[Joandublin]

Hi everyone

Im having some problems with high blood pressure lately. This has been ongoing for a while but just lately it seems to be getting totally out of control and I was wondering if anyone else had high blood pressure and what eventually controlled it?

I am currently on 10mg Coversyl ACE inhibitor (which is the maximum dose) and 40mg furosemide (diuretic). Since yesterday I have also taken two 10mg doses of Adalat (which are designed to be taken under the tongue and drop your BP very quickly) and today I have also taken two 10mg doses of it. I did this under GP's instructions. However they seemed to have no effect. I have taken my BP five times today so far (over a five hour period) and the readings are

146/110
142/123
139/124
154/110
162/130

So you can see its pretty high...

Anyway did anyone else have trouble controlling their BP and if so did additional meds work for them? Any advice would be appreciated. My GP has asked me to see him tomorrow and recommended bed rest for today and take some valium (I dont have any however)

Cheers for now
Joan:rose:

 

[LolaLola]

Dear Joan, for me a combination of Amlodopine for BP plus Spironolactone as a diuretic works very well. I had endless problems before this but Amlodopine settled it all great. It is not the most obvious choice and I think it is expensive but it really works in stubborn cases.
Feel better soon.
x Lola

 

[sushi]

hi Joandublin, i have been having elevated blood pressure i have an appt with my GP today. to see if its still high im a bit concerned myself.

i listen to the news everynight and there was a report that two meds work really well for alot of people its a combination of calcium channel blocker and ace inhibitor.

you might want to ask you doctor about this. do you check your blood pressure yourself? did you buy the machine? if so, how much did you pay for it? i hope this settles down for you soon. take care

 

[Joandublin]

Thanks Lola and Sushi for the info

Yes Sushi I bought one myself last year. I think I paid about €120 for it which is about $188 US or £95 stg. I bought it at a surgical supply/pharmacy place here in Dublin. I was regularly at my doctors getting my BP checked and it was costing me a fortune! I can usually tell when mine is high because I get a headache and a sort of 'muzzy' feeling so I usually use the machine to check it out.

I dont use it that often to be honest. I thought I would probably be using it every day but of course that soon wears off! Its just that last week I felt 'off' and when I took it it was pretty high so I have been keeping an eye on it ever since because my Gp wants me to keep a record.

I think its well worth the investment, given my BP problems

Luv n stuff
Joan:rose:

 

[cmfinnis]

Just a thought but high BP that is not coming down on meds easily should prob be looked into further. Esp with the kidneys. If there is a problem with the kidneys this can cause the BP to go up. So at the very least your urine should be dipped for blood, protein etc. Also there is a condition relating to the renal artery which can become blocked (do you have Aps?) and this could be needed to be excluded as a cause. Other causes are other odd conditions relating to adrenal glands etc.

You deserve a really thorough look into by your GP and probably a referral to someone with a special interest in high BP - usually a cardiologist. Your BP really is notably high and so you probably should be referrred. They can then arrange for any necessary tests to be done to rule out any rarer causes of high BP that I mentioned above. If all these are negative they can then do trial and error with all the different meds to get your BP better under control

I don't know what to make of the bed rest and valium suggestion. Seems a bit odd to me, but maybe that's standard I don't know?

I hope you get this sorted out soon
Cathy x

ps, do you have know kidney disease by the way?

 

[SoCalEric]

As Cathy mentioned I hope your Kidneys are well. When nephritis kicks in with me my BP skyrockets! I've had readings in the 220/170 range. Been on ALL kinds of meds, can't really say what worked and what didn't. I'm still on lisinopril, but my BP these day is pretty close to normal (125/84 last time I was in....whooo hooo!). Are you on a low sodium diet? I was on a 2gm a day diet for about a year. Great way to lose weight....there's not much you can eat! Of course the real torture with me was being on 80mg pred and no salt, so I was always hungry, but couldn't eat....at least nothing that tasted like anything! I also found light excerciseing can help. With nephritis it was difficult, but I tried to do some walking every day. VERY low impact, just a slow walk. These days I try to get on my treadmill every day and do a couple miles, also take my dogs for walks. With the nephritis I know furosemide well....is it driving you crazy yet? Drove me nuts because I'd take it and then couldn't get too far from a toilet, that stuff made my REALLY have to go! Road trips in the car were very difficult, but my wife got a kick out of it..for once I was the one that needed to pull over all the time!

Best Wishes,
Eric

 

[Maia]

Here's a nice synopsis of the blood pressure study released yesterday that is making the news rounds in the USA at least. It lists the specific drugs used - & I believe I heard on the news over 50% of people reduced their blood pressure to desired levels on this drug combination.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-03/uomh-tbp033008.php

 

[Joandublin]

Hi Cathy

No I dont have any kidney disease (or APS) but I am taking a urine sample down to the GP tomorrow so I can get that checked out at least.

