Hypertension - side effects of meds

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I have been diagnosed and started medication 2 months ago . BP has since come down to 130/70

My medication, amlopodine is causing swollen ankles

I’ve had acupuncture, I go to yoga and I exercise regularly and eat well. I’m hoping to not have to take medication permanently

Any advice whether gp will change medication and what too due to the swelling?
Or whether they will approve me coming off again ?

Thanks

Amlodipine turned my normally slim ankles into elephant ankles, I cant take it. Its a well known side effect. Ramipril can cause a persistent cough. With me it wore off within 6 months but with other people it persists.

Thanks @Shehasadiamondinthesky
Im going to ask to come off it

I was prescribed Amlodipine in July. My ankles became so swollen and painful, in fact right up to below the knee. The GP changed them for Lecanidipine and I haven't had any problem since.

I had to take Amlodipine a few months, it did not cause this...but it caused me to develop rosacea, that did not go away a year later....even though I have been off it for over a year....

You can lower your BP naturally. Especially if you are over weight. Lose the weight, exercise, eat healthy. I was already slim, but not a healthy eater so I started to exercise, eat healthy and that helped lower it naturally.

If you drink, cut way back...too much coffee as well. Things to cut out would be salty foods, processed foods, coffee and alcohol oh and too much meat. Things to add in - oatmeal, flax, rocket leaves, beet root. Cardio daily.

You can google on you tube natural ways to lower BP and there is so much on there.

The fastest way is a vegan whole foods plant based diet....lots of fruits, veggies, beans and complex carbs - think brown rice, whole oats, sweet potatos.

I’m trying to reduce it naturally, Its hard as I already exercise a lot, I’m slim, I don’t drink often maybe a beer once a week and a session at the pub once every 8 weeks

Trying to cut down salt, I already eat mostly veggies and fish. Im trying to cut down processed food as salt is in so many things; bread, pesto, tomato paste - not things I think of as processed food really

I guess coffee’s the next thing to go ☹️

What is a day like in your diet? Some foods can help lower your BP naturally. Such as lineseeds. Two spoons of linseeds can apparently lower your BP as much as medication after a few weeks. Easy to eat it in porridge or salad.

Thanks for the tip about linseeds do you get them whole, the small red ones?

Today I had
Breakfast: 2 cups caffeinated tea with soya milk unsweetened, a slice of rye sourdough toast with marmite.

Snack : large coffee with cows milk & sugar

Lunch: 1 slice rye sourdough sandwich with wholenut peanut butter and cucumber.
Large Orange

Snack : small slice Christmas cake
2 cups green tea

Dinner: white pitta, sausage meat Pattie, salad - beetroot, rocket, carrots, tomatoes

I know I need to give up coffee

I would say cut cut out the caffeine and see if that helps..switch to herbal tea like ginger or chamomile for two weeks and see if that helps. Also, add a rocket leaf salad to your lunch and for breakfast, change it for oatmeal with cinnamon and ground flaxseeds (same as lineseeds) Also, watch your salt intake, as marmite I think has a lot of salt, sausage is really bad as well. Even some bread and peanut butter. Just look at the labels when you are not eating whole foods (fruits, veggies and nuts w out salt). So if you eat something like pre packaged food, look at the sodium content...avoid the high ones and eat more of the whole foods. Good luck!

Doc has agreed to me monitoring BP daily for 2 weeks without medication and then seeing if I can keep it down

So I have a proper smart goal now

Thanks all for the tips and support, I’ll update if anyone is interested

Do you have a monitor at home? If you need any motivation or tips for healthy plant based recipes (the best diet to bring your BP down) check out forksover knives. I did this diet for two months to help reset my system and now have fish/eggs/chicken daily with one of my meals. I have been off the meds since July.

Good luck and keep us updated!

Forgot to mention, when I am good with my exercise and eating, my BP is regularly 112/69 and this is with out medication! The highest I saw my BP was 198/154 during a hypertension crisis (not sure exactly why it shot up and the doctors do not really know...it was during an optic migraine..). But anyway, my BP has been stable with a good diet and exercise now. Before I was eating a lot of junk food and barely and fruit or veggies (naturally slim). And drinking a little to many days of the week.

OP that's five servings of caffeine
Even cutting to two might help

If you're on the pill, you metabolise it slowly as well, I think.

