Ramipril. I occasionally take Imigran (a vaso-constrictor) for migraine, so I am not sure whether I can continue with this, or what if anything I can take instead. Also I sometimes take Ibuprofen for back pain, which I need when hiking/walking which is my main exercise. Apparently this anti-inflammatory is off-limits, too! Anyone have any advice for me?
Just last Friday i had my hiatal hernia pulled out and fixed. My blood pressure plummeted. 100/70 max each day, down from 200/120 norm the past two years.
Research hh please, its common in 80% of adults over age ?30,40.
Could have saved me years of problems and a mild stroke six months.
Most doctors don't know the effect of a hiatal hernia on blood pressure.
Good luck with your high blood pressure
Hi elsiebee,
I was prescribed ramipril and sumatriptan 100mg (generic imigran) at the same time. I asked the doctor to check interactions and none were listed. I was only on ramipril for a couple of months and getting awful headaches, I changed from ramipril to losartan last week and the headaches are gone so it appears that ramipril was the cause. I asked the doctor to check this as a side effect and it's not listed. Ramipril works by widening the blood vessels, widening of the blood vessels in the brain can cause migraines but I and the doctor were unsure if the drug would affect blood vessels in the brain.
Hope this helps 
I tend to agree with you as my BP varies a lot and as HH and GERD/Acid Reflux cause cheat pain and symptoms similar to cardiac problems it may be affecting my BP.
I will try this on the consultant I am seeing at the hypertension clinic at my next appointment. Actually I don't think I mentioned to him that I have HH and GERD.
If you Google 'Rxlist' you can get more drug info than comes with the package insert or that your doctor is probanly aware of. It also has the facility to link drugs for contra indications.
Thanks Kevin - I will ask about HH when I next see my doctor - I may have this problem, too, although it does not cause pain.
Why do they prescribe Ramipril at all given how many people on this site seem to have problems with it. In my case it was the cough and on changing to Losartan that disappeared. Headaches I've heard of too, so why not go straight to Losartan or is it the money ? Didn'tknow about Ibuprofenthough.
Hi - I don't know yet whether I will suffer from migraines on this medication, but I suspect I will 😪. Nice to know that if I do, then there is an alternative in Losartan.
Thanks Derek - I'll check out Rxlist!
Hi. I have been on 10mg of Ramipril for about 5years now and (touch wood) no adverse side effects. Having said that I rarely take ibuprofen for aches and pains preferring paracetamol. Like half the population I am also on 10mgs statins.
I think it helps to be cynical when it comes to drug interactions and carry out your own research and then take your findings to your GP.
Keep us posted as to how you get on.
They are both cheap and almost the same price to the NHS.
So why then is Ramipril always the first line?
Ramipril is an Ace Inhibitor and Losartan is an angiotensin II receptor.
The Doctor must think that one family of drugs is the more suitable for you...........or else the coin came down on that side:-)
so about these statins do they actually reduce fat levels since they say we should all be taking them over 50 years of age...
I did know the technical difference between the two but they both apparently do exactly the same thing don't they - unlike calcium channel blockers and diuretics, neither of which I've taken but I understand they aproach the problem from a different angle. Am I right or not?
Taken from Wikipedia:
"An ACE inhibitor (or angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor) is a pharmaceutical drug used primarily for the treatment of hypertension (elevated blood pressure) and congestive heart failure (CHF).
This group of drugs cause relaxation of blood vessels, as well as a decreased blood volume, which leads to lower blood pressure and decreased oxygen demand from the heart. They inhibit the angiotensin-converting enzyme, an important component of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system."
"Angiotensin II receptor antagonists, also known as angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), AT1-receptor antagonists or sartans, are a group of pharmaceuticals that modulate the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Their main uses are in the treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetic nephropathy (kidney damage due to diabetes) and congestive heart failure"
Calcium channel blockers with a diuretic were regarded as the standard initial treatment for BP but it seems that newer drug options are now preferred.
I had a heart "wobble" last year and was immediately put on 40mg statin and an aspirin a day. The statins made me feel AWFUL. I had aches in almost every joint, ankles, knees, elbows etc etc. It was about a month before I could see a heart consultant at Norwich hosp and she put me through a battery of tests and concluded that my heart was ok and I could come off the the aspirin and reduce statins to 10mgs per day. My cholesterol has reduced from 6.5 pre heart "wobble" to 4. Combo of statins and diet and exercise I believe. Lower dose of statins not giving me any adverse effects. In my case they appear to be working but not in isolation as I believe you have to adjust lifestyle as well.
There is a Poly pill with low dosage statin, BP med and aspirin that people tolerate better.
A consultant I saw at Imperial College some years ago was promoting it and it has had quite a bit of press coverage.
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_3-9-2013-13-56-37
What do you mean a wobble? glad you are ok....
Ah I never knew that like a combo pil,l what a good idea, so you did.t take that pill then Derek...