Here's an article you may want to read IFyou are on bp lowering meds that bring your bp down to an "ideal" reading (110/70 or perhaps less). This article was written by Dr, John McDougall (he specializes in nutrition and has been an advocate for healthy eating/lifestyle for more than 25 years) titled "Over-treat Your Blood Pressure and You Could Die Sooner" from his July 2004 newsletter. What I like about Dr. McDougall is that he backs up his premises with research/data. (You may want to do a web search on his name to find out more info or check out books from the library written by him.)
Here is the website for the printer friendly version of this article:
Very very scary article. For those of us with white-coat, it pretty much states a lot of what I have been saying. This sentence from the doctor is very interesting.
People treated for isolated systolic hypertension (a case where the systolic pressure is high, but the diastolic is normal or low) are particularly vulnerable to the harms from over-treatment.
Glad you read the article, I hope other people will also read it (and check Dr, McDougall's credentials out for being a reliable source). It's good to know there's people like you, Lillian, out there. People willing to consider "new" information/data and change their minds, if it makes sense.
I have taken measures into my own hands. I feel that I was diagnosed too quickly 22 months ago & I am still stuck on 100 MGS of Atenolol & 5/20 of Lotrel. I was never told that Atenolol is addictive (that you have to wean off of it)+. Anytime I got a script for Xanax, I was told that it was addictive. I can deal with that, because there are no side-effects for me & I truly do have anxiety issues that cause my HBP.
I am going to a specialist. This is my choice. My current doc. didn't suggest it. I want to wean off of the Atenolol & stay on the Lotrel for a short while. I want the specialist to lead me down the right path. There have been too many paths that have led me to side-effects, increased anxiety+. If all of my tests are perfect & I am getting readings like 109/64 away from the doctor then it's time to take control. It's obvious that the 3 GP's that I have been to over 22 months have not led me to a better lifestyle. It has only gotten worse, or the same. The only one who is in control now is me.
I am sure that you two mean well, but you are a real "ray of sunshine " for we folks who need quite a few meds to avoid future strokes or heart attacks or just need to control dangerously high BP. When you have been down that road, you may feel differently about the meds, side effects or not.
Bharkins, i've had two heart attacks and still suffers with very high bp. Even with many bp meds. I too am looking for a better way other than bp meds. I think in the beginning i was ovemedicated. I think that the four drugs that were prescribed would have been ok for short term, but i stayed on those pills for three to four yrs.
It can to a head the end of 2003 and my body starting allergic reactions. Another thing is this, when a patient complain about side effects or allergies, the dr should investigate, NOT tell the patient to keep taking the pill.
With things the way they are, i'll take my chances with one or two bp meds, lifestyle and diet changes. Since I decided to refuse some meds, i feel much better. i can actually live my life with quality. Should i suffer another heart attack and survive, then im at the dr's mercy. Each of us must do what we feel is good for us.
p.s. also drs can't even agree what is or isn't best.
Sometimes, i feel as tho there are no alternatives. I have been struggling with this bp and high cholesterol for the last four or five yrs. Like you, im afraid of having a stroke or heart attack. I don't know whats right anymore. All im saying is that if Axe can get by w/o meds he should try. I think i've been on them too long. I just have a problem when drs refused to listen to me.
Too bad there aren't just ONE pill i can take and cure or make my bp better. Right now my bp is 155/70, but it can go as high as 216/110. That's really scarey. I am ok today, but then i'll probably feel sick tomorrow(cardio appt.) If i sound like John Kerry and flip/flop, its bcuz im feeling ok one day & bad the next. Of course, you're right to guard against another stroke. I can tell you, when i had my heart attack i was greatful to take 24 pills, oxygen and anything else that would save me.
If my drs are frustrated with me, then they should know im frustrated with them as well. I personally know ppl that have died or injured from meds. Myself included.
I hear you. I, too, am frustrated. With the blood pressure you stated, you have to be medicated whether you feel you are on them long enough or not.Also, from some of your posts, you have a very stressful life taking care of everything on the homefront. I agree with you that Axe should try to be without medication. Wean already Axe!!!!!
I will. I just want to go to the appt. with the specialist next month. I am going to wean either way after that point off of the Atenolol. I just want to be sure with the 24 hr. monitor. Thanks.
Joann and Axe,
I am sure that you two mean well, but you are a real "ray of sunshine " for we folks who need quite a few meds to avoid future strokes or heart attacks or just need to control dangerously high BP. When you have been down that road, you may feel differently about the meds, side effects or not.
I think we are dealing with a whole range of problems here. From those of us whose blood pressure problems might have been found early on and may have been situation-oriented to those whose problems are much more severe. Those of us at the first end of the scale may have hope of making enough lifestyle changes to reduce to a minimum any medication we need to take or maybe even get off it. Those whose problems are much more severe can probably only hope to reduce their meds a bit or find the right ones to minimize their problems.
Those of us at the first part of the range may join those with the severe problems some day. Everyone has to die of something some time, and unfortunately "old age" doesn't seem to be a very common choice. Most of us will probably face some serious health problems between here and there. But by golly, we are going to postpone it just as long as we can!
I was impressed until I read he stuck people on statins , those things will kill and I believe they are more harmful than blood pressure drugs . They permanently destroyed the nerves in both my feet from taking that wonderful drug Lipitor .
Very interesting,
Two things
(1) That goes against every study I have ever read.\
(2) If I showed my doctor that article he would throw it in the trash and keep medicating me.
bh
Yes, im one of the ppl that must have meds to even get a decent bp. This is my plight in life. Im glad there's something i can take to help, i just wish it wasn't so harsh. i go to my cardio tomorrow for a bp check and next week for another angiogram. I think that's what its called. Its where they take pictures of the heart. they messed up my nuclear imaging text in Oct.
I am sorry, but this doctor has bent statistics like I have never seen done before. He quotes statistics where people with low BP die, of which some or many were old....He never mentioned that people with heart failure die with a very low BP, and it's not because of hypertensive medications.
I read some of his website and he must be getting paid by the tater chip makers, as he is pushing a high starch diet. Boy, if you aren't diabetic, you will be after a diet like that!
Lillian, you got it--'The only one who is in control now is me.'
Bharkins, you're right, I have mild hypertension and am not facing the medical issues you are. Maybe I'd be taking more drugs (but I'd keep looking for different solutions).
As far as Dr. McDougall, have "you" (generic) read the studies/looked at the references McDougall cited for the over medicate article? Have you read any of his books? Yes, McDougall promotes a high carb diet--whole grains (not processed), vegetable protein, vegetables & fruit. Maybe that wouldn't work for some people (diabetics, people with food allergies?) but I fail to see how it's unhealthy for most people. How many obese vegans have you seen? Does anyone know of any recent studies or data showing the rate of cardiovascular disease (or adult onset diabetes) for vegans as compared to those on the traditional American diet (higher fat, sodium, meat, etc.)?
