Blood pressure

[dumpster56]

Since we moved down here to NC from NJ and I knew that I am a short timer with my job my Blood Pressure which had been an issue, I do take meds for it is well running so darn low these last 6 weeks!

My avg now is 111/68. I only take the min 50mg of topril and 5mg prinival.

Then again I am running 10 miles a day and feeling just great.

maybe just moving out of the northeast is better for ones health?

Hey can we move this to the life after fire? I posted in the wrong place??

 

[ats5g]

I think it's getting out of NJ.

 

[Nords]

My avg now is 111/68. I only take the min 50mg of topril and 5mg prinival.

I think it's getting out of NJ. 

I think it's getting out of work, too.

With BPs like that, why are you taking those medications? What are they supposed to do?

 

[LOL!]

It's just that you sweat more in NC because it's hotter.

Consider this:
1. You have only so much volume in your arteries and veins and other circulation system organs.
2. Let say you stuff 5 quarts of blood in your body. Maybe you slightly overstuff and that sets your pressure high. Most of that is made of water.
3. Now you sweat away 1 quart of water some of which comes from your blood.
4. Since you have less liquid in your circulation system, it ain't overstuffed anymore and you have lowered your blood pressure.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Hypertension is caused by a variety of mechanisms. Body water is one, but assuming decent access to water when thirsty, this is controlled not by where you live and sweat (barring real dehydration), but by an intricate cascade of hormones from the kidneys, adrenals, and elsewhere. Other factors include how forcefully the heart beats (like how much pressure is delivered to the faucet), how much the blood vessels are contracted (like narrowings in the hose) or inflexible, diet (salt, potassium, etc. affect hormone output), exercise, and adrenalin and similar chemicals some of which are increased by stress. Obesity and alcohol can also bring about hypertension, in these cases often reversible. White-coat hypertension may be a separate case but is often a harbinger of constant hypertension down the road.

The biggest problem in managing hypertension is that patients refuse or stop taking their medicine. They come in after a couple of months of treatment and their pressure -- finally -- is normal. They sometimes ask why they need to keep taking the medicine and I explain that this is why their pressure is now normal. But with a lack of symptoms they fail to comply. 5 years later: stroke, heart failure, kidney failure etc. start to creep into this population. Not most, but more than necessary.

I'm pretty lean in my approach to management, but I treat BP and cholesterol vigorously and according to the best current evidence. It works. Don't usually need fancy or expensive drugs: hydrochlorothiazide 12.5mg is an old standby, cheaper than dirt, and probably still the single most effective agent we have. Only need the big guns when the old standars don't work.

BP will fluctuate quite a bit with stress or loss of stress; it will often stay low for months after stopping BP meds (though some meds are dangerous to stop cold-turkey), and it will just float around quite a bit for unknown reasons. But if you have properly diagnosed hypertension, it will almost alway revert to its elevated levels without treatment. Don't want to get too complacent when it's down for a month or two and if meds are stopped, they often need to be restarted 6 months later.

 

[cube_rat]

Great info, R-in-T!

My blood pressure started to creep up (ave 140/90) for a couple of factors:

* Female hormone, over 40 changes
* A very bad nightly chardonnay habit for 10 years
* 15 lbs overweight - see female, over 40 note

I've been exercising vigorously several times a week for almost 20 years and my BP still crept up. Since dropping alcohol all together and losing 10lbs, my BP is in the 110/70 range. I believe alcohol plus age was a big driver with my high BP readings, although I truly believe the propensity for high BP is in my system. Maybe as I age I'll need meds.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Great info, R-in-T!

My blood pressure started to creep up (ave 140/90) for a couple of factors:

* Female hormone, over 40 changes
* A very bad nightly chardonnay habit for 10 years
* 15 lbs overweight - see female, over 40 note

I've been exercising vigorously several times a week for almost 20 years and my BP still crept up. Since dropping alcohol all together and losing 10lbs, my BP is in the 110/70 range. I believe alcohol plus age was a big driver with my high BP readings, although I truly believe the propensity for high BP is in my system. Maybe as I age I'll need meds.

It seems that 10-15% of hypertension is related to alcohol intake. It does not have to be a lot of alcohol - if you are genetically predisposed, just 2-3 glasses (1-2 for smaller women) most days will do it, a level many people otherwise tolerate without any problems.

The good news is that after a period of a couple weeks' abstinence it goes a way and usually you can go back to your wine in moderation without problems.

Yep, Gramma was right: all things in moderation. Well... almost all .

 

[dumpster56]

Hypertension is caused by a variety of mechanisms. Body water is one, but assuming decent access to water when thirsty, this is controlled not by where you live and sweat (barring real dehydration), but by an intricate cascade of hormones from the kidneys, adrenals, and elsewhere. Other factors include how forcefully the heart beats (like how much pressure is delivered to the faucet), how much the blood vessels are contracted (like narrowings in the hose) or inflexible, diet (salt, potassium, etc. affect hormone output), exercise, and adrenalin and similar chemicals some of which are increased by stress. Obesity and alcohol can also bring about hypertension, in these cases often reversible. White-coat hypertension may be a separate case but is often a harbinger of constant hypertension down the road.

