50MG Losartan ?

Steve,

I hope that isn't the case, I have just started research on the subject. My GP told me to monitor everything at home, I am going to give it a month and if it doesn't start a downward trend I'll be going back to explore other options. It's not that I feel bad, but I have a headache more days than not, and not sure if that is the reason why. I just want to feel good....

Thanks for the reply,

Rich

RustyDaDog...be wary if your doctor suggests taking Amlodipine along with your current medication. Do NOT let him prescribe 10mg right off the get-go. A very common side-effect of Amlodipine is ankle/feet/leg swelling. I was ok on the 5mg, but when my then-doctor upped the dose to 10mg..my ankles/feet/legs ballooned.

When I was with that Dr., he was a young know-it-all. It got to the point where I was very uncomfortable in his presence. The meds were making me sick & he was becoming very impatient with me because the bp numbers weren't coming down.

I'm on 4 bp meds...he put me on all of them. It got to the point where I was uncomfortable on the way to his office, uncomfortable waiting my turn, & certainly uncomfortable when he entered the exam room. Nurses weren't exactly taking the bp readings properly either. The cuff was either too tight, or not tight enough. I sat on a table with my feet dangling, & they were talking to me. I finally got to the point where I disliked that Dr. as a person, & I think he felt the same, so I contacted my previous Dr. to see if I could return to his practice..which I did. I'd bet almost anything that had I started on bp meds with him, I wouldn't be on as much medication as I am now. Yes, I have things going on in my body which only serves to elevate the numbers, but I'm of the mindset that "fix the problem..the numbers will go down". As I said in an earlier post., I'm losing a bit of weight, have drastically reduced my salt intake, & reduced my stressors.

I do think taking a mild diuretic just may do the trick for you..doubling the bp meds only serves to increase the risk of side-effects. If the normal dose isn't working as expected., then the switch to something else should be entertained.

Thanks for the reply. I take 50mg in the morning, but I have thought about breaking it in half and taking 25mg in the morning and 25mg in the afternoon. I have also been doing research on diretics, and that may be the way to go. Like I say I am giving it a month then going back to re-evaluate everything. I just turned 50 and I'd rather have it around 130/80 but it just isn't happening right now.

jx41870...Taking an ACE AND and ARB is not permitted by Health Canada. Years ago it was done, but not any more. Evidence showed the bp was being lowered too much, & patients were suffering because of it. So,it's one or the other, not both. HOWEVER, an ACE can be taken with a diuretic, & Amlodipine. The same goes for the ARB., but again, ACE's & ARB's not togther

I think the 130/91 is fine...The medicine the fellow is on has only been taken for 2 weeks, which truly isn't enough time to judge the med.

Some doctors will go along with the idea of taking 25mg in the morning, then 25mg in the afternoon. My cousin was having an issue with her bp spiking in the afternoon. She was taking Amlodipine. ,,so her Dr.asked her to take 5mg in the morning, then 5mg in the afternoon. ..problem solved.

A mild diuretic just may do the trick in getting your diastolic number down. 130 for systolic is good for a person of your age. Be patient with the meds though..they can sometimes take up to a month or a little longer to do their job.

@mike92384, yes, ACE or ARB, then the others.

@RustyDaDog, they say it can take weeks to get the "full" effect, but frankly in my experience you get pretty much the whole thing within just a day or two, especially with stuff that has a short half-life.

jx41870...I hear 'ya when you mention doubling the dose. Sometimes that only serves to increase the chances of side effects. If the med itself isn't working as it should/might, doubling it doesn't necessarily work. At times, adding a diuretic will complete the 'recipe'.

I'm on a set of bp meds...an ACE containing diuretic, Doxazosin 1mg, Atenolol 50mg.

If you have a bp med containing a diuretic that counts as 2 meds.

At the moment, I have a crappy attitude toward a lot of our doctors here. They don't act on things as I feel they should. Rather than prescribe a medication, find out what's going on in the body first. If you fix that., the bp numbers will come down.

