Advice pls - do you take blood pressure meds

[dahliaaa]

Would appreciate advice as going through bit of difficult time.
(DH has been diagnosed with inoperable advanced prostate cancer. Has been devastating.)

I have this anxious need to be ok for our boys - sure this is linked to diagnosis. Anyway have had borderline high BP for a few years - probably hereditary. (I'm slim, non smoker, pretty good diet.) Was offered BP meds 3 years ago but didn't bother taking them.

BP now showing consistently as 155/95 on home monitor (GP suggested getting one when I decided not to take medication) so think should probably start now.

My concern is side effects as don't want anything that would affect me being able to support DH and DC. In the past I have had periods of anxiety/depression and have specific concern about that as obviously going through difficult time anyway. (I on very low dose Anti depressant but have been well for many years.)

The GP suggested ramipramil - does anyone have any experience?

Sorry didn't intend this to be so long.

I take propranolol for hbp and find that it really helps my anxiety as well. I've told my doctor I want to keep taking it forever...

So sorry about your DH's diagnosis, no wonder you're stressed

Thank you will ask GP if propanolol might be suitable.
I had read that some people get anxiety/depression as side effect from ramipramil which obviously I need to avoid - but I know that if you ask enough people there will always be someone with a particular side effect.

Do you mind if ask what your BP was when you started medication ?

I can't remember the top figure - lower one (diastolic) was 106 which was what panicked me a little and made me go to the gp in the first place.

I have 'white coat hypertension' so my BP is still high in the doctor's surgery but ok at home. For that reason, I send my doctor a note of BP readings taken at home every six months or so.

I dont have anxiety but do take propranolol for something else, only things that annoy me is i get palpitations when dose is wearing off(hoping to move onto slow release to see if that helps) and also makes me sleep funny times, like 7/8pm to 3/4am.

Im only on a low dose, 10mg twice a day but Just about to take my next tablet, blood pressure atm is 112/79, will let you know what it is in an hour or so

Thank you for the info

Down to 95/54 now.

Would prob be the best med for you for both the bp and anxiety.

Forgot to say, im so sorry youre going through such a shit time, take care of yourself.

Thanks for updating Danglyweed.
That's very low so it's obviously working on your BP.
I think GP will still suggest ramipramil but will discuss with them.

I take Ramipril.

Have been taking BP medicine for years, originally Atenolol but changed to Ramipril several years ago. I can honestly say I'm not aware of any side effects. I get tired, but lead a very busy life, so don't know that it's the drug.

My BP tends to be around 120:80 now, so it does the trick.

I did resist for several years, but haven't regretted taking it. You're under enough stress at the moment - maybe your BP being controlled would be one less thing to worry about?

Sorry you going through such shit.

So sorry you've been going through all this terrible stuff. I've taken blood pressure mess for a few years now. I'm currently on a combination of three. I initially was on ramipril for a while which caused me a persistent cough which while not bad was irritating. So, with no fuss, GP changed to different combination. Obviously, different people react differently to drugs but I think it's pretty unusual to get bad side effects. The drugs are very good these days. It's good that your BP is being regularly checked. My dh didn't get his checked so no meds. 5 years ago he had extreme malignant hypertension and has to be rushed to intensive care while they got the levels down. But his kidneys were so badly damaged he's on dialysis and waiting a transplant. He was 49 when diagnosed. I think people can think it won't happen but keeping your BP under check and review and taking meds is not the option people think.

Meds not mess

Thank you for kind messages. I think you're probably right ... it would be one less thing to think about. Will make appointment over next few days.

Ramipramil is normally given first these days, but if you get side effects there are others you can try.
I was prescribed Atenolol, a betablocker, fifteen years ago and am still taking it and I get no side effects. Doctors did try to get me to change to Ramapramil a few years ago but my BP dropped too much as I still needed the night time dose of Atenolol to control the palpitations I get with the mild heart defect I have.

Good luck OP. My DH has been on meds for high blood pressure for about twenty years! No side effects I've seen.

I cant offer any advice on actual drugs as Ive tried a few & still struggling with side effects, though I am prone to side effects from meds, so you may well be fine.

Can I suggest that you see if the doctors have checked your potassium levels though - low potassium can be a cause of high BP & no body bothered mentioning that to me, even though now they are looking at it, my low potassium goes back at least 10 years. Looking like an adrenal problem is the cause for me, but adding more potassium foods to your diet could help if its dietary

Also as your BP isn't very high & you have a monitor at home, have you thought of trying herbal remedies??
Hibiscus tea, Dandelion tea & I believe Olive Leaf tea can all help lower BP & Liquorice can raise it, so avoid that

Hello, I struggled on with high blood pressure for ages under the NHS.

Moved countries and was put on Diltiazem, a calcium channel blocker, for several years with no side effects.

