Lenin - Need Your Knowledge

[Emeraldeyes]

I am presently taking Clonidine .1mg 5x's/day. I am very sensitive to drugs and have tried so many of the bp medicines but get all the side effects. I am having a hard time controlling my bp because I think I have built up an immunity to Clonidine.

My doctor had me on Diovan 80mg 2x's/day. I would get such rushes and fast heart rates it was terrible. The clonidine would help slow it down but I started getting blurred vision, less urine output, increased dizziness but the worst thing of all was the anxiety level. Benicar did that to me also. I lowered the dosage to 40mg 2x's/day but it still persisted.

I am very salt sensitive and I remember reading on this board by someone that ARB's won't work for me. The ARB's did help bring down my bp.

My question is when I go back to the doctor do you think I should try another ARB...been on Diovan, Benicar and Avapro. Or do you think I should try a Alpha Blocker such as Cardura ( I think that's what I read was good for salt sensitive or low resin?) or try Verapamil a CCB? Or do you have any other suggestions?

I am at my wit's end on what to keep trying to control this hbp with little side effects...this is controlling my life...tired of dr's fussing about it when I am doing all I can. They look at me like I am crazy about these side effects but I get them all. I have to work for a living so I need to be able to function. If I could just sit on a couch at home and stay drugged up to lower the bp on all these med's then I guess the Dr's would be happy!

[Lenin]

Emeraldeyes,

First line of defense for salt-sensitives is, of course, diuretics. Have you worked your way through these (pardon my memory?) THere are several different types so a problem with one might not occur with another. I think all salt sensistive hypertensives should be on a diuretic formulation if they can't keep sodium intake to ridiculaouly low levels....like a gram??

I really think that ARB's are a useless class of meds for salt sensitive hypertensives...they make them LOOK better by prescribing thiazides with them to get any results.

I'm not up on clonidine nor have I ever taken it but it's a different bird that acts throiugh the central nervous system. From what I read it interacts with many other drugs. Thus the dizziness, blurred vision and anxiety might not be unexpected with or without the Diovan. WHy not just stop the Diovan (since it's doing little) and see if it is playing a role in your symptoms or it's the clonidine doing it all by itself...or indeed, something else???

Salt sensitives are supposed to do well with CCB's but my only experience was a bad one with Norvasc...poor control and nervousness...but then I was taking it with atenolol at the time, so who knows. I MIGHT give diltiazem a try down the road.

Alpha blockers haven't been thoroughly tested and often cause that old dizziness and a sped up heart...best for men who ALSO have swollen prostates. Usually used in combination with other antihypertensives.

Work your way through the CCB's to find one you like...generics like veramamil and nifedipine are pretty cheap. Don't pile them onto the clonidine and Diovan though, otherwise you won't know which way is up.
Sometimes your choice depends on other conditions...for example some CCB's lower heart beat strength or speed more, some treat hypertension better...so someone with JUST hypertension might make a different choice from someone with hypertensive heart failure and yet different from a hypertensive with occlusive angina.
But take the CCB with a diurtetic if humanly possible.

If I see more on alpha-blockers I'll let you know but there was SOMETHING that scared me away...I can't find that file!