High blood pressure/AD considerations

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tonytony
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Re: High blood pressure/AD considerations

Post by tonytony »

So, I have serious high blood pressure (typically 190/90) and have tried various meds for it. None have actually been successful. I'm currently on Lisinopril 20mg but got my doc's permission to up that to 40 mg today. I'm seeing a doctor at a metabolic center. He assures me that I have a high BP reading but don't have actual BP. He says that people with long term Insulin Resistance like me have a unique kind of hardening of the arteryies and it's the resistants of my arteries the cuff measures and not the actual blood pressure. Since I can tell (light headed, stupid) when my BP is above, say, 170, I have to doubt doc's version of what's going on with me. I'm mentioning it hear to see if anyone else has heard this story. The upshot is I should ignore the BP (but take the Lisinopril 40mg) and conentrate on the Insulin Resistance. (All I'm doing with that is eating LCHF and IF 16/3. I'm still very Insulin Resistant, unfortunately.

-Allan
Surfrank57
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Re: High blood pressure/AD considerations

Post by Surfrank57 »

Aloha Allan

First not medical advice, just my opinions. From the little you posted what your are describing is called isolated systolic hypertension. It can be caused by artery stiffness, thyroid issues, diabetes and sometimes heart valve issues. Not saying you have any of those; just saying these are possible causes. It is more common in males and people over 60.

If it were me I would treat it aggressively. Even if it is caused by artery stiffness, I would still treat it the best you can. High systolic pressure over an extended time can cause various vascular issues. The reason I would treat it aggressively is because even a small reduction in pressure like 10 to 15 points can reduce your likelihood of major cardiovascular problems.

An important caveat is: if you get the right treatment, diet, meds, and it does start lowering watch your diastolic number. It should in this case not be lower than 70 mm Hg. That actually increases the risk of issues a patient can face.

Please take the advice of your doctors, NOT me or others that may give you health care options for this condition. If you do not like or trust your current doctors treatment plan, find a new doctor. Not trying to sound harsh, but you have a choice of what doctor you want giving you medical advice. If it was me I would see a cardiologist because certain tests can rule out more serious conditions. It may be benign and give you peace of mind.
Good luck and I hope you get the right treatment plan because you sound motivated and can reduce your risk significantly with proper medical advice.

Frank
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KatieS
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Re: High blood pressure/AD considerations

Post by KatieS »

Allan, I want to second Frank's excellent advise to prioritize your hypertension, which albeit is aggravated by insulin resistance (IR), needs to be treated aggressively to prevent cardiovascular complications. Once your IR is controlled, and for me took years, you can titrate your medications accordingly. As Frank pointed out, you might need further diagnostic tests. Many of us take low-doses of medications like ACE-inhibitors or blockers and calcium channel blockers, both possibly linked with dementia prevention. However, simply controlling hypertension and preventing a stroke, leads to a major drop in dementia, as even minor strokes adhere the amyloid to those damaged areas.
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Blood pressure meds -- anticholinergic?

Post by marthaNH »

Hi, all. I just had to add a second BP medication to keep my (inherited) blood pressure under control, and tomorrow I need to see my doctor for the followup. I am worried about whether I should take this drug. It's a calcium channel blocker called DILT-XR for diltiazem. Looks like a good drug far as I can tell, and I've been fine with it the week-plus that I've been on it. But I found one source that tells me that the calcium channel blockers nifedipine and diltiazem are believed to have anticholinergic effects -- they are both ranked either as Low Activity or 1's on a 0 to 3 scale designed to measure anticholinergic burden. None of the other CCBs are listed, far as I can tell. But as far as I know the only reason I don't have information on all the others might be that they haven't been tested. So what would you do? Get off the drug immediately? Keep taking it for a while and do more research? Switch to one of the CCBs that is not listed? I am already taking an ACE inhibitor, am maxed out on the dosage and have no side effects, but I have to add some drug. I kind of don't like the sound of beta blockers. I'm 62, active, 3/4, normal weight, no cardiac issues to speak of besides the hypertension. The source is a Pharmacist's Letter titled "Drugs with Anticholinergic Activity" published in 2011 by Therapeutic Research Center. I downloaded it and now can't trace it back to the original web site. I have been careful not to take any anticholinergics for the last 4 years or so -- since I found this web site -- but I did take them in the past. About 20 years ago I was taking Claritin every day for quite a while -- months not weeks. Does the "burden" of the past factor into present-day decisions? Interested in what you would do.

PS I found this study [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27392121] that seems to support the idea that amlodipine may be better for dementia than other CCBs, but they didn't compare CCBs to other alternatives, like a diuretic or something.
marthaNH
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Re: High blood pressure/AD considerations

Post by marthaNH »

Following up: Talked to the doctor, decided to finish out one month on the diltiazem and then switch to amlodipine. She was worried that it would be too "strong" and over-correct so will keep an eye on that. But based on what I've been able to find, it looks like the calcium channel blocker of choice for those at risk of dementia. If anybody knows better, would love to hear.
marthaNH
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Re: High blood pressure/AD considerations

Post by marthaNH »

Following up again: I did try the diltiazem with the intention of staying on it a month, but SOMETHING was messing with my concentration and minute-to-minute memory. I couldn't hold a train of thought. Decided to blame it on the anticholinergic action in the DILT XR even though it is supposed to be on the low end. Something had bumped me noticeably off my normal level of functioning. So I switched to the amlodipine and feel fine -- positively sharp. It's going to take some pill-splitting and tweaking before I'm done, but this is a good, cheap drug that coordinates quite well with my ACE inhibitor. Hoping I will be able to stabilize at low doses of two well-known, well-tested meds, one of which (amlodipine) has beat all other BP meds for people at risk for dementia. It appears to actually reduce risk. So. (NOTE: It was not easy to find which calcium channel blockers fall in the category of anticholinergic. I had to piece it together from several sources, and some of it was just luck.)
Sparrow
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Re: High blood pressure/AD considerations

Post by Sparrow »

Thank you for this, Martha!
marthaNH
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Re: High blood pressure/AD considerations

Post by marthaNH »

Sparrow wrote:Thank you for this, Martha!
Very welcome, of course!
NewRon
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Re: High blood pressure/AD considerations

Post by NewRon »

Has anyone tried hibiscus tea?

It gave me a 25-30 point in drop in systolic.
Apo E4/E4, Male, Age 60
Sparrow
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Re: High blood pressure/AD considerations

Post by Sparrow »

I used to drink it but I didn't monitor my blood pressure then. Interesting! I wouldn't mind drinking it again. Is there a brand you like? I used to drink Tazo's Passion tea, which was nice and strong - very flavorful.
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