Oral Contraceptives and high blood pressure

[jahee]

Hi,

I tried bp twice, once in my early twenties and mid-thirties and both times my blood pressure skyrocketed and went down within days of stopping them. I wasn't on any blood pressure meds at the time. The only birth control pill that I tolerated without raising my blood pressure was a new pill called Yasmin. It has a bit of a diuretic in it. I was on it for 6 months before my pressure went up, and in this case I don't think it was related to the pill. I just stopped it in January and was taking it for perimenopause too. I was not on it with bp meds. I now use a Vivelle patch instead of the pill. I think there are less risks associated with it because it is in a patch form and is not taken by mouth and doesn't have to pass through the liver. By the way, how did you tolerate Cardizem? Did it have side effects? I took one dose and couldn't sleep all night feeling my heart pound in my head...these side effects are unpredictable. Good luck.

[MandyGirl]

jahee -
Is the patch as effective in birth control as the pill? It is something that I, too, asked my GP about when she put me on hbp meds in Feb and she said that since I was under 35 (age 29) to stay on the pill. I've been on it solid for 11 years, and she said that since I originally went on it for regulation, that going off would bring back the erratic months. But... I have read the risks associated with hbp and can't help but wonder. I had not known what you said about the patch not going through the liver. I think that is another question to add to my list when I go to the cardiologist at the end of the month. Thanks for mentioning the patch!
~ Mandy

[lilleth]

Is there anyone else on these boards who might weigh in on this? I'm interested in experiences various people have had with hormones. I'm not menopausal yet, so no hot flashes, but I have other perimenopausal symptoms that affect me pretty seriously. Also, there is still that caveat that these studies were all using the horse urine HRT, and there are other forms of hormones available. I'm really interested too in people's experiences with birth control pills and whether that has raised their bp. Thanks again.

[lilleth]

I did not tolerate Cardizem very well. I was tired all the time and don't think I realized until recently that it was exhausting me. When the doctor raised my dosage from 120 to 180 mg, I was totally wiped out and had headache and stomachache. I only took that for 3 days, and now we are experimenting with no cardizem. I swear that my bp is LOWER now, and I do fell a lot better. I still take Maxide.

[jahee]

I take the patch for perimenopause symptoms, not birth control. However, I think there is a new birth control patch.