Blood pressure meds

[Sherman]

Any crazy side effects you noticed first year of taking them? They put me on Valsartan.

Went on a scouting trip last weekend and had to cut it short. Numbness in my hands and feet. Drained of energy. Something definitely off.

 

[DuckDogDr]

I’m trying to avoid medications ..… trying to loose weight . I need to drop 80 lbs..and avoid salt… but in all reality I should be on meds . Last Dr visit they asked if I was feeling ok…. Was my head or chest hurting..

161/110. But that’s after a 15 hour shift at work.. and dealing with our internist

When I’m at home it’s 130 / 90 which I know still needs work.

 

[KnuckleChild]

I’ll say that’s not a super common reported side effect of that particular medicine. But if you’re having repeated issues with one medicine there are plenty of different medications/classes of medications available.
Keeping BP controlled should certainly be a priority

 

[Titan_Bow]

I’ve been on diovan hct and a beta blocker. I absolutely hated the way they made me feel. The beta blocker drug me down into really deep depression.
I told my new cardiologist that I didn’t want to be on meds at all. I went on a very low sodium diet, exercise every day, and eat mainly vegetables, with a little wild game and eggs thrown in. I have to be VERY strict on my diet, but I’m able to keep my BP in a normal healthy range. Mind you, when I was put on the beta blocker, my BP was routinely 150s over 110s.
For me, it’s amazing how sensitive my BP is to my diet. It’s not just sodium either. Sugar, caffeine, preservatives, processed or refined carbs. If I deviate much from a very veg heavy DASH diet, my BP goes up. For me, I would rather eat healthy foods the rest of my life than take a medicine the rest of my life!
Hope you get it dialed in and find what works for you. Those side affects would have me worried and looking at other options.


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[Titan_Bow]

Oh wanted to add, getting high blood pressure under control is so important. I’m 47 years old, and I was always so stubborn about going to the doctor, or monitoring my BP. I knew it ran in my family, and for years I knew I had it, all the while, drinking Mountain Dews, smoking, drinking alcohol, eating fast food and junk food, etc.
At 45, I was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm, caused by years of untreated high BP. If I had only taken it more serious when I was younger….
Luckily I am not at the surgery stage yet, so hoping that good clean healthy living from here on out will keep the surgical need at bay.


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[Sherman]

I’ve been on diovan hct and a beta blocker. I absolutely hated the way they made me feel. The beta blocker drug me down into really deep depression.
I told my new cardiologist that I didn’t want to be on meds at all. I went on a very low sodium diet, exercise every day, and eat mainly vegetables, with a little wild game and eggs thrown in. I have to be VERY strict on my diet, but I’m able to keep my BP in a normal healthy range. Mind you, when I was put on the beta blocker, my BP was routinely 150s over 110s.
For me, it’s amazing how sensitive my BP is to my diet. It’s not just sodium either. Sugar, caffeine, preservatives, processed or refined carbs. If I deviate much from a very veg heavy DASH diet, my BP goes up. For me, I would rather eat healthy foods the rest of my life than take a medicine the rest of my life!
Hope you get it dialed in and find what works for you. Those side affects would have me worried and looking at other options.


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Funny you mentioned your diet. After the trip last weekend I did some research and decided to go on a Mediterranean diet. Pretty much the diet you described. I made the decision to try to get the BP under control and get off the meds. Not sure how long it will take, but I’m in it for the long haul. My grandpa died of a heart attack at 54 and my dads little brother at 52. Both of them not unhealthy by outside appearances.

 

[Sherman]

I’ll say that’s not a super common reported side effect of that particular medicine. But if you’re having repeated issues with one medicine there are plenty of different medications/classes of medications available.
Keeping BP controlled should certainly be a priority.

I did look at the reported side effects and what I was experiencing was listed as rare side effects.

 

[Eltigreblanco]

Hopefully the diet works for you. I have hereditary high bp. 185lbs or 220 lbs it's the same. I have no side effects on bp meds but would prefer to not to have to take them.

 

[KnuckleChild]

I did look at the reported side effects and what I was experiencing was listed as rate side effects.

Oh for sure just not common. You should talk to your doctor about it, side effects like that can usually be resolved with a dose adjustment or medication change.

 

[Yoder]

I was prescribed them once. First day I took them I slept on the couch for 10 hrs then slept all night. I wound up correcting the problem by getting divorced and losing 50 lbs.

 

[timekiller13]

Been on BP meds since I was 18. I’m 37 now. Your body can start to react differently to meds over time. I was on benicar for several years then had a bad reaction and had to quit taking it. Been taking lisinopril for 7 years now. Besides occasional dizziness no side effects. Talk to your doctor. Probably just need to switch meds.