Thanks for the other info. I'm not sure about the valium thing myself but maybe he thought it would 'chill' me out. Im not one for lying around in bed unless I just cant get up and I think he knows that.

Anyway, Im maxed out on my current BP meds today. Its still high but seems to be going in the right direction (155/106 at the moment). Hopefully it will settle and I can have a good chat with the GP tomorrow.

Thanks for the reply. Of all the things wrong with me the Blood Pressure is the one that frightens me the most. It can do so much damage if left unchecked.

Thanks again. Hope you are well?

Cheers
Joan:rose:

 

[Joandublin]

Hi Eric

Im suddenly comforted to see how high your blood pressure was :lol: Im glad its back to normal now. Yes I think diet is going to have to be factored into controlling this big time!

Yep that old furosemide is a pain in the butt! I cant take it before I leave the house in the mornings as it would make for some strange antics in the car during rush hour traffic into work! Luckily I have a loo beside my office which I frequent often! When you gotta go - you gotta go :hehe:

Thanks for the link Maia. Im going to have a look at it now

Cheers
Joan:rose:

 

[sushi]

maia, thats the same drug combination i listed on my post


(calcium channel blocker and ace inhibitor)

 

[keebler]

Hi Joan,

I have a suggestion on your own blood pressure machine. Take yours with you when you have your blood pressure checked at the doctor office.
They can use their blood pressure thing and then use yours to make sure your machine registers the same as theirs.

Hope you get your blood pressure down.:hug:

Love,
Lyn

 

[lauralee77]

I was just put on Lisinopril(?) for high blood pressure. The doc started it it 2.5 mg and yesterday he raised it to 10 mg. It was really high when I was just in the hospital for a week and a lot of that was due to my anxiety and the fact that i was taking 150 mg steroid!. They also gave me valium whenever I needed it because that did calm me down and lower the blood pressure. I really need to learn to read BP. All I know is that when I went to my rhuemie yesterday, it was about 150/ ?

 

[lesleyc]

i take 240 mg of verapamil a day. the other day i finally (after years) had a normal reading. my highest was 179/113, but it was usually 150 or 160/100.
not sure if it will stay low, but at least i finally got there!

 

[LWL2002]

Go See Your Dr. Joan!
Laura(LWL2002)

 

[LoopyLoo]

Hi Joan,

I can understand how worried you are as my hubby has similar readings to you. He has to ensure that he sits quietly for at least 5 minutes before he takes his BP or as he puts it 'It's like checking your engine oil while your driving'. :lol:

Having a BP machine at home is great thing and we've had ours for 5 years now.

I hope things go well for you tomorrow - I'll be thinking of you. :flower2:

Hugz, :hug:

Pam xxx

 

[Karly1964]

I take toprol xl 50 mg. and lasix 30 mg. (basically for swelling in my feet and legs) I have another cardiologist appointment for the swelling. My blood pressure has scared me quite a few times, like 180/90. It is now back down some but the swelling still is a problem. Take Care all, Karly

 

[karen.w.]

Hi joan

Good luck with your gp appointment,let us know how you get on please.

sorry I don't have any useful advice just wanted to send you a big hug :hug: try not to worry (easier said than done i know )

take care..karen x

 

[BigSis]

I'm on Ramipril (ace inhibitor.)

In the UK I think the NICE guidelines suggest that ace inhibitors should be backed up with a calcium channel blocker if the BP remains unstable.

A friend of mine is on this regimen as she has some congenital adrenal syndrome type thing and her blood pressure is now normal after many years of problems.

The downside is (lets face it there is always a downside) that she suffered dreadful vertigo for the first month.

Is high bloodpressure a lupie thing?

 

[Joandublin]

Hi everyone

Thanks a million for all the good info and good wishes. I went to my GP this evening and he has started me on a combination calcium channel blocker and ace inhibitor. Also I have to continue to take the diuretic for the next week or so as well. He wants me to take my BP in the morning and evening for the next week and email the results to him. Im only on 5mg of the calcium channel blocker so we can go up to 10mg if needed.

Lyn, that was a very good idea about taking my machine down to the doctor. We took my BP with both machines and except for a point or two difference, they were the same reading. And there was I hoping that mine might need to be recalibrated or something :blush: Ah well, at least I know its working alright anyway!

Urine was clear so no kidney issues

Oh Maia - I gave him a print out of that link you posted. He knew about the study and was glad to get the printout.

Thanks again everyone
Joan:rose:

 

[LoopyLoo]

Hi Joan,

You do sound a bit brighter - I hope you feel better after your appointment. Your doctor sounds very thorough and he is taking good care of you.

Brill news on the kidneys, I know how worrying that would have been. :flower2:

I'm not entirely convinced that you are resting as much as you should be...hmm?

Sending you positive vibes across the irish sea that the meds work for you soon. ixiedust:

Lots'a'luv, :hug:

Pam xxx