Hi all,
I am on a combo of ARB, Beta Blocker, & recently added ACE Inhibitor.
After an increase dose of the ACE 2 days ago I suddenly started to feel nerveous & anxious with a rise in BP. Just wondering if that could be a side effect of the meds or maybe something else.

Have you ever taken anti-depressants? Do you think you're having panic attacks?

I had panic disorder before my blood pressure problem so I was already taking Zoloft. I have noticed that if I take my med (Aldomet/Methyldopa) with my Zoloft I get a panic attack. (???) SO, I just space out the meds. That corrects the problem. I have had to increase my Zoloft dosage because the bp med I'm on has been known to cause depression or anxiety. I've finally got it all worked out.

Is ACE inhibitor an anti-depressant?

Michelle

HI Michelle,

No, I've never taken anti-depressants - a least not yet. I saw my cardiologist today cause I had a reaction to my new BP drug. She thinks my HBP my be due to anxity, at least to some extent. She gave me LEXAPRO samples. I am afraid to take them.

Yes. I've definitely had panic attacks! They used to be very bad and always connected to my health in some way. I was always ashamed to tell anyone cause I somehow thought I was the only person who had this. (Stupid HUH)

Now (with the help of the internet) I know it is VERY common. I have told my dr.s and I want to try to get help. BUT. I am afraid to take anything that may cause my heart to race cause that is the one thing that will throw me into a full blown panic attack.

I have heard some of the side effects of these anti-depressants are worse than the problems that they are taken for. What do you think about that?

How bad is your BP? How do you space out everything? Does your anxity make your BP rise even with meds?

Oh Yeah - ACE inhibitor is BP med

Thanks for the info
Sandy

SSRI's like Paxil, Celexa+ have never worked for me & just make me feel sick. Amazing how benzos like Xanax help keep my b/p in the 113/65 range at 33. I wonder if I didn't take my meds. & just 2 mgs of a benzo through the day, if I would still have high b/p. Doc's don't prescribe them as much, because they get kick-backs from Paxil & the other SSRI's. Mine referred me to a psychiatrist... why? If what I am taking is working then why switch??? To make me feel like I had a 5 day stomach flu like when she prescribed paxil? Betas are addictive as well. Do they tell the patients that???? Try going off of Toprol or Altenolol cold turkey & see what happens. They don't tell us that. I will see the other- older DO in her office. He gave me 3 choices.

1) Keep taking the xanax (he won't prescribe more then 1 mg. a day when I am used to 2)

2) Take a different SSRI (He even said that he has tried 7 & 3 didn't work or had horrible side-effects for him)

3) Go to a psychiatrist as a last measure.

I went to 2 psychiatrists in the past year. One prescribed neurontin ( to prevent seizures from xanax withdrawal ) & gabitril. She wanted to see my liver results. Well ms. idiot psychiatrist, my enzymes were perfect.

The 2nd doesn't prescribe benzos. He prescribed a book for me on children of alcoholics & said that if I stop taking 2 mgs of xanax, he will see me again in 2 months.

I have my blood tests & my med. records in my hands now. I will go to the DO that isn't brainwashed by the drug pushers in the SSRI & B/P community.

Just curious,
What are SSRI & BENZO's ?
I know they are for anxity but I don't know the difference. My dr. want's me to take Lexapro but I'm not sure if I want to. My anxity is not bad, but the dr thinks it contributes to my HBP

SSRI's are Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors also better know as anti-depressants.ie Paxil, Prozac, etc. In my personal opinion from my experience, they cause more jitteriness when starting, and the sexual side effects are prevelant.

Benzo's-are Anti-Anxiety medications ie Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, Valium, etc. No jitteriness, no sexual side effects, just slightly more sedated to feel relaxed.

Geez! The Last Thing I Need Is To Be Jittery! That Is What Usually Starts The Anxity. Do They Also Make Your Heart Race?
Sounds Like The Cure Is Worse Than The Disease!
Thanks For The Info - The Benzos Sound Better If It's Not Too Sedating.

Docs are on a SSRI campaign. Very few will prescribe benzos, because of the addictiveness factor. SSRI's also take 3-6 weeks to work effectively. SSRI's don't work for me.... Benzos do. End of story.

