wieght loss, high blood pressure, and high blood pressure me

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jasonweinberg
jasonweinberg Posts: 270
in Health and Weight Loss
i have been on a combination of blood pressure meds for years, and even still my blood pressure has been a constant battle. in addition, i also take flomax to help me from feeling like i have to pee all the time, and that is also a beta blocker. in my consult for my bariatric surgery they discussed how many people are able to come off their meds after weight loss. while visiting various providers while getting my testing done to prep for surgery, i got some surprisingly low readings, one as low as 105/65. i assume it is simply a result of weight loss, eating better and getting more excercise. i have also started to get light-headed often when i stand up, which my dr. had already warned me can happen when you are loaded up on beta blockers. anyway. i have a physical next month so i was just going to wait it out regarding discussing adjustment with my dr. however, i brought it up with a different provider and they said i should call my dr. immediately.. so i did, and i got a rather urgent response from my dr.'s office that i need to get in asap and get checked out. i am going in tomorrow, but was kind of surprised that they seemed so concerned.

anyway, i bring it up because i was hoping others could share their experience with backing off their high blood pressure meds as they lost weight and ate better. i realize in the end my dr. knows best, but i'd like to hear others' experiences.

Replies

  • panther87
    panther87 Posts: 78 Member
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    I take Lisinopril for my BP and hctz. I too have had some bouts with being lightheaded and my provider actually wants my BP down around the 105-107 area. I have lost 30 lbs over the last 6 months and feel tremendously better. the light feeling in my head is better. i am just real careful when i stand or when i come off the treadmill or if i do some bending over type of stretching or lifting. hope this helps. Good luck to you.
  • richardcrinks
    richardcrinks Posts: 1
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    Hi, I live in the UK. I am on blood pressure tablets, Ramipril. I got my weight down but still need to lose maybe 20lbs. I regularly go for check ups with my doctor and he told me that normally you are on blood pressure tablets for life. I have done research on the web and over hear in old Blighty it is generally recommended that you never come off them.
    Take care mate and don't loose direction. Lose your weight and keep going.
    Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life.
  • jasonweinberg
    jasonweinberg Posts: 270
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    that is why i was surprised the woman at the dr.'s office seemed alarmed. i have probably never had "normal" blood pressure in my life, and now that i do she was like "you've gotta get in here right away". what annoys me is that they have complete access to the records from every provider i've seen in the last month, including the blood pressure readings, but i have to go in and have my blood pressure read again by them, before they can make any adjustments. anyway, thanks for the info, i'll post what the dr. says when he says it.
  • anna_b1
    anna_b1 Posts: 588 Member
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    I've been on blood pressure pills for the past two years, but my bp continues to be an issue. I'm having surgery for some polyps in just over a month and my gyno is really worried about my bp (this is my second time having the same surgery and it was an issue last time largely because I'm a trainwreck whenever I have to go under).

    I had bloodwork done on Tuesday and I visit my family doctor this coming Tuesday to see if I should get something else prescribed. I've lost weight, but nothing like what would make my bp come down signficantly. In fact, my family doctor said it's likely I'll never be off my meds because my mom has been on them since she was in her 40s and she is nowhere near overweight.

    I'm hoping I beat the genetic odds though. I'd love to be off these things, but I want above all to be well enough to lose them without any risk just like everyone else.

    Good luck to you!
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
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    I take Lisinopril for my BP and hctz. I too have had some bouts with being lightheaded and my provider actually wants my BP down around the 105-107 area. I have lost 30 lbs over the last 6 months and feel tremendously better. the light feeling in my head is better. i am just real careful when i stand or when i come off the treadmill or if i do some bending over type of stretching or lifting. hope this helps. Good luck to you.

    My husband was taking Lisinopril and the Dr weaned him off by cutting down to the lowest dose and then told my husband when he started getting light headed again, the Dr told him to start cutting them in half............... and then totally off. The only thing the Dr asked was when my husband got to the point of not taking it at all, he come in once a month at his leisure and get his BP monitored for a few months to make sure it didn't start going back up.

