Please help!

[nobodytotalkto]

Hi, I am 25 years old and have had high blood pressure for the past two years (runs in the family). I am extemely overweight and currently working on losing some of it.

The reason I am writing is because I have been taking Maxide 37.5-25m for the past year and a half. I can't tell if it is helping with my blood pressure, as I am a worry wort everytime I go to the doctors, and it is always high. Yesterday, I went in to a brand new doctor and my pressure was 150/100 first reading and 156/98 second reading. She ended up making me a prescription for Zestril 2.5mg (an ACE Inhibitor), to take along with my diuretic.

I have no knowledge of this drug and don't feel confortable taking it. I have read some pretty bad side effects, and since I took my first pill this morning, I have had a slight headache, and light headedness. I feel like I'm pysching myself out now.

Is it extremely important that I continue taking this drug? Any advice or stories of experience would be most appreciated. Also, I want to take natural herbs such as Garlic or Coenzyme Q10. Has anyone had good experiences on either of these?

Thanks in advance!

[rigel434]

You are taking a very low dose of a pretty harmless drug. ACE inhibitors cause a lot of people to cough, but if they don't do that, then serious side effects are rare. Of all the different kinds of bp drugs out there, I'd worry about serious side effects the least with ACE inhibitors (ok, except maybe for ACE blockers, but they don't work very well in most people.)

For the last few years, I've been taking 20 mg daily of the same drug you're taking and have had no problems at all after an adjustment period (especially coughing) the first few weeks I was taking it.

[nobodytotalkto]

Thank you so much for your reply. I also feel some slight feeling in my arm, like I can feel the blood flowing through it (sounds weird I know). I was coughing a little about 2 hours after taking my pill but figured it was due to drinking cold water. My doctor tried to give me the lowest dose possible since it is in combination with diuretics. But I also have a problem with my liver enzymes and am fearful that it may cause a bigger problem.

[rigel434]

Just keep an eye out for any difficulty breathing or swallowing- the main serious side effect with ACE inhibitors involves causing the throat to swell up and restrict breathing. But that's pretty rare. I felt a slight bit of fullness in my throat when I first started taking it, followed by the typical "tickle" that causes the cough, but that all went away after a few weeks.

Right now I take a diuretic and ACE inhibitor and except for frequent urination, I don't experience any side effects whatsoever.

[nobodytotalkto]

Ace inhibitors "relax" the blood vessels and arteries, right? I was told to exercise. Wouldn't this contradict the point, since exercise strengthens the arteries and veins?

Not alone did I experience the lightheadedness and slight headache, I also had blurred vision and sinus pressure throguhout the day, which is very unlike me. Do you know if these are also common? Also, what is the difference of drugs that relax the arteries or the ones that thin the blood? How do they know which drugs I need?