General Chat

It depends what is causing your high BP I suppose. My OH is on Atenolol, which is a beta blocker, but he also has various cholesterol treatments, one being Perindropil, which, when he was on a higher dose, also reduced his BP so that he felt really ill and sluggish. The doctor quickly reduced the perindropil then.

Much of his BP is to do with the diabetes and the high cholesterol levels that come with it...

But not treating changes in BP could be far more dangerous than a few side-effects, so give it a go, whatever he doctor prescribes. If it doesnt suit, it can then be changed.

Hi Teresa,I know what you mean and I am resigned to taking extra medication, but I want to sort out what I think would be best for me before my doctor puts me on something willy nilly. XX

I suppose what you need to know is what type your doctor knows will be best for you BC. as they work in different ways he has to prescribe the type that will treat the cause of your high BP. Do you see what I mean?
TW I take statins as well as BP tablets because my cholestrol was up and after I started the statins my BP dropped. But only to normal luckily. I had not really made the connection until you said. My bug bear is the daily aspirin which I am not convinced I need. They are now saying that they are useful if you have had a stroke but if you haven't they are likely to do more harm than good. And the reason I am on it is because the B Government set doctors targets for so called preventative medicine.

Hi BC, Daff & All. I have been on Amlodipine one a few years ago, then was put back on it two years ago. Due to what I thought was the O/A, my ankles swell up, and are very sore.
The gp said to come off the Amlodipine, as after a while it can cause problems with swelling in the feet.??????????
Now I have stopped taking anything for high BP, and am having bad headaches, and as I have a machine to check my BP, I have noticed it is on the low side. I know this can be just as bad as high BP, but what else can I do lol
Hope you get it sorted soon.

Hey Daff, I'M ONLY 21 NEXT BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!! I B@99<> WISH

Hiya LL:-) Ann, I have stopped taking Aspirin as I think it did more harm than good, I think everyone started taking it a few years back!. Have been reading and listening to all the new reports about the efficacy (sp?)of it and decided to stop. Only take it when travelling. XX

Could your headaches be due to the lower BP?

Mine is always on the low said of normal...just inside the parameters. I was nearly rushed off to emergency when I had my hip replaced, because they thought it was low because of internal bleed, until I told them to check the pre-op chart, which was the same LOL. Anyway, sometimes, I get dizziness and headaches with it.

Ann, my OH is also on aspirin every day, though to be fair, he did have a stroke 7 years ago, but he was on it before then, just didn't take it all the time. I sort his meds out these days, as he has 11 different pills to take, so he just takes them and doesn't ask questions lol.
He's on atorvastatin, bezafibrate and perindropil. His cholesterol level was off the scale when he first had it checked, and though it's still higher than we want, it's at least on the scale now LOL. The higher dose of perindropil would have helped get it down faster but that was not to be.

Wmsl..... yeh, we wish, lololol!!

I think that was why I was told to watch out for puffiness in the ankles and feet, lol

Ann, your surgery tried to put me on aspirin too.... and insisted on treating me as an asthmatic... and other stuff, too! to meet there preventative targets

1. I am extremely allergic to aspirin

2. I had lisinopril cough!! Not asthma... good thing I was lazy about the brown inhaler, lolol

and we won't go into the other stuff!!

BC, it all boils down really to what else is going on.... different pills have different effects... and interact in different ways. I have just looked at the data on my pretty ones... and it says nothing in the bumf about using them for High BP... just stable chronic heart failure... which I don't have, lol.... Or maybe they are not telling me something? wmsl!!

Just make sure the GP explains to you exactly what he/she is expecting them to do for you... what to look for, and what to ignore.

Love

Daff xxxx

I mean to take myself to the doc to ask again about aspirin. But because I am indifferent about taking them, and stopped when having ops, teeth extractions etc, and because I forget to put a cross against it when I get my prescription made up I have enough to keep me going for a year Lol!!!! Embarrassing and next time I must remember I don't need any!! All different packets they are too.
The one thing that annoys me is that my Mum died from an aortic aneurism and I know they can be hereditary. I have mentioned this before to one doc but Ithink I need to be more forceful, I am sure if I did have one aspirin would be the last thing I needed.

I am sort of waiting until the coughs, colds and flu season dies down a bit before going to sit amongst all the germs in the waiting room.

Hi Island. The Blood Pressure Association say that an 'ideal' BP is 120/80, but it does depend on how old you are. BC

*ruffles and rustles in starched pinny and stuff* lol

Just c & P'd this

A low blood pressure reading is having a level that is 90/60mmHg, or lower.

Only one of the numbers has to be lower than it should be to count as low blood pressure. In other words:

* if the top number is 90 or less (regardless of the botton number) this may be low blood pressure
* if the bottom number is 60 or less (regardless of the top number) this may be low blood pressure.

I have bookmarked the site... I'll go back in a mo... as long as I don't get distracted again, lol... and put the site url up..... but I had low pressure... I collapsed, and although I was still conscious and could talk (I thought, lol) my pressure was not registering at all.... I don't know what it was, but do know that I was very close to popping my clogs!!

Love

Daff xxx

http://www.bpassoc.org.uk/BloodPressureandyou/Thebasics/Whatislow


There you go.... I'm off to get out of this uniform... starch doesn't half itch, doesn't it? lolol ;¬))

Love

Daff xxxx

Oooh yes...... more than just a bit!! I would have thought even the figures given in the stuff I c & p'd would be considered low in someone who normally has normal range blood pressure!

Whoever it is should see a doctor!

Love

Daff xxxxx (oh, but they might still be walking, I imagine... I was, until I collapsed, lol)

I started on ramipril (Altase) and yes, got the cough. I tried to pretend I didn't, but I did. And that was on only 5 mg. And man, was that annoying. Especially to No.1. ;)

The "side effects" of hypertension are worse than the side effect of any drug one might get for it, I suspect, so I'd worry about that first and anything else second!

My dad's brother had an incapacitating stroke at 45. My dad and his father both died of coronary blockages. My mum has high BP. Genes are such fun.

So now I'm on Alacand, too, plus the diuretic (Alacand also comes in a combo with diuretic included).

As for ideal BP -- "they" used to say 120/80, but that has been revised downward, although age will be a factor.

Risks have been found to rise once BP goes over 115/75.

*frets....

I'm usually 110/60 or thereabouts, just on the lower parameters.

60/30? are you still alive?

My son had only 72/48 when his spleen ruptured and he was in a hell of a lot of trouble then. Almost died.

Thanks Janey, you are right, I will bite the bullet..... I was 'fretting' for the person with such low BP!

Goodness that is low.

That's the bottom line, isn't it? They save our lives, in most cases, so we put up with the side effects... but I do wish we weren't fobbed off when we go to the medic, and they say it's your age or your imagination, rather than the drug you are taking!

I chose to stay with lisinopril, until a couple of months ago... it's the coughing petrifies the medics, lol.... it meant they felt obliged to send me for chest x rays to be on the safe side... so they changed them to stop the cough... which it has. But it did take me a little while to settle into the new ones. Fine now though!

Love

Daff xxxx

Island....were you serious?

If so, who took your BP?

My last reading was 116/66, think that was back in August