I swapped it for propranolol a year ago because I developed a tremor as a side effect of another med. so the propranolol controls the tremor and the high BP. I have side effects of tiredness and overheating. They are manageable, and could be because of interaction with other meds I'm on. Because of the side effects, I split my daytime dose - so I take 40mg at night and 10mg 3-4 times during the day. My heart rate was up to 90 with no meds, down in mid 60s with propranolol. I did try a slow release beta blocker but had the same side effects and it didn't control the tremor.

Good luck whatever you decide.

Thank you everyone
(I have tried various dietary / teas/ supplements but they don't seem to have made much difference - although I guess they might have stopped it going higher than it has.)
Rang surgery to get non emergency appointment over next week or so but they've actually got a cancellation today so seeing them later.

Hope it went well dahliaaa.

I've been taking them for years, ever since I was pregnant.
I think Ramapril is an ACE Inhibitor isn't it? Most of the ..pril drugs are.
I was started on a different ACE Inhibitor, Fosinapril. Was on it a few weeks when I had a really bad allergic reaction, anaphylactic shock, ended up in A&E & kept in on half hourly BP checks, had risen to 220/145.
ACE inhibitors were pretty new then & no one would believe that had caused it so I was kept on Fosinipril through two more anaphylactic episodes & loads of scary near misses of facial oedema.
Eventually was sent to an allergy specialist at a big city hospital, he took me off them straight away thank goodness. They're since accepted as having this as a side effect but are very effective at controlling BP if you're not allergic to them.
Since then been on two drugs, a calcium channel blocker & an angiotensin-II receptor antagonist ( though that too can have anaphylactic side effect though not quite so bad). I have to take antihistamines every day as well just in case.
At its best, even on the pills, my BP is pretty much what yours currently is at around 145/80 so don't panic too much. The worry of your DH won't be helping so it's wise to see your GP.

Thank you for added messages.
BP at surgery was 148/95 so they advised taking 2.5mg ramipramil which apparently is low dose.
(Useful to know about allergic reaction - glad you were ok.)
Will see how I get on with it. Person at surgery was very nice - aware of DH situation and said it was important to look after myself if I'm to support everyone else. Also gave me a lecture about anaemia as I've completely failed to take the iron tablets they've been trying to get me to have for a couple of years so on the case with that now with some liquid iron. (Tablets are bloody awful)

I've just stopped taking ramipril 10mg as I was feeling dreadful in it . As a chronic asthmatic I became tight chested in a different way from usual asthma , and I experienced regular episodes of crashing
anxiety and despair and sadness . Now feel emotionlly hugely better even though I face real problems with financial issues and a failing business, ramipril definitely made me feel very low .

That's interesting grinandbearit did you only have that at 10mg or when you were building up to that level too ?
(I've got no intention of taking more than 2.5mg and hoping that will help avoid any side effects but anxiety/lows the one I'm most concerned about.)
Although we are going through a dreadful time which is obviously upsetting there is a huge difference between being low and anxious 'for a reason' and depression/anxiety that isn't related to actual events or circumstances. (If that makes any sense at all.)

I also didn't get on with it at all, but I am prone to drug side effects, so I didn't want to put you off as its normal for me to get rarer side effects, so it might not be relevant to you.

I did get the anxiety attacks on it too though, plus more including chest tightness, I even ended up in A&E with what turned out to be a bad panic attack, but they thought was a heart attack & Im not prone to anxiety - at least, I wasnt, not mentally at least.

Turned out that this drug was leeching potassium from my system, a few BP drugs do that & as my potassium was already on the low side & anxiety/panic attacks (high BP too) are symptoms of low potassium, that was why it causes the panic attack & anxiety. So if you already suffer/have suffered with anxiety, that would be something to keep an eye on & maybe swap to a drug that doesn't leech potassium.

Im currently on Doxazosin, which doesn't affect potassium levels, as they've now, years later realised, that I actuallyhave a problem holding onto potassium, not just as a side effect of these types of drugs.

Doxazosin is meant to be better tolerated, (though I'm not getting on with it either, but thats me) might be worth keeping that one in mind if anxiety is a worry for you

That's useful info thanks Rock - can you remember what dose you were on ?
Hope you can find one that works for you without the side effects.

I take atenolol with no side effects whatsoever. BUT! It concerns me that the GP has offered you meds with no further investigations. My dh is currently being considered for BP meds ( after I practically forced him). He had bloods which were OK and next has to have a 24 hour BP recording which is the NICE guideline before starting new BP meds.

Many, many people have 'white coat' high BP so monitoring over a longer period gives a much more accurate picture. Can you ask about this?

Sorry about your dh, how devastating.

Hi Matilda I had bloods checked recently as I'm anaemic and all fine (apart from the anaemia which I've always been prone to) so they didn't need to repeat.
I also had the 24 hour monitor a year or so ago but Dr agreed that I could try lifestyle changes for a while instead of medication at that stage.
So the GP has done the tests they should have done :-)