What do you take for high blood pressure?

I've been on Atenelol 100mg for 25 years now. Initially Amlodipine too; that was maybe the first 6 months.

I've eaten cr@p for most of my commute life and up to 205 lbs on a sedentary job. This can't be a good thing.

My past 4 years has been a coast period, doing semi-physical work & 2-1 miles walks with the dog. Some may call it weight training as she's a high-strung pit/lab mix @ 80-90lbs.

My experience is @170 a couple of years ago I felt great. Today @190 I feel OK too. I eat a lot of protein and a couple of veggies daily when I get hungry, usually 2 meals a day. 205 I felt like I pc of cr@p.

Daily I get 7-12,000 steps in (avg 8k) & overall more active today than most of my life.

Never really had a problem with Atenelol or the Lipitor (past couple of years) and kidney /liver are stable too. Can't complain.

I don't eat out unless traveling, typically. DW eats doubly-healthy compared to me & just got put on BP & cholesterol meds too.

I find if we buy junk food so we "have it if we want it" I eat it often. Oreos & ice-cream don't last more than a week in our house... I ask her just don't buy it cause I don't have self control...
 
Surewhitey said:
I find if we buy junk food so we "have it if we want it" I eat it often. Oreos & ice-cream don't last more than a week in our house... I ask her just don't buy it cause I don't have self control...
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Yes, we have to know our limitations. Hope DW doesn't buy me sweets for Christmas.
 
Update on the BP med side effect saga...

Doc switched me from Metoprolol/Amlodipine to just taking Diltiazem. At first it seemed like I was tolerating it well, with only occasional premature heart beats. BP was a bit higher (135/85) with Diltiazem than previous meds but Doc said it was OK. Unfortunately, after about three weeks the premature beats started increasing and by week four they were occurring all day long every day. It was especially bad at night when I felt like I was being punched in the side every few heart beats. It was miserable, scary, and impossible to ignore. Besides being uncomfortable, I worried every day I was going to have a heart attack.

Enough was enough, I can't keep living with those irregular heart beats. I was even considering an ablation just to make it stop. At the same time, I still had this nagging feeling that I never had this problem till I started taking BP meds. So I stopped taking ALL meds. No Diltiazem, no aspirin, no vitamins. Cold turkey, maybe I die, but this was miserable. I truly expected my BP to shoot back up and the PAC's to get worse.

I have been pill free for about two weeks now, and to my surprise my blood pressure didn't change at all. I'm still averaging around 135/85, same as I was on Diltiazem. Best of all my heart rate has returned to a nice steady rhythm. I was still having a few PAC's the first week or so, but it seems like they are getting fewer and much less noticeable over time. I haven't had ANY premature beats so far this week. So wonderful.

135/85 is still a little on the high side, but I'll take that over the PAC's any day. I cut back on sugar and have lost about 25 pounds since the first of the year, so maybe that explains the reduction, who knows. I'm also only two weeks in, so my BP may edge back up over time. I'll just keep monitoring it and hopefully be able to stay off the meds.

You never appreciate a steady heart beat until it starts beating irregularly.
 
mountainsoft said:
Update on the BP med side effect saga...
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Glad to hear things have settle down for you and best wishes on continued normalcy.

On your previous comment about your step dad as you mentioned he chose some negative lifestyle choices that we cannot say with certainty but it would not be outside of the realm of possibilities contributed to his shorted lifespan.

Unfortunately I've read some studies or heard life experiences where quality of choices is not considered or at least indicated. For example a study on red meat being bad for you were the participants eating Wendy's burgers 5 times a week or eating a grass fed Bison steak for those 5 weekly servings?
 
teachme said:
Glad to hear things have settle down for you and best wishes on continued normalcy.

On your previous comment about your step dad as you mentioned he chose some negative lifestyle choices that we cannot say with certainty but it would not be outside of the realm of possibilities contributed to his shorted lifespan.

Unfortunately I've read some studies or heard life experiences where quality of choices is not considered or at least indicated. For example a study on red meat being bad for you were the participants eating Wendy's burgers 5 times a week or eating a grass fed Bison steak for those 5 weekly servings?
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In my opinion the buns on burgers are the problem not the red meat but it will take a very long time to unlearn bad information that we've been relying on for so long.
 
Great news mountainsoft! I'd be scared to stop the meds cold turkey but heck taking them sounds really dreadful. I wonder if doctors even consider the amount of stress these medication side effects can cause?!
 
kongmen said:
In my opinion the buns on burgers are the problem not the red meat but it will take a very long time to unlearn bad information that we've been relying on for so long.
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Agreed. Could be the sauces as well or many other factors.

For the record I just made up what actual red meat they were eating as it didn't state other than the serving size (in oz).
 
badatmath said:
Great news mountainsoft! I'd be scared to stop the meds cold turkey but heck taking them sounds really dreadful. I wonder if doctors even consider the amount of stress these medication side effects can cause?!
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My BP didn't really change when I stopped taking the meds. Maybe 2-5 points higher at most. That surprised me. Unfortunately, I had another bad episode of premature heart beats, and out of desperation I started taking the Diltiazem again. Typical behavior, it acts up, I get scared, and start taking SOMETHING to try and make it stop. The saga continues... Darn.
 