    We have a BP cuff at home also, so that helped us monitor my hubby and we kept a log.

    He has been off BP meds for almost 2 years now.
  • sheri3762
    sheri3762 Posts: 159
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    HI! I'm really glad you posted this because I have been wondering the same thing! When I decided to make lifestyle changes to lose weight, my ultimate goal was not to get into a size 8, but to get off some of y medications and to get healthy. I just found out this week that I may never be able to gt off my BP medication. For me, its also a lot of genitics. My Dad died of a heart attack at 34 and he had been on BP meds since the age of 27. My Mom has been on them for decades also. I started them at age 30 and at that time I was about 40 pounds overweight. To date, I've lost 50 pounds and my BP meds have been cut back twice, but, my Doc just told me this week because of my family history, I may never go completely off them. I was really bummed!!! I've decided that there isn't much I can do about it. At first I was really depressed about it because it was my "ultimate" goal. But I've decided to not worry so much about it. I'm on my way to being very healthy, so If i'm stuck with a low dose for the rest of my life, I guess its going to have to be ok. I'll just keep pushing to be as healthy as I can and not worry too much about somcething that I can't control.

    KNow that your not alone in this. Many of us are in the same boat. Good luck!!!
  • jasonweinberg
    jasonweinberg Posts: 270
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    i don't really expect to be taken off completely either. my dad is not overweight and has been on meds for high blood pressure for at least 30 years. his dad, before they really treated people for high blood pressure, suffered two strokes. but just as my dr. slowly adjusted my meds up as we wrestled with my blood pressure, i am expecting that he will be able to lower them as my blood pressure improves. also, i am on lisynopryl, atenolol and hydrochlorithiazide. as much as i'd love to get off all of them, i'd be happy to get back to just lysinopryl, which is what i started on.
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
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    I've been on blood pressure pills for the past two years, but my bp continues to be an issue. I'm having surgery for some polyps in just over a month and my gyno is really worried about my bp (this is my second time having the same surgery and it was an issue last time largely because I'm a trainwreck whenever I have to go under).

    I had bloodwork done on Tuesday and I visit my family doctor this coming Tuesday to see if I should get something else prescribed. I've lost weight, but nothing like what would make my bp come down signficantly. In fact, my family doctor said it's likely I'll never be off my meds because my mom has been on them since she was in her 40s and she is nowhere near overweight.

    I'm hoping I beat the genetic odds though. I'd love to be off these things, but I want above all to be well enough to lose them without any risk just like everyone else.

    Good luck to you!

    My hubby is off his High Blood Pressure Medications and so am I. We both had both of our parents on HBP meds. My mom is deceased now, but my dad is Stage 3 Hypertensive - My blood pressure now is normal.............

    My husbands parents are both on HBP meds and have been for a long time............My hubby had to go on HBP meds in his late 20's and was told the same thing, he would never go off. He astonished the Doctor when he started weaning him off.

    We changed to an all natural eating plan, cut out grains, diet soda's and all sugar that is not natural (so fruits, veggies and bit of dairy).

    It can be done, it just depends on if you are willing to change a lot about your eating habits for good health.
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
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    i don't really expect to be taken off completely either. my dad is not overweight and has been on meds for high blood pressure for at least 30 years. his dad, before they really treated people for high blood pressure, suffered two strokes. but just as my dr. slowly adjusted my meds up as we wrestled with my blood pressure, i am expecting that he will be able to lower them as my blood pressure improves. also, i am on lisynopryl, atenolol and hydrochlorithiazide. as much as i'd love to get off all of them, i'd be happy to get back to just lysinopryl, which is what i started on.

    I believe you can get off all meds...............your having weight loss surgery, which means no breads or grains. That will be a HUGE PLUS on your side of getting off the meds.

