THANK YOU for the keto-flu info!
PatriciaLoofbourrow
Posts: 13 Member
I started this nine days ago and up to yesterday I felt not sick, but I'd have these bouts of zero energy in the middle of the day and just feeling weird. I read the keto-flu article, took some magnesium and salted my food real well and it's been like night and day. I feel so much better. Thank you so much!! 
Edited to add: I also suddenly lost 3 pounds overnight. Hurray!!
Edited to add: I also suddenly lost 3 pounds overnight. Hurray!!
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Yes! As someone who was overweight, with high blood pressure, was previously on blood pressure medication and intentionally kept sodium intake low, I was VERY reluctant to increase my salt/sodium intake. Nevertheless I cautiously followed the suggestions of supplementation and found it not only helpful but necessary and have not experienced negative side effects.6
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Yes! As someone who was overweight, with high blood pressure, was previously on blood pressure medication and intentionally kept sodium intake low, I was VERY reluctant to increase my salt/sodium intake. Nevertheless I cautiously followed the suggestions of supplementation and found it not only helpful but necessary and have not experienced negative side effects.
Thanks! I just relayed this to my husband, who's also on blood pressure medicines and has done some low carb off and on in the past. He's been trying to keep his sodium down too and I'm wondering if this has hurt his weight loss efforts. Very interesting. He's real cautious about all this too so don't worry 0 -
Before lchf/keto I was on blood pressure medication and avoided all added sodium. Did suffer electrolyte issues because of the fear of increasing sodium! Once I finally began to focus on electrolyte balance I felt so much better! Plus, the blood pressure medication was no longer needed within a couple of months, and it's remained normal for almost a year and a half!3
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Hi, another HBP sufferer who was afraid of sodium. I finally started adding salt back into my diet and I feel amazing. I do watch potassium, calcium and magnesium as well. I really feel like I've found my balance.3
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Yes! As someone who was overweight, with high blood pressure, was previously on blood pressure medication and intentionally kept sodium intake low, I was VERY reluctant to increase my salt/sodium intake. Nevertheless I cautiously followed the suggestions of supplementation and found it not only helpful but necessary and have not experienced negative side effects.
@kpk54 - I'm sincerely interested in how you got yourself off of medications. I only developed medically induced high blood pressure after getting back onto hormonal birth control pills at 35. But the spikes were enough that my doctor wanted me on the medication.
Then, after developing migraines we've now determined were likely very related to histamine food content more than anything, my doctors (PCP and specialist) agreed to add a second pill 12 hours after the first. I haven't tested regularly lately, since I've been level for a long while (18-19 months low carbing), and I don't have signs/symptoms of low blood pressure, either.
But I would really really like to use improved health and such to get me back off of medications. So if you are of the mindset, I would love to hear how you did this - maybe in another thread (so as not to overly hijack this one!) for folks to use as a starting point for research and/or jumping off point for finding their own way with their medical team?0 -
@KnitOrMiss I don't think my response will hijack because it is so simple. I tend to be quite healthy but was 60 pounds over weight. I was on some combination of Lisinopril and HCTH which was effective and put it in the normal BP range. I began to lose weight and do light exercise about 60 minutes per day, 5 days per week (low impact aerobics, walking, stationary ecumbent bike). As my weight dropped my BP dropped. 1st the doc dropped the HTCZ. Later she reduced the Lisinopril mg via a different prescription. Then finally took me off the lisinopril. It was my responsibility to check my BP (used the BP machines in local stores) and reported it online to the doc, which I did.
I think more interesting is my husband. He has always been thin but has had high BP for years (I'd estimate at least 10 years) and was taking various medications for it. He saw what occurred with me regarding BP and started walking for exercise (no need for him to lose weight). He is no longer on BP meds and has had normal blood pressure for about a year without meds.2 -
PatriciaLoofbourrow wrote: »Thanks! I just relayed this to my husband, who's also on blood pressure medicines and has done some low carb off and on in the past. He's been trying to keep his sodium down too and I'm wondering if this has hurt his weight loss efforts. Very interesting. He's real cautious about all this too so don't worry :smiley:
I think caution is a good thing. To clarify: I came off BP meds in June of 2014. I started keto in April of 2016. Knowing how effective the BP meds were and experiencing the diuretic effect of keto, I personally would be quite cautious about combining the 2.
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@KnitOrMiss I don't think my response will hijack because it is so simple. I tend to be quite healthy but was 60 pounds over weight. I was on some combination of Lisinopril and HCTH which was effective and put it in the normal BP range. I began to lose weight and do light exercise about 60 minutes per day, 5 days per week (low impact aerobics, walking, stationary ecumbent bike). As my weight dropped my BP dropped. 1st the doc dropped the HTCZ. Later she reduced the Lisinopril mg via a different prescription. Then finally took me off the lisinopril. It was my responsibility to check my BP (used the BP machines in local stores) and reported it online to the doc, which I did.
