Fatigue and Confusion - High & Low Blood Pressure Message Board

sue0317 · 09-19-2007, 04:22 AM

Are there any anti-hypertensives that normally do not cause fatigue, drowsiness, lethargy, or impair cognition. I've been put on metoprlol with causes fatigue, dizzyness, problems thinking, headache, and nausea. A few months later I switched to an ARB, which causes extreme dizzyness, fatigue, and major confusion.

I'm starting to think that the drugs will all do this to some extent.

bethsheba · 09-19-2007, 09:34 AM

Sue,

I was on minimal/moderate doses (only one med at a time) of hydrochlorothiazide, lisinopril, benicar/hct, atenolol, and noravsc. I experienced moderate to severe fatigue and brain fog on all except the norvasc/amlodipine. Had problems sleeping with the amlodipine which also caused some cognition problems but these problems weren't as severe as with other meds.

I have been reading as much as I've had time for to try and understand why my symptoms were so severe---and why on EVERY medication I tried. I suspect one possibility is that my electrolytes were unbalanced (magnesium and potassium in particular), and that lead to other nutrional imbalances...but I don't know.

Magnesium is a major factor in regulating blood pressure and in sleep.

Bethsheba

PS I am currently controlling my bp with diet and exercise, and plenty of sleep!

flowergirl2day · 09-19-2007, 10:53 AM

Hi Sue,

There's one class of antihypertensives that has few, if any, side effects, and none of those you mentioned: ACE Inhibitors.
The only problem some people seem to have is dry cough. In most cases, it goes away after a while. Even if it doesn't, I (and others, probably) find it's a small price to pay to get the benefits of this very effective BP drug. Often, it is combined with diuretics, which, unfortunately, have more severe side-effects.

flowergirl

asc01 · 09-19-2007, 12:04 PM

I had major fatigue problems and some cognition problems with all the beta blockers. No problems with lisinopril. A higher dose of diltiazem produced fatigue and aching, but I'm OK on the 120mg.