Blood Pressure meds forever?

Tedebearduff

I probably should have asked this when I was at the doctor eariler but are they something I'll have to take indefinitely? I have stage 2 hypertension and am only 24 and slightly overweight, not even obese and my bmi is 26 (measured, not estimated with calculators). I have gone under lots of testing to try and determine a cause but everything is normal. I am working on losing 10-15lbs so perhaps that will lower it a bit, but are these medications something I'll just always have to take if it doesn't go down on it's own? I'm hoping some weight loss and my new vegan diet will help, but I also don't like the idea of being on medication for it forever, though I do know the dangers I risk of stopping it

Call your doctor and ask s/he about it. Personally I'm off of my HBP meds (ramparil) I haven't had them in over a month and a half , my blood pressure is still considered high but it keeps getting lower and lower.

jedigrover

The answer is: "it depends". There are lots of reasons why BP gets out of control, some not thoroughly understood by medicine yet.

For myself, the meds have been reduced as I've improved my fitness level. For others, they may be extremely sensitive to sodium (despite what you may have heard, not all high-BP is sodium related).

If you've tried diet modification and exercise and aren't seeing any natural help in the BP area, perhaps your doctor can order a more thorough metabolic panel to make sure there's not something else going on.

RunnerBlonde808

If it's a genetic cause (for the hypertension) you will probably have to remain on them. I lost 75 pounds, maintained for 3 years, run and lift weights, eat healthy, and still have to take them. My doc has tried to let me get off of them and it doesn't work. He told me it's just something that I'm going to have. Damn genetics! lol...

BrokenButterfly

Consider taking on a plant-based diet. Please don't cast this message aside, as countless studies have shown that eating meat and animal produce is one of the leading causes in all of these 'modern' diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer etc. At least consider reading 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition'. If diabetes can be reversed by taking on a plant-based diet then i'm pretty sure it'll fix your blood pressure problem.

That is 100% ludicrous. There are plenty of cases where eating a plant HEAVY diet help, cutting out the grains and other processed crap, but to discount meat in such a way is folly.

My sister was in the same boat, overweight most of her life and she turned to being a vegitarian, because everyone thinks it's healthy. Over the course of 10 years being a vegitarian and another 5 being a very strict vegan, she gained 100+ lbs. She had VERY high blood pressure, cholesterol was through the roof and was approaching type 2 diabetes as a permanant fixture in her life. She had mysterious aches and pains constantly and got injured everytime that she tried to loose weight through exercise.

She has since gone to a low carb/paleo style diet and has reversed ALL of these symptoms and also lost 80+ lbs in about a year. Her blood pressure went from 145/97 (!!!!!) to a solid 118/70.

My mother has similar issues, while not overweight, she has higher than normal blood pressure and cholesterol. She's been a vegan for the last 2 years. I've been low carb for over a year, and have cholesterol about 100 points lower than her and my last tested blood pressure was 112/66. Genetics may give a predisposition to have certain issues, but that does not mean that you have to settle for that being normal.

You can be a strict vegan and still eat all the wrong foods, such as refined 'white' foods which are just empty calories. Please read around what meat, animal produce and refined foods do to our bodies before calling this 'ludicrous'.

You can read all you want, and this thread is probably not the place to debate it, but cutting out meat from the diet of a human is just plain stupid, and defending it with pseudo science makes even less sense.

You can argue all day long that meat is bad for you, but there is no actual evidence of such in ways that are actually meaningful. You can skew any study to fit an agenda, but real world experience shows me otherwise. My mother is a VERY clean eater. The only thing processed that she even buys is organic dark chocolate and organic multi-grain bread. The rest of her diet consists of fruits and vegtables. Puzzle that one out professor...

We can certainly agree though that processed foods are horrible, and should be eliminated and "white" foods should be avoided. I'm all for a VERY heavy plant based diet, but meat should find its way to the table regularly, with all the fat, connective tissue and skin in tact for consumption.

It is not a coincidence that many of the vital vitamins and nutrients that humans need to live are FAT SOLUABLE. And the fact that you cannot get vitamin B12 from a plant source (unless man created and processed, which if your argument is to stay true to itself, processed foods and such should be avoided...). WIthout vitamin B12, or a severe deficiency of it, humans WILL DIE. This is not conjecture, but pure cold hard fact. Seems to me that to get that in a natural, unprocessed, not man made or assisted, you'll need to eat some meat.

I'm fine with vegans eating that way for moral purposes, if they believe strongly that animals should not be killed for their dietary needs, I get that, but to say that something like that is the healthiest way to eat in the face of facts that would state otherwise, in the face of the GAPING hole in the argument (missing vital nutrients that have to be supplemented and fortified into vegan foods) is not only niave, but quite frankly irresponsible.

