Despondent

[vintagelady]

I have subscribed to the axiom, "For every gain there is a sacrifice," but with the myriad of blood pressure meds and their side effects, I am becoming more cynical. The ace inhibitors seem to be the most effective in controlling my bp, yet as a person who's always been physically active, they exacerbate the joint and muscle pain, limiting any regimented exercise, which ironically is beneficial for hypertension. The latest, Accupril, also caused severe upper abdominal pain.

Beta blockers make me so lethargic, I feel like a zombie. They also have the tendency to give me Raynaud's disease. (Seems like any of the meds that fall into the "blocker" category have that effect.)

Diuretics? The reverse effect: retaining fluids, distended abdomen, difficulty in urination.

At 52 years old, I don't think one should have to sacrifice the quality of life to benefit from a brief reprieve of temporarily controlled bp. I am so frustrated, I'm seriously considering risking the consequences sans the meds to resume the life now restricted by side effects.

Suggestions?

Thanks for any feedback,

~Anna~

[Kine]

Are you new to the hypertension diagnosis? Has your doctor tried ARB or calcium channel blockers? I ask because I too went through a gauntlet of several meds (diuretics, beta blockers, ACE inhibitors), and while each had its own unique way of making me feel like crap, none actually resolved my HTN problem. I finally went to see a hypertension specialist who said ACE with BB was a "toxic combination", and prescribed Diovan and Norvasc. Have had no side-effects and the HTN is finally under control. I hope you consider asking your physician to change your meds, rather than taking the drastic action of stopping them altogether.

[Jack51]

Anna

Are we really vintage, lol? I will be 52 on Dec., 26th. I thought that you might be in your seventies, when I saw your screen name!

Your post put me on a 3 hour google of hypertension, and all the causes. The science is so complex. My head is dizzy from thoughts of aldosterone, renin, angiotension converting enzymes, primary and secondary hypertension. Whew, no wonder doctors just try to find a drug that controls our BP, instead of doing many expensive test, that in the end, may be inconclusive.

My BP is under control, but at a cost. I can't figure out the total cost either, because I have other health problems that are contributing to my feeling like hell, most days. (heart disease, CAD, and pre-diabetes).

My wife had a sudden onset of high BP about 6 weeks ago, and is having trouble getting it down. I guess that is why I read this board at this time. There are many here that have struggled like yourself.

I read that approximately 5% of hypertension is classified as secondary hypertension. Which is usually caused by the renal arteries (blockages) of the kidneys and tumors on the adrenal glands. The rest of us with high BP have primary=essential=ideopathic (unknown cause) hypertension.

You probably already knew this...and you probably know that untreated high BP will kill you, in time, due to causing strokes, heart disease, vascular disease, kidney failure and other things that I know nothing about. So far I have had a light stroke and a heart attack, so I guess that I don't worry about the side affects of the medicines. I work in my home as I can, tinkering with computers, while my wife slaves on. I don't have an honest days work in me most times, so I am at a distinct advantage over people that have to work full time and live with these meds. I guess my message is try the best you can to live a health lifestyle before it is too late. Try your best to find the right medicine or combination of meds, eat right, and get exercise. Stop all the unhealthy habits.

I can really relate with BB's producing symptoms of Raynaud's disease, and the reverse effect of diuretics. You are the first to mention this that I have read about. I have a prescription for Lasix, but darn it hurts my bad kidney and makes me feel bad. Sometimes I don't urinate anymore than usual either. So I really quit taking it. It wasn't prescribed for BP control for me. It was for a bout with fluid on the lungs, and fluid retention in general.

Have you tried to reduce your intake of sodium? When we are young, our body can overcome or compensate for many bad habits, but when you get to our age (vintage lol), you have to start giving serious thought to what you eat. It's pure heck, this aging deal. but the other alternative is not so great either, lol.

Has your doc done any serious investigation into why your BP is high? Has he ruled out secondary hypertension? Most times this is curable, I have read. I think that Kine seeing a hypertension specialist, is a great idea for people such as yourself. I think that there is good research out there on different reasons or causes of primary hypertension, even though it is ideopathic. I think also that insurance companies had rather a GP or PCP deal with high BP by throwing meds at you until one works, instead of seeing a specialist that could do some testing with your blood and maybe determine what drug might be best for you. I developed this opinion while reading just a while ago at a site that mentioned it was "uneconomical" to test for secondary hypertension, because < 5% were classified as such.

Hang in there and do what's best for you

Jack

[Lenin]

Anyone who get bad results with edema control should stagger the diuretics...maybe twice a week at double dosae. It really makes a difference.
I find that when I'm "squishy" the diuretic works much better at diuresis than when I'm "normal," almost self regulating (and I like that aspect.)

Vintage Lady,
I think you should give ARB's a shot. They are the easiest on our systems and usually produce no untoward side effects. They are usually not strong enough for monotherapy and $$cost$$ a lot, but any port in the storm, eh?

[Palamedes]

Originally Posted by Lenin

I think you should give ARB's a shot. They are the easiest on our systems and usually produce no untoward side effects. They are usually not strong enough for monotherapy and $$cost$$ a lot, but any port in the storm, eh?

I second the ARB. I would expect similar BP control to your ACEI. So, if the ACEI is working, the ARB should work equally well with fewer side effects.

And, yes, they are expensive. If you are paying out of pocket, Benicar is a good choice because it is splittable and the 40's are the same price as the 20's. If the 20mg dose works for you, you can get the 40's and split them. This will cut your costs in half. And, it will put the costs inline with most generic ACEIs (except captopril; this one is dirt cheap).

Pal