Well, looks like I got to start on a beta-blocker again, this time it's Coreg. My blood pressure shot up pretty high yesterday when I saw the dr, 160/114. Early monday morning, I had skipping sensations in my heart, chest pain (felt kind of like a dull ache) and dizziness, so I went to the hospital. I also had some heartburn and bloating. They gave me Nexium and this GI Concoction that numbs your stomach, diagnosed me with GERD and palpitations and sent me home. A couple of hours later I started having shortness of breath and went back up there. They ran blood tests and told me my potassium was low, around 2.5 and gave me some potassium. Both times when I was there my bp was pretty high, so it looks like the HCTZ wasn't going to be enough, so my doctor is starting me on Coreg. I was given a prescription for Atenolol but I don't want to go back on that stuff again cause it slowed my heart rate down in the 40s and scared me to death lol So I'm hoping that coreg won't be as bad.
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^_^ Cats are a girl's best friend. ^_^
HBP, 3/2004, Rheumatoid Arthritis, 8/2007
Coreg, 6.25mg x2 daily, Maxzide 37.5/25 mg x1 daily, Claritin 10mg x1 daily
.... A couple of hours later I started having shortness of breath and went back up there. They ran blood tests and told me my potassium was low, around 2.5 and gave me some potassium. Both times when I was there my bp was pretty high, so it looks like the HCTZ wasn't going to be enough, so my doctor is starting me on Coreg.....
Storm,
In my humble opinion I think they should have brought your potassium levels back up to normal before prescribing another med...although I don't know, I think this is where I ran into problems when I was first diagosed with hypertension...
My potassium levels were low and I was prescibed hct...I think the hct made my levels even lower (driving up my pressures) and as a result they increased my dose of hct. I have no proof of this...only memories of horrible side effects, many of which suggest an electrolyte imbalance and medication overdose.
So be careful...it may be that when your K levels improve, your medication will be too strong.
I don't remember...do you monitor your pressures at home? If not, you need to do so.
Just for your info, some of the other problems I had with hct were vision changes (blurriness and sensitivity)....and the hct can cause the potassium deficiency which regulates heart beats.
I couldn't help but notice that you've posted on the arthritis board...has your arthritis improved since you've been off the lisinopril? When I was taking lisinopril I had problems with stiffness and movement (it was VERY difficult for me to get out of a car and I had problems walking) which I attibuted to arthritis, but my "arthritis" disappeared completely after discoing the lisinopril.
In my humble opinion I think they should have brought your potassium levels back up to normal before prescribing another med...although I don't know, I think this is where I ran into problems when I was first diagosed with hypertension...
My potassium levels were low and I was prescibed hct...I think the hct made my levels even lower (driving up my pressures) and as a result they increased my dose of hct. I have no proof of this...only memories of horrible side effects, many of which suggest an electrolyte imbalance and medication overdose.
So be careful...it may be that when your K levels improve, your medication will be too strong.
I don't remember...do you monitor your pressures at home? If not, you need to do so.
Good luck.
Bethsheba
They did give me some potassium in the ER and wrote me a RX for some liquid form, but my doc wants to see if they've improved first. I had blood drawn yesterday and won't hear from them until tomorrow (one reason why doctor's offices shouldn't send off bloodwork cause it takes too long.) But I agree, it makes you lose more electrolytes and can make BP level's rise, which is probably why it's typically not used alone. I did try to eat bananas and drink oj with my medicine every day but went we ran out of them, we didn't go back to the store for it yet.
As far as my RA, it hasn't improved any since i've been off the lisinopril, and those symptoms started before I went on it, back in april. I was prescribed lisinopril/hctz in june of last year. Maybe the HCTZ can cause rheumatic-symptoms? I've been on that for about 3 years now.
__________________
^_^ Cats are a girl's best friend. ^_^
HBP, 3/2004, Rheumatoid Arthritis, 8/2007
Coreg, 6.25mg x2 daily, Maxzide 37.5/25 mg x1 daily, Claritin 10mg x1 daily
... I did try to eat bananas and drink oj with my medicine every day but went we ran out of them, we didn't go back to the store for it yet.
Bananas and oranges are good sources of potassium, but if you run out you can eat baked potatoes with skins, yogurt, milk, grapefurit juice (canned), acorn squash, spinach, etc....so you don't have to rely on only 2 fruits to get your "supply".
Quote:
....As far as my RA, it hasn't improved any since i've been off the lisinopril, and those symptoms started before I went on it, back in april. I was prescribed lisinopril/hctz in june of last year. Maybe the HCTZ can cause rheumatic-symptoms? I've been on that for about 3 years now.
Yes, I would say that hct can cause rheumatic symtoms...although I don't recall the "stiffness" so much as I recall the back pain and shoulder pain....I underwent about 10 weeks of physical therapy to deal with the symptoms only to have them disappear when I disco'd hct. I didn't figure out it was the hct until I read of others on this board who experienced "my" symptoms. I have since read in the literature that this can be a side effect of hct. Oh, and by the way my doctor denied the hct was causing these problems but again, these symptoms are documented in clinical trials and are reported by posters on this board!
Bethsheba
PS I might add that my symptoms came and went over the months that I was on hct...as with any med, symptoms have a mind of their own and come and go at their convenience, not ours.
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