Winston's high blood pressure/hypertension problem

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Winston
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Winston's high blood pressure/hypertension problem

Post by Winston »

I have a question for anyone knowledgeable about hypertension (high blood pressure) and beta blockers.

Should I stop my hypertension medication if it poses risk for diabetes?

Recently I found out online that the beta blocker medication I’ve been taking for almost 3 years now, Atenolol, for high blood pressure (hypertension), has been found in the UK to increase risk of diabetes by 50 percent.

This was discovered back in 2006, and you can read many articles about it by going to Google and keywording the terms “beta blocker and diabetes�. If you do so, many articles will come up linking beta blockers to a higher risk of diabetes, mostly from the UK though. The articles say that doctors nowadays are prescribing other medications for hypertension, such as ace inhibitors and calcium channel blockers. And that beta blockers such as Atenolol, used for 30 years to treat hypertension, are no longer prescribed.

Last time I saw a doctor in Taiwan, I asked him if he could prescribe other hypertension medications for me. But he was reluctant too, and wouldn’t explain why, so I thought it was because he wasn’t qualified to do so. My dad later said that the doctor was probably reluctant to, because since I was going back to the Philippines, he couldn’t monitor any side effects on me of any new medications, so he didn’t want to be responsible for the risk. If that’s so, I wish these people were more assertive about it, rather than do that passive “saving face� sh** that I’ve always found to be illogical.

So the question is:

Should I gradually reduce the dosage from my beta blocker medication, under the supervision of a doctor, either here or in the Philippines, since it has been found to pose a risk for causing diabetes? I read that you can’t just stop it cold, but that you have to gradually reduce it or else it could cause a backlash.

Or should I continue using it as before, since I’ve been taking it for three years and haven’t developed diabetes yet? Does that prove that the drug is safe for me?

Even if I stop taking this beta blocker, should I switch to the other medications such as ace inhibitors and calcium channel blockers? (even though they are considered safer, you gotta remember that for 30 years beta blockers were considered very safe too, so the FDA and pharmaceutical companies are often wrong).

Or should I just stop taking all medications altogether and start lifestyle changes such as losing weight, dieting and exercising, reducing intake, etc. which all sources said should reduce hypertension and bring blood pressure to normal levels?

What do you think? Anyone else here have hypertension?

Winston
Last edited by Winston on June 14th, 2013, 11:39 am, edited 2 times in total.
KristineTheStrawberryGirl
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Post by KristineTheStrawberryGirl »

I think that you should ask your physician is he/she can give you meds that have less risk.

However, my understanding is that extra weight is the biggest risk for diabetes, and virtually every overweight person has some degree of insulin resistance (a pre-diabetic condition) or borderline diabetes. I think that losing a little weight will make a bigger difference in reducing your risk than if you stop taking the meds. In fact, my understanding is that high blood-pressure, weight gain and diabetes go hand-in-hand. Hence, if you fail to manage your high blood pressure, that is also a risk.

Bottom line, you should talk to your doctor.
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gmm567
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Post by gmm567 »

THE BEST THING IS TO BE ABLE TO REDUCE YOUR MEDICATION TO NOTHING.

Second best is to go with the lower risk medictations.


When I lost 15 lbs, my blood pressure went to normal. In fact, it went
from 145/94 to 120/82. I think extra weight, lots of carbs are the cause of high blood pressure and type II diabetes.

Try Atkins, you restrict the amount of carbs. You're colestrole gets much better--good cholestrol goes up, bad Colestrol goes down, trigylcerides go down. And it's a good way to manage diabetes since you're not eating the carbs (sugars).
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Post by Winston »

gmm567 wrote:THE BEST THING IS TO BE ABLE TO REDUCE YOUR MEDICATION TO NOTHING.

Second best is to go with the lower risk medictations.


When I lost 15 lbs, my blood pressure went to normal. In fact, it went
from 145/94 to 120/82. I think extra weight, lots of carbs are the cause of high blood pressure and type II diabetes.

Try Atkins, you restrict the amount of carbs. You're colestrole gets much better--good cholestrol goes up, bad Colestrol goes down, trigylcerides go down. And it's a good way to manage diabetes since you're not eating the carbs (sugars).
W: I would try Atkins and Protein Power, but I'm a vegetarian :)
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Post by KristineTheStrawberryGirl »

WWu777 wrote:
gmm567 wrote:THE BEST THING IS TO BE ABLE TO REDUCE YOUR MEDICATION TO NOTHING.

Second best is to go with the lower risk medictations.


When I lost 15 lbs, my blood pressure went to normal. In fact, it went
from 145/94 to 120/82. I think extra weight, lots of carbs are the cause of high blood pressure and type II diabetes.

Try Atkins, you restrict the amount of carbs. You're colestrole gets much better--good cholestrol goes up, bad Colestrol goes down, trigylcerides go down. And it's a good way to manage diabetes since you're not eating the carbs (sugars).
W: I would try Atkins and Protein Power, but I'm a vegetarian :)
There are ways to manage a low-carb/low-calorie and high protein vegetarian diet. Do you like egg whites or tofu? You can keep a calorie journal, and it helps. That is how I lost my post-partum weight. Oatmeal and polenta are really good vegetarian diet foods, because they are low calorie, but filling. It's also better to choose leaf and stem veggies over fruits or root vegetables when dieting. Lentils and split peas are good too (and super cheap, easy to make and have a long shelf life). One of my favorite soups is simply red lentils with tomato and curry. Just be careful with the sodium!
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Post by Winston »

KristineTheStrawberryGirl wrote:I think that you should ask your physician is he/she can give you meds that have less risk.

