1. Community
  2. Heart Health
  3. Hypertension

High Blood Pressure Not Responding To Meds

Posted , 43 users are following.

This discussion has been locked due to a period of inactivity.
richard26983
richard26983

I've had high BP for a few years but generally controlled by meds (lots of bad reactions to the meds though).  This year I'd started a concerted effort to exercise daily, lose weight and eat better to try and improve things and I was feeling better.  About 6 weeks ago I had problems with vision in my right eye and found I had a branch retinal vein occlusion (basically there's a bleed in my right eye and I can see little out of it).  I went straight to the GP who found BP was 230/130 and sent me to A&E who kept me there until it came down to 180/100.  CHanged meds and gradually increasing the doses so that from today I'm on 300 mg Irbesartan once a day and 8mg Doxazosin twice daily (that's up today from 4mg twice daily).  When I was in the GP he was reading 195/120 and I'm getting roughly 180/110 at home.  I'm concerned that the drugs are making no real headway and feel like a bit of a ticking timebomb after what happened with my eye.  I'd had lost of tests previously (renal scan, etc.) and they've simply said that it's essential (unexplained) hypertension.  I'm just wondering if people have had similar experiences and how it worked out.

Thanks

 

4 likes, 90 replies

90 Replies

Prev Next
  • sue7777
    sue7777 richard26983

    Posted

    Hi Richard, had similar experience out of the blue early March this year, until then had no record/knowledge of hypertension. Suddenly lost sight in one eye with no warning. We were abroad at the time & stupidly I left it for 4 days. Anyway went to A&E & had similar reading to yours, similar treatment aswell. Had laser treatment to repair torn retina and yes the experience has left me feeling bit scared. I too have nasty side effects from CCB & D, also readings still vary quite a bit, after a week of  eg 129/78 it's now gone up to 164/82, but the side effects are a really dry/sore mouth & throat & very puffy/sore swollen feet so a bit loathe to agree to 3rd tab with more side effects. Felt fine before this happened. On top of meds also immediately started eating lots of veg, more fish, no salt in cooking or added to food, monitor bought food closely for salt, exercise as much as possible although sore puffy feet & heavy feeling in legs make it very hard work. Feel better after reading yours, (don't know what I'm complaining about now) but also quite aprehensive
  • monique41639
    monique41639 richard26983

    Posted

    Very interesting discussion everybody but no one has mentioned Conn's Syndrome.  I had ten years with unexplained hypertension and had tried every drug going with varying but ultimately negative results on the overall blood pressure level.  On a visit to Cape Town I was advised to go and see a physician who diagnosed hyperaldosteronism (!) otherwise known as Conn's Syndrome.  Google it for all the info but basically it is the most common cause of unexplained hypertension in otherwise normal healthy non-smoking, good diet, not overweight people.  It is extremely easy to diagnose - a simple blood test - but many GPs know very little about it.  Once confirmed it's pretty easy to deal with but does mean an operation.  Good luck!  Sadly I have residual hypertension because it took so long to sort out the root cause - thanks NHS!  By the way, has anyone come across problems switching from Valsartan to Candesartan?  Valsartan is now difficult to get hold of so I've been switched but since then I have had a raft of problems including rather alarming heart palpitations....
    • derek76
      derek76 monique41639

      Posted

      When you had how much did drugs control it and did your BP fluctuate between night and day?
    • monique41639
      monique41639 derek76

      Posted

      Drugs didn't control the BP at all really, the doctor would switch them about a bit and they would work briefly but then shoot back up again.  They also never bothered to give me a 24 hour BP monitor so I never got a daytime/nighttime comparison.  I just used my own home monitor which showed a slight drop first thing in the morning over the evening readings.
    • derek76
      derek76 monique41639

      Posted

      I'm very surpised that you did not have a 24 hour or longer monitor in view of your readings. Were you not sent to a Hypertension Refferal Centre?

      It has taken me 14 years to get to one. 

      Most GP's do not have the time to look into hypertension. One doctor told me if we treated all our patients with BP we would never see any other patients.  

    • monique41639
      monique41639 derek76

      Posted

      I was severely let down by my doctor at the time, many of the problems I have now are due to their lack of support, but never mind too late to fuss about that now.  The worst thing is what one of your doctors said, that's appalling!  Sadly I think it's absolutely right..... I have a very good consultant who I go to twice a year to sort out any problems.
    • derek76
      derek76 monique41639

      Posted

      Nowadays I don't let them away with anything. My GP is very good but too many assistant registrars see the patient at hospitals.
    • alaudeen1962
      alaudeen1962 monique41639

      Posted

      You are right! PA (Primary Aldosteronism) or Conn's syndrome should be suspected when BP is difficult to control with standard BP medication. Treatment is simple: Aldactone (Spironolactone) or alternatively Inspra (Eplerenon) if side effects cannot be tolerated, particularly by men. 

      As for your other point, you might want to ask your dictor to switch you to Telmisartan instead. I have used it for years and it is superb. 

      Hope this helps every body. Best wishes.

