Posted on 03/15/2022 6:04:01 AM PDT by LouAvul
He's 82 and his blood pressure meds were making him ill/faint. He just decided to stop taking the meds (as, the risk of falling and breaking a hip is a greater concern?).
Upon my googlefoo, the recommended BP numbers vary widely even among physicians.
AHA Journals: The 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines indicate that a BP <130/80 mm Hg should be targeted after the age of 65 years. The 2018 guidelines propose a BP goal of <140/90 mm Hg for individuals older than 65 years. Finally, the 2017 American College of Physicians/American Association of Family Physicians guidelines propose to target a BP <150/90 mm Hg.
And then this addendum: American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) released guidelines for BP management in adults ≥60 years. Pharmacotherapy is recommended for persistently elevated systolic BP (SBP) ≥150 mmHg
In other words, that last statement says BP meds should only be pushed if the top number is over 150.
Then, more recently, a study called SPRINT concluded that seniors should be medicated so that their BP is 120/70. This study only allowed subjects that were already at risk of stroke/heart attack. Overweight. Poor diet. Drinkers. Smokers. Did not exercise. Critics said SPRINT deliberately skewed their results.
What to believe? What standard to follow?
If a senior citizen exercises, eats right (no fried foods, no alcohol, etc), non smoker, not overweight, but consistently has BP ~140/80, is the risk great enough to medicate? Or does the risk of serious physical injury negate that?
Is he sick of the side effects?
140/80? That’s not bad at all. I would just use natural supplements. Taurine works. Increasing nitric oxide works. A number of supplements accomplish this. Here’s a list:
L-Arginine
L-Citruline
Horny Goat Weed
Pycnogenol
Hawthorn Berry
Low dose Cialis also raises nitric oxide and has some useful side effects. I stack several of them together.
Good question. I’ll keep watching to see if we get an answer. Blood pressure med is the only prescription I take and I’m 75. After eating a paleo diet for 2 years I dropped the dosage to every other day. My doc nearly had a fit. Said that was not a good idea. I take a blood pressure reading almost every day, averages to in the low 120’s.
Does he get exercise?
I started to feel my age- exercise greatly diminished that.
Started with simple range of motion with very light weights. (5 pounds) Now I am working my way back up to benching 200 again.
Exercise is the single best anti-aging formula.
I take Pantethine for BP and cholesterol help.
Best to discuss this with his doctor if you’re in the loop. If still concerned or answers have more questions, find a second opinion.
I experienced similar effects from BP medications. My cardiologist told me to not take both in the morning, but to take one at that time and the other at night. The negative effects disappeared in a couple of days.
Best is to get opinions from your/his doctor and other medical
personal. His overall condition will influence what they recommend.
My FIL went off BP meds in his 70s - after he started losing weight the meds made his BP fall too low and he felt dizzy and lightheaded. The risk of falling is a serious concern. Does he see a geriatric doctor? I found they are better versed in the risks vs, rewards of certain meds for seniors.
If he is going to do this anyway, maybe he should get a pill cutter and cut the pill in half first.
I did this with a Blood pressure medicine I was taking for 30 years, but then I had a problem. So now, I’m on two BP meds but lower dosage.
If I exercised more and lost weight, I’d try it again, but mine runs higher than his and without getting in better shape, I”ll keep taking meds.
If he does this, he needs to monitor his blood pressure throughout the day.
https://www.wikijournalclub.org/wiki/SPS3-BP
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3979302/
But that is if the concern is about strokes.
Also, there could be another reason for feeling faint. Inner ear Crystal’s, etc.
I am not a doctor, so take this with or without a grain of salt :)
My understanding from my Dr. is that the lower (diastolic) pressure is the more dangerous one.
In my own case data is your friend, so grab some daily readings (same time/circumstances) if you don’t already have a baseline, and then change one thing at a time and as gradually as possible. Measure, assess, adjust, repeat.
This circumstance looks more like one needing tuning rather than a complete on/off switch.
I had a fainting spell a couple of years ago or so. Got up in the night to take a whizz. As I stood there at the toilet, I could feel myself losing consciousness. I opened the door with the intent of heading to the bed and lying down when I blacked out. I fell against the now open door and bounced back onto the toilet which I fell against with my hip. The racket of me slamming against the door woke my wife and she found me sitting on the floor going in and out of consciousness.
I went to the doctor that day and she determined that the extra blood pressure med I was taking (amlodapine) had caused "an unsafe drop in blood pressure". Had I not opened that door I would very likely have fallen straight into the tiled shower that faces the toilet and could very possibly have ended up like Saget. Fortunately I did not hit my head. I had a huge bruise/hematoma on the hip that hit the toilet, but otherwise I was very lucky. I should have sat down immediately on the toilet once I started blacking out instead of trying to make it back to the bed. But that was the first time I ever blacked out and I guess I was somewhat in denial about what was happening.
At the time, I was taking Valsartan HCT, Amlodapine and Metoprolol. Over time, my BP had become lower and I did not require the Amlodapine any longer. I still take the Valsartan and I have to take the Metoprolol (a beta blocker) for a skipping heart beat/arrhythmia. I also take my BP meds in the evening now instead of the morning. It is easy to get overmedicated on these things. If you change anything about your lifestyle, like exercising more or taking supplements that lower BP, it can get too low.
It is also good to get in the habit of getting up slowly, particularly from bed. When you go from a prone position to a standing one, your BP drops. I don't walk around in a daze, but I can tell my reaction time is slower because of BP meds. When I am driving, I cannot get very close to the vehicle in front of me because of it. Beta blockers block your adrenaline and make you feel less "on edge".
Stupid question: is he rigorously salt-free?
Maybe his meds just need to be adjusted. Maybe a lesser strength?
Well, I’m about two decades off of 82. I think that if I make it to that age I’m living on borrowed time anyway. As the great philosopher once sang “I’d rather die while I’m living than live while I’m dead”. I’m with him. If the meds are destroying his quality of life then discontinue.
Check back with me in a couple of decades. Maybe my attitude will change.
Get him on magnesium glycinate. Low mag causes high blood pressure
Try lowering the dosage. Cut the pills in half
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