can I eventually get off blood pressure meds

Hi chris26350, may I ask how long did it took you to get you out of med?

took about 3 months of gradual reduction of dosage , i won't leave this detail out : it was very difficult but i thank God i was able to do it and believe me i have never been happier ( i was given metoprolol followed by carvedilol) i got the courage to get off it when the side effects were too great to bear ( i get very tired with very minimal activity, was like i'm out of breath doing simple tasks , started having sleep issues which led and compounded anxiety and high bp and to top it all off very serious impotence issues. this forum helped too. i agree with all of people above, losing weight , quitting cigs , avoiding stressful situations (getting angry), eating veggies rich in bp lowering nutrients and fish can help ( beets especially , they should be consumed with food rich in calcium so the oxalic acid can bind to calcium and be flushed out), good luck and

please monitor your bp and always have safeguards in place( fast acting emergency meds like a 75 mcg clonidine in your wallet ,with your doctors approval, this last one gave me some peace of mind knowing i can always take one but only when i need it), God bless us all.

What was your low and average readings at the time before recovery? What were the difficulties you faced? Were you physically active at the time before you discover the spikes? Other than eating well, do you need to take any vitamins etc?

I started having high bp when I hit age 30 , average reading was 140/80, lowest reading 120ish to 150ish. I had little exercise and I work night shifts and ate unhealthy ( I was overweight by 8 kilograms , not much but my body could not handle the extra weight ) I had some trips to the cardiologist's office (bp reading 150/80) and he gave me a stern warning on eating healthy (vegetables and fish, no cigarettes and minimize alcohol). I honestly cared little except at times when I would get heart palpitations along with the high bp. Doc said I was still young and I won't have to go under medication if I'll follow his lifestyle change recommendation.

I cared little because I guess my tubes were holding up pretty well back then and I forgot about the lifestyle change suggestion from my doctor. This all changed when I hit 42, my bp hit 190/100 and I had to get some lab work done in the hospital. Test results came out good so my doctor and I agreed it was all due to stress (lack of quality rest, exercise and unhealthy diet). I was given losartan plus metroprolol .

It was hell, I was bedridden for 6 months because each time i try to get up and move, my bp would shoot up to 180/90. I had very little hope of recovering but I thank the Lord Jesus , He kept me going.

Circumstances finally forced me to quit my night job and I did all what the doctor recommended.

The most difficult part about quitting medication is fighting the urge to take it whilst gradually reducing the dosage, probably because of the general feeling of being unwell either due to withdrawal symptoms or side effects.

By the grace of God ,quality night sleep, exercise , healthy diet , beets - worked wonders).

I strongly recommend commencing the reduction of your dosage only after you have been satisfactorily doing your lifestyle change and that should give you some assurance that your bp will not go haywire. Good luck and God bless us all.

P.S. I don't recommend vitamins, at one time I took vitamin B12 (for energy) and it gave me palpitations. CoQ10 had very little to none side effects and it boosted my energy levels but it might work differently for you.

natural healthy food is the best source of vitamins and nutrients (all in moderation of course). Peanuts , nuts veggies, lemons, beets, pineapples.

Your response give me a bit of hope.

Similar to you, I work 70hrs/wk and slept between 5-7hrs a night for about 3 years. I was slightly overweight, used to walk frequently to/from public transport that would fulfil the 2.5 hr physical activity/week recommendation. But I wasn't physically active since March 2020 due to covid lockdown. Then last August 2020, I found out I had HBP with reading spiked at around 210/110. Rest was about 175/98. I suspect work stress, poor sleep routine and physically inactive are contributing factors.

I went through a few checks with my cardiologist, and they all seem fine. I had since become significantly more physically active and loose about 8kg. But after 7 months since the first diagnosis, the best I can get down to was 3mg Atacand. I tried reducing it to 2mg and it shot back up to 140/90 at rest.

