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Certain Blood Pressure Medicines Found To Protect Memory
Newsmax ^ | 6-22-2021

Posted on 06/22/2021 6:02:53 AM PDT by blam

Older adults who use certain blood pressure drugs may retain more of their memory skills as they age, a new study suggests.

Researchers found the benefit among older people taking medications that are allowed past the "blood-brain barrier," which is a border of specialized cells that prevents toxic substances from crossing into the brain.

Those drugs include certain ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) — two major classes of blood pressure medication.

Among nearly 12,900 study patients, those taking the brain-penetrating medications showed less memory loss over three years, versus people on blood pressure drugs that cannot cross the blood-brain barrier.

The findings add another layer to the connection between blood pressure and brain health.

High blood pressure is considered a risk factor for dementia, and there is evidence that tight blood pressure control lowers the risk of cognitive impairment — declines in memory and thinking skills — as people age.

The new study was published June 21 in the journal Hypertension.

It suggests that brain-penetrating medications may bring an "added benefit" beyond that of lowering blood pressure, said senior researcher Daniel Nation.

"I think this effect is independent of blood pressure control," said Nation, an associate professor at the Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders at the University of California, Irvine.

Both ACE inhibitors and ARBs act on the body's renin-angiotensin system, which is key in blood pressure regulation.

But the brain, Nation explained, has its own renin-angiotensin system, separate from the body's. Research suggests that this system is involved in learning and memory — and that it's "altered" in Alzheimer's disease.

No one is discounting that blood-pressure lowering benefits the brain, Nation stressed.

A 2018 trial called SPRINT-MIND found that "intensive" control of high blood pressure lowered older adults' risk of mild cognitive impairment...

(snip)

(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: arbs; atenolol; bloodpressure; bpmeds; brain; medicine; memory
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I read an interesting article in Science Focus Magazine last night about sleep. It states that sleep missed is never made up no matter how much you sleep later. Missed sleep leaves a mark in/on your brain for life and these 'marks' accumulate over a lifetime. As you age, the marks cause other problems such as memory loss, alzheimers and etc. The more marks you have, the more problems.

It mentioned Reagan and Thatcher who said they only slept 4-6 hours a night.

I take Losartan daily for high blood pressure.

1 posted on 06/22/2021 6:02:53 AM PDT by blam
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To: blam
It mentioned Reagan and Thatcher who said they only slept 4-6 hours a night.

I remember hearing that Regan slept about 10 hours a night. I think the press made fun of him for it.

I take Valsartan for blood pressure, which is one of those ARBs.

2 posted on 06/22/2021 6:07:45 AM PDT by Sans-Culotte (11/3-11/4/2020 - The USA became a banana republic.)
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To: blam

I’m of Ramipril. If it helps memory ...hate to think what my memory would be if I wasn’t. Going downhill. :-)


3 posted on 06/22/2021 6:08:31 AM PDT by Vinnie ( )
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To: blam

I recently have had to take chlorthalidone for BP. 6 hours is the norm for me.


4 posted on 06/22/2021 6:10:08 AM PDT by Noumenon (The Second Amendment exists primarily to deal with those who just won't take no for an answer. KTF)
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To: blam

If that’s the case I should be well-protected. I have to take huge doses of three different blood pressure medications in order to manage my aortic dissection. They keep my brain in a fog, among other things, but I’ve gotten somewhat used to them.


5 posted on 06/22/2021 6:13:13 AM PDT by Mr Ramsbotham ("God is a spirit, and man His means of walking on the earth.")
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To: Mr Ramsbotham
I take Metformin too. Here's an article I like about it.

Can We Live To 120 On Metformin?

6 posted on 06/22/2021 6:19:56 AM PDT by blam
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To: Sans-Culotte; blam

I take Valsartran too and it’s... uhm, uh... it helps with... I’m sorry, when does the marijuana dispensary open?
Oh yeah, I need to get more pie.


7 posted on 06/22/2021 6:30:29 AM PDT by outofsalt (If history teaches us anything, it's that history rarely teaches anything.)
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To: blam

Interesting as I take that as well.


8 posted on 06/22/2021 6:41:37 AM PDT by Sans-Culotte (11/3-11/4/2020 - The USA became a banana republic.)
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To: blam

I’m sleeping only 4-6 hours per evening as I wake up constantly, although I’m in bed for 8 hours. Anyone care to share the secret of getting 8 hours sleep?


9 posted on 06/22/2021 6:49:05 AM PDT by Quilla
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To: blam

Trying my hardest to stay off of BP meds. Dad had high BP, but he also had a cr@ppy diet and a sedentary life.

Mom has low BP, and I fall in between them. I am currently on a mild diuretic per my Doc at the VA.

Walking more, cutting out the booze and carbs, cut out caffeine, the usual.

So far, so good.