    My husband and I both have gotten off our meds and we both had parents that are / were severely hypertensive. My dad has had several strokes, starting when he was only 39 years old. My grandfather had countless strokes before passing away, so it is "hereditary" in my family................I am breaking that cycle now with myself. So is my sister.
  • jasonweinberg
    jasonweinberg Posts: 270
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    i personally hope i don't have to give up bread. i love bread. my understanding is that with the lap band it varies from indivisual to individual and you really don't know until you've been fully restricted.
  • lilmissy2
    lilmissy2 Posts: 595 Member
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    i personally hope i don't have to give up bread. i love bread. my understanding is that with the lap band it varies from indivisual to individual and you really don't know until you've been fully restricted.

    I hope you don't have to either! Unfortunately, it is one of the common not-tolerated foods but as you have heard from others here, some people manage it just fine :) As for the blood pressure - it's a very individual thing. It's one thing to say 'if you get your weight under control, eat right and exercise then you won't need medication' but the reality is that some people are a low body weight, eat well and exercise plenty but have high blood pressure simply from genetics. For others, it can be a combination - which is why you might decrease meds but not come off them. It is possible though, if your high blood pressure was caused only by lifestyle, for you to reach a point where you don't need the meds anymore at all.

    Something you might find interesting is that in terms of lifestyle effects on blood pressure exercise has been shown to have a bigger effect on decreasing blood pressure than than weight loss.

    Let us know how you get on with this!
  • lilmissy2
    lilmissy2 Posts: 595 Member
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    Oh also, I forgot to mention... just because your mother/father/brother/sister had it, doesn't mean that yours is genetic because if theirs was also caused by lifestyle... well I think you catch my drift! Although of course if it is in your family history then there is a higher risk that it is genetic.
  • noneya2010
    noneya2010 Posts: 446 Member
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    HBP runs rampant in my family. My eldest brother had weight loss surgery earlier this year and immediately came off all his meds, including his Avalide for his blood pressure. I can't remember which surgery he had exactly (I know it wasn't lap band...) but there is actually research and proof that something with his particular type of surgery "cures" blood pressure! And his has been at normal, healthy ranges ever since his surgery.

    I also take Avalide 300/12.5 (300 mg and 12.5 diuretic). Same med as my brother did. Been on them since my mid-20's -- waaay before I had weight issues. I have lost (and gained) 20, 30, 40 pounds over and over and not been able to come off them at any of those points.

    This go around, I have started exercising and walking daily and randomly checking mine and it has been really great - like last night it was 116/68. Super low for me -- even on my meds, mine typically still runs in the 120's over at least 80-something. So I am "experimenting" and cutting my pill in half to see how that goes. One time a while back I just stopped taking them and my b/p shot up to like 180/100-something! I ended up in the ER and was told I cannot just stop taking them cold turkey like that! Oopsie!

    So I am really interested in this topic and why my brother, who has the same hereditary issues as I do, got to just stop taking his cold turkey just because he had surgery.
  • jasonweinberg
    jasonweinberg Posts: 270
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    our surgeon told us that the gastric bypass can definitely be cure for diabetes in almost all situations, but he said that while bariatric surgery can be helpful with high blood pressure, he didn't present it as a "slam-dunk" like the bypass is for diabetes. and your brother probably got to "stop his cold turkey" because he was under a dr.'s care. it is true that stopping taking your blood pressure medicine without a dr.'s care can be very dangerous because as you pointed out, your blood pressure can sky rocket.
  • jasonweinberg
    jasonweinberg Posts: 270
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    oh. i forgot to update: my dr. cut my lysinopryl dose in half and i go back to get re-checked tomorrow. i'd love to get off the lysinopryl completely because that's the stuff that really keps your heart rate down, which in turn. lowers your metabolism and makes it harder to burn calories through exercise.
  • jasonweinberg
    jasonweinberg Posts: 270
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    oh. i forgot to update: my dr. cut my lysinopryl dose in half and i go back to get re-checked tomorrow. i'd love to get off the lysinopryl completely because that's the stuff that really keps your heart rate down, which in turn. lowers your metabolism and makes it harder to burn calories through exercise.

    i actually mispoke. it was my atenolol he cut my dose in half on, not the lysinopryl. and today, because my blood presure was still down, he told me to drop the atenolol altoghether and recheck in a week. cool!

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