Thank you you all for the response. At least, I know the side effects are not my imagination as my family members put it. Ras422. My first 20mg Benicar appeared to be a wonder drug. It made me moving around like Hercules but not only in the day time and also at night time: Insomnia and extremely hyper and agitation. The blood vessels in my limbs dialted so hard that I could feel my limbs moving when lying down in bed.I tried to cut myself of the Benicar 20mg but whenever I am dealing with difficult customers, I feel pressured on my face and my eyes. I now on 5 mg Enalapril ( ACE ) twice a day. Good night rest for the first two days and thanks God no cough yet just dizziness and tiresome most of the time. The third night, my sleep pattern was disrupted on and off so many times... Again thank you all. HBP med is like hi-end ICs, I guess my body will be a guinea pig for a while. |
what are you taking--Rich M.D.--that way I can help--spec in lipids hbp etc |
Someone should write a book "Programming Doctors" by Big Pharma.
There are lots of natural remedies, like eating bananas, eliminating caffiene.. to resolve HBP. Google it and stop believing most doctors know what they're doing. A few do, and they promote natural remedies |
It also took me a long time to adjust to my B.P. medication, Lisinopril. For the first couple of months i felt lousy -- but after that with the exception of still coughing somewhat more, a side effect i can live with, all the other side effects have gone away and i've been on it about 3 years now. One other non-drug thing you can do to help control B.P. is to use a bio-feedback machine ( I think mine is called Resperate) that teaches controlled breathing patterns-- its kind of the same principles as yoga i think. Carol |
I agree with Lloydc. Increase activity and watch what you eat. You should be able to bring your blood pressure down without any medication. I did it.
Good luck. |
My doctor put me on all sorts of B.P. meds and in the end, I bit the bullet and threw down the co-pay for Procardia XL. Fortunately, there were extentuating circumstances that I got under control and now successfully off the medication for 1+ yr. After qualifying for my pension, I asked for a reduced position (infinitely less stress) at my workplace, lost a little weight, gave up drinking 10+ yrs ago. Feel great and have better sleep patterns. FYI: I am 52 yrs. old and have had high B.P. since highschool. |
Try Norvasc (Amlodipine Besylate).
This has been extremely effective controling the numbers (for me and my Father).
I understand there are literally hundreds of BP medications (I use four including Lisinopril).
So keep plugging until you find the right combo.
Good luck! |
Tell your doctor to precribe some better quality meds if you have insurance. I was using Lisinopril and it gave me a chronic cough. What Albert Porter failed to mention is that Lisinopril is a Walmart $4 prescription, hey you get what you pay for is what they say, right? With my high quality blood pressure and diabetes meds I was paying $70 for both insured, $400 without. |
Listen to Albert's advice. Bother the living daylights out of your doctor (or his/her receptionist) until they find a med that works for you -- and believe me there IS one! It's no longer enough just to be the squeaky-est wheel -- you have to SCREECH like a digital banshee, until you get the attention you require ;-) |
I eventually complained about the lethargy and lack of motivation to my father, an internist MD(still practicing at age 82!) and he laughed and said they all make you feel that way. As I understand it, your readings aren't extreme, and better diet and exercise should suffice, if you can stand it. Easier said than done, but the meds are pretty good motivation. |
Originally I was put on a beta blocker and became so depressed, I threatened the Doctor I would pour all of them down the drain.
Next was Vasotec (ACE inhibitor), which worked well for awhile and after a period of time, was not effective.
Now I'm on Lisinopril 20 (another ACE inhibitor) and Hydrochlorothiazide 12 (reduces water retention). This pair seems to effectively control blood pressure with no side effects.
However, as stated by Missti, each person is different, what works for me may be horrible for you.
The main thing, talk to your doctor and tell him (or her) that the side effects are making your life miserable and you need another choice.
I sincerely hope this works out for you. I've been in your shoes and know how it feels. |
It can sometimes take several weeks to a month or two for the body to adjust to a new medication such as those for blood pressure.
If you don't find yourself getting back to normal after that period, you should then talk to your doctor. He or she can adjust dosage or prescribe a different brand or type of BP medicine.
Individuals react differently to medication and often it takes some experimenting to get it right for you. BP medication shouldn't be one that leaves your permanently feeling tired. So talk to your doc. |