They don't seem to mind prescribing beta blockers or catapress though, and they both are very addictive. I don't want to try the Lexapro they gave me. I'd rather deal with the anxity.

Great point Cassiebel. They do prescribe the besta-blockers at will even though they are addictive & don't warn you about that. What is the deal with that.

It can be so frustrating! :rolleyes:

Do either of you know if it is customary to have to increase the dosage of a beta blocker? I know that with the benzo class, people tend to need to increase the dosage to achieve the desired effect. Wonder if it's the same situation with the beta-blockers.

No, but try to cut off Toprol or Altenolol cold turkey & watch your pulse increase tremendously. I don't know why doc's prescribe betas to young people as a 1st med. imo.

Oh it happened to me, LA.

Not that I'm a young person, (42), but still.

I felt like I was tranquilized. I stopped taking the Toprol immediately and switched to another doctor within the practice. And my numbers were never that high.

Quality of life is just as important as quantity of life, as far as I'm concerned.

Hi all,
I am on a combo of ARB, Beta Blocker, & recently added ACE Inhibitor.
After an increase dose of the ACE 2 days ago I suddenly started to feel nerveous & anxious with a rise in BP. Just wondering if that could be a side effect of the meds or maybe something else.
sure can , alot of these meds list anxiety as as side effect . Look at the side effects of the ACE that you are using and see if it is listed . Go to www.rxlist.com , they have all the side effects for almost all meds.

Thanks for all the help guys but I guess it really does't matter now cause the dr. stopped the Altace. It seems I'm allergic to ACE inhibitors.

Cassibel,

If you've had anxiety/panic attacks you know they're no fun. It wasn't until 2000 that I finally decided to get help. I can't believe I went through years of anguish and discomfort without Zoloft! I'm a huge fan of the drug. I've never had any problems with it. It never made my heart race, nothing. You won't be "cured" overnight since you have to wean your body onto the drug, but it's well worth the wait. I found relief after a week.

Anxiety can raise your bp; however, I don't think that much. I never took my blood pressure when I was having a panic attack though, so I'm not 100% sure.

Trust me, I thought I was the only one who had that problem too. I used to be outgoing and social but when I had my, what I call, summer of darkness I was too afraid to do anything. My friends. My husband. My life. I just wanted to stop feeling miserable and die already.

If it wasn't for a co-worker, I might be still living with the attacks today. I hope I can offer encouragement to you. Get seen by a psychologist, tell them your problems and feelings. It'll be the best thing you could ever do for yourself.

As for my bp, I'm on methyldopa (Aldomet). The panic attacks were coming and instead of taking more Zoloft (which I'm still taking 75mg a day) I decided to break up the dosage of my bp meds. I take 1/4 pill every six hours. I've noticed that I'm not tired anymore and no more panic attacks.

MIchelle

Michelle

Hi Michelle,
May I Ask What Triggered Your Panic Attacks?
Mine Started When I Found Out I Had Hbp And Somehow I Started To Worry About Heart Attacks. The Side Efects Of The Bp Meds Got Confused With Symptoms Of Heart Disease. Anyway, After 25 Years Of Suffering I Finally Told My Doc And He Wants Me To Take Meds But Since I Have Heard That A Racing Heart Is A Side Effect I'm Afraid The Panic Will Come Back (which I Have Managed To Control To A Certain Extent.)
Thanks For The Reply
San

Well, let's see. In the beginning of summer of 2000, I just started working full-time after graduating college and my husband and I bought a house (our first home.) Due to the stress and how fast things were happening, one night my heart felt like it was going to pop out of my chest. This was one hell of a panic attack and what made this one different was that it happened at home. Usually I'd get panic attacks when I was in class at college, but now this hit home, literally. A few months before the mother of all panic attacks, I went into a walk-in clinic because I was having pains behind my ears (turned out it was just my sunglasses which were too tight and causing pressure points-I had a habit of putting them on top of my head when I was indoors.) They told me my bp was a little high and they put me on a low-dosage bp medication. Well, after a week of taking it my bp still hadn't gone down. Thinking it was their faulty equipment, I never returned to that walk-in clinic (denial?)