My body has always responded well to meds...but over the last 5 yrs.,the response to bp medication has been a challenge. It's ok for a short duration, then it goes up...which meant more meds. I also have a neuro problem caused by what's going on in the cervical spine. I refuse meds...fix the blasted problem!!!

Over the past month, I have drastically reduced my salt intake, I'm eating in a more healthy fashion., & drinking plenty of water. If this doesn't help, then I don't know what will.

I also have a very bad shoulder, which awakens me 2x night. OA is eating away at the bone in the shoulder, (ball& socket), there's a small tear in the labrum, & the tendon is

atrophy. I've been told by a GP that very likely surgery would not take place, unless things got even worse. They cannot fix the ball/socket problem, it would need to be replaced. So my question when I see the Orthopaedic Dr. is..."do I have to wait to become disabled before something is done!!!". I'm left-handed, & the problem is in the left shoulder. Not using the shoulder is the worst thing a person could do., AND the same problem is starting in the other shoulder. So you can get a better picture of why I said I've got an attitude toward doctors these days. Certainly our medical is not what is was years ago. It's prescribe, prescribe, prescribe.

I totally agree with your issue with the doctors. I've tried talking to them about finding the problem, but all they want to do is write a script, I understand I may need medication now, and I may need it for years, or even the rest of my life. However, there has to be something causing the problem that if fixed would be great. I currently feel like my GP is throwing darts at the wall, we tried this, it didn't work, what can we try next approach. So I totally feel you. It seems from my readings my BP is slightly higher in the mornings when I wake up, I read somewhere that you need to sit and be still for 5 minutes before taking the reading, but I usually just sit up in bed and test it, I wonder if that could be part of the problem?

@mike92384, my comments about dosing come from the drug documentation! ARB's in particular seem to be subject to this, the body can only respond so much, and most people pretty much get there on a small dose, and a larger dose just doesn't do any more.

Speaking of which, I take atenolol, too, but just 12.5mg a day works fine for me most of the time, even a "full" 25mg dose makes me feel like a zombie, and taking two of those a day, which is a normal small dose - I can't even imagine. The atenolol effect does tend to peter out before 24 hours have passed, sometimes I feel that, and do take the next 12.5 a little earlier. So on atentolol, I guess dosage can vary quite a bit with real differences in effects.

Thank you, I have been doing some research on that, and will mention it to my doctor when I go back for the follow-up visit.

Hey Rusty

I been feeling like crap lately too on this Lorastan. I had slightly high, maybe high? 140 over 85 and they put me on this about 60 days ago. I have some neck pain that goes into the back of my end from a disc that is herniated, 2 of them. I can't tell where this headache comes from/off feeling.

I am on 25MG a day... I started taking at night, then told to take near morning. I haven't taken today because I am picking up a refill after work and checked my pressure and from the reading it says 120/81.

I may ask the doctor to make a swap. I tried a Beta Blocker and had OK results just didn't like the one I was on which was Metoprolol for the pressure and fast heart rate. I didn't feel like the heart rate was fast all day so I asked to change. What other choices do I have? My sister takes a water pill and has good results.

mike9205700...The neck pain you experience...you made mention of some herniated disks..I too have problems with my neck., & now the muscles in the back of my head, particularly the ones that run from the shoulder to both back points of the skull can become very tight, & spasm. The spasming may sound excruciating, but it's more of an extreme annoyance than anything, but very sore nonetheless.

If you are experiencing pain or not feeling well, the bp numbers go UP. This is the body's way of reacting to something that's not right.

As for the beta blocker...avoid the Metropolol...do some reading on the sites here. It's a nasty piece of medicine.

Thanks, maybe it is my neck spasming. I did do an MRI about a year ago and noticed that. I had to get off Metropolol after a few months. I just felt it didn't do much for me, so after I read the site as you said I even found more of a reason to move away.