high blood pressure is lower now

[DonnaAKyle]

Hi everybody. so well, I would really like to find out something about blood pressure and blood pressure medications and I would really appreciate if any of you would help me a bit. so, my husband have had a heart issue and he went to ER because of that. there we have found out that it has been A fib and he has stayed there overnight because of that. of course, while he has been there the doctor ran some tests on him. Well, the doctor, after the tests, said that it has been caused by his sleep apnea as well as by the fact that he has been having high blood pressure. He has been approximately 32 years old then. And yeah, besides that, he has also been dealing with daily caregiving for a dying parent during that time either. so then, approximately one year later or so and his heart has still not been feeling “right”, this is the reason why the doctor has put him on a monitor and it did not get back with him about this. so well, a couple of months have passed and after that later, he went to our family doctor in order to consult him about his blood pressure medications that he has been using and the doctor said that his blood pressure has been through the roof high even though he has been taking his medications as directed. That’s how we have realized that his medication does not work. At least, this was what his doctor has said and he has started to read the results of all of my husband’s results’ tests. So well, he has also been having arrhythmia that has been found with the monitor he has been on and they did not explained this thing to him, however they did then explained him that his blood pressure medication that they gave him on has been doing more to settle down and to control this issue than to do more for his high blood pressure. They have said in a way that made us think that it was not a medication that is supposed to work for high blood pressure but rather more for arrhythmia he was having. very well, because of the fact that the first medication did not work, they had to do something about it and so the doctor has added another blood pressure medication. she has added that she does not feel very comfortable to take my husband off from his first medication (since it does help with something) that is why she took the decision that my husband needs to take both of those medications. that is why, my husband is taking 2 medications now, or at least he took them until not so long ago. let me explain.

 

Before saying anything else I’ve got to start off by saying that he has changed his diet about half a year ago or so (no more than 2 years ago) and the thing is that he has completely stopped to drink soda – 1 or 2 cups of black coffee or creamer only and the rest of what he was drinking was only water. And still is. very well, since he started his diet, because of the diet and many more changes in his life, he truly has lost a lot of weight and he looks much more better now compared to how he used to be. I’ve got to say that he cut back very much on the sugar intake that he used to have either in the past. But, the thing is that a couple of days ago he just have told me (in the weekend) that he has already been out and not been using his medications for the last 3 months or so. I have not noticed that he does not take them anymore and so I did not know about it. I wasn’t paying attention since I got used that he uses them as needed. He then told me that he did not went to get his refills for all that time due to the fact that he is feeling fine, well enough not to take any medication and that he thinks that there is no need for him to take any medications anymore. sure thing, when I have heard about this I did my fussing at him… I guess like any other woman. I did have managed and made him pick up them a couple of hours ago. however, before he has taken them, he has decided to have a blood pressure check to know for sure and to show me his readings without the medications. to be honest, I really do not remember that well his exact reading number, but I do remember that it has been pretty well within the normal blood pressure this time, especially compared to the past. Plus, he has done a 5 minutes of constant scan so in this way he checked the averages and I’ve got to say that they were all normal (without the medications), he was 1 point only over 140 instead of 139. He then told me that because of those numbers that are within the normal range, he is refusing to use those medications because there is no point for him to take meds he does not need. So well, to be honest, yeah, I do understand very well what he is trying to tell me and that he is kind of right about this, but I guess you do understand me…

 

I am pretty scared of him not taking his medications and I just want to reassure that he is all fine. but he has not been taking his medications for a few months, as I said, or at least what he told me, and he said: see? I’m still fine. he’s kind of right but still… I did have told him that he still needs to go to the doctor and to get an explanation on how is this possible and what’s up with this thing? with the fact that besides high blood pressure, he is still having those arrhythmia problem (and one of those drugs he stopped to take was for this issue). Even so, he is still telling me that no, he is completely fine now and that he does not need to take any medications for any of those conditions that he once had. I guess you’ve already understood what I want to ask you guys. Is there somebody who knows some more about this and can help us? Can you tell me who is right and what my husband should do now? sure thing we are going to go and we are going to talk with a doctor about this, I’m going to make him do it, but I still want to get some of the answers that I need until we would go. and besides, I also wanted to ask: is this possible, I mean, do you think that his diet changes could have really have such an big impact on the change of his blood pressure issues in less than 2 years (about 1.5 years)? but in fact, I could say that it is even less than half a year due to the fact that as he told me, he does not take any blood pressure medications for a few months now which means that he’s maintaining his blood pressure only by dieting and all natural and healthy way of life he has. No medication…. it worries me that he stopped to take the medications without talking with his doctor. I would appreciate very much any help that you would tell me regarding these questions. Thank you in advance for everything!