The biggest problem in managing hypertension is that patients refuse or stop taking their medicine. They come in after a couple of months of treatment and their pressure -- finally -- is normal. They sometimes ask why they need to keep taking the medicine and I explain that this is why their pressure is now normal. But with a lack of symptoms they fail to comply. 5 years later: stroke, heart failure, kidney failure etc. start to creep into this population. Not most, but more than necessary.

I'm pretty lean in my approach to management, but I treat BP and cholesterol vigorously and according to the best current evidence. It works. Don't usually need fancy or expensive drugs: hydrochlorothiazide 12.5mg is an old standby, cheaper than dirt, and probably still the single most effective agent we have. Only need the big guns when the old standars don't work.

BP will fluctuate quite a bit with stress or loss of stress; it will often stay low for months after stopping BP meds (though some meds are dangerous to stop cold-turkey), and it will just float around quite a bit for unknown reasons. But if you have properly diagnosed hypertension, it will almost alway revert to its elevated levels without treatment. Don't want to get too complacent when it's down for a month or two and if meds are stopped, they often need to be restarted 6 months later.

Nothing has changed except I moved. seriously, the running in the heat, yep it was also hot in NJ last summer.

The medications WORK, so I keep taking them. My doc has at times cut the prinival ace inhib, to 2.5 but it would start to creep up.

When I left in June my BP was on avg with medication 134/82 high times and 128/76 low average.

Since I moved down here on june 28th and made a decision to RE as of jan 1 my pressure is avg the last 6 weeks in that 110/68 range. I even feel more relaxed, maybe it really is the lifestyle down here. My wife thinks it might a bit to do with no more 120 mile round trips in the car driving down interstate 78 in NJ and that my mtg and real estate taxes went from 2200 a month to 595 a month.

 

[cube_rat]

The good news is that after a period of a couple weeks' abstinence it goes a way and usually you can go back to your wine in moderation without problems.

I can't. Even one glass these days causes mild tachycardia after 2-3 hours , which is the other reason why I quit.

 

[dumpster56]

I can't. Even one glass these days causes mild tachycardia after 2-3 hours , which is the other reason why I quit.

Oh man that stinks!

I love a couple of bers a nice few glasses of wine good premium tequilla or scotch.

Life as they say is too short.

I feel for ya cube!

 

[FinanceDude]

I can't.  Even one glass these days causes mild tachycardia after 2-3 hours  , which is the other reason why I quit. 

Hey Rich, what causes this? I find my heart pounds a lot if I drink more than a few beers.........

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Hey Rich, what causes this? I find my heart pounds a lot if I drink more than a few beers.........

Alcohol, and more particularly the reduction or withdrawal from alcohol, causes the autonomic nervous system to become overactive, almost as if it was rebounding from being smashed. This is the involuntary nervous system that controls heart rate, BP, temperature, etc.

Rapid heart rate comes largely from that. Everyone's threshold is different. Some people "feel" palpitations when their heart beats faster than usual, and others don't. If you're prone to extra beats (premature contractions), they can temporarily become more noticeable, too.

Generalizing grossly, you metabolize about a drink an hour (male). If you drink more than that, you will get drunker by the hour slowly or not, depending on intake. Size matters, so to speak. Food slows absorption down but it all gets in there. Alcohol gets from the stomach to the blood directly (doesn't have to pass through the intestines to get absorbed), hence you can get a buzz in very few minutes.

Non-heavy drinkers metabolize alcohol at about 20mg/dl/hr. Legally drunk is often defined as 80 mg/dl (faster if your a heavy hitter). One drink (1.5 oz oe ETOH) raises your blood alcohol level about 25-30mg/dl, peaking about 45 minutes after ingestion. So if you have a blood alcohol of 80, you have had a lot to drink: 4 in an hour plus 1 more for the one that got metabolized, for example, though this varies widely with individuals.

And this concludes our digression for the day.

 

[Nords]

I find my heart pounds  a lot if I drink more than a few beers....

I thought this was related to the beer-goggle phenomenon.

 

[spideyrdpd]

. Don't usually need fancy or expensive drugs: hydrochlorothiazide 12.5mg is an old standby, cheaper than dirt, and probably still the single most effective agent we have. Only need the big guns when the old standars don't work.

Note that the drug is a "water pill" and works similar to what LOL discribes.
I wonder if while your adjusting to a new climate if there might be a "sweat" factor ? Since your body needs some time to adjust the system may not be as efficient

I would imagine your diet may also have improved as well since your not on the road.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Note that the drug is a "water pill" and works similar to what LOL discribes.
I wonder if while your adjusting to a new climate if there might be a "sweat" factor ? Since your body needs some time to adjust the system may not be as efficient

Hydrochlorothiazide: it's a diuretic but only for a couple of weeks. After that, it stops being diuretic but continues to lower blood pressure through a direct relaxing effect on the "smooth" muscles which control the tightness of the arteries. If you stop it for a while and restart, the whole cycle repeats.

