bethsheba

Cynann,

Who took the "high" readings that your mother had? I would first question the accuracy of those readings to find out if they were in fact reflective of her bp overall. Too many of us on this board have been prescribed meds or more meds for blips or inaccurate readings.

Secondly, I question adding two new drugs. Sometimes it helps to reduce the dose of a medication, especially if the person is older. Lisinopril is not metabolized but instead is excreted by the kidneys. As we get older, our kidney function changes and we "hang on to" chemicals longer than we did as a "youngster"---that means that although we've been taking one dose for "years", it's possible that dose may be too much now and may cause problems. (I was only 54, and except for sleep apnea had no other medical conditions, when I took a minimal dose of lisinopril and experienced symptoms of an overdose.) If a reduced dosage doesn't help, upping the dose (providing she not at the max dose of lisinopril) before adding one new med may help. Problem with adding 2 new drugs at one time is that if there are side effects, or perhaps I should say "when" there are side effects, the doctors (if they are actually looking for side effects--many don't!) have a difficult time figuring out which drug is causing the problems.

If the bp readings were/are accurate, I would personally look at "causes" before changing meds...sleep, salt, inactivity, alcholol intake can change our bp numbers. It may be your mother changed some activities of daily living and it is reflected in her numbers. If so, perhaps there are some non drug options she could try.

Bsheba