Ankle oedema (swelling) is a common side-effect of calcium channel blockers like amlodipine. The guidelines recommend switching to a thiazide-like diuretic (e.g. indapamide) if the ankle swelling is intolerable.

I'm on both (as well as ramipril) and have no difficulty with the diuretic action of indpamide, which is mild (it actually works by dilating small arteries rather than reducing blood volume). I don't notice myself having to urinate any more often than usual/

I had exactly the same with Amlopidine, I’m fine on Ramipril though

Well done on trying to lower BP w healthy changes. Definitely cutting back on caffeine should help. Perhaps just one small one in morning or better none at all. It can be done. Healthy lifestyle changes should be tried first before going on medication.

118/72 yesterday and I have stopped the amlodipine . Only 2 caffeinated teas yesterday. Homemade mushroom risotto and kale for dinner, shop bought hummus in my lunch were the two added salt items.

I usually exercise 4 times a week. I’m going to try and get to the gym tonight

I really hope to manage it without medication
My highest was 160/118. But I already exercise and eat loads of veggies so salt and caffeine has to go

Well done! That is amazing progress. How many days with out the medication? The doctor said it takes a few days to all get out of your system. I think up to two weeks. However, my BP never went up again after getting off because I implemented the healthy eating and exercise. I hope the cutting caffeine and salt work for you. It sounds like a very good start. I notice if I have coffee my BP definitely raises a few points. And when managed BP every point counts 😀 certain foods like flax and rocket leaves can help drop it a few points, same w reducing sodium (salt), etc. Keep us updated!

Also; there are some breathing exercises you can do if you google on YouTube breathing exercises to lower BP.

And do you mouth breath at night? This can raise BP as well. I realised that sometimes I mouth breath. I try to sleep with a pillow under my chin (like me hugging it) to prevent my mouth opening when I sleep.

122/74 today so it’s up slightly. Only 2 days since I stopped the medication. GP did predict it will go up once I stop them. I find the prospect of long term meds depressing, especially as I might take it to mean I can go back to eating salty foods and drinking strong coffee !

Keep up with the healthy eating and less caffeine. It might go up slightly, but then back down as you implement the new steps to reduce it...by lowering sodium and caffeien. What work out do you do? Cardio is the best for lowering BP. Also, if your BP is slightly high, that is fine too...it does not mean you need to be on meds....like if its 130/85....just keep up trying to keep lowering it with lifestyle steps (there are tons more you can do). I read an article that its better not to be on medication if your BP is only slightly high, as it does not reduce any long term negative effects. Only useful to be on the meds if your BP is dangerously high. Check out Dr Mcdougal and blood pressure articles online....very imformative on lowering it with healthy eating.

@Mamabear12 what classes as dangerously high ? Are you a medic ?

Like, I said read the articles I mentioned above and he explains it. I’ve read about this from other well known doctors as well.

Some doctors are all too quick to push medication and some don’t even know about diet advice! My GP wasn’t aware when I explained all about my diet, but was willing to monitor me as I weaned off the medication. Went down a dose and then a week later off completely.

I think the number mentioned was anything over 150/100 for a few months and when diet and exercise can’t bring it down, then medication is recommended. Will post the article link if I can.

Although, there are far too many people who want to continue to eat their muffins and crisps and other fatty foods and take medication instead of actually trying a healthy lifestyle. Or some people just need to stop drinking alcohol or coffee and that is enough. There are some of course who have other health issues causing it and diet/exercise won’t help enough. They need to be on medication.

And to pp I’ve done my fair share of research and when I discuss with my GP, I am well informed. She is in agreement with what I have said.

www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2009nl/nov/bp.htm

A sustained elevation of blood pressure to 160/100 mmHg or greater over months suggests the need for treatment with medication.2 A word of caution: If you do start blood pressure-lowering medications, avoid overly aggressive treatment. In general, reducing blood pressure below 140/90 mmHg with medication is not beneficial and actually will increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and death.3,4 A recent review by the well-respected Cochrane Collaboration concluded with: “Treating patients to lower than standard BP targets, ≤140-160/90-100 mmHg, does not reduce mortality or morbidity.”5

If you are interested read the entire article I linked above. But basically the doctor says it’s no benefit to lower your BP to perfect levels w medication. However, having BP under 120/80 and above 90/60 without medication is ideal. But lowering it to those levels with medication does more harm then good.