quote:

Originally posted by ARman:
...Still 40% blockage, and they won't do anything until it's 65%,...

ARman

Or, proper medical treatment has failed. You're not there, yet.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

quote:

Originally posted by ARman:
...Still 40% blockage, and they won't do anything until it's 65%,...

ARman

Or, proper medical treatment has failed. You're not there, yet.

Yeah the problem is,now I can't work. I'm out of a job until I get it under control and my BP is at least 140/80. So far, everything has only worked for a few months at best, and then it's back to changing things again until it fails again.

Meanwhile my medical card has been pulled and I can't work. I can't even work in the transportation office, because you have to have an active CDL. I can't even go in and answer the phone or wash buses. I can't even work in the bus garage.

ARman

^^^^^ It's frustrating I'm sure, but as it stands right now, there are no instant fixes, unless you can find some interventional vascular specialist who is willing to do the procedure. In the meantime, as doc goodheart and I mentioned above, an ACE-I or ARB should have been the first line treatment. Other meds are added subsequently as necessary. Was there some reason you have never been on either one?

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:
^^^^^ It's frustrating I'm sure, but as it stands right now, there are no instant fixes, unless you can find some interventional vascular specialist who is willing to do the procedure. In the meantime, as doc goodheart and I mentioned above, an ACE-I or ARB should have been the first line treatment. Other meds are added subsequently as necessary. Was there some reason you have never been on either one?

Before Metoprolol I was on something else, I don't remember what it was as I was on it for a very short time, it made me lethargic and extremely drowsy and I coughed like I was a 10 pack a day smoker. None of that was conducive to driving a school bus.

Plus, it didn't do much of anything of lowering my BP. Metoprolol makes me drowsy too, but seemed to work when I was first put on it, then it didn't until the dose was raised.

That's the problem, everything works for a short period of time, a month maybe a few months, then it goes back to the way it was, or worse.

On top of that out of nowhere it will drop to some low number like 100/60 and unlike when it's high and I feel "normal", but when it rarely goes low like that I feel, dizzy, confused, nausea.

This has been gone over with the doctor's involved, and it doesn't seem like they believe me because they never seen it low, at best it's 140/80 or slightly lower. But as of right now it's nowhere near there.

ARman

quote:

Before Metoprolol I was on something else, I don't remember what it was as I was on it for a very short time, it made me lethargic and extremely drowsy and I coughed like I was a 10 pack a day smoker. None of that was conducive to driving a school bus.

That sounds like an ACE-I you were on. The cough side effect. An ARB like losartan should have been next.

quote:

Originally posted by ARman:
the lowest it's been since Thursday has been 175/80. Mostly 190/80 to 200/100.

200/100 is life-threateningly high!

I'm surprised that the ER simply told you to go home and follow up with your PCP.

Even more surprised that you have zero symptoms from it. Perhaps you're just so used to the feeling of super high blood pressure that it has become your new normal?

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by ARman:
the lowest it's been since Thursday has been 175/80. Mostly 190/80 to 200/100.

200/100 is life-threateningly high!

I'm surprised that the ER simply told you to go home and follow up with your PCP.

Even more surprised that you have zero symptoms from it. Perhaps you're just so used to the feeling of super high blood pressure that it has become your new normal?

The ER told me that since I don't have any other systems, that the protocol is to do nothing, just send you home and follow-up with the PCP.

Heck I feel better than I have in a long while, and the swelling in my ankle is almost non-existent. Go figure.


Now, you have to account that I'm used to pain, I'm in constant pain so when something happens, I sometimes don't notice.


ARman

quote:

That sounds like an ACE-I you were on. The cough side effect. An ARB like losartan should have been next.

Yup.

My BP has been fluctuating pretty wildly recently, as low as 75/55 and a high of 176/106. It's been running too high the last week, I headed to my PCP.

I've been on Enalapril for a decade or so, no side effects and managed BP. She has now put me on Amlodipine additionally, reading this thread hasn't helped me anxiety. There is enough positive and useful info posted, thanks to all. I'll be following this thread.

I see 180/120 is considered a "hypertenive crisis", head to the ER. My doc says they'll send me home if there's no organ damage, recent fairly extensive blood tests and MRI look good so there's that.

All rather odd it would seem, my age is probably the biggest culprit but yeah, shit.

I did some research when my BP numbers were creeping up.
There was some debate that ACE inhibitors had more side effects than ARBs.
One line of thought was that ACE inhibitors by FAR were more represented by lisinopril than others and maybe it was more a problem with lisinopril and not the class.

My doc opted for the ARB losartan because of the less reported side effects.
Who knows? Different people have different reactions to almost every drug. It really is an experimental process to find what works for YOU.

I take Warfarin on a daily basis. I think it's way more effective at controlling blood pressure than taking blood pressure meds. Warfarin does one thing: It thins your blood. Same thing happens when putting thin oil into your car's engine; the oil pressure will drop. The only drawback is you have to go to the lab every few weeks to get your blood tested for thickness. They call it INR numbers. The ideal range is from 2.0 to 3.0. My blood pressure is always in the 120/70 range.

^^^ Welcome to SF.

quote:

Originally posted by dragonfly1944:
I take Warfarin on a daily basis. I think it's way more effective at controlling blood pressure than taking blood pressure meds.