 

[CaCe]

Oh well, you’ve got to know that, in fact, 139 reading is not that great of a reading as you seemed to talk about it, and also it is very important the other number too. you have not told us but the other number is very important as well. whatever the number, you and your husband surely need to go to talk with the doctor about this because blood pressure issues might be dangerous if not taken seriously.

 

And besides, yeah, regarding the second question you have had. The changes in your husband’s diet surely can help a lot with your blood pressure very much, but still, when stopping any medications at all (especially those prescribed by your doctor) then the patient (your husband in this situation) cannot do it without the approval of their doctor. your husband should have discussed with the doctor before he has done anything like that in the first place. I’ve got to tell you that your husband’s decision to stop using them by himself is definitely not that good of an idea at all and it is, in fact, dangerous. Indeed, there are chances that he might not need his blood pressure medications anymore, but we don’t know it, and he does not know it either, even if he does feel fine, only the doctor knows and it should be a decision taken by the doctor. make him go to the doctor who prescribed those medications as soon as possible and explain everything how it was. Good luck

 

[MBernic]

"Hi there Donna and I am truly glad that you wrote this post as soon as you have found out that your husband is not taking his blood pressure medications. I do have some ideas about blood pressure medications so I would try my best to help you, but you’ve got to remember that I am not a doctor and I highly doubt about the fact that somebody can help your husband more than a professional doctor. so you’ve got to remember that you need to make your husband go to a doctor whatever it takes.

 

So, firstly, those numbers that you have mentioned in your post of 140 vs 139, I can assume that it is the systolic (the top) number, am I right? or at least I hope so, and in case that is true then then I you still have not mentioned the diastolic (which is the bottom) number which is (just so you know in future) equally as important as it is the above (systolic, top) number. Either way, if taking this in consideration, you still should know and remember that even the systolic blood pressure number that you have mentioned of 139 or 140 it is still considered to be high these days, that’s the reason why it is a problem that has to be addressed by your husband and his physician and it is not recommended by mostly mandatory. Your husband, unless he is a medic himself, is not able to decide (for safe reasons) if he can or cannot get off or remain on a medication without a physician approval. Yeah, that’s true, the weight and diet changes absolutely can and in most of the cases have big influences on the blood pressure for the better or for the worse. In fact, I can tell you that they are having an essential role in this, however, since you have mentioned that he has lost a lot of weight then yeah, to lose weight surely can be very helpful in lowering the blood pressure so  what you’re saying about the blood pressure being much lower than in the past is surely true.

 

But even so, you still need to remember that there is an very good reason as to why very often people are calling the high blood pressure a “silent killer” and mostly, this is due to the fact that it has very often, no symptoms at all until it is not too late and it already caused some very bad health damages. Keep in mind that high blood pressure is not a “harmless” or something in this matter thing. it is, in fact, an extremely serious problem and it should be addressed by exercise, diets PLUS regular appointments with the physician in order to discuss with medication in case it is needed or in case it is not needed anymore. as I said, only a doctor can decide this. the user who posted above me said it all right, your husband should not decide if he needs or he does not need to stop taking medication, a high blood pressure medication is given for people who need it for living. Stopping it unapproved might lead to an fatal outcome.

 

But, to be honest, I one think that this is an even more serious situation for your husband, it is even more concerning for your husband’s situation due to the fact that he also has the A fib that you have mentioned up there in the post. I would need to ask you: did he self convert, was he converted or is he still in Atrial fib? Not very sure if you do understand what I am talking about or if you understand what I’m trying to say here, but this is a totally critical information! you should remember that both you and your husband need to read and to inform yourself much more about the A fib, it is an extremely serious and concerning health condition that it is causing stroke, TIA’s (which is transient ischemic attack) and this means that the blood flow to the brain could be stopped and many more. if you are going to do a little bit of more research about this you would find out and maybe would finally understand that this is an extremely important matter that you, and especially your husband, should not ignore. Trust me, if you are going to do it (ignore this) you most likely will regret, a lot. But A fib is not the only problem as the high blood pressure alone, itself, is dangerous too because a long term high blood pressure can cause heart attacks, damage your kidneys and so on and so forth with a very long list of some very bad effects that you would suffer.

