Blood Pressure tablets - any conspiracy theories?

[Rachox]

Give your surgery a ring to see if they will lend your a 24hr BP monitor before the review - more data the bettter......

I have a normal BP machine at home and submitted twice daily readings over a week last month so my GP has some data to work on. I suffer badly with ‘white coat syndrome’, so my GP is happy to go by my home readings normally. It’s an idea to bear in mind though thank you.

 

[Bluetit1802]

@Rachox when you experience this dizzyness on getting up, do you take your blood pressure at the time?
I had a spate of that, and still do sometimes, but it isn't a BP issue, it is postural vertigo as diagnosed by my GP.

 

[ickihun]

Interesting links, @NoCrbs4Me As I said earlier, no-one knows what our blood pressure should be as long as we are all given tablets at some point. It also seems no-one is measuring it correctly.

I had a funny reading once and gp received a letter but on 2 other readings I was in range. Good job they need a few readings before meds are changed.

 

[ickihun]

Thanks for your reply and your concern. My next review is soon, just nine days away. I’m being very cautious getting up so I’m prepared for the dizziness at the moment. I guess if I came off all BP meds my BP would go back up so that’s why I’d be happy to go back to just Ramipril, that was the first BP med I was put on. I’ll see what GP thinks is best.

Have you read dr bernsteins book? He mentions this dizziness and advises getting up very slowly and very common for diabetics.
I get it. Probably the tablets I take which stop severe palpatations and a stroke. I thank my lucky stars for my old gp putting me on perindopril. I'm convinced I would have had a stroke by now without it. Many have who have been through what I have.
Many on low carb find a change to their blood pressure, for sure.
Definitely great idea going with that gp advises. Weight loss is a great leveller.

 

[Rachox]

@Rachox when you experience this dizzyness on getting up, do you take your blood pressure at the time?
I had a spate of that, and still do sometimes, but it isn't a BP issue, it is postural vertigo as diagnosed by my GP.

No I haven’t, I should do that I guess. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[barrym]

Dr. Malcolm Kendrick has some interesting opinions on blood pressure that are worth a read:

https://drmalcolmkendrick.org/2013/09/09/what-is-your-blood-pressure-bp/

https://drmalcolmkendrick.org/2012/04/02/does-treating-high-blood-pressure-do-any-good/

https://drmalcolmkendrick.org/tag/healthy-blood-pressure/

Wow, fascinating stuff. I didn't study statistics at school unfortunately, but these underpin my strong belief that selective use of statistics can prove whatever you want.

I'm not saying this is always intentional, but that you will always find what you are looking for at the cost of not seeing what you weren't expecting. I maybe oversimplifying.

Anyway, after doing a week of 4 tests a day I have had quite a range from slightly raised down to very acceptably low for a sick old man. It'll be interesting to see what GP says. I already know my answer.

 

[himtoo]

Thanks for the comments.

I'm still very sceptical. One recommended limit for diabetics regardless of age. Hmm.

Revisiting stats from studies intended for other purposes and drawing conclusions seems a dubious methodology to me.

I'm 66 and whilst that is still young by today's standards, there seems to be this obsessive drive to extend life regardless of quality. I'm extremely likely to decline the meds I reckon.

hi there Barry
I come at this topic from a slightly different angle.
I was diagnosed type 1 back in 1972 aged 14 -- and at that time I was told that if I looked after myself I could expect a reduced life expectancy of around 25% ( they did not mention my life expectancy if I didn't )
fast forward to 1993 ( and I am now 35 ) -- my endocrinologist prescribed a BP med and a statin as preventative measures

so up to date now - late 2017 -- and I am 59 -- do not have high BP ( usually around 125/78 ) and cholesterol is normally 4.1 - 4.3 )

i am still here and going pretty good , I take 3 meds for BP and a statin --- so in real life no kidney issues , and minimal arterialsclerosis

( the BP meds increased to 3 as endo said levels were slightly rising over the past 24 + years -- so I have gradually had them added to get to my current 3 -- if that makes sense )

my targets for BP are 130/80

 

[barrym]

Thanks for that positive reply @himtoo. It's good to hear something positive, after all lots of us, well me anyway, feel rather hard done by one bitter and given anything to moan about we/I will.

You are clearly very fortunate with a BP like that based on the current propaganda. I was going to say, you can't go very wrong with low BP, but I'm not sure that's what those paper linked to above say. Not that it'll hurt, just no evidence of any benefit.

