Blood pressure and hydration

[widgeon13]

I have been on Benicar (to lower BP) for a number of years and at 66 YO my BP has been elevated 140+ on some occasions. I'm at 185 right now down from 200 lbs 3 months ago.

Because of the very high humidity and temps over the last few weeks I have been drinking more water when on bike rides (approx 20 miles a day) and generally more water around the house. I'm also drinking Perrier or Pellegrino instead of soda. To my surprise my BP has dropped rather dramatically. Previously I was in the 130 range and now find it down in the 110 range with diastolic also down around 60 vs mostly 70+ before. So is the combination of exercise and better hydration giving me more favorable results. Since I'm a pilot I've been concerned about the high BP and while it has never been an issue the FAA doesn't like to see pilots on BP meds. I will continue to consume more water and see if this benefit persists. I'd love to go to the doctor in Nov and get the OK to stop Benicar if all goes well. Then go for my flight physical in Dec and not have to deal with the hassle of BP meds.

Does this all sound logical? Lower BP from exercise and better hydration.

[Rikao4]

yes..
and congrats on the weight loss..

dehydrated your body will try to keep up..
BP goes up..
and then ..
once no longer able.. it gives up..
you faint..

Rika

[weseeeee]

Congrats on your positive life style changes. I also take Banicar and it has worked well for me. Like you, I stay well hydrated and exercise daily. Good luck!

[recycled sixtie]

I have been on bp meds(Sandoz-Irbestartan 12.5 mg) for about 6 years now. Am 66 yo and 173lbs, 5'10". I believe that I will be on meds for bp for the rest of my life.
Ask your doc to see if your meds will be for lifetime or not .I suspect so. Am not familiar with what you are taking but get doc's advice re meds or any changes.

I find that my bp resting is around 120/84 and before meds was typically 130/95.
I do about an hour of exercise a day typically walking and some cycling. I don't drink water over much. My weight has been steady for the last 20 years . I am not a med prof but keeping weight at optimum bmi , exercise and moderation in everything helps.....

[recycled sixtie]

On rereading your post I believe that once you start bp meds you are on them for the rest of your life. I tried to lower bp before meds by increased exercise and it did not work. For sure talk to your doc.

From doc's point of view why would he risk your having a heart attack by taking you off bp meds? My gp says that I have a 10% chance of a heart attack in the next ten years according to my risk factors...I am sure it would be higher without bp meds.

[jyl]

Started taking a BP med (atenolol, a beta blocker) around 30 y/o. I had a high resting pulse (100 bpm sitting around during the day), the drug lowered it and thus my BP (which was 150/100 unmedicated).

I was on that BP med for almost 20 years.

On doctor's recommendation, stopped taking it a couple years ago. My resting pulse has come down (about 55-60 sitting around during the day, around 45 on first awakening) and my BP averages about 130/80 unmedicated.

So, it is sometimes possible to get off BP meds.

(Caveat: when I have my annual, I will ask the doc if I should still be off BP meds given the fluctuation in BP I observe during the day. It does go high at times during work stress.)

[ForBell]

"I'm at 185 right now down from 200 lbs 3 months ago."

5 lbs./mo. That's damn good.

I'd like to know whose BP meter are you using? For my own interest. Have you compared its readings to the Dr.'s unit when they take your BP?

[Zeke]

BP and heart attack are not the only concern. High BP is hard on a of things including the heart valves. The risk of stroke is a big consideration. I've been taking BenicarHCT also. I used to take Azor which is a similar compound from the same manufacturer. Azor was not for me. The Benicar has less side effects but it still has sapped my energy. Weight gain is another side effect along with depression. There's not much clinical information on those effects and my doc insists that depression is not a direct side effect. Well, doc, read the comments on the Net. All those people can't be wrong.

So, you take these drugs to stay alive or at least functional. But the price is large.

[dtw]

Originally Posted by widgeon13

I have been on Benicar (to lower BP) for a number of years and at 66 YO my BP has been elevated 140+ on some occasions. I'm at 185 right now

The above is what I saw when I used thread preview. Freaked me right out.

Glad to hear the lifestyle changes are making an impact for you - right on!

[TimT]

So, you take these drugs to stay alive or at least functional. But the price is large.

If your meds affect you such that they suck the life out of you....get with a Dr who will work with you and try some others...or a combination that will work for you

My first experience with BP meds was Toprol... it was an experiment that lasted two days....It made my extremities numb...

After a few other trial ops...Calcium Channel blockers (Norvasc) and Angiotensin ll inhibitors work for me... (diovan) work with my body

The drug makers were even considerate enough to combine them in to one pill Exforge.... what works for me wont be going generic anytime soon...

