Doctor just put me on 40 mg. daily of Accupril. Was wondering if anyone takes it and if so did you have side effects?

40 mg is the first thing they gave you? Are you feeling all right?

Do you know what your blood pressure was?

Jay

Yes - my blood pressure was 134/60 which I question. Never had the bottom number that low before. I was taking 60 mg. daily of Procardia but since I found out in January I am Diabetic Type 2 have been told I should be taking an Ace Inhibitor - so that is why the change. Do you think 40mg. is too high a dose to start with?

Well I guess it is working. The procardia was a calcium channel blocker.

If you feel OK, I guess it is fine. The 40 mg was the dose that they were trying to give me and I didn't do so well, but everyone is different.

So far I have only taken two pills so I think it is too soon to tell. How did it make you feel?

Well aside from the sex thing, it put me in slow motion. I could only run a mile or so. It also wears off so that you have to time it just right so that your doctor gets low readings, otherwise, he just kept doubling the dose.

I went to another doctor who gave me ARB's. They had essentially no side effects. I am on 20mg of Benicar. BP is better and I am feeling great.

Jay

What are ARB's? Sorry for having to ask!

Major side effect and I DO mean MAJOR is the constant cough from the ACE inhibitors. It effects SOOOO many. I couln't bear it with Vasotec.

Doctors even refer to it as the "ACE COUGH," and it's the major reason people discontinue the drug class.

ARB is short for Angiotensin Receptor Blocker. ARB drugs work by blocking the angiotensin receptor (binder) on the arteries. As a result, the angiotensin is not able to work on the artery. (Recall that angiotensin is a hormone that constricts the arteries.) The ARB drugs appear to have many of the same advantages as the ACE inhibitors, but without the associated cough. Accordingly, they are also suitable as first line agents to treat hypertension. ARB drugs include Cozaar, Avapro, Diovan, Atacand, and Benicar.

Yep,

I was swiched from Vasotec to Cozaar with good results coughwise. Now only slight and infrequent- quite bearable.

My complaint with the reuptake blockes is their VERY limited BP control. It's a shame they aren't more "dynamic."
Almost tempted to go back to the thiazides (like many are doing), but since they caused (or at least exposed) frank gout 20 years ago (I'm now on daily allopurinol)...I'm more than a little leary.
They give me DRAMATIC BP drops.

Can't live with beta blockers and the "limp noodle" syndrome.
<sigh> Oh well, harsh weight control and alcohol teetotalling get my BP WAY DOWN, but it's so hard to be PURE all the time! SOOO HARD!

[This message has been edited by zip2play (edited 06-25-2003).]