I'm still of a mind to take my chances. What's to lose? Rhetorical question obviously.

On a different point, I am always in awe of folk who've had this awful disease from such a young age. It really isn't fair. I got 1.5 at 60, cancer too within a few weeks, and the cancer never bothers me. There's little I can do about it so what will be will be, but diabetes..... Managing that is a whole frustrating can of worms. Drives me nuts, depressed, angry, bitter.......

 

[Dark Horse]

Thanks for that positive reply @himtoo. It's good to hear something positive, after all lots of us, well me anyway, feel rather hard done by one bitter and given anything to moan about we/I will.

You are clearly very fortunate with a BP like that based on the current propaganda. I was going to say, you can't go very wrong with low BP, but I'm not sure that's what those paper linked to above say. Not that it'll hurt, just no evidence of any benefit.

I'm still of a mind to take my chances. What's to lose? Rhetorical question obviously.

On a different point, I am always in awe of folk who've had this awful disease from such a young age. It really isn't fair. I got 1.5 at 60, cancer too within a few weeks, and the cancer never bothers me. There's little I can do about it so what will be will be, but diabetes..... Managing that is a whole frustrating can of worms. Drives me nuts, depressed, angry, bitter.......

The Mayo clinic lists ways to control high blood pressure here:- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases...n-depth/high-blood-pressure/art-20046974?pg=1

Although you are probably already following a number of them, your last post does suggest that maybe addressing number 8 (stress) might be helpful? There are a lot of online resources for this which can be found by googling, e.g. https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/stress.htm

 

[Daibell]

Thanks for that positive reply @himtoo. It's good to hear something positive, after all lots of us, well me anyway, feel rather hard done by one bitter and given anything to moan about we/I will.

You are clearly very fortunate with a BP like that based on the current propaganda. I was going to say, you can't go very wrong with low BP, but I'm not sure that's what those paper linked to above say. Not that it'll hurt, just no evidence of any benefit.

I'm still of a mind to take my chances. What's to lose? Rhetorical question obviously.

On a different point, I am always in awe of folk who've had this awful disease from such a young age. It really isn't fair. I got 1.5 at 60, cancer too within a few weeks, and the cancer never bothers me. There's little I can do about it so what will be will be, but diabetes..... Managing that is a whole frustrating can of worms. Drives me nuts, depressed, angry, bitter.......

For info, a low BP is just as bad as a high one as you can faint/collapse. My wife's BP is low and she gets annoyed that the NHS only worries about it being too high.

 

[himtoo]

Thanks for that positive reply @himtoo. It's good to hear something positive, after all lots of us, well me anyway, feel rather hard done by one bitter and given anything to moan about we/I will.

You are clearly very fortunate with a BP like that based on the current propaganda. I was going to say, you can't go very wrong with low BP, but I'm not sure that's what those paper linked to above say. Not that it'll hurt, just no evidence of any benefit.

I'm still of a mind to take my chances. What's to lose? Rhetorical question obviously.

On a different point, I am always in awe of folk who've had this awful disease from such a young age. It really isn't fair. I got 1.5 at 60, cancer too within a few weeks, and the cancer never bothers me. There's little I can do about it so what will be will be, but diabetes..... Managing that is a whole frustrating can of worms. Drives me nuts, depressed, angry, bitter.......

I think what I was / am trying to say is that without those drugs , the likelihood of me being here and somewat complication free ( got some eye issues ) would be a lot lower.
I too was diagnosed with cancer 1 1/2 years ago -- I too neatly put that away in it's little box -- it is the daily grind of the D that consumes the energy !! - though after 45 years I have long ago come to accept it as just me. !!

 

[barrym]

[QUOTE="Dark Horse, post: 1636959, i8]

Although you are probably already following a number of them, your last post does suggest that maybe addressing number 8 (stress) might be helpful? There are a lot of online resources for this which can be found by googling, e.g. https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/stress.htm[/QUOTE]

That made me laugh.

 

[Dark Horse]

[QUOTE="Dark Horse, post: 1636959, i8]

Although you are probably already following a number of them, your last post does suggest that maybe addressing number 8 (stress) might be helpful? There are a lot of online resources for this which can be found by googling, e.g. https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/stress.htm

That made me laugh.[/QUOTE]
... well, 'laughter is the best medicine', so they say.