However, my understanding is that extra weight is the biggest risk for diabetes, and virtually every overweight person has some degree of insulin resistance (a pre-diabetic condition) or borderline diabetes. I think that losing a little weight will make a bigger difference in reducing your risk than if you stop taking the meds. In fact, my understanding is that high blood-pressure, weight gain and diabetes go hand-in-hand. Hence, if you fail to manage your high blood pressure, that is also a risk.

Bottom line, you should talk to your doctor.
W: I knew a lot of people would give me the "you should ask your doctor not a mailing list" line. But the truth is, of course I'm going to ask my "doctors" as well as a mailing list. I like to get a wide range of opinions.

FYI though, doctors make mistakes. The one I saw here in Angeles City said that even if I exercised and lost weight, that I'd still have hypertension because it's due to a gene. She was sure about it. And she even showed me her thin waistline and said that she lost weight too, but still had hypertension, using herself as proof.

However, the doctors quoted in various internet news articles said that usually hypertension would be reduced to normal levels if you lost weight and exercised regularly, contradicting what the doctor here told me in person. Who am I to believe?

Probably, I think, the experts in the internet articles are right, that most mild hypertension cases are solved by dieting and exercising.
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Post by KristineTheStrawberryGirl »

I tend to think that diet and exercise can certainly help. Certainly, it would not hurt. I have had some problems with physicians too, and I had some really mean nurses when I was giving birth. The doctors told me to gain 35 pounds of weight when I was pregnant because I am thin, which is ridiculous. Now a study was done to say that you should not gain more than 25 pounds. My mother needed to get heart surgery done, but could not get it scheduled until after her doctor returned from his golf vacation; she passed away. When she was in a rehabilitation center to strengthen up for surgery, she got sick, couldn't keep any food down ... they never thought of checking her blood sugar. She went into a coma, her sugar went down to 10. Yes, there are some quack jobs in the medical profession, but I am not sure if my advice is any better.
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gmm567
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Post by gmm567 »

The doctor in the philipines was probably right when she's talking for people in the Philipines. Most of them are thin there, so for most Philipinos it is genetic.

Here, it can be genetics but most of the time it is the weight.
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Post by Winston »

What do you all think of these natural remedies for hypertension?

http://www.natural-homeremedies.org/hom ... essure.htm
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Post by Winston »

Question:

I'm taking something called Lostan for my hypertension. My Taiwanese doctor prescribed it. But the thing is, it doesn't seem to really work. My systolic pressure is ok, but my diastolic pressure (the second number) has remained high, a little over the borderline.

In the past, when I used Atenolol, it kept the diastolic pressure down and worked very well. But we changed that because Atenolol has been reported to have risks and side effects.

However, the one I'm taking now doesn't seem to be working, and the doctor won't change it for some reason. What should I do? Should I go back to Atenolol? Is it really unsafe?

Why does big pharma constantly change its mind about whether this or that medication is safe or not?
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Post by WiseTruth »

Winston:

You never should have reached the point where you had to take hypertension drugs -- hypertension is a symptom of poor diet and lack of exercise.

That you've had hypertension since 2007 (which would make you early 30s) indicates how poorly you've taken care of yourself at such a young age. You probably either have, or are about to have, diabetes -- again, a symptom of poor health habits.

Sign up at a gym and start working out at least 3x/week. 4 or 5x would be better. 20-30 minutes cardio, then another 30 minutes lifting weights. Cut out the junk you're eating (cake, cookies, popcorn, soda) and replace that with fruits and nuts. They'll fill you up, and are very nutritious. Eat smaller portions during mealtime. Your beverages should only be water, except for freshly squeezed juices.
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Post by Winston »

I've had to take hypertension medicine since 2003. I was in ok shape back then and playing tennis a lot. I didn't become fat until I went to the Philippines where there is no health consciousness and healthy food is very hard to find.

If you look on Wikipedia or ask a doctor, you would know that many cases of hypertension are genetic.

Diabetes runs in my family too. A lot of my relatives have it.
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Post by Cornfed »

As I understand it, this whole hypertension medication thing is part of a bizarre marketing ploy invented during the 70s. The problem the drug companies were having was that their customers were generally short term. They had some ailment, started taking meds, got better (or died) and stopped taking the meds. The drug companies wanted longer term clients. Madison Avenue came up with the radical idea that a condition correlating to a disease should in and of itself be regarded as a disease requiring drugs to treat. By this logic, since whites live longer on average than blacks, dark skin should be regarded as a disease to be treated by bleaching yourself white.
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Post by WiseTruth »

Winston wrote:I've had to take hypertension medicine since 2003. I was in ok shape back then and playing tennis a lot. I didn't become fat until I went to the Philippines where there is no health consciousness


I thought I heard every lame excuse in the book, but this one takes the cake.

and healthy food is very hard to find.
How would you know? You don't shop for groceries, Winston. And you don't cook your meals.

If you look on Wikipedia or ask a doctor, you would know that many cases of hypertension are genetic.

Diabetes runs in my family too. A lot of my relatives have it.

You are truly the master of passing the buck for your laziness, and poor health habits.

The problem isn't genetics. The problem is you're lazy. You likely have (or will have) Type 2 diabetes, which you could have prevented from cutting out all those carbs and sugar from all that garbage you're eating.

Not that it matters much, but which type of diabetes do you or your relatives have, 1 or 2?
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Post by Banano »

'where there is no health consciousness'

What did you eat in Philpines??, I know you dont eat meat so how the hell did you get fat?
When i was in Ph i lost weight as i was sweating like pig due to exessive heat and i was eating lot of fruit, normaly filipinos are skinny but tend to get fat as they get older

Do you have medical condition that makes you fat, i dont think you eat that much
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