 

Now, having all of that said, I hope a lot that you are going to understand me correctly that I am not having any intention to scare or frighten you. and also, this is not a joke or something. This is as serious as it can be. what I am really trying to say here is that even though this is one of those issues that can be relatively easy to fix (compared to other health issues) but even so, there are a lot of patients all over the world (and especially the men’s part, like your husband does) that are blowing it all off and they do it because, as you have mentioned there, they are feeling “alright” and they don’t need medications, which is surely not relevant at all. This is an extremely big mistake. It really does seem to me that your husband can’t understand that not treating high blood pressure can be very dangerous and even though it can be treated and kept under control relatively easy (while being so dangerous) he still does not do it. what worries me is that it does seem to me that even you started to “give up” and start believing that he does not need his meds anymore. that’s not true. trust me. you really should not give up on hope, you should make your husband to go to a doctor and to take his blood pressure medication as long as the doctor says that he can stop. you should make him take them continuously and that’s even if your husband says that he’s feeling all fine. he might feel all fine now. but remember, high blood pressure is a silent killer with no symptoms. Later he might not feel fine at all.

 

Besides, by reading your post it does sound to me like you are having one of those home blood pressure monitors which, in case this is true, that’s truly amazing, for your husband and his safety. Tell your husband, or you should be making sure that he is going to have his blood pressure checked no less than 2 times per week for a very long time (but it would be better if you would have it checked more times a week) when your husband is going to start to take a new blood pressure medication again (he truly needs it) and he would especially need to do it when he is going to stop the blood pressure medication because by doing this way, you and your husband are going to have a better idea of what it is working and what it is not working and to how much of an extent is that certain thing working. You’ve got to remember that the more you are going to check his blood pressure, the safer it would be for him. People are often checking their blood pressure in the morning and in the evening (you’ve got to know that they can have a totally different numbers in the morning vs in the evening). This is what is recommended to your husband to do either.Besides, there is an very important thing to remember for you and your husband: when you are checking somebody’s blood pressure (yours, your husband’s or whoever), you’ve got to remember that a single reading (either bottom or the top one) is not useful and the second one should be mentioned again. you really need to be carefully checking both of them and it is also extremely important for you to check it on a scheduled basis (as I have said it above, 2 or even more times a week, with 2 times or even more per day) until you are going to have at least a 30 day worth of data about this. this is done so your husband would be on the safe side. If you do care about your husband, which it really seems to me to be so. When you are going to reach that point you can see what is his average blood pressure and by knowing this number it is going to be a much more useful thing for both your loved one and for his physician to understand what would he really needs, what can be considered a better treatment, what is a better medication for your husband and so on and so forth. This would make you feel less concerned if your husband is not concerned about his health.

 

As I said, it is an very serious health issue and since you are his wife who does seem to me to care about her husband, should not let your hubby ignore this issue. I’ve got to say that it is a very good thing that you have done the fussy thing at him, you should have done even more fussy at him so he is going to take his medication as it is needed. Try your best that whatever he is doing, whatever he is thinking, whatever he is feeling or whatever he is taking, you need to make him go to a physician in order to have both the high blood pressure checked by the physician as well as the potential A fib. Trust me that this is not a joke at all. I really can’t understand why the physician herself has not called your husband asking why he’s not coming after his medications and does not have any appointments. And also, she should have told him how important and how dangerous are these conditions. It seems to me that she has not warned you guys, but you need to go and ask her about the high blood pressure and A fib consequences if they are left untreated. Sorry for this long post. I am going to stop here. my fingers are aching already. But I really hope it was worth it and your husband would be safe. Wish you both good luck!

 

[DonnaAKyle]

Hey there, thank to both of you, especially MBernic for your detailed answer. I really appreciate it a lot. I do not remember very well his second number (the bottom one), I guess that he should remember, I am going to ask him. And after I would ask him I would surely post the bottom number here. I’ve got to say that his A fib has been stopped by the doctor at the hospital, but the thing is that he is still having a couple of risk facts like for example his sleep apnea and that he is prone to not wear his mask in case he is going to be sick that is why I am also very worried about this by not taking his medications as needed he is setting himself up to go back into that thing. of course this worries me, how it wouldn’t be worrying me? this is why I wanted to tell you a big thank you for telling me that information, now I do know for sure what I have to do due to the fact that to be honest with you all, I did have started to believe that maybe he is indeed right and maybe he really has no reasons to take the medications for now when he does not take them for a while and he feels fine. I was not aware about the high blood pressure being a silent killer so thank you extremely much for this. now I do know the truth very well and I do know what I am going to do. what I have to do.

