OT: High Blood Pressure

[temery]

Tom is right on the walk. I started having having moderately high BP and cholesterol about 5 years ago. Only only one thing fixes it and brings me to very healthy ranges, a brisk 20 minute walk 4+ times per week. Works so well it is almost hard to believe. When I fall off the wagon it goes right back up.

Speaking of the wagon ... Alcohol can seriously raise blood pressure.

 

[gtcam]

Speaking of the wagon ... Alcohol can seriously raise blood pressure.

so yours is through the roof????

 

[Lefty2one]

Hypertension is 80% calcium deficiency 15% renal conditions and 5% stress, smoking, etc... NaCl has nothing to do with it - but are desperately needed metallic minerals daily. Another big lie - believe as you wish. Best of luck - God bless.

I was diagnosed with HBP in my early 30s and I take good care of myself. I'm thin, exercise all the time, eat pretty well, rarely drink (now, though I enjoyed my 20s), don't smoke. It was pretty unsettling news. Changing my diet didn't do a thing. After eight years of being on meds I started having a strange pain and swollen feeling in the middle of my back on the left side. Turns out it was a problem with my kidney draining. I needed surgery to correct the problem but after that my BP dropped to a normal level. The human body is crazy. Docs had no explanation as to why I didn't have the kidney pain earlier in life. It did feel good to know that my lifestyle choices weren't the cause.

 

[August_West]

Hypertension is 80% calcium deficiency 15% renal conditions and 5% stress, smoking, etc... NaCl has nothing to do with it - but are desperately needed metallic minerals daily. Another big lie - believe as you wish. Best of luck - God bless.

Yeah but who killed Kennedy?

 

[gtcam]

Yeah but who killed Kennedy?

I think his nickname was Hypertension

 

[temery]

so yours is through the roof????

 

[Palatine]

Take your medication and do some exercise. I started on Bystolic and have switched to Atenolol. Eat pretty much anything I like and I never salt my food. Which it turns out helps you find what things really taste like. Besides, there is salt in almost everything you eat anyway.

Do NOT stop taking your meds. HBP kills and does it with no symptoms. You feel fine until you're dead.

 

[sledog]

Recommend for cardiac and hypertension is 30 minutes a day. And can do in 10 min increments.

 

[Citrusdog]

Yeah but who killed Kennedy?

The unholy alliance.

 

[Citrusdog]

I was diagnosed with HBP in my early 30s and I take good care of myself. I'm thin, exercise all the time, eat pretty well, rarely drink (now, though I enjoyed my 20s), don't smoke. It was pretty unsettling news. Changing my diet didn't do a thing. After eight years of being on meds I started having a strange pain and swollen feeling in the middle of my back on the left side. Turns out it was a problem with my kidney draining. I needed surgery to correct the problem but after that my BP dropped to a normal level. The human body is crazy. Docs had no explanation as to why I didn't have the kidney pain earlier in life. It did feel good to know that my lifestyle choices weren't the cause.

Imagine that. Thank you for sharing. I am glad you are well.

 

[RedDog]

If you have trouble with hydrochlorothiazide (water pill), you can see if the provider will give you Amlodipine or Lisinopril. They are both first line medications now.

Amlodipine is generally well-tolerated, but one can develop swelling of the feet.

Lisinopril can cause high potassium, occasional bump in kidney function, and folks develop a "dry" cough. Even with all of this, generally it is well tolerated.

 

[jostar1]

Ive been recently diagnosed with HBP and have been prescribed Hydrochlorathiamide pills. Apparently salt is an issue for me even though im not a big salt guy or at least I thought. So whenever I eat anything with even moderate salt I feel terrible and my bp goes through the roof. So are my days of enjoying food over? Getting old sucks!!!

That pill is a diuretic. I hope your doctor is monitoring your kidney function. My heart doctor prescribed a similar pill but discontinued it after blood tests were not favorable as to kidney function. I take a regular blood pressure pill, Benicar, with no adverse effects. I watch my salt intake a little.

 

[TheChamps990411]

If you have trouble with hydrochlorothiazide (water pill), you can see if the provider will give you Amlodipine or Lisinopril. They are both first line medications now.