All and all, the whole summer (my summer of darkness) was one huge panic attack. I told myself I should be happy, new job-new house-etc., but I just felt awful. I felt tired and no energy. I didn't want to go anywhere or be with anyone. It seems I was either paying attention to my heart beating or my breathing. I started to realize this was mental because when I woke up I felt great. But after just five minutes, my mind would talk me into "you're dying" and "you're sick." I really thought I was dying. I went to the doctor like four times in two months. They took blood tests, nothing. What pissed me off is that my doctor at the time never suggested that I might be depressed.

Finally, I confided in a co-worker. She experienced the same problems too before she started taking Prozac. It was after another co-worker died, I decided to get help. To me, those two co-workers saved my life. I don't know how would have coped without medication.

Sorry this is so long and rambling, but I want you to know YOU ARE NOT ALONE! The short answer to your question: stress usually brought out my panic attacks. Then the panic attacks made me think I was dying. Therefore, I was worried I was dying so I'd get more panic attacks. Whew, what a vicious circle! But I also think you're right. When I was put on bp medication, I thought a heart attack was inevitable. So I started to worry about that all the time! Until I bought a blood pressure monitor (best $50 I ever spent) to check my bp, I'd get the occasional panic attack here and there. However, when I take my bp and it's normal I realize I'm OK so I don't worry. Whenever I would get an inkling of an attack I'd take my bp and see it was fine and then move on.

Please feel free to ask any questions. I'm here to help.

Michelle

Hi Michelle,
Thanks for the reply. That sounds a lot like my life. I had just gotten the best job of my life and the HBP was discovered at the job physical. I had never been sick in my life, never taken anything stronger than asprin. I was in a state of panic for years. The side effects of the medication seemed like symptoms of heart disease in my twisted mind and that fear made my HBP very hard to control. I felt like the only person in the world with this problem.
I lived like that, keeping my fears from loved ones and drs. I think I felt if I told the dr.s they would confirm my fears. So I suffered in silence. I fianlly got myself under control after a really bad time when, like you I went to ER and dr.s office almost once a week for several months ( dr thought iI was a hypochondric ) (Guess he was right LOL ) I once slept on the couch for a week, sitting up , cause I was afraid to go to sleep. I started walking and exercising and talking to myself, and even laughing at myself, trying to convince myself that it was only my mind. I read everything I could find in books and on the internet about anxity and panic disorder. Just knowing that I was not alone in my misery helped me to be able to confide in my dr. the only thing that I have to deal with now is taking a new med. After I read all the side effects I am afraid to take them - drives my poor dr crazy.
Thanks for letting me vent

So you're worried to take anti-depressants (Zoloft, Prozac, Paxil, etc.)? I didn't read one thing about the side effects (I guess I'm glad I didn't) and I absolutely had no side effects whatsoever...not even an upset stomach. When you said it's all in your mind, you're right! It is all in your mind. You're chemically imbalanced. Your brain isn't getting enough seratonin (at least that's how I comprehend it.)

My bp meds only made me tired and loopy. But I read about methyldopa (Aldomet) and it can cause depression. That's when I started to rethink how and when I take my meds.

The choice is yours. I know everyone is different and side effects happen, but I'm telling you. I'd rather have diarrhea (or that gas with oily discharge like that one weight-loss medication! :D ) than to have to live life in total fear. Have you ever seen that movie, The Shawshank Redemption? Remember when Andy said "Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'"? That's what it's all about. I wanted to LIVE my life, not waste it being afraid of everything or mapping the exact moment and how I was going to die.

You don't have to go through life manipulating your brain into stop having panic attacks. There's drugs out there that will do it for you.

So you're worried to take anti-depressants (Zoloft, Prozac, Paxil, etc.)? I didn't read one thing about the side effects (I guess I'm glad I didn't) and I absolutely had no side effects whatsoever...not even an upset stomach. When you said it's all in your mind, you're right! It is all in your mind. You're chemically imbalanced. Your brain isn't getting enough seratonin (at least that's how I comprehend it.)

Yeah great drugs SSRIS. They take 3-6 weeks to work. Made me feel like I had a 5 day stomach flu (paxil). My doc. said it did the same to him. Benzos like Xanax work much better for me.