10 posted on 06/22/2021 7:36:24 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set. )
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To: Quilla
"I’m sleeping only 4-6 hours per evening as I wake up constantly, although I’m in bed for 8 hours"

I'm up 2-3 times a night. Sometimes I just 'give-up' and stay up for an hour or two. But, I do get 8+ hours of sleep every night.
Some of the medicines that say take at bed time, I take them with lunch. Then I have a 1-1/2 hour nap everyday after lunch.

I'm 77 and take a long hike in the woods with my dogs every morning, everyday! When I don't take the hike, I don't sleep well that night. Exercize is very important.(aerobic type)

11 posted on 06/22/2021 7:38:34 AM PDT by blam
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
"Trying my hardest to stay off of BP meds. Dad had high BP, but he also had a cr@ppy diet and a sedentary life."

I just lost 20 pounds over the last two months by reducing carbs and quantity.
My blood pressure plunged...I reduced my daily dose of BP medicine by 50% as a consequence

12 posted on 06/22/2021 7:41:42 AM PDT by blam
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To: blam

Atenolol
Common brands: Tenormin

I take the above and had an interesting and not happy several weeks with this drug last fall right after Thanksgiving.

For years I took the drug in the morning.

Three separate events changed that.

1.The articles about how cardiac drugs protected us better when taken at night. So I started taking the drug at night instead of the morning.

2. We had fairly chilly nights and basically kept our windows at night opened a few inches in our master BR.

3. So I changed to taking it at night and my PPO changed the generic manufacturer and used its package insert more on this later.

4. I started having chills in my feet and hands shortly after being in bed. Then, about mid night to 3 am, I had severe hot spells with hands/feet at first and then my whole body. If my wife and I were lucky we got some fairly good sleep from 3:30 am to 6 am ish, then we woke up and got out of bed.

I read the new package insert and there was basically zero warning about hot or cold flashes. So I didn’t equate the flashes to the new form of Atenolol.

During this time, my short term memory was going to hell.

Again nothing in the package inserts of any drug I was taking.

About 3 months ago, I got a heads up from a relative with a medical background to do a google search on each of my drugs and not depend on their package insert.

There was basically nothing about the flashes on every drug I was taking with the exception of Atenolol.

Hot and cold flashes were at the top of every Google search as common/severe side effects re Atenolol.

So I switched back from taking Atenolol at bedtime to early morning. Within a few days, the hot/cold flashes went away.
If I still have them in the daytime, I take off a layer of clothes if I’m having hot flashes or add a vest like now if I’m having cold flashes.

Back to good sleep and my short term memory lapses are basically gone.


13 posted on 06/22/2021 7:45:21 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (“Respond only to polite and intelligent posters, who don’t insult you or us! Forget the others!”)
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To: blam

“... added benefit beyond that of lowering blood pressure...”

It probably cures Wuhan too. Everything cures Wuhan except Remdisivir and Windex


14 posted on 06/22/2021 7:47:11 AM PDT by Cold Heart
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To: Grampa Dave
"Back to good sleep and my short term memory lapses are basically gone."

Good to hear. Thanks for the input.

15 posted on 06/22/2021 7:51:17 AM PDT by blam
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To: Quilla

A clear conscience :-)

A friend of ours said that, at dinner, years ago.

Good medicine.


16 posted on 06/22/2021 7:55:34 AM PDT by Jane Long (America, Bless God....blessed be the Nation 🙏🏻🇺🇸)
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To: Mr Ramsbotham
"If that’s the case I should be well-protected. I have to take huge doses of three different blood pressure medications in order to manage my aortic dissection. They keep my brain in a fog, among other things, but I’ve gotten somewhat used to them."

I am part of your club. I survived a dissected triple A. I had brain fog prior to the event which was exacerbated by "pump head" from the surgery. At a later date however, it was discovered I had a defective parathyroid which was causing excess calcium retention. Long story short, removal of the bad parathyroid resulted in clearance of the brain fog. It may behoove you to have your parathyroids checked out. Of course your milage may vary.

17 posted on 06/22/2021 7:59:54 AM PDT by buckalfa (I have forgotten more than I ever knew.)
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To: Quilla

it’s probably not the best way, but in addition to aerobic walks before bed, I have been taking 1 benadryl tablet just before bed.

It lets me relax so I don’t hear as noises as much when I do go to sleep. I am very reactive to noises and movements and will wake at the drop of a hat, ‘literally”.


18 posted on 06/22/2021 8:05:48 AM PDT by wbarmy (I chose to be a sheepdog once I saw what happens to the sheep.)
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To: blam

My bride and I both have better short term memory if we have a good night’s sleep.


19 posted on 06/22/2021 8:15:24 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (“Respond only to polite and intelligent posters, who don’t insult you or us! Forget the others!”)
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To: blam

It must work. I too take Losartan daily for high blood pressure and some other medicine that’s name I can’t remember.


20 posted on 06/22/2021 8:19:48 AM PDT by Hillarys Gate Cult
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