A real blood pressure medicine thread
 

My BP has been rising steadily for the last six months and friday after Thanksgiving I had it read and it was 167 over 90. For someone who has been in pretty good shape all my life, not overweight and BP always close to 120 over 80, this was quite a shock. Alcohol has been a mainstay every night, which usually equates to a six pack or more,,, every day. The Doc said yesterday I have to cut down drastically on the booze and get the air dyne out again. He also gave me some BP medicine and after taking one pill last night, my reading dropped 25 points on the high side this morning.:eek: Does that medicine work that fast ? Anyhow, I have vowed to put another 16K on the air dyne, and hold the celebrating to a few festive occasions. It's a ***** to get old.:(

You forgot about the part where your entire diet turns to cardboard...........thankfully, I'm not quite there yet.

I've been on lisinopril for 2 weeks.

At the hospital yesterday, my diastolic was 99 and 81(!) in 2 readings (1st reading was pre-procedure & 2nd post - so 1st could have been nerves.)

Since prior to taking the meds I was consistently > 100, I'd say so far seems to be working:).

I droped 40 lbs, one drink a day, lowered my caffeine, no salt, take my medicine regularely, watch what I eat, and run 2 mi. five times a week. I feel great. Haven't had a headache in over a year. Last time I took my 14yr old basketball playing son to the gym I ran him into the ground. It's not all bad.

Jorg

So,,, can you ever get off the meds ?

Doc said "Not likely".
I tried and it started climbing almost immediately. I bought a personal monitor.

Jorg

While my wife takes a different drug for hers, I do not see anything working that fast.

Maybe you weren't that high to begin with? Took the tests after a rough day?

Seems to soon for such a rapid decline.

Good luck either way!

I agree,,, that drop seemed extraordinary. My monitor has been given rave reviews by my Doc, so the figures are probably correct,,, both arms. I had been at the high levels for over a week or so,,, that I know of. Thanks.

I have been on Vasotec and Metoprolol for over 3 years now. BP is pretty consistant at 130/80. I'm 32y/o with a family history of hypertension. I think I may be on it for life.:o

Have you thought of getting a monitor? One that takes your BP for say 24 hrs every now and then? That might give you a "trend" better than just high BP one day and low BP another day.

Try find a clinical testing facility in your area. To qualify for their study, I had to have higher BP when they took it which I somehow got that day. ;) They then gave me this device that would check BP every half hour. It had a cuff that I had to wear for a whole 24 hrs. After that, they downloaded my BP into the computer and I could see the trends. Every 30 mins, it beeps and lets me know it is about to take my BP. At night, it does it once every couple of hours with no beeping. Next morning we could see what my trend was.

Wow,,, that sounds pretty hi tech,,, I wonder if out here in the boonies they are aware of such technology.:confused: I got Consumer Reports "Best Buy" monitor at Wal Mart, and it seems to be pretty darn accurate. Too hard to carry it around though as I don't have an extension cord that long. :D

ambulatory blood pressure monitor

Long goes further in but thick does the trick.:D

Pete- Hope your BP remains under control and getting older really isn't so bad....hereditary(sp) might be part of the pathology in your case.

Yeah, but staying young would be a lot better.

depending on who you talk to, drinking the blood of young virgins or bathing in young virgin blood is the answer. :D