Comments on: Good “starting” med for High Blood Pressure?

By: gangadharan nair

gangadharan nair — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:08:40 +0000

Your diastolic BP is very high. (stage 3 hypertension).
Please check the function of your kidney (for microalbuminuria, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen) heart ( for left ventricular enlargement/hypertrophy) and retina ( for hypertensive retinopathy).
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) At A Glance
* High blood pressure (hypertension) is designated as either essential (primary) hypertension or secondary hypertension and is defined as a consistently elevated blood pressure exceeding 140/90 mm Hg.
* In essential hypertension (95% of people with hypertension), no specific cause is found, while secondary hypertension (5% of people with hypertension) is caused by an abnormality somewhere in the body, such as in the kidney, adrenal gland, or aortic artery.
* Essential hypertension may run in some families and occurs more often in the African American population, although the genes for essential hypertension have not yet been identified.
* High salt intake, obesity, lack of regular exercise, excessive alcohol or coffee intake, and smoking may all adversely affect the outlook for the health of an individual with hypertension.
* High blood pressure is called "the silent killer" because it often causes no symptoms for many years, even decades, until it finally damages certain critical organs.
* Poorly controlled hypertension ultimately can cause damage to blood vessels in the eye, thickening of the heart muscle and heart attacks, hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis), kidney failure, and strokes.
* Heightened public awareness and screening of the population are necessary to detect hypertension early enough so it can be treated before critical organs are damaged.
* Lifestyle adjustments in diet and exercise and compliance with medication regimes are important factors in determining the outcome for people with hypertension.
* Several classes of anti-hypertensive medications are available, including ACE inhibitors, ARB drugs, beta-blockers, diuretics, calcium channel blockers, alpha-blockers, and peripheral vasodilators.
* Most anti-hypertensive medications can be used alone or in combination: some are used only in combination; some are preferred over others in certain specific medical situations; and some are not to be used (contraindicated) in other situations.
* The goal of therapy for hypertension is to bring the blood pressure down to 140/85 in the general population and to even lower levels in diabetics, African Americans, and people with certain chronic kidney diseases.
* Screening, diagnosing, treating, and controlling hypertension early in its course can significantly reduce the risk of developing strokes, heart attacks, or kidney failure.

By: 5150

5150 — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:08:40 +0000

Your blood pressure should be about 120/80. If it is chronically higher when measured, it should be medicated until it is 120/80. Diuretics are usually given with an antihypertensive, and most are good. Which kind you should take depends on your medical history. People prone to asthma or depression shouldn’t take beta blockers, and other little details like that your doctor will consider before prescribing you medication.
It is great that you’re monitoring your BP, and are going to see a doctor, but one thing you might consider is that worrying about it is one way to make it go up, too. Try relaxing before it is taken to make sure you don’t have ‘white coat’ hypertension.

By: Harley Drive

Harley Drive — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:08:40 +0000

beta blockers , calcium channel blockers, angiotensin receptor blockers and ace inhibitors are all used to control blood pressure beta blockers are probably the gentlest, don’t let them put you on statins it is a giant con they have only been proven to work on people with stents fitted, one widely quoted research paper said in the small print about the clearness of an artery that " we could not actually measure the internal diameter of the artery but it looked to us to be clearer than before the statin treatment" – research funded by the statin maker as is most of it.!!!!!

By: kkd

kkd — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:08:40 +0000

I read an article on a news paper and it may help you you one day