Regarding hydrating and BP... yes definite relation...also weight and daily stress..

Living life on an even keel and and as stress free as possible will help lower the random high peaks you see during the day...

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by TimT

If your meds affect you such that they suck the life out of you....get with a Dr who will work with you and try some others...or a combination that will work for you

My first experience with BP meds was Toprol... it was an experiment that lasted two days....It made my extremities numb...

After a few other trial ops...Calcium Channel blockers (Norvasc) and Angiotensin ll inhibitors work for me... (diovan) work with my body

The drug makers were even considerate enough to combine them in to one pill Exforge.... what works for me wont be going generic anytime soon...

Regarding hydrating and BP... yes definite relation...also weight and daily stress..

Living life on an even keel and and as stress free as possible will help lower the random high peaks you see during the day...

I hear you. And I've had discussions about this with the doc. W/O going into too much detail, I've been told that the trade off can take many different forms. Too many of my male acquaintances are quite familiar with the little blue pill. I've never even seen one.

I'd like to keep it that way.

[dmcummins]

I'm also trying to get my BP down. I'm not on any meds at the moment and hope to keep it that way. I started two months ago after the dentist said my BP was high. I started checking, thinking it was just high because I was at the dentist. But I was seeing readings in the 150s over 95. Not all the time but enough to know it was a problem. I started taking my BP 3 times a day and was seeing 140's over 90's a lot.

I weighed 208 @ 6' tall, and I'm 56. I started walking 45 min a day on the treadmill and started eating better. Its been just over two months now and I'm down to 198 and I'm seeing readings of 115-130 over 84-90. Still not where I need to be, but I'm seeing some improvement.

I lost 8lbs right away, but the last 2lbs took longer and now I'm kind of stuck. I'd really like to get down to 185-190lbs as I'm sure I would feel better and hopefully my BP would also drop some. Ive cut out adding salt to my foods and I try to eat at home as much as I can. I also started drinking mostly water the last few weeks.

I take my FAA medical in November, I need to set up a check up with my GP before then. Hopefully I'll have better numbers by then. I just checked and I'm at 145/95, the highest Ive had in a month. That won't pass the FAA. I'm a little upset that some plans I had made are changed, and I assume that's the problem.

[saadrvb]

I also take Banicar and it has worked well for me.

[Tobra]

Losing weight has a large impact, as does adequate sleep.


Soda pop is freakin' poison, zero redeeming qualities.

I was taking a bunch of ibuprofen for my jacked up back and it made my BP go up to 130/85. My back gives me more trouble now, but my BP is back to 115/70 where it belongs

[Pazuzu]

Originally Posted by Tobra

Soda pop is freakin' poison, zero redeeming MEDICAL qualities.

Fixed that. Sody-pop has lots of redeeming qualities; ,it makes you wake up, makes the pain of caffeine withdrawal go away, helps make small muscle pain go away, eases hunger when you really should be eating proper food, all sorts of things!

None are medically good for you, but don't say it has no redeeming qualities...

[aigel]

If you are flushing your system by drinking plenty of water, you retain less salt => lower blood pressure. That's the mechanism IMHO.

G

[widgeon13]

Originally Posted by ForBell

"I'm at 185 right now down from 200 lbs 3 months ago."

5 lbs./mo. That's damn good.

I'd like to know whose BP meter are you using? For my own interest. Have you compared its readings to the Dr.'s unit when they take your BP?

Omron Hem -711 and haven't made any comparisons to Dr's BP cuff but I did go through a fire physical on Tues and it was consistent with my readings of Tuesday. The PA got 106/60. I figured it would be higher because I was also rushing to get through the physical in order to make a meeting. I was pretty pleased and surprised with that.

[ForBell]

Thanks for the info. I use the Omron Elite 7300W, (HEM 7300-WZ), portable 6v.
Good health to us all.

[Cajundaddy]

Originally Posted by Pazuzu

Fixed that. Sody-pop has lots of redeeming qualities; ,it makes you wake up, makes the pain of caffeine withdrawal go away, helps make small muscle pain go away, eases hunger when you really should be eating proper food, all sorts of things!

None are medically good for you, but don't say it has no redeeming qualities...

I annoy my wife when I call it "diabetes in a bottle."

For my money, 98% of health and BP management is: diet and hydration, daily exercise, 8 hrs sleep, and stress relief. So far pharma and modern medicine have been unable to figure out how to make a buck on this plan. So very sorry bout that.

[Don Ro]

I have three BP meters...one is a wrist style and two are the upper arm style. As with my Blood Sugar meters, all three can give different readings by 10 -15 points. The FDA says that Blood Sugar meters can have a 15% accuracy tolerance. Pathetic.