Side Effects, opinion on meds I am taking

Posted , 5 users are following.

I have been taking BP meds for many years and struggled to get to a good level, I am a 45 yr old male, 18st. I recenlty had a 'hypertensive crisis' and my BP was 260/165 on admission to hospital.

Subsequent tests revealed.

An aneurysm in ascending aorta 4.5cm

Left Ventricular Hypertrophy

Diabetes Type 2

I am feeling really lousy, and was wondering what the thoughts were on the amount of meds I am taking, and am I reaching saturation point? I feel dizzy, joint pain, back pain, a general feeling of weakness. The GP wants to get ny lower BP to around 70 on average due to the aneurysm. It has stabilised somewhat, and home readings are only averaging around 89. I have asthma, so cannot take Beta Blockers.

I'd be grateful for opinions on following meds I take, and the amount and combination -  will I start feeling any better?

BP

Amlopidine 10mg

Telmisartan 80mg

Doxacosin 8mg

Spironolactone 25mg

Furosemide 80mg

DIABETES

Metformin 1000mg

DEPRESSION

Fluoxetine 40mg

CHOLESTEROL

Atorvastatin 40mg

Thanks guys (new to the forum)

 

0 likes, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • Posted

    I take Amlopidine and Spironolactone as well as six other meds for differing problems. Your diabetes will be down to your weight and maybe a sweet tooth.

    What was your Hba1c reading?

    Are you a heavy drinker?

  • Posted

    Hi there, I used to drink a lot of beer in younger days but only white wine on a Fri and Sat now. Currently trying to lose weight.

    My Hba1c reading was 69 I believe.

  • Posted

    I have no personal knowledge of any of these pills with the exception if Amlodipine. I was on that for a few months and experienced quite bad stiffness and joint pain. A lot of pills will do this due to the way they are formed. I agree with RHGB in that the diabetes is due to your weight, so attacking that will definitely help.
  • Posted

    That may be a lower enough score to pull it back if you lose the weight and stoping eating sugar. You'll understand why I asked about the drink now.

    I had unchecked hypertension for over 20 years, for the 5 years before that, I took atenolol (beta blocker) nad then I started moving about with my job and just gave up sorting out prescriptions. I was also a heavy drinker, probably a functioning alcoholic, go to work fine but in the evening had a barrel of beer every day.

    It caught up with me last year and I had a massive stroke, not a clot but a bleed on the brain. Two months in hospital, I was one of the lucky ones and came out fairly intact, but I still to this day, have to see loads of consultants for my stroke, liver, speech consultant, psychiatrist and a hospital dietician.

    So, I ended up with my daily cocktail of 8 different prescription meds of which they tried to add another 2, statins and aspirin. I pointed out that through healthy eating, I don't eat diet food, I just never touch boxed food, like ready meals and make sure I eat fruit daily, that I had got my choloestorol down to to 4.2 and I didn't need a blood thinner, as my liver doesn't funtion properly and my blood has difficulty in coagulating.

    When i first came out of hospital, my medication used to knock me sideways, when I took the main doses (with some two or three times daily) I used to get fatigued and tired, and have to have a nap, I also got very irritable. I used to take them at night before bed, so I slept through the effects. After about 6 months I found my body had adjusted to them and they no longer affected me.

    I replaced alcohol with sweets (common in drikers because most alcohol contains sugars) and my blood test in June showed that I had slipped 1 point into the pre diabetes (score 41) whereas last year it was in non diabetes. So sweets out and a small weight loss should bring that back down.

    So keep taking the tablets or something nast y could happen to you. I was 48 (approaching 49) last year when I had my stroke. I seen enough people in the stroke rehab hospital to know that I was lucky, and it can be virtually terminal as life goes, just an existance.

    • Posted

      I'm quite shocked that you were offered aspirin with its blood-thinning properties considering you had had a bleed on the brain!
    • Posted

      I'm not any more, I've seen more medical people in the last year, that most have seen in a lifetime. The first hospital gave me a blood tranfusion to stabilise me for the 10 mile trip to the specialist hospital. They were in contact with my wife, but never deemed to ask her if they had permission to do that.

      I had to tell one of the evening nurses to go and see a doctor, because she was trying to continue a drain (liver I think) on the guy opposite me (we were in a high dependency ward of four). I had spoken to him earlier, and asked why he had a separate bag putting fluid into him. He explained that that was to stop his blood pressure falling to dangerously low levels that could be fatal. She said it wasn't necessary. I said I would crawl and find a doctor (I had lost the use of my legs in hospital) and got quite insistent.

      Eventually she went off and consulted with a doctor and did come back with the fluid, and laughed it off that I was right. God knows to think what would have happened if I had not been forceful and insistent.

      I could fill a page with some of the things I have seen and had to deal with, but you get the gist.

    • Posted

      Yikes!  Lucky patient to have had you in a neighbouring bed!

       

  • Posted

    Hi DannyKOS,

    Just read your post, sounds like you are having a rough time, I don't know about all your meds but Amlodipine! Which I would stay as far away from as possible! !! I had horrific side effects with this and other people I know have had as well! One of which was depression! Maybe change this drug and you may feel loads better! Amlodipine reduces BP quickly, so is good for that but side effects not worth it! I am 38 and on BP meds for 3 years, indapamide now, ok so far! Good luck with it all, but if I were you I would ask to change your amlodipine!

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