With supplements, I tried grape seed extract, coq10, natto and pine bark extract. I also take raw garlic with water, tumeric, nuts and occasionally beet + celery. I don't know if they helped.

Recently I find my BP gone crazy after certain meals (see my other thread) that require me to increase my pill up to 14mg to contain it. Makes me really worried if there are other causes.

Do you mind me asking what was your BP like when you were bed ridden? What's the timeline and reading like after you quit your job on your recovery journey? Did you have to stay out of work after you quit your job in order to recover? Does your current average remain at 110/70 if you have resumed working?

Hey chris26350, are you still around? I really like to learn what your day to day tasks / schedule is like in the days after you quit your job to get you off med, and whether you can remain off med at 110/70 after you resumed working. Thanks!

Hey kennyboi, sorry for the late reply.

I was basically forced to quit my job , been working 13 years for the company and it was already 5 months since i started having high bp events and not being able to report for work, company has been repeatedly asking me when will I return to work, they had doubts whether my high bp merits the long absence, I was very distraught by that, but I proved them wrong (in thinking I was playing sick) the day they required me to personally sign (despite this electronic signature age) my forced resignation papers (I was given separation/severance pay).

I had to literally use all remaining will power to drive 15 miles to the office, when I got there , my buddy whose an HR coordinator, gave me the papers to sign but I couldn't even write my name due to the high bp symptoms (felt like my head and chest were in a vise, shaky very weak hands and legs, like my arms and legs had weights in them). I told him that I didn't feel well way before I started driving, he had me checked by our resident doctor and she immediately asked that I be transported to the nearest hospital as my bp was around 190/110 and that is the protocol (this is after I told her that I have already taken my bp meds). I had this event documented and reported to HR to hasten the processing of my severance pay.

I continued taking my bp meds for about 6 months but the side effects were unbearable, fatigue set in very quickly , anxiety and insomnia, breathing issues, all of which I never had before taking the meds made me rethink if I want to continue with the meds.

With my doctor's guidance I started quitting meds, he had me lower my clonidine dosage by half (he checked any my bp was in the 105-110 range systolic, he also had me quit carvedilol cold turkey but I decided to do it gradually due to the rebound effects of stopping beta blockers.

I asked my doctor if I can quit meds if my bp stays in the 100-120 systolic range (diastolic 70-80), and he said absolutely. He did tell me to keep the clonidine (fast acting bp lowering med) in my wallet for emergencies). Please ask your doctor too.

I quit eating fatty food (i cheat very rarely during family gatherings), lowered salt intake, ate lots of fish and veggies , quit alcohol, quit sleeping late.

During this stage I opted to walk within the walls of my 300 square meter property (cleared it so I won't trip), slow walks , total of 5 rounds. I only do this when I don't have palpitations and ONLY if I had a good night's sleep.

I progressed to brisk walks and finally back to my stationary bike with a bp machine hook up to my upper arm when I want to really push myself.

He also said that it is normal for bp to increase during exercise, stress, excitement so don't get too worked up by that and that the proper way to monitor your bp is to take it when you wake up in the morning after emptying your bladder, or if you want a reading during anytime of the day, take it after resting for at least 15 minutes or more.

Good luck and God bless us all.

Hi chris26350,

Looking at your post, you mentioned your BP spiked at 190/100, what was the average and low reading at the time?

You also mention if you get up from bed, it would shoot up to 180/90. What was the average BP when you lie down at the time?

After you took losartan plus metroprolol for a month, what was your average BP reading?

Which BP pill did you start withdrawing at 5 months, and how high did your BP increase (if any) when you start reducing your med?

Did you end up going back to the workforce? If so, did your BP maintain at 110/70 without med?

Thanks!

Hey chris26350, are you still around?

By the way, what was your average rest heart rate at the time when you BP spiked to 190/100? Thanks!

Hey chris26350, are you still around?

By the way, what was your average rest heart rate at the time when you BP spiked to 190/100? Thanks!