Pretty certain your doc didn't prescribe you the warfarin to control your BP. You take it for some other reason (see below). If you have hypertension (HTN) and need med, your doc prescribes BP med. If a doc prescribes his patients warfarin only for the purpose of controlling BP, he's a quack.

quote:

Warfarin does one thing: It thins your blood. Same thing happens when putting thin oil into your car's engine; the oil pressure will drop.

Yes it "thins" your blood, and, although there are better drugs now, that's the reason it's been used to prevent clotting stroke, Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and Pulmonary Embolism (PE), not to control your BP. Analogizing warfarin in our vascular system to thin oil in a car's engine makes for cute sound bites, but it proves nothing. Can you show me one study that demonstrates that warfarin lowers your BP? A well done clinical study, not just some opinion spewed out by someone on some forum.

quote:

The only drawback is you have to go to the lab every few weeks to get your blood tested for thickness. They call it INR numbers. The ideal range is from 2.0 to 3.0.

And, this is the reason other newer blood thinners have largely replaced warfarin, although it still has its use. With other blood thinners, you do not need to monitor the "levels".

quote:

Originally posted by ARman:
So, in the Search for the cause, it was found that I have developed a 40% blockage in the artery to my left kidney. In three years it hasn't changed. I'm on potassium citrate for kidney stones, and low dose Aspirin. And of course I'm on hyddrocodone-acetaminophen here and there because of chronic kidney stones ( multiple episodes a year).

I try to eat healthy, but until this I usually work between 50 and 70 hours a week, 5 to 6 days a week, and sometimes eating out, fast food IS the only option. Even then, I still try to make the best choices, which is extremely hard.

The thing is, it seems like no matter what I do, nothing helps. This adds stress, because this can lead to me having to lose/leave me job.

ARman

Are you having a stone passing now? Pain can make your BP go up also. Be VERY careful with high blood pressure, it is one of the biggest reasons people end up with losing kidneys. Don’t play around with this HBP, get to the bottom of it before something worse happens. Something is driving the issue. I too take the potassium citrate for kidney stones. My BP went up when a surgeon made a mistake, killing one of my kidneys. BP forever goes up after that. Now I have chronic kidney disease in the remaining one. I use Carvedilol 25mg twice daily and it does the trick for me until I am in pain from a kidney stone of something else. I hope you get to the bottom of this quickly.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131

quote:

And, this is the reason other newer blood thinners have largely replaced warfarin, although it still has its use. With other blood thinners, you do not need to monitor the "levels".

Not a doc here, but just curious, isn't that what Eliquis is for? Seems like so many people I have known for years are on Eliquis now.
.

You've cut out salt, good. Have you had your magnesium level checked?

Salt vs blood pressure has been debunked many times over, plenty of sources to review on this.
High Blood Pressure is derived from many other factors and those are the important ones to examine.
However, too much salt is a big myth for the most part.

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:
Not a doc here, but just curious, isn't that what Eliquis is for? Seems like so many people I have known for years are on Eliquis now.
.

Yes, Eliquis (generic apixaban) is a direct inhibitor of one of the clotting factors (Xa), and by its action, makes your blood "thinner". Its mechanism of action is different from wafarin. It's been around a while, but compared to wafarin, it's a new kid on the block.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:

Have you talked with your doctor about switching you from amlodipine to an ACE inhibitor like lisinopril, or an ARB, like losartan?

I had been taking Lisinopril for many years. Had a constant cough for all that time, and never made the connection until I read someplace (Can't recall where, maybe WebMD) that the cough was a fairly common side effect of Lisinopril. Sent my Primary Care Doc an email asking about it, he responded immediately, telling me to stop the Lisinopril, and he sent me an Rx for Losartan. The cough that I had had for many years disappeared within couple weeks.

Exact same issues with Lisinopril, it got to the point they were giving me steroids to combat what everyone thought was related to asthma.

Like you I started searching intel on the BP and other meds and lo and behold found it may be the culprit, a few weeks off it and the dry cough, gone.

This is a trait common with any Ace Inhibitor of which Lisinopril is a member.

There are also other medications that can increase BP numbers. Like Claritin D, this will pump up your BP, inhalers, etc.

Other medications that can worsen blood pressure levels include:
Steroids
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen and naproxen
Antipsychotics
Birth control
Decongestants, such as those that contain pseudoephedrine
Cold and influenza (flu) medicines
Migraine medications

quote:

Not a doc here, but just curious, isn't that what Eliquis is for? Seems like so many people I have known for years are on Eliquis now.
.

Eliquis is primarily for A fib. So is Xarelto.
Warfarin is dirt cheap but requires blood work monitoring.

quote:

Originally posted by doublesharp:
I went hardcore keto, mostly carnivore, for 2 months starting mid April. No bread, rice, potatoes etc. I ate steaks, eggs, bacon, pork chops but few carbs. Dropped 20 lbs and blood glucose went from 170 to 120 bp went from 140/80 on 3 meds to 125/70 w no meds. I'm now eating clean but am eating some carbs. Sugar is the enemy and the food pyramid is big pharma bullshit.

I did the same several years ago with almost identical results, lost 20lbs, BP went from high to normal, and joint pains largely gone.
I am maintaining with reduced carbs. Diet is often the issue and sugar is usually the culprit.