Hi, I am a 41 year old male with high blood pressure and cholesterol problems. My blood pressure with .5 norvasc runs about 156/92 and my triglyceride have been on the high side. I have been following the health forums and decided to buy: Ground Cinnamon, Garlic 1000mg, Vitamin C 1000mg, Folic acid 400mcg, Magnesium 250mg, Fish oil 1000mg and One A Day mens health vitimins. I take 1 tablet a day with meals, I also sprinkle flax seed over my oatmeal in the morning. I have noticed a change but I have not been doing this long enouph yet. My question is......Can I combine all this daily? Is taking vitamin supplements better than taking medication for my problems? I will keep everyone updated on my BP readings.....

Yes, you can combine these things. Vitamins and supplements are only better than medication if they work for you... You might consider taking more fish oil... How much omega 3 (EPA/DHA) in your fish oil?

Thanks for the information, The Fish oil supplement contains: EPA 180mg and the DHA 120mg............. :-)

The .5 mg. Norvasc isn't working...switch to something that DOES.

If I take half my dose of .5 norvasc my blood pressure goes up. I continue to take the full dose because everyone told me that norvasc was the best med to take for bp. So far by taking supplements I seem to be lowering my bp and eventually I would like to stop taking norvasc and control my bp with the right combination of supplements. I think that any kind of bp med is bad for the system and if I find that supplements like fish oils, flax seed and others will lower the bp, then that would be the safest way to go. Merry Christmas to everyone................. :-)

Merry Christmas! :)

By the way, I would recommend taking more fish oil... I've seen people on these boards that take 7-8 grams a day... I personnally take 1000mg of fish oil too, but a special formula with 580 grams of EPA and 88 of DHA. And I'm not even trying to cure anything, it's just preventative...

devie,

SWITCH to another BP medication, the Norvasc isn;t pulling it's weight and at $2 a pill it SHOULD!

Hi, Thanks for the information. Your right, at $2.00 a pill I should be on a bp pill that works but what is a safe one or is there one. What would you recommend that I would recommend my doc to perscribe. I know it is like trial and error and not all meds work but thier is a bp med out there that works for everyone with little to no side effects especially on the body organs. Thanks and Happy New Year.......

I can't answer your question about what blood pressure med to take, as people are different and what works for one may not for another. Lisinopril worked fine for me the five years I was on it and I had no side effects, but other people find it makes them cough unmercifully. You'll just have to work with your doctor.

The supplements I take are very similar to yours, but I do see supplements as just that, with getting nutrients from the diet as being the main focus. I was able to get off meds entirely last January after making dietary changes and adding supplements. The main focus of my dietary changes was increased fruits and vegetables and increased non-fat or low-fat dairy products, primarily the veggies. I'm apparently not salt-sensitive, but though I eat a diet moderate in salt content, I never go overboard. But people who are salt sensitive may need to cut back drastically on salt, too. If you haven't already done so, do a web search for the DASH diet, and see how your diet stacks up.

In addition, adequate exercise, meditation, and breathing exercises are ways you can bring blood pressure down naturally. But I do agree that at that level of BP, it would be best to get the BP under control with meds first, then work on being able to reduce the meds and possibly eventually getting off them after you find the right combination of supplements and life style changes that work best for you.

Hi, I am a 41 year old male with high blood pressure and cholesterol problems. My blood pressure with .5 norvasc runs about 156/92 and my triglyceride have been on the high side. I have been following the health forums and decided to buy: Ground Cinnamon, Garlic 1000mg, Vitamin C 1000mg, Folic acid 400mcg, Magnesium 250mg, Fish oil 1000mg and One A Day mens health vitimins. I take 1 tablet a day with meals, I also sprinkle flax seed over my oatmeal in the morning. I have noticed a change but I have not been doing this long enouph yet. My question is......Can I combine all this daily? Is taking vitamin supplements better than taking medication for my problems? I will keep everyone updated on my BP readings.....

Both of your symptoms are hypothyroid symptoms. If you decide to get checked for it, make sure your doctor orders both Free T4 and Free T3 lab tests.

devie,

IF you've ever noticed that you tend to gain several pounds or that your BP spiked after a very high salt day, you are a salt sensitive hypertensive.
For us, the best medication (and also the cheapest) is a diuretic.
It's also what ALL the health organizations recommend as the proper medication to try FIRST for hypertension for everybody.

So ask your doctor for a month's worth of HCTZ (hydrochlorothiazide) 50 mg <refillable several times> and do a trial to see if your BP responds well to it. If it does, the stuff is as cheap as aspirin (cheaper than Bayer actually :D:D!) Take it in the morning.

If your doctor scowls when you tell him the Norvasc isn't working, ask him why he seems "partial" to the stuff...that will make him squirm a little in his chair! :D:D

The best "natural" treatments for hypertension are a low salt diet, low booze diet, deep breathing exercises, and weight control.

I get a systolic reading about 15-20 points lower when I'm eating a diet very high in veggies like raw spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, celery, squash, onions, and peppers than when I'm eating a diet high in meat or poultry and pasta.

I think that I jumped to fast by adding 3 addition suplements to my diet: vitamin c, folic acid and fish oil. My bp went up but know is going down slowly. The last time I took a reading it was 152/89 and normally runs 156/93. Its been the holidays and I have slacked off on my bike riding. I am now back to bike riding on a regular schedule. Normally when I bike ride my bp is 148/85. Also I have a family history of bp. My two brothers and my mother and father both are on meds for bp......... :-)

Today is tuesday the 10th and this morning was a high stress day so far..I took my bp just before sitting down for lunch and it was 144/84 and while sitting down for about 45 min. after lunch it was 135/82......High stress days I run around 153/95....Maybe today is just a lucky day or those supplements are finnally kicking in....Just to give you all an update......Thanks

Thanks for the information, The Fish oil supplement contains: EPA 180mg and the DHA 120mg............. :-)

a total of 300mg won't work

I have spent a lot of time researching on natural supplement for helping high blood pressure because my family has a history.

according to the American Heart Association's guidline on omega-3, if one can take 2000mg of omega-3(DHA or EPA) for approxiamtely 2 months, there will be a drop of 10% of blood pressure...it works, i have tested that recommendation with my family and friends, after taking that for around one month, ppls got less headedge, and after 2 months, their bp had dropped

there are some research which says that taking co-Q10 at 100mg per day will lower bp...

I think that if you want to try, each day try taking 100mg c0-q10 with 2000mg pure omega-3 (you had better buy some pure formular, eg 70% purity)for 3 months
it was said that the longer one takes, the better the result will be.

Hi, Thanks for the information. I will now take 2000 mg of fish oil instead of 1000 mg and pick up some c0-q10. So far I have lowered my systolic from 156 to 145 and my diastolic from 95 to 89.......Thanks again for the info....... :-)