Vitamin B12 is a microbe that doesn't come from animals or plants:
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Benefits-of-Eating-a-Plant-Based-Diet---The-Vitamin-B12-Deficiency-Myth&id=1764318
You still do not NEED meat to get this vitamin. I've heard and read form a number of sources that meat-eaters are more prone to B12 deficiency.

I don't know where you get your info, or the person writing that article, but it all looks like vegan propoganda to me. Here's another link that shows the foods with the most vitamin b12...imagine my shock when they were all animal based and anything remotely vegan as the word "Fortified" in front of it.

http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/foods-high-in-vitamin-B12.php

And here is a vegan resource for B12, and again notice that unless it is a fortified grain, you're really not getting it from anywhere plant based. Oh, wait you can, from certain plants as long as they are grown in MANURE, which is an animal by product...go figure.

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/b12.htm

Here's another vegan source that tells you basically to eat yeast or dirt (paraphrasing of course) or use supplements or fortified foods...again not a natural occrence of the vitamin.

http://www.vegancoach.com/vegan-vitamin-B12.html

The list goes on and on, and I could past links all day to sources that are vegan in nature.

So what's having a little 'fortified' food to get a little of just one vitamin? As opposed to the Western diet i'm speaking of, whereby pretty much all of the foods eaten are chemically altered, where people eat very little or no health plant foods and the meat we eat is the product of majority factory farming - pumped full of antibiotics, weight gain and growth hormones. THAT is what bothers me.
Plants growing in manure is natural. An entire species almost relying on milk well past being a baby is absolutely unnatural. Even more so when that milk comes from an entirely different animal.

I'm not saying i'm perfect or know it all. Because I really don't. I'm still in the process of moving onto a plant-based diet myself. My personal aim is to eat a vast majority of whole natural plant-based foods with very little 'unnatural' food thrown in there.

In any case, I'm merely recommending this as a possible solution to a problem that someone is having.

dnunny

I'm hoping I don't have to take it forever. I took it when pregnant with my younger son. They did blood work and determined I wasn't hypertensive before then (I told them that).

Now 5 years later I'm back on them. Work was very stressful and I'm also overweight...obese to be accurate. I really, really want off of these meds. Since January I've lost about 20lbs. (it says 7 because I just started tracked with MFP). I have a longggggggggg way to go. I'm hoping to be of BP meds once I lose weight.

redraidergirl2009

Consider taking on a plant-based diet. Please don't cast this message aside, as countless studies have shown that eating meat and animal produce is one of the leading causes in all of these 'modern' diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer etc. At least consider reading 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition'. If diabetes can be reversed by taking on a plant-based diet then i'm pretty sure it'll fix your blood pressure problem.

That is 100% ludicrous. There are plenty of cases where eating a plant HEAVY diet help, cutting out the grains and other processed crap, but to discount meat in such a way is folly.

My sister was in the same boat, overweight most of her life and she turned to being a vegitarian, because everyone thinks it's healthy. Over the course of 10 years being a vegitarian and another 5 being a very strict vegan, she gained 100+ lbs. She had VERY high blood pressure, cholesterol was through the roof and was approaching type 2 diabetes as a permanant fixture in her life. She had mysterious aches and pains constantly and got injured everytime that she tried to loose weight through exercise.

She has since gone to a low carb/paleo style diet and has reversed ALL of these symptoms and also lost 80+ lbs in about a year. Her blood pressure went from 145/97 (!!!!!) to a solid 118/70.

My mother has similar issues, while not overweight, she has higher than normal blood pressure and cholesterol. She's been a vegan for the last 2 years. I've been low carb for over a year, and have cholesterol about 100 points lower than her and my last tested blood pressure was 112/66. Genetics may give a predisposition to have certain issues, but that does not mean that you have to settle for that being normal.

You can be a strict vegan and still eat all the wrong foods, such as refined 'white' foods which are just empty calories. Please read around what meat, animal produce and refined foods do to our bodies before calling this 'ludicrous'.

You can read all you want, and this thread is probably not the place to debate it, but cutting out meat from the diet of a human is just plain stupid, and defending it with pseudo science makes even less sense.

You can argue all day long that meat is bad for you, but there is no actual evidence of such in ways that are actually meaningful. You can skew any study to fit an agenda, but real world experience shows me otherwise. My mother is a VERY clean eater. The only thing processed that she even buys is organic dark chocolate and organic multi-grain bread. The rest of her diet consists of fruits and vegtables. Puzzle that one out professor...

We can certainly agree though that processed foods are horrible, and should be eliminated and "white" foods should be avoided. I'm all for a VERY heavy plant based diet, but meat should find its way to the table regularly, with all the fat, connective tissue and skin in tact for consumption.