    • Conns
      Conns monique41639

      Posted

      Good to see a successful diagnosis for Conns, but it's not always an easy fix. I you are lucky and have a benign tumour on the adrenal gland causing excess aldo production and an operation removes it and BP returns to  normal and stays there that's great. However, Conns can be a result of enlarged adrenal glands (hyperplasia) and then it is far more difficult to look after so to speak.

  • jennifer01117
    jennifer01117 richard26983

    Posted

    Hi Richard

    what a story you have and still a sense of humour.

    having been taking hypotensive drugs since I was 14 and somehow h made it through to 70 some of things I have found that help keep me sane.

    1have been so many drugs and like you all so many side effects and hospitalization after ACE inhibitors and certain diuretics.

    currently taking beta blocker but because it is not slow release cut it and take four times daily. moxonodine three times daily, 2.5mg anlopodine at night so I dont get leg swelling and a statin. Doctors in bristol trying to put me on vaso dilator but had big blip this wkend when tried it.

    have spent money on alternative therapies from aromatherapy, herbalism, chinese medicine and massage and some others. I think they have kept me as healthy as I am though not touching the numbers.

    best things have been meditation, slowing breathing tried "Respirator" with no results but felt better and nowractice with "green smoking with a straw" well it makes it fun!

    I walk daily  and swim when I can. tried Tai chi for a year  good but no change in numbers.

    Having faith in whatever you believe helps me and also keeping a journal to "write it out"

    try to laugh every hour. I know but it all may help

    • derek76
      derek76 jennifer01117

      Posted

      You may not have been cured but it will let others know that hyperension does not shorten your life.

      In that time what investigations have been done to find a cause for it. 

      What readings do you get at the present time?

       

    • jennifer01117
      jennifer01117 derek76

      Posted

      well Derek we have to work quite hard at giving our bodies time to recuperate even if the numbers stay the same. two techniques that help me are balancing the matrixes in a system called body talk and also emotional freedom technique to destress  after hospital visits and GP appts. Both on the web.

      Mine began with chronic nephritis following a germ in sore throat at 11years old.

      investigations  kidney biopsies, cat scans, renal scans with dyes, conns disease which they ruled out cortisol levels in blood and now to see if I want to be considered for the denervisation in the Bristol trials. Not sure this is for me.

      readings at highest usually early in morning and fivish at night are 202/103

      and then like othereoe they can vary five time in five minutes but range from the occasional 154/80 to170 /85.

      This would be an amazing forum to try some in-forum trials to help ourselves. My biggest upset is being given new medication with little guidance"as its all in the leaflet"and trying to manage it, and being told

      I have to manage the side effects which on two occasions have put me in hospital. To me we have to be detectives and try to find what are the drivers to raise the BP My husband thinks I have something set wrongly that continues to push up the BP as it hasnt got the right information       renal nerves maybe.

      But we have to give our attention to what can help us like the cupping for example. I am trying seated accupressure on wed morning. where the attention goes the energy flows

    • derek76
      derek76 jennifer01117

      Posted

      My readings are often as high s yours in the morning and can also drop like yours.

      I tried to get on renal denervaton trials at Imperial College in 2011 but they did not consider my BP to be consistantly high enough. The same happened when I tried to get on the trials at my local hospital last year. Earlier this year the trials were stopped as long term results had not been as good as expected although no patients had been harmed. 

      Another version injecting alcohol into the kidneys is being tried out now rather than using radio waves.

      Another method being trialed is Rox Flow Coupler where a device is inserted into the groin to divert some of the blood supply away from the heart.

      Let me know if you decide to go on the denervation trial. 

    • MrsO-UK_Surrey
      MrsO-UK_Surrey jennifer01117

      Posted

      A friend in Australia was one of the first patients to undergo a denervation trial but I believe the only thing it has achieved is allowing the BP drugs to work to lower her blood pressure whereas her blood pressure didn't respond to the drugs pre-denervation.  She still has to take several BP lowering pills.
    • jennifer01117
      jennifer01117 MrsO-UK_Surrey

      Posted

      thanks MrsO. yes the results suggest exactly what you say and the proceedire is not always straightforward as wewere told sometimes the area of nerves to denerve is spread out and tangled and takes some hours.we were also told that this is a very common procedure in Germany because there it is paid for by private health insurance. havnt been able to find much info 30%reduction was quoted in one trial in germany

      anybody out there know any more?

    • jennifer01117
      jennifer01117 derek76

      Posted

      Hi Derek-they insert a tube into the artery near the groin and take it up to the renal arteries. They have to zap the nerves in a spiral fashion which surround the renal arteries on both left and right sides if they suspect a stenosis(narrowing) in one of the renal arteries they have the option to let out some dye into that area to investigate situation. They can only perform the procedure if both arteries are clear. The procedure can take about 20mins however in some cases the formation of the nerve pathways is not that simple and the op can be much longer.The results produced were " out of 25 patients only 50% showed 10to 15mm reduction albeit one patient "cured" all patients still on meds".  However still funding to carry out trials although NICE were not prepared to adopt this at present.

      You may like to look at German denervation on web, which seems much more succesful in theresults quoted in their studies,ALTHOUGH we found statistics confusing!!

       

Back to top
Prev Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.