 

[5MilesBack]

Docs tried to put me on BP meds years ago. They tried four different ones IIRC, and all four had immediate side effects so I chose to never take any of them. This week I was at the Dr's office and had to wait about 10 minutes after I checked in. They checked my BP twice as it was 160-96 the first time, and almost the same the second time. I told them it was the mask. So the Dr told me to remove it for my appt and she'd check it again at the end. When my appt was over she checked it.......124/76.

My BP is generally higher every time I go to the Dr, but those masks certainly don't help things when they raise my BP and heart rate, and my O2 drops.

 

[Sherman]

Been on BP meds since I was 18. I’m 37 now. Your body can start to react differently to meds over time. I was on benicar for several years then had a bad reaction and had to quit taking it. Been taking lisinopril for 7 years now. Besides occasional dizziness no side effects. Talk to your doctor. Probably just need to switch meds.

That’s another one.... dizziness.

 

[Sherman]

So I took my BP three times today. Average 150/79. Top number still bad. Before meds it was 160/110.

 

[*zap*]

Proper nutrition and fitness training is the first thing to do..lower body fat % and increase lean muscle mass..achieve those results and your quality of life goes way up. The longer you wait the more difficult that will become as you age..Hope it works out for you.

 

[Lowg08]

I’ve been on it for around 3 years. Low dose of Lipitor. Following all precautions still
Active watching my salt. It’s down inside normal levels. Blood pressure is another. As long as I ain’t at work it’s ok. I’m what the doc calls a hyper type A personality

 

[timekiller13]

Proper nutrition and fitness training is the first thing to do..lower body fat % and increase lean muscle mass..achieve those results and your quality of life goes way up. The longer you wait the more difficult that will become as you age..Hope it works out for you.

Can’t beat genetics.

I’m 5’11” weigh 170lbs. I run 30 miles a week. Eat a decent diet, it’s not perfect but I don’t eat much salt or salty processed foods.

I was diagnosed with high BP at 18. I was a 2 sport athlete (and a pretty good one) worked out 6 days a week. BP was 170/110 on a routine physical.

I’ve tried several times over the years to stop taking my BP meds. Within one week, my BP is back to 160/100. When I was 22, I got pissed about being on meds and refused to take them for 6 months. Went to the doctor and my BP was 225/120. Doctor said “I’m not going to force you to take these meds, but if you don’t, you will be dead before you are 30. Sorry my friend but the only thing that you could have done was have different parents.”

 

[*zap*]

Sure genetic pre-disposition is an issue but what % is that?

Maybe with no processed foods your problem would improve? The only way is to try that and find out. I know for me a small % of processed foods leads to body/joint aches but I do not have any blood pressure problems. If your resting heart rate is well below the average for your age then your probably fit and somewhat lean...I think. Not sure of the correlation between blood pressure and resting heart rate thou. The average American is overweight, out of shape and takes daily meds....went to the dentist recently and filled out the profile..they were amazed that I take no meds @ 66 yoa..so I imagine that is unusual.

Just did a few miles on the trail with my puppy, 102° heat index and no problems other than a few rest stops and carried the pup for 5 minutes here and there..

 

[timekiller13]

Sure genetic pre-disposition is an issue but what % is that?

Maybe with no processed foods your problem would improve? The only way is to try that and find out. I know for me a small % of processed foods leads to body/joint aches but I do not have any blood pressure problems. If your resting heart rate is well below the average for your age then your probably fit and somewhat lean...I think. Not sure of the correlation between blood pressure and resting heart rate thou. The average American is overweight, out of shape and takes daily meds....went to the dentist recently and filled out the profile..they were amazed that I take no meds @ 66 yoa..so I imagine that is unusual.

Just did a few miles on the trail with my puppy, 102° heat index and no problems other than a few rest stops and carried the pup for 5 minutes here and there..

I don’t know the percentage, but there are those of us out there who, no matter what, will have high BP.

My resting HR is 45-50.

I’m an ER nurse. Yes, the majority of peoples issues are because of weight and poor diet. But there is always that genetic component lingering for some. We’ve all heard the story of the perfectly healthy marathon runner who drops dead at 45 from a heart attack. It’s not just an urban legend. It’s real. I’ve taken care of those patients.

My point is. IF your BP is still high despite weight loss and proper diet, then you have to consider the genetic component and take medication. Blood pressure medicines work, and work well.

 

[Sanchez]

I have been on BP meds for the last few decades.

I took Metatoprol a beta blocker for years. It lowered BP but started to cause tiredness, and my pulse went down to 38-50 beats per minute which is low and may have been causing the tiredness. The doc switched me to another beta blocker (carvedilol) which generally produced the same result as the first beta blocker- tiredness and low pulse rate.

A couple months ago I switched to another med (lasarton) which works by a different mechanism than the beta blockers. It seems to be working fine. My pulse normal, my blood pressure is down and the tiredness is gone.

You never know what will work for you. Everybody is different. Experiment with different drugs until you find the ones that works for your body.

Also, compliment the drug with diet and exercise.