 

I’ve got to say that the docs have found out about the high blood pressure because of that episode of the A fib he had and apparently there is a slight arrhythmia there they have finally found then either and just did not explained this all to him. But as I have said in my previous post, his blood pressure has been through the roof high, so high when this has happened approximately 4 or 5 years ago that he needed to take 2 different medications for high blood pressure in order to once again get everything under the control and they have not changed them since then. However, indeed, exactly as you have mentioned, he only has decided that his reading are well…. good enough to simply stop the medications and he thought that there’s no more point in him to take it anymore and so he has done it without his doctor’s approval without realizing that what he has done is dangerous. I thought that it might be very dangerous without having any proof, but thanks to you Mbernic I have proofs that it is very dangerous so thanks, once again.

 

I also want to let you know that I appreciate a lot that you have answered my questions. This whole situation has been worrying me very much but now knowing what you have said is worrying me even more, however I know what I have to do. as soon as he told me about this, I have started to be very concerned because he is doing such stupid things when he is not picking up his medications for 3 months and when his refills are simply running out. he just let them to expire simple as that due to the fact that he does not feel bad, that he thinks he’s fine and he does not want to go to the doctor. pretty much the exact same reason as you have warned me and posted up there: I do not want and I do not need to go to the doctor due to the fact that I feel fine, I don’t need the medications as I am feeling perfectly fine. this is what he has told me. pretty much the same thing as you have said. but since this might grow to something more dangerous I would make sure he does go to the doctor and pick up his medications. I am going to make him go to the doctor.

 

And yeah, also, I just have called him and I have asked him what his reading were (to tell me the bottom number) and he has told me that they were 140/ 89. Wanted to ask you whether does this mean anything to you? some more help? please?

 

[Mary Heaven]

So well, look, the number that you have mentioned are a touch high or whatever else you can call it. I am trying to say that they are not extremely high, they are not that horrible that you should be scared to death, however, they are just over the edge high. But the problem is that taking in consideration the health issues that your husband has then a low dose of a med could be just in order so, this is why I also think that he has to go a physician and to talk with his doctor about this entire situation. The good side is that there are a lot of options for your husband because he has only a “touch high” compared to other people who are having it extremely high or how it used to be for your husband in the past (as much as I understood). You’ve got to go to the doctor and to ask him or her what are your husband’s options to keep it under control. I personally also have been having high blood pressure and I’ve been taking medications for that. I have been using Lisinopril with HCTZ (diuretic) and it did worked very well for me and I’m glad it did. I think that it could be a good option for your husband to try it out but this is only a recommendation, ultimately, his doctor can decide. I have stopped to drink, low and behold I am running approximately 120 /89 now with not taking any medications at all for it. however, I’ve got to say that I have stopped to take the medications only after my physician has said that I can stop. I have not done it without his approval.

 

Regarding the bottom number, which is the diastolic number. Again, it is not that horrible, however exactly as I have said, 80 is normal, since your husband is having 89 then it is a touch high again and he still requires to do some work in order to make it go down to 80 and until he won’t reach the 80 he shouldn’t stop working, doing etc. etc. regarding the 120 number, the reading for the systolic is a bit high, as I said, is a touch high – 139. I’ve got to say that it is running a little bit high, of course, as you could see, however if we would take in consideration that he is also going to have health issues then I would really say that it is indeed “too high” for your husband since only a little bit is enough for the health issues to re appear or to become worse. It might be a little bit too high for a person who is having no health issues at all, especially no issues with blood, with circulation and with heart at all. but since your husband does have A fib and who knows what else… it might be dangerous so I think that your husband should go to the doctor immediately.

 

[tameeka]

Hey there Donna, reading your post I thought: the very common mistake everybody does. Your husband has done it. this is a very common situation, a common mistake that a lot of people are doing. The patient is feeling bad and so he/ she is going to the doctor and is getting the medications that needed, takes them as directed until is feeling fine for a while. Seeing that he/ she is fine he stops to take the medication on their own without getting the approval from their physician and in case they even feel fine after stopping the medication they think they have done the right think. A patient never should stop taking a medication regardless whether he /she feels fine or bad after stopping if no doctor approved it.

