1. Community
  2. Heart Health
  3. Hypertension

How to reduce medication for high BP

Posted , 7 users are following.

Sridvi
Sridvi

I am a 46 yr old leady diagnosed with high BP 6 yrs back. My GP has increased my medication after noticing some increase in my BP levels. With new medication my BP is under control. I have also done a lot of lifestyle changes in last 6 months and have gone in for exercizes for weight reduction. 

I want to know how to monitor BP and work at progressively reducing the medication. Is it possible. Is it advisable to do it ? If yes, can any one advice me on how to do this ? 

0 likes, 15 replies

15 Replies

  • lily65668
    lily65668 Sridvi

    Posted

    I'll send you a private message via this site. It will come up in your inbox and won't expose the email address of either party. PMs on this site don't carry viruses either, so it will be safe to open.

  • g.90572
    g.90572 Sridvi

    Posted

    I don't take much medication but sometimes I have to take it twice a day. I have to take my blood pressure readings twice a day. If blood pressure is lower than normal I skip that pill. I am low salt, low fat no caffeine, no chocolate

    • derek76
      derek76 g.90572

      Posted

      Did your GP tell to to take your medication twice a day or to skip doses?

      It is natural for BP rise and fall during the day. It is normal for it to be highest in the morning and drop as the day goes on and to rise again in mid afternoon.

      Have you had a 24 hour BP monitor for your doctor to see what is happening ?

    • g.90572
      g.90572 derek76

      Posted

      Yes. If my blood pressure goes below 100 top number I am told to skip medication. I eat very healthy and usuallyonly need one pill. I take the smallest dosage pill but sometimes especially if I break my healthy diet I need the "extra" pill

    • lily65668
      lily65668 g.90572

      Posted

      Quite honestly, it sounds to me as if you don't need meds if your systolic sometimes goes below 100!

      I know some doctors can over-medicate for the tiniest rise in BP. They all have their own opinion as to what constituties high blood pressure.

      Years ago, towards the end of her life, my mother was put on a CCB for quite dangerously high BP. It didn't affect her too badly, but her ankles swelled a bit. However, it controlled her BP very effectively, keeping it at a steady 120-125/80. One day she had to see a different doctor at her group practice, and he insisted that was too high and upped the dose. This caused massive swelling in her legs and I had to have a huge row with the practice to get her transferred back to her original doctor, who immediately reduced the dose again.

    • g.90572
      g.90572 lily65668

      Posted

      When I go off medication my blood pressure steadily rises up to 160 and won't go down until im medicated. The pill is so small it can't be broken and its the smallest dose. I do worry about my pressure going under 100 after medication

      I've been meaning to look up essential hypertension where blood pressure swings back and forth .thanks

    • derek76
      derek76 lily65668

      Posted

      There is a school of thought that us over 80's can be harmed more than helped with hypertension meds. Bringing it down too much causing dizzyness and falls. 

      Advice to GPs in their BNF prescribing manual:

      Benefit from antihypertensive therapy is evident up to at least 80 years of age, but it is probably inappropriate to apply a strict age limit when deciding on drug therapy. Patients who reach 80 years of age while taking antihypertensive drugs should continue treatment, provided that it continues to be of benefit and does not cause significant side-effects. If patients are aged over 80 years when diagnosed with stage 1 hypertension, the decision to treat should be based on the presence of other co-morbidities; patients with stage 2 hypertension should be treated as for patients over 55 years (see above). A target clinic blood pressure below 150/90 mmHg is suggested for patients over 80 years; the suggested target ambulatory or home blood pressure average (during the patient’s waking hours) is below 145/85 mmHg.

    • g.90572
      g.90572 derek76

      Posted

      Looked up labile hypertension. But difference is my blood pressure seems to be a steady rather than sudden rise. I've decided no pill is so small it can't be broken or crushed if allowed . I'll talk to doctor. Thanks

    • derek76
      derek76 g.90572

      Posted

      You can buy a pill splitter in any pharmacy. My wife takes half of a tiny thyroid pill and uses obne.
  • Laroxe
    Laroxe Sridvi

    Posted

    Discuss it with your GP. they will probably be very pleased at your lifestyle changes and they also prefer people to be on the fewest drugs possible. However the drugs to be effective take time and need steady levels so there is no point just trying to adjust the dose based on your current reading. As your fitness increases and weight decreases you will hopefully see a slow but steady decline in your BP. You could probably agree some cutoff point with your GP to re-assess your drugs. A lot will depend on how high your BP is to start with its unlikely you will see a massive reduction, but good luck.
  • lyn1951
    lyn1951 Sridvi

    Posted

    You are on the right way to helping your BP, if you are overwieght you need to get onto a really good diet, work with your Dr, he may even be able to recommend a dietitian that he has worked with previously.

    I have a dietitian that works with our Dr, and she writes back to the Dr the weight loss we have achieved.

    I noticed when we lost 10 kilos the GP called us in and checked our BP, mine had dropped a little but not enough to take me off my medication, but was told to keep going with the diet as I was making good progess.

    The dietitian also helps with salt intake as it can be a big contributor to fluid retention, and that is really important for my husband as he has heart failure.

    Our dietitan has also helped us with charts of what we should be eating, similar to postage stamp sized pictures on sheet of A4 paper, of what we can eat for breakast, lunch and dinner, and how much of each item, 3 sheets all sealed up in plastic and ready to hang on the fridge, soooooo helpful, and a reminder to eat correctly.

  • Sridvi
    Sridvi

    Posted

    Thanks for the valuable inputs. I think I need to give more details on my condition. 

    I was overweight - 90 kg till April 2015. I was diagnosed with high BP 6 ys back and was on Concor 5 mg since 2010. In April 2015 I was diagnosed with slightly high sugar levels - fasting blood sugar was 118. I was told this is prediabetic condition and I am prone to type 2 diabetes. 

    After this I went on lifestyle changes and resorted to aggressive exersizing - jumping, skipping, climbing up stairs etc. I lost 13 kgs of weight in 9 months. My sugar levels came down and I am not diabetic anymore. What happened meanwhile was my BP levels escalated. My GP felt this was because of the aggressive exercize I resorted to and she increased me medication to two tablets per day. PINOM 20 mg in morning and Amdolac 5 mg in evening. BP came under control but after a month I had developed swelling in my feet and BP reading again shot up to 150/90. When I informed this to my GP, she said swollen feet is a side reaction of Amdolac 5 mg, the tablet I was taking during night time. She said this tablet is a CCB, does,nt agree with some and she changed the tablet to starpress XL 50 mg in night. I have been on this medication for last 2 months and my BP levels are normal - 130 / 80 or 135/80. My sodium / potassium levels are also normal. Feet are not swollen anymore. I have started Yoga and in last 3 months I have lost 1.5 kg. I am on zero sugar, minimal salt diet. My cholestrol is in very good limits, I have never had cholestrol related issues. 

    Now what I want to know is can I aspire to cut down on my BP medication ? If yes, how should I go about it, what all are the parameters to be monitored. Also I could not understand why my GP has prescribed a higherdosage for nights when BP tends to be low in the nights.

    • g.90572
      g.90572 Sridvi

      Posted

      Your blood pressure is normal but not optimal so you should probably be trying to get your pressure down some more. Keep lowering salt. It may take a long time before you see full results. And strive for optimal cholesterol levels not just normal. Adopt the Mediterranean diet which includes good plant oils .does your doctor know your blood pressure readings at night
Back to top

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.