Amlodipine is generally well-tolerated, but one can develop swelling of the feet.

Lisinopril can cause high potassium, occasional bump in kidney function, and folks develop a "dry" cough. Even with all of this, generally it is well tolerated.

Yeah I tried Lisinopril and got the most annoying cough of my life. Thanks.

 

[TheChamps990411]

Update:
Its now a possibility that this sudden spike in BP might be caused by a spine issue. I should know for sure what the exact issue is by the end of the week. Hopefully its a back issue and the bp gets back to normal. If not that will suck but ill do what I have to do to take care of it. Thanks for all the feedback.

 

[sledog]

First, what is your BP?? Also, what is your salt content. You can get your sodium (Na) and Chloride (Cl) ion levels in a Comp Metabolism Panel (CMP) , a common bt that your MD must have ordered.

The diuretics are typically Lasix (given to race horses, but 'old' now), Chlorthalidone, and Chlorothiazide (CTHZ). If those don't work, typical go to an ACE inhibitor like Enalapril. Or next step would be a calcium channel blocker like Amlodipine. Both of these block the tendency of blood vessels to contact - so they dilate, thereby increasing the diameter of the pipe and lowering pressure.

Check your blood test data.

 

[Deepster]

Yeah I tried Lisinopril and got the most annoying cough of my life. Thanks.

God. The worst hack/tickle ever. Dry and wouldn't go away.

 

[arch]

View attachment 56454

82? You know you’re a humming bird, right.

 

[TheChamps990411]

God. The worst hack/tickle ever. Dry and wouldn't go away.

I stopped the med and it took about a month to go away.

 

[TheChamps990411]

First, what is your BP?? Also, what is your salt content. You can get your sodium (Na) and Chloride (Cl) ion levels in a Comp Metabolism Panel (CMP) , a common bt that your MD must have ordered.

The diuretics are typically Lasix (given to race horses, but 'old' now), Chlorthalidone, and Chlorothiazide (CTHZ). If those don't work, typical go to an ACE inhibitor like Enalapril. Or next step would be a calcium channel blocker like Amlodipine. Both of these block the tendency of blood vessels to contact - so they dilate, thereby increasing the diameter of the pipe and lowering pressure.

Check your blood test data.

Up until January I usually had BP consistently 117-125/70-80. Then in January it jumped up to 130/90+ consistently and several times it has spiked to 160/110.

 

[temery]

82? You know you’re a humming bird, right.

I had just come from the cesspool, that raises by pulse a bit.

Here, this is better:

 

[Kathy]

Yeah I tried Lisinopril and got the most annoying cough of my life. Thanks.

So did my late husband - they took him off of it. Not sure you want a dry cough these days as it is a Covid symptom

 

[huskyblooz]

I think being in the AAC gave all of us health ailments. Go for walks.

 

[auggie22]

I’m on lisinopril - had the dry cough but powered through it and it went away after about 6 months.

 

[Kathy]

I’m on lisinopril - had the dry cough but powered through it and it went away after about 6 months.

My husband's never went away

 

[Edward Sargent]

I had a similar experience in March. My blood pressure was typically low but began spiking. I used to be a marathon runner but bad knees have put me on the hiking trail instead. I tried low salt foods, reducing alcohol intake (alcohol is a diuretic and will increase your BP like Tom said) I took off some weight and it helped but didn't get me down to where I wanted to be. My Mom died of a CVA and my Father had chronic heart issues so I didn't want to take any chances. I Zoomed with my doctor, I showed him my BP readings over the course of several weeks and he prescribed lisinopril 10 mg. After 2 weeks 10 mg didn't reduce my BP low enough so we upped it to 20 mg and all is well with my BP steadily at 110/72. I do get an occasional episode of orthostatic hypotension, a common side effect, but that is manageable. By way of complete disclosure I worked for Merck, the inventor of lisinopril for 25 years and did some of the early toxicology work on lisinopril. Its a good drug with few side effects. Champs talk to your doctor and don't delay getting on some medication.