Very discouraging for you mountainsoft. I don't really understand why doctors can't get a little closer with fixing these problems. Pretty sure if I had a bullet wound they would be all over it but blood pressure/heart, eh they seem to guess.
 
badatmath said:
Very discouraging for you mountainsoft. I don't really understand why doctors can't get a little closer with fixing these problems. Pretty sure if I had a bullet wound they would be all over it but blood pressure/heart, eh they seem to guess.
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Medicine is an art as well as a science and docs - even with experience - don't know how any individual will react to a med. Just keep trying 'til something w*rks - just like we would do!
 
badatmath said:
Very discouraging for you mountainsoft. I don't really understand why doctors can't get a little closer with fixing these problems.
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I've gone to the emergency room, urgent care twice, and dealt with about five different doctors. I've had X-Rays, Ultrasound, Stress Test, and more ECG's than I can count. As long as it's not gonna kill me they just send me home. It's so frustrating.

The BP management is bad enough, but the premature beats have really taken a toll on my quality of life. I feel weak and tired when they flare up, which limits what I feel like doing. In the last couple of months I've cancelled dental appointments and other activities because I felt bad, or worried I would have a bad episode on the day of the appointment. Sometimes when my heart is beating irregular and thumping in my side at night, I wonder if I will even wake up the next day. It gets really scary sometimes.

I have yet another doctor appointment next week, but I'm not expecting much different than they've already done. Probably just stick me on another med with new side effects.

On the positive side, between feeling bad and changing my diet in an effort to find relief, I've lost 30 pounds since January. :)
 
mountainsoft said:
I've gone to the emergency room, urgent care twice, and dealt with about five different doctors. I've had X-Rays, Ultrasound, Stress Test, and more ECG's than I can count. As long as it's not gonna kill me they just send me home. It's so frustrating.

The BP management is bad enough, but the premature beats have really taken a toll on my quality of life. I feel weak and tired when they flare up, which limits what I feel like doing. In the last couple of months I've cancelled dental appointments and other activities because I felt bad, or worried I would have a bad episode on the day of the appointment. Sometimes when my heart is beating irregular and thumping in my side at night, I wonder if I will even wake up the next day. It gets really scary sometimes.

I have yet another doctor appointment next week, but I'm not expecting much different than they've already done. Probably just stick me on another med with new side effects.

On the positive side, between feeling bad and changing my diet in an effort to find relief, I've lost 30 pounds since January. :)
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Sorry if I've missed it but have you done one of the 2-week monitors? That proved quite worthwhile for me. It was assumed that I had A-fib which is relatively dangerous (stroke potential) but the monitor showed that I had SVT (less dangerous) but just as "disturbing" when it happens.
 
teachme said:
Have even seen where people have elevated BP just going to the doctors office.
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Yep, that's me. "White coat syndrome". Even if I feel totally relaxed my BP is always higher at the doctor, and especially at the dentist. That's why I take my BP regularly at home.
 
Maybe you need another heart monitor for at least a week?
 
badatmath said:
Maybe you need another heart monitor for at least a week?
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Yeah, I did 2 weeks and I'd say the limiting factor was the ability to keep the thing stuck to my chest. It started coming loose after about 10 days. Bathing was a bit problematic, but doable. I liked the idea that they gave me a "log" to record when I "felt" something. Kinda expensive, but actually free (ooops! I mean "covered" by MC.) YMMV
 
I'm feeling mighty discouraged on this because it is becoming clear the current meds don't work well enough either. (Losartan and Amlodipine). Next appoint not for a few weeks but geez.
 
Lisinopril. Not sure if has done much for me my BP is 95% of the time normal. Doc thinks I need one so here I am and will see in two weeks.
 
My doctor increased my Diltiazem dosage to 180mg. So far I haven't noticed any side effects from it, but it doesn't make a huge change in my blood pressure either. Still, I'm right around the 120/80 range, so that's good enough for me.

I can't tell if it's helping with the premature heartbeats or not. I started taking Magnesium regularly around the same time the Diltiazem dosage was increased. My heart rhythm seems "slightly" more regular, but I don't know if the Diltiazem or Magnesium is making the bigger difference. Or, it might just be coincidence, one of those lulls between the periodic flare ups. I want to wait at least a month or two before I feel comfortable saying either is really having an effect.
 
When I was in hospital they made me take potassium not magnesium. I don't think you are supposed to just take it unless someone prescribes it though.
 
Last edited:
Doc is watching my BP and keeps saying that meds are in my future if I can't get the BP down. Tried exercise and that had little effect. Averaged 136/77 on home machine for 2021, although Dr visits range from 144-160.

I have a semi annual blood work in mid Feb, so I decided to fix my diet. Went on Keto 1/1. BP on home machine is now 130/77. Only going to be on Keto as long as I don't lose muscle mass.

I only have 4 or 5 days of data so far, but it looks like I should be able to lower BP by diet alone.
 
badatmath said:
When I was in hospital they made me take potassium not magnesium. I don't think you are supposed to just take it unless someone prescribes it though.
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I did notice my potassium level was only 3.5 mmol/L on my last blood test, the absolute bottom of the "normal" range according to Kaiser. Though I see other recommendations saying 3.6 to 3.7 is the bottom of normal.

In any case, it had been closer to 4 in previous blood tests. Since it didn't trigger a "flag" on the blood tests, none of my doctors have mentioned it. Might be worth asking about.

Kind of odd considering I eat a banana every day, as well as often eating potatoes and peanut butter.
 
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