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Originally Posted by lolasmom
Cass - thanks for your input. I am curious - I read several times that you were on clonidine. I looked up this drug and saw that it did have side effects too, ones that made me not want to ask my doctor about it. I would presume that you do fine with it. Have you ever had a problem on clonidine, like when you first started it. And, do you use it for sleep or for spikes, or for what? I had a great nite last nite. No spikes and slept, finally. Beautiful day here in NY - going on a cruise around NYC with family for birthdays. I would like to cast my problems into the Hudson River and pray that I will feel better without the drugs etc - but, somehow I remember, way before Atenolol, that the reason I started taking it was for a blood pressure spike which occurred out of the blue. So I'm not really thinking that the atenolol may have caused my recent spiking. I've read about tachardia (spell check?) and I guess that's what I have. If I were smart, I'd see a cardio dr but then again, would their opinions differ from my doctor. WHo knows. Maybe I'll give it some thought. Do you see a cardio or a regular primary care physician. It's all very confusing and a problem definitely not one what I'm thrilled with. It s-cks to age - but I guess one has the benefits of living long enough to be a problem to your children.....LOL!!!!!! So, tell me about clonidine. Thank you so much!
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Lolasmom, Hope you are enjoying your day. Sounds like a great one! It's much to hot and humid here (SE TX) to spend much time outdoors. I run out after breakfast and tend my flowers and run back to the air conditioning.
For the first 20 or so years I was treated by a GP. I think there have been about 7 of them. The last one wanted me to see a cardiologist. I went through 3 of them and am back with the last GP and doing OK.
I was excited about a specialist, I have very hard to control HBP. I thought I would finally solve my problem. I was sooo disappointed. All they wanted to do was add med upon med upon med till I was either sleeping all day are in a zombie daze so I took some advice from this board and retreated back to my last GP.
The best advice I can give about a doctor is find one that will listen to you and not treat you like a child that won't mind. Someone on this board told me that a she feels that most cardiologist think of themselves as gods and look down on us and our ideas. Only WE know how we feel and we all react to meds in different ways.
Now on to Clonidine. As I said I have stubborn BP. It would be OK in the AM and dangerously high late afternoon and through the night. I tried to adjust my meds (as the cardiologist suggested ) and was taking medication of one kind or another all day.
I was on
10 mgs of altace (ACEI) and .1 mg of clonidine @7am
40/25 Benicar, HCTZ ( ARB + diuretic ) @ 2pm
25 mgs of atenolol @ 7am & 7pm
.1mg of clonidine @ 10pm
This resulted in a BP around 85/55 - 190/101 in a 24 hour period.
Apparently (in my case anyway) the combination of ACEI, ARB, and beta blocker were somehow working against each other
So, now on 10mgs of altace, 12.5 of atenolol, and 25mgs of HCTZ I feel much better and BP is within a normal range.
I take the clonidine on an as needed basis. Only at night. I just take 1/2 of .1 mg and it seems to control my evening BP (when I always got my spikes)
My 10 pm BP is usualy around 125-130 / mid 70s. If I don't take a clonidine I get around 137/85 in the am with the clonidine my am reading is around 120/80. It doesn't help with tachycardia though. The ony other meds that slow down the pulse are two of the calcium channel blockers ( verapimil and diltiazem) I have taken both without side effects - But, that was me.
Do you have a consistantly high pulse or just with the BP spikes? I have delt with tachycardia for many years. I found that it caused me to have severe anxiety which caused my BP to soar.
I am sure that this is way more info than you nedded. Sorry, I just get carried away sometimes.
Reguards,
cass
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