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New blood pressure meds having little effect

tigerlily72

Well-Known Member
Messages
517
Location
South West, England UK
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
My blood pressure medication was changed very recently. I've been on the new pills - Losartan for 10 days now.

So why are my readings still on the high side?!

I've taken two readings today, both when I was relaxed and resting - the first at midday was 167/105 and the second at 2.45pm (to check if I'd got an inaccurate result) was 161/96

I obviously need to give it another week or so but surely they should be lowering my BP by now?

I'm taking 1 pill daily (12.5mg).
 
Have a look online for info about the med. you should be able to find lots of info.

My only experience of bp meds was Amlodipine. My nurse told me to take it in the morning. But online research revealed that it was most effective 14 hours after taking, so much better taken in the evening, so it would have most effect the next morning. Bp is usually higher in the mornings. Another interesting factoid was how long it lasted in the body (72 hrs), and how it built up with successive doses.

Obviously, your Losartan will probably act differently, but worth reading up on it, in case you see a reason or contraindications why your bp is still too high.

I would contact your doc anyway. Those readings are higher than you want, and you shouldn't be that high without your doc knowing.

Hope that helps!
 
Thanks @Brunneria. I'll see what I can find out via Google. I do take it in the morning and I was on Amlodipine previously. I stopped the Amlodipine due to leg and ankle swelling and some other issues I'm having with my leg (s) which may or may not be due to the Amlodipine.
 
Apparently it can take 3 to 6 weeks to notice a difference. I guess I'm being a bit impatient . . .

I'll have to go back to see my Dr in approx a week or so as she only gave me 4 weeks worth of pills so I expect she'll increase the dose if it hasn't improved enough by the time I see her again.
 
Is it one of those meds where you can split the dose? I'm on ramipril for BP. I'm also on nifedipine for spasms but because that is a calcium channel blocker drug that also lowers BP. I take ramipril in a split dose morning and night. I also do the same with the nifedipine. Although I must say when I'm having spasm attacks my BP is hard to get down. It goes real high during my spasm attacks... last one was 208/108. My heart rate goes too high as well. My docs are still working with me to get my meds right to control both pain and BP. I hope you can find something that works for you. I wish you the best.
 

The pills are very small so no, you couldn't split the dose. I can't take anything in the "pril" category as I end up with a hacking persistent dry cough after a few days. My pulse rate is actually quite good. When I self test using our Omron (for the blood pressure) it varies from around 58 up to 72. When I had my annual review with the DSN very recently she recorded it as 66.

I just hope I can get my numbers down as I'm worried about the side effects of increasing or a new additional med to sort my BP out.
 
I have had high blood pressure medication since I was 24. I have tried lots of different ones. Sometimes the reason has been that after a few years on a medication, my blood pressure starts to creep up, so the doctor swoops me to another one. It's as if my body stops getting the effect from the drug so I need a change. I mentioned this to the doctor as I was concerned about having to keep going on to other drugs and she said there was lots of options and new ones coming out all of the time.
I would try not to get too anxious about how long the new medicine takes to work, as this may contribute to your high readings too.
Hope your pressure gets under control soon
 
My BP meds have now been doubled again. So I'm now on 50mg of Losartan. Apparently the max dose for this med is 100mg - I'm hoping 50mg will do the trick and it'll finally start coming down!
 
I am on 3 different blood pressure drugs, amlodopine, losartartam and indapamide, just taking one or two aren't enough
 
goose64 said:
I am on 3 different blood pressure drugs, amlodopine, losartartam and indapamide, just taking one or two aren't enough
Click to expand...

I hope this one starts working soon as it seems very slow to produce noticeable results. I'm not sure what's causing my blood pressure to be so high and the doctor hasn't said. I do think I may need another or maybe something alongside it. Will see what my Dr says when I go back again in about 2 weeks time.
 
Hi @tigerlily72, I read your profile and hope you don't mind me putting my couple of observations in, as I am trying to fight hypertension without drugs. I have to say this battle feels harder to me than diabetes as there is no magic bullet and I feel more nervous waiting for my BP unit to complete it's third run than taking my FBG reading. Anyway I have had some success recently as below:



What is currently working for me may not help you, but I will put it out there just in case and maybe for others (apologies if you have already done most of this, I note that you walk and diet already).

Here's what I have done recently which coincides with the last month of good readings:

  • Increased my HiiT weight training
  • Actively gave myself some time for mindfulness (I used Deepack Chopra)
  • Used my Nutribullet for Water, Kale, Cinnamon, Tumeric, Ginger, Cucumber, Celery and Blueberry smoothy (horrible taste, but mixed with BP / inflammation removal in mind, based on Ms Google)
  • Used Camry handgrips for 2 minutes at a third maximum grip, with 2 minute rest x 3 each day (based on Trust Me i'm a Doctor experiment, which proved a significant drop in a test group last year)
  • Went to bed an hour earlier
I am not sure if one or two of the above had a major impact, and I am by no means saying I am resolved as this will be a constant battle, but due to my obsessive testing I know one of the above has provided a change over the last month. I know the use of hand grips are meant to widen the arteries (http://www.resperate.com/recipes-he...-gets-a-thumbs-up-for-lowering-blood-pressure). If you or anyone chooses to do the above please discuss with your Doctor first especially if figures are near 180 / 110 (seen this figure in several cross references).
 

What are hand grips and where would I purchase them from?
 
This is useful advice thanks as I need to lower my BP naturally I'd prefer but I can't do hiit just more walking and yoga as I had chronic fatigue
 
Thanks for the tip about the handgrips. Seems like a good idea. Personally, I have significantly reduced my BP by virtue of weight loss from exercise & LCHF. I also found that cutting back on alcohol really helped.
 
 
The handgrip do work. I use them 3/4 times weekly, four sets of 2 mins each hand with 2 mins between sets.

It was actually first realised by American pilots who were being trained with handgrips so they could avoid blackouts in high g force manoeuvres by gripping on the stick.

It raises the BP and widens arteries during the grip and over time retrains your autonomous nervous system to accept a lower resting pressure.

Mine was 160/100 medicated and is now under good control unmedicated by dietary changes, exercise and hand grips.
 
@Mbaker I have been reading about beetroot for bp recently. I will check it out after I have seen my doc.

I got a little garlic cocotte in a charity shop for much cheapness. I just pop in a whole bulb with a little olive oil and roast it until it turns soft and sweet. Wrapping in tin foil also works. Yummy. Not stinky at all!

 
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