BP and Cholesterol meds

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philOHIO
philOHIO Posts: 520 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been on meds to control my BP/cholesterol. I have had a really hard time with my heart rate... seems like I am over 90% of max rate (155-165 bpm) when exercising even though I feel fine. At rest, it is in the 50s. Should I talk to the doc about get off the meds? I think it is hindering my weight loss and leaving on the belly fat. I am almost 46 and am using the charts as a guide. I have never had a stress test.

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  • _gwen
    _gwen Posts: 501 Member
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    talk to your doc +1

    You might be able to adjust amounts or change meds.
  • melvac
    melvac Posts: 333 Member
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    Always talk to the doctor before changing any meds, they can also recommend a diet.
  • missyyclaire
    missyyclaire Posts: 572 Member
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    Sure would be good to hear what your Doc has to say. Please stay on your meds, but see if he/she has a recommendation for your situation. Stress tests can be so good to help you know where your body is and how you can improve. This is all coming from someone who is finally getting back to the Doc after about 6 months of hiding! I confess I just didn't want to go and hear him say the obvious "Yes, you need to lose weight". Duh! I know I do. So, I've made it a personal goal to drop 10 lbs before I see him on the 20th. 2 more lbs to go! I wanna hear him say "Good girl! Keep up the good work".
  • susanswan
    susanswan Posts: 1,194 Member
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    Please do talk to your doctor. Your goal should include getting off of the medications. But you NEVER want to adjust them on your own. Make sure your doctor knows your weight loss goals, plan and by all means print off a few reports so he can have them as a reference in your chart if they want any of that info. Hopefully you have your own blood pressure cuff so you can monitor yourself, too. I would hope that you could come in to the office for frequent bp monitoring as you lose weight. Losing weight will affect your blood pressure for the better as will exercising and you are doing both. Very good for you!

    Until you meet with your doctor I would encourage you to go easy on getting your heart rate up there too high. You don't want to cause another problem by over exerting your heart (passing out or arrhythmia) for extended periods. The older we get the slower our heart needs to beat to achieve that 70%. I need to remind myself that I am not 20 years old anymore!

    Good luck to you!
    Susan
  • philOHIO
    philOHIO Posts: 520 Member
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    I had a doctor (a 400 lb. guy), tell me I needed to lose weight... even though I saw humor in it, after a couple of misdiagnoses on a sickness I had last yr., I switched doctors. The new doc is aware of my situation and I am due for a checkup around next Feb. I hope she has good news. I wasn't planning on adjusting them myself... was just wondering if the medication was hindering my progress. Certain medications, like BP med., slow down heart rate.
  • dandi1
    dandi1 Posts: 10
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    Your story sounds like mine. I had been on meds for years for BP and Coh....I started exercising and watching cals. I have lost 29 pounds and my doctors took me off of the cohlestrol meds and reduced the BP meds in half. I am several years older than you but my heart rate when exercising works about 90% of max but I continue to feel fine. My doc says to keep doing what I am doing, he likes the results. I think it is always good advice to check with your doctor before making any changes. Good luck
  • SabrinaJL
    SabrinaJL Posts: 1,579 Member
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    I agree with talking to your doc. I just talked to mine on Tuesday about this. I'm on atenolol for bp. After working out for 2 months, the dosage was cut in half. My bp has been really good lately, so she said if I wanted to, try cutting it in half and monitor my bp to see how that works. She said if that works, start taking it every other day and see how that goes. She also said working out at the top of my hr range was fine. But she said do NOT just stop taking it,
  • DakotaKeogh
    DakotaKeogh Posts: 693 Member
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    Make no changes without your doc's advice. You may want to add other supplements that can naturally help with your heart's health.

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