 

[LIPhotoMan]

Spent lots of time doing Renal Clearances and using HCTZ as the standard by which we measured other stuff. It may be Old, but it is still very effective.

After I left my job, I lost 40 lbs & BP went from averaging 140/90 (with treatment) to about 115/70.
Getting rid of that incredible stress the last few years of the job made a huge difference in my life.
Part of the reason was having time to do gym, but I give alot of the credit to the stress reduction.

 

[mathjak107]

went from 170/95 to 120/70 wth just diet and exercise change..havent needed the blood pressure med in 6 years..the 6 days a week working out though in order to maintain it is a real drag at this point.i feel like the hampster on the tread mill.
  we go to the gym daily and rotate between cardio one day and weights the next.after 6 years its like im not sure which is worse the high blood pressure high triglycerides or the constant soreness and time devoted to the gym...i think we already spent more time exercising than the exercise extended our lives   ha ha ha ha

 

[HFWR]

If you have constant soreness, you're working too hard, and not getting enough recovery time...

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

went from 170/95 to 120/70 wth just diet and exercise change..havent needed the blood pressure med in 6 years..the 6 days a week working out though in order to maintain it is a real drag at this point.i feel like the hampster on the tread mill.
we go to the gym daily and rotate between cardio one day and weights the next.after 6 years its like im not sure which is worse the high blood pressure high triglycerides or the constant soreness and time devoted to the gym...i think we already spent more time exercising than the exercise extended our lives ha ha ha ha

You'll max out on the BP benefits of exercise with just 2-3 moderate sessions a week, or even half an hour a day most days. Relax. If it's still elevated take a pill. Live your life.

And consider whether the personality traits that lead you to work out to the point of constant soreness and misery might be contributing to your high blood pressure. Really.

 

[mathjak107]

i need to do the cardio every other day because of my tryglicerides.the best way to describe it is genetically i have a stuck float.normally the blood levels hit a certain point and the triglycerides are processed and converted to body fat if not burned.my levels can hit 1,000 easily if i dont burn them at least every other day..as far as soreness if your doing any weight lifting routine worth doing and not just going thru the motions of what you can already do than i find at our age there is always some little ache or pain somewhere.just a fact of life i guess  that comes with aging

 

[grumpy]

Prior to going on BP meds my pressure typically ran in a range from 155 to 165 over 70 to 80. Now I am taking Toprol 25 mg. and typical BP is 125 to 135 over 52 to 62. I am wondering why the first number has remained fairly high (compared to what others here have reported on meds) while the second number seems quite low. Anyone have any knowledge about this?

Grumpy

 

[TromboneAl]

* 15 lbs overweight - see female, over 40 note

Hey, you look fine in your avatar picture. Was that taken right after you looked at the reading on the scale?

 

[Zoocat]

This topic is timely for me as I have been on the path to lower my BP the past few months. What I've discovered is that my daily espresso raised my BP at least 10 points 135/70. Now that I've given up the caffeine my BP is regularly 125/65. I want to lower it further. Thanks cube rat for the hint about the nightly chardonnay habit which I have been induging in for approximately two years to help along my divorce recovery. I've cut out alcohol for the past two weeks. We'll see if that works. It would also help if I could lose this extra 30 lbs of divorce weight that I've been carrying around but haven't been able to do it yet despite my regular exercise.

 

[mathjak107]

i always say exercise dosnt cause weight loss,it only makes you eat more..cutting calories is the key to weightloss ...actually exercising and cutting calories together is the answer but exercise alone nope.exercise does help my wife and i maintain our weight as we barely budged 2lbs in 6 years...but you should see us eat on our intense cardio days and since we are avid cyclists we can do 80-100 miles a week...omg we dont get full we just get tired lifting things to eat lol

 

[CyclingInvestor]

i always say exercise dosnt cause weight loss,it only makes you eat more..cutting calories is the key to weightloss ...actually exercising and cutting calories together is the answer but exercise alone nope.exercise does help my wife and i maintain our weight as we barely budged 2lbs in 6 years...but you should see us eat on our intense cardio days and since we are avid cyclists we can do 80-100 miles a week...omg we dont get full we just get tired lifting things to eat lol

I agree completely. I have been battling weight gain most of my life,
while maintaining a fairly high exercise level. Computer nerd that I am,
I have my monthly exercise totals and weight back to 1983. For example,
in 1996 I managed to gain 12 lbs while bicycling 14148 miles, hiking
183 miles plus some gym time. Other years have similar results. Not
eating is much tougher than financial discipline for some of us.