I am wanting to hear some combinations of blood pressure meds that have helped others on this site. I have been on clonidine, vermapamil, taztia, toprol, atenolol, coragard, micardis,cardizem, all in large amounts at different times, the list goes on, many types tried at the same time still diastolic blood pressure doesn't go lower than 100 most of the time. I have had this going on for a long time and I am concerned, I have a cardiologist trying to help me, and an electrophysiologist because I also have a high resting HR. Secondary cause for HBP have been looked at a few years back. I do have symptoms with my high blood pressure, short of breath and light headedness, this gets really bad when diastolic is around 120.
Thanks for reading what I have written,
Leslie
age 43
I have been taking Adalat 60mg (CCB) for 4years and my blood pressure is always around 140/70. I recently changed drs and now I'm taking Cozaar 100mg in the morning and Adalat 60mg in the afternoon. I been taking my blood pressure for the past week in the morning and then at night. It between 127/65 to 150/70 with my pulse around 62-75. I have never been able to get it steady since the dr first said I had high blood pressure. I work out four days a week, watch my salt intake and eat a lot of fruit and vegs. Can't figure it out either. I'm 5' 7" and 175 lbs.
I'm sorry I can't help you. I get excellent control with clonidine and taztia at fairly low doses.
Have you checked kidney function recently? Tests several years back may not indicate what is happening now. You might try an endocrinologist for kidney and adrenal type functions. Other problems like thyroid might play a part too.
Do you watch your diet, try to get exercise and keep your weight down?
I will have to look into adalat. I am on a CCB but haven't tried that one yet. BP sure is a confusing thing, I know one thing mine is not stress related, mine is high all the time even when lying down for long periods watching TV or reading a book. I just got home from volunteering at the hospital which is about 4 hours on my feet. I try to keep active but it is hard sometimes when I have symptoms.
I think the main thing is be active and happy and try to eat right most of the time. In this day I know its a little hard as everybody want to sell pre packaged food including all the sodium. I just keep plugging along and hopefully it will be enough to at least not make my blood pressure go any higher.
I have wondered many times about my kidney function but I just had test less than a year ago. My weight is high right now, but I even had high BP as a teen at 105 lbs. HBP went away between 20-40years old, came back around age 40. I had thyroid test and even kidney anigram.
They can test kidney fuction in blood tests like I stated in a previous post. They don't need to run a scan if BUN & Creatinine & the ratios are in line with what is normal. I have been to 3 docs. & a specialist & none of them mentioned a renal scan. They tested my thyroid which is fine. The 2nd doc. said it wasn't necessary to test for pheo, because it is so rare & I don't show any of the symptoms.....
The easiest effective combination for me has been Cozaar (losartan) and hydrochlorothiazide.
Ahh, your mention of Corgard brought back memories- ALL BAD, but it DID drop my BP to levels I thought were only achied by corpses...unfortunately, that's exactly how I felt!
That must of been terrible having a real low BP . Even if i get my HR to come down , my BP stays up. Right now I am taking 200mg toprol, 360mg zaztia, micardis 80mg, my BP today was 150/100. I don't feel good on these meds. My doc is trying to work with me on this, so I am glad about that. I have to laugh when I hear someone say that HBP doesnt have symptoms. I know you understand that low BP has symptoms.
Leslie, You said that you had to laugh when someone says that HBP has no symptoms. Well, this aught to be a real knee slapper because I had no idea I had HBP until I had a stroke one morning. It took almost four years and four types of medications to get my pressure under control. When I got to the ER my pressure was about 254/169.
The highest my bp has good is 236/120. I didn't have any symptoms either. I calledd my cardio and she kept asking me if i had a headache or chest pain. I had neither and i felt just fine. HBP is a silent killer. When i had both my heart attacks, all i felt was a dull pain the chest. I though it was probably heartburn or something.
Leslie and bharkins, i think i've finally found a cardio that can help me lower my bp. Bharkins, you know the troubles i've had with hbp. My cardio prescribed norvasc 5 (now 10mgs) and a new diuretic called, torsemide. The pharmacist said it was stronger than lasix. I've only taken it twice and already my bp has gone from 170-205/72-110 to normal pressure of 130ish over 80ish.
So far, i haven't had too many side effects, at least nothing i can't live with. It is such a relief to get norm readings again. I felt so helpless.
Thank u bharkins/ I had gone so long with hbp that i thought it was part of my nature.Like you said once, i have to tolerate some side effects. Norvasc does cause some side effects(now leg & back pain) but i can deal with it.
Great number!!! When you start to see good numbers, you can tolerate the side effects. I know, I have been there. Some people on the board get annoyed with me when I say that I accept the side effects, but my good numbers were a long time coming and I just suck it up.
You said that you were given a new diuretic, torsemide. Is that like HCTZ?Does it also cause high cholesterol and weight gain?
Bharkins, no its not suppose to be like hctz, but more like lasix(loop diuretic) only stronger. At least that's what my pharmacist told me. I didn't look it up. At this point, all i care about is good bp readings.
Oh yes, i was told that torsrmide would increase cholesterol a little, but i have decided to take the niaspan500mgs and continue exercise and diet.
I have a question for you, do you sometimes get difficulty catching your breathe with norvasc? its not quite as bad as when i first started norvasc, but someimes its difficult to catch my breathe. It is not bad enough to make me stop taking the drug though.
Thank u bharkins. I don't get edema too much. Manybe it is the torsemide that's causing the difficulty in breathing. It not all the time, just occasionally.
