Hi all,

Recently I gave up taking lisinopril, as it seemed to cause me worse GERD. I felt fine once I had stopped taking it, and the GERD abated. But, my bp, which was fine in the a.m., (around 129/73) would spike in the afternoons. This had been an ongoing problem, even when I was taking the lisinopril on a regular basis. So, I called my doctor, and she asked me to come in, and she would switch my meds. When they took my pressure at her office (at 4pm), it was 180/100! Needless to say, I was scared with so high a pressure.
She put me on Toprol LX, 50 mg., and I took my first pill around 8pm.
Then the fun started!
I had insomnia soooo bad, I was practically climbing the walls. Then I got wicked stomach gas, followed by nasal congestion & a sore throat. That was how I spent my night. I got maybe 3 hours of sleep altogether. Then this a.m., lo & behold - diarrhea!! Bad too. Well, I took my temp, as I thought maybe I was imagining these were side effects and it was only 97.4.
I guess I was having a sort of allergic response to this pill. I am very allergic to most everything, and have a hard time taking meds, as I have reactions to alot of them.
Now, I am in a quandry. Its Saturday. I don't want to take another Toprol, as they seem like poison to me. Is it ok to take the lisinopril again till I see my doctor?
I am also wondering why my doctor put me on a beta blocker...I hear they are rather heavy duty, and I don't (as far as I know) have heart disease - only hbp at the moment. Wouldn't it be ok to add a diuretic to the lisinopril, and maybe take something for the GERD that I get while on the lisinopril. I feel bad that I complained about lisinopril, as now, I feel really awful with these side effects from the toprol.
I wonder sometimes why these young doctors prescribe such miserable pills to us - don't they understand how lousy these side effects can be?
I am almost at my wits end, trying to get this pressure under control in the afternoons! Help!!
Thanks,
Jilly

I don't know why they would put you on a beta blocker , those should be last resort . Toprol is known to have some nasty side efects for certain people....It will sap all your energy and you won't feel like doing anything . I got off of that in about 3 weeks..

My mom took lisinopril + hctz together for six or seven yrs. her dr. prescribed prevacid for the gerds. My mom stopped the meds bcuz she becam allergic to lisinopril. When she was on that combo, she received her best bp readings.

Jill,

I never got a decent night's sleep on atenolol and with propranolol (fast release) my sleep was ruined if I took it after 4PM. It doesn't happen to everyone, some sleep well with it, but O was a total mess after a month of 3 hours a night sleep. Only if I develop angina on a regular basis would I consider ever using a beta-blocker again.

Sure it's ok to take the lisinopril this weekend instead of the Toprol. No worry about weaning off it since you just started it.

If you are not getting a good response to an ACE inhibitor, it's usually a sign that you are a low renin hypertensive and will respond far better to a diuretic.

I doubt that you even NEED any medication: take a month of numbers at home without medication and see what kind of average you get. Over 140/90 on either number, medicate; otherwise just keep a watchful eye and use conservative non-drug measures instead...low weight, low salt, exercise.

Wow! Thanks so much for your input. It helped me so much.
Lenin, you are quite a whiz when it comes to determining HBP issues, and I love to read your answers to the questions where you post. I really believe you know so much about this and other chemical and physical mechanisms. I swear, you must be a chemist or a doctor yourself.
I was happy to hear of the woman who took the lisinopril & diuretic, as I may propose that to my doctor if she is thick headed & won't let me discontinue the drugs. I may even say to give me just the small dose of diuretic to see if that will do the trick.
I know I have "spikes" and they come in the afternoon, whether I'm on meds or not. Even if I'm not on meds my bp in the am is around 129/135 over 73/85. This leads me to think that I have a chemical thing going on with my body that makes the bp jump - maybe food, maybe nerves. I do have IBS and when that happens, my bp skyrockets. I'm also a nervous Nellie.
Thanks again guys for your help. It is much appreciated.
Jilly