It is not a coincidence that many of the vital vitamins and nutrients that humans need to live are FAT SOLUABLE. And the fact that you cannot get vitamin B12 from a plant source (unless man created and processed, which if your argument is to stay true to itself, processed foods and such should be avoided...). WIthout vitamin B12, or a severe deficiency of it, humans WILL DIE. This is not conjecture, but pure cold hard fact. Seems to me that to get that in a natural, unprocessed, not man made or assisted, you'll need to eat some meat.

I'm fine with vegans eating that way for moral purposes, if they believe strongly that animals should not be killed for their dietary needs, I get that, but to say that something like that is the healthiest way to eat in the face of facts that would state otherwise, in the face of the GAPING hole in the argument (missing vital nutrients that have to be supplemented and fortified into vegan foods) is not only niave, but quite frankly irresponsible.

People do not -need- to eat meat so there is no problem with those who choose not to eat it. Before I decided to become vegan I ate meat maybe 3-4 times a week and it normally wasn't the standard 3oz of meat at those meals, it was in a burrito or something. Once in a great while I'd have a steak or a burger, but meat was almost never the focus of my meals. I just didn't really have a taste or craving for it often. While I wasn't big on meat, I did consume a lot of animal products like dairy and eggs and recently realized dairy was causing my stuffy nose I'd been taking medication for almost 2yrs.

While my cholestorol levels are okay, I'd still like to improve them and I've also had more energy and less acne and bloating since I became vegan so I'm down with it for those benefits alone.

Though I've only recently become vegan, my blood tests were normal, no deficiencies of any sort, in fact they said my iron levels were good. I take a multivitamin once every other day, I try and remember to daily, but I did that even before I became vegan.

I'm not saying you are wrong for eating meat and animal products, in fact I don't think anyone here is saying that, so you shouldn't say those who do not eat them are wrong.

redraidergirl2009

If it's a genetic cause (for the hypertension) you will probably have to remain on them. I lost 75 pounds, maintained for 3 years, run and lift weights, eat healthy, and still have to take them. My doc has tried to let me get off of them and it doesn't work. He told me it's just something that I'm going to have. Damn genetics! lol...

I don't have a family history of it which is the weird thing. I'm just glad to finally be getting it taken care of. I don't want to have a stroke or anything scary like that. If it means a small pill then it's small price to pay.

Moretakitty

My high blood pressure is controlled, but I have been on medication since I was 19 and 115 lbs.
My mom and dad both have problems as do other members of my immediate family.

For me, it's a permanent thing, but I know that, and I've lived with that most of my life. With you, you will just have to wait and see! I'm hoping for the best for you!

kdeaux1959

Hypertension really depends on the person. A lot of it is diet and exercise... especially reducing sodium and other things that cause water retention... Diuretics are often used as anti-hypertensives as it causes a reduction of fluid in the circulatory system which consequently reduces the pressure against the walls of the veins... Unfortunately, heredity sometimes plays a large role in hypertension and if that is the case, you may be on them long term. At least, it is a highly treatable condition and you are fortunate to have caught it early before it caused a great deal of damage. Do all you can do by reducing your weight, reducing caffeine, salt, etc and increasing exercise... However, if that all does not work, at least you have the medication with which you can live a long, full life. Best wishes in your endeavor.

ZoeyRobinson

I think your vegan diet will help. It helped multiple family members go off their meds. Just take it slow and steady. Next time ask your doctor though just to ease your mind.

texastango

I am working on losing 10-15lbs so perhaps that will lower it a bit, but are these medications something I'll just always have to take if it doesn't go down on it's own? I'm hoping some weight loss and my new vegan diet will help, but I also don't like the idea of being on medication for it forever, though I do know the dangers I risk of stopping it

First off I have a video for you to watch. It's medical, a bit complicated...but the points made about diet and hypertension are not. Bottom line - A significant number of children in one study, and adults in another, were able to eliminate their meds for hypertension just by a change in diet - without weight loss.

In other studies...loosing weight also resulted in lowering of blood pressure.

So, in many people....it's clear that with a change in diet and weight loss that blood pressure medication can be a thing of the past.

Having said that...there are a number of causes of hypertension. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT stop your medication without your doctor's approval. First off some meds have a rebound effect. That is you stop them abruptly and your blood pressure goes even higher than it would off the meds. People DIE because of bleeding in the brain (even healthy people) because of this. SO DO NOT STOP YOUR MEDS without help. Beta blockers are particularly known to do this (ie. Atenolol).

Your hypertension may be genetic or due to other issues.

However, eating healthy and losing a little weight (BMI 26 is pretty good) may help. Resistance train and turn inactive fat into muscle as well. Again, if you are interested in the video link on YouTube (lecture from UCLA) than hit me up with a PM. The lecture goes into exercise - resistance and aerobic - and diet and how it plays into health. Great stuff but long (48 min).






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