I think more interesting is my husband. He has always been thin but has had high BP for years (I'd estimate at least 10 years) and was taking various medications for it. He saw what occurred with me regarding BP and started walking for exercise (no need for him to lose weight). He is no longer on BP meds and has had normal blood pressure for about a year without meds.
@kpk54
I guess I will definitely work on getting my thyroid and insulin resistance controlled again...
Hmm...I'm on the lowest dose but had to be switched to atenolol because I started having allergic sun reactions with lisinopril. Particularly with it being a beta blocker, I want to get rid of it like NOW... I've dropped 60 pounds so far, but I'm near the similar weight I was (less fat, inflammation, etc.) when I started it... Luckily, because of my issues, I have a professional meter at home, so I can check, but frankly, I'm terrified of things crashing in on me and returning getting off meds.
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Try to keep an eye on the blood pressure. The eye opener that mine was too low was after waking up on the floor after passing out from an ortho static event. I haven't taken another pill and bp has been 110/60 since!0
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From an early age in the 1960's, I learned to not cook with salt and was disciplined at the table for reaching for the salt shaker. My family all had high blood pressure, but not me. There are dizzy spells when I stand up or bend over. With LCHF, I learned to add salt, but it is truly hard as I like my food unsalted. I take salt pills (Thermotabs) and it helps if I remember to take them.1
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From an early age in the 1960's, I learned to not cook with salt and was disciplined at the table for reaching for the salt shaker. My family all had high blood pressure, but not me. There are dizzy spells when I stand up or bend over. With LCHF, I learned to add salt, but it is truly hard as I like my food unsalted. I take salt pills (Thermotabs) and it helps if I remember to take them.
I'm the same way with the dizzy spells when I stand up or bend over. I've always been that way too, ever since I was a child. I remember visiting my bio dad and step mother when I was about 10 years old, and I got up off the couch too fast...my vision went black round the edges, I felt fuzzy and saw lightning bugs, next thing I know I was on the floor looking up. My family was all looking at me oddly. My eyes were open, and I guess it looked like I just tripped or something but I was laying there for about ten seconds or so before my vision returned. They thought I was faking.
This has happened to me over the years repeatedly, though I recognize it's coming when my vision starts to go dark around the edges after I stand or try to get up from bending over, and I know to lean on something quick so I don't collapse and hurt myself. I have always wondered why that happens to me.0 -
From an early age in the 1960's, I learned to not cook with salt and was disciplined at the table for reaching for the salt shaker. My family all had high blood pressure, but not me. There are dizzy spells when I stand up or bend over. With LCHF, I learned to add salt, but it is truly hard as I like my food unsalted. I take salt pills (Thermotabs) and it helps if I remember to take them.
I'm the same way with the dizzy spells when I stand up or bend over. I've always been that way too, ever since I was a child. I remember visiting my bio dad and step mother when I was about 10 years old, and I got up off the couch too fast...my vision went black round the edges, I felt fuzzy and saw lightning bugs, next thing I know I was on the floor looking up. My family was all looking at me oddly. My eyes were open, and I guess it looked like I just tripped or something but I was laying there for about ten seconds or so before my vision returned. They thought I was faking.
This has happened to me over the years repeatedly, though I recognize it's coming when my vision starts to go dark around the edges after I stand or try to get up from bending over, and I know to lean on something quick so I don't collapse and hurt myself. I have always wondered why that happens to me.
I've had this same thing my whole life. Its a low bp thing and when you go form sitting to standing it drops for just about everyone but because I have low bp already it drops very low and I get the blacked out fuzziness spinning feeling and see fireworks like little silvery ripples floating in the air. I actually used to love it as a kid I thought it was so cool, and new to stop moving till it passed, I still do the same but don't find it as amusing. Low carb has exacerbated it and I've struggled for the past year to keep my sodium up while low carb. I'm on like my 5th attempt right now to get it right but we will see, its frustrating. so if you are just starting low carb be very careful with your electrolytes since you already have history with this. I too have a bottle of thermotabs however I was taken several a day when full keto last time and it did not help, I've learned more this time around and suspect my body is wasting salt for other reasons and that's why I cant keep my sodium level normal.0 -
@KnitOrMiss - I am trying to come off of atenolol right now! I've had some hair loss in the last few months, and it only occurred to me *last night* that it could be one of my two bp medicines (atenolol & amlopidine). (I added DE a few weeks ago per your advice in another thread!) So apparently atenolol and other beta-blockers can cause hair loss. I had no idea.
I track my BP every day with my home monitor, and it's been perfectly fine (100-110/65-75) for a few months now. I've also lost 40 lbs since I started all these meds (with BP's up to 180/115, yikes!)
Anyway, all of this is to say that I e-mailed my doc last night to let him know I want to try to go off of atenolol and what my latest numbers are (last two weeks or so). Waiting to hear back - fingers crossed! I have a followup in mid September, but I didn't want to wait that long. I am hoping that I can drop it and just keep monitoring myself to see how I respond....
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