 

In a situation in which is your husband (as well as any other patient that has done or is intending to do something similar to Donna’s husband) he needs a follow up evaluation with a physician doctor after a blood pressure check right in the clinic and probably even a number of blood pressure checks spread over a couple of weeks (depending on the doctor’s decision). And then your husband (and any other patient like that) should comply with the medication regimen. This really needs to be done in case you want to be healthy and out of any health risks. It might not be done in case you do not care passing out the next days. but since you are his loving wife then I doubt you want this to happen. And also, you have mentioned that you hubby has been out of medications for 2 -3 months now without the doctor knowing about this, this is the reason why I am thinking that he truly needs a primary care appointment now before he is re starting the blood pressure medication. the doctor would most likely require this. and in addition, it is pretty possible that your husband’s blood pressure is now pretty stable and low enough in order to avoid taking any blood pressure medications. it is true that maybe he really does not need them (but reading of 139/ 89 with his health conditions – I doubt about it), but even if that’s so then according to any RN that I have ever discussed to (but trust me I did talked with quite a lot of RNs in my life) the absolute perfect blood pressure number is 110 to 120 over 70 (not the more commonly believed 120 over 80 which is also a good reading, but not the absolute perfect one) and at 139 he is at least pre hypertensive if not already hypertensive which I can think he is. to walk around and do all the stuff he every day has to do, all day long, all the time with his pre hypertension (or maybe even with hypertension) is very dangerous as it can box his kidneys as it is attempting to spit out more ADH and compensate and stress the blood vessel walls then. This might lead to something dangerous. Generally, if it does it then it would simply going to do a lot of bad things in his entire body, some things that he would regret that happened because of HIS mistake. I do understand that he might feel fine and better now due to the fact that he is on the diet for years now and he has stopped to take the medications and he still feels fine, however, soon enough he might start feeling bad again and in case it does happen and he would start feeling bad then it might a bit too late then. Just tell him about all of this, and if he does not believe me and other people who posted here, let him do a bit of research online and everywhere else. then let him decide. You won’t need them to run and ask him if he took his medications like a baby.

 

And yeah, there’s something else a prior hx of A fib (was it tx’d with the prescription alone or did they have to do cardio version?) is suggesting PCP will most likely make you have EKG along with some of the blood pressure checks and blood checks. Besides, a bottom line for you, you really need to get your husband to see a doctor and I would even say that you need to do it quickly and preferably to do it right away, right now or at least in the next 24 to 48 hours. don’t let him go like that without a doctor’s approval. And you give him a couple of hours unless he is currently having chest pain already right now because in case he does have any of that then you’ve got to call the 911 ambulance immediately or to have an ER visit as soon as it is possible or your husband might, very well, die of cardiac issues soon. as somebody else has mentioned this above, I am really having absolutely no intentions to scare you out. I am just telling you the possibilities that might have happen in case you do not take enough care and unfortunately, yeah, your husband has risks of passing out once and forever if he does not seek immediate care. I am only intending to warn you that what your husband is very dangerous especially for his health conditions and what is scaring me even more is that it does seem to me that your husband does not even realize this thing. In my opinion he is lucky that he at least has such a loving wife who is doing fussy things for his own well being, after such a situation you can know that you’ve got to do it more and often. Take care about your husband because it seems to me that he does need it a lot. I wish you both good luck and hope he’s going to be fine.

 

[brownscott]

Hey there, you and especially your husband should remember one extremely important thing for him and it is when you are on any medications, but especially on those meds that are keeping your life and away of health issues then you should never stop taking them without your doctor telling you to regardless of how amazing you might feel when missed a dose or tried to go a day or 2 without the medications. sometimes, even a day or 2 stopping the drugs that your doctor gave you without asking for his advice might be fatal. That your husband went 2 months like that without feeling anything is a miracle, but sooner or later it would stop. make him go to the doctor and make the doctor make him understand that stopping to take blood pressure medications without the approval of a professional physician is very dangerous. As I said, your husband is lucky that he is fine, but as much as I can see, he’s waiting until he won’t be anymore. It is extremely dangerous to stop taking medications abruptly due to the fact that you would never know how your body would react when a sudden stop of a certain medication would occur. Your doctor is the only one who needs and CAN decide whether you can or you cannot do it. it has already been said by numerous members here but I have to re tell it so your husband knows that it is not somebody’s opinion only, but it is an very important thing. is your husband a doctor himself? If no then go to one.

 

I can say this: I personally have had blood pressure issues years ago myself, however they have been treated with a diuretic and with clonedine and then a following diagnosis from my doctor of a bipolar disorder type 2 condition and then I have been given a benzo hypnotics that my blood pressure went low enough so no other blood pressure medication has been required for me to take anymore. in short, the benzo worked for both my blood pressure and for my bipolar disorder that’s why I stopped the blood pressure meds. but, I’ve got to tell you that this has been a decision that was taken by my doctor, my doctor told me to do so. It doesn’t matter how well I’m feeling only on the benzo alone, if the doctor would tell me that I need the blood pressure medication – I would take it. all I do is to follow my doctor’s recommendations and I am glad I do because he really seem to be a very good professional that truly knows what he is doing and what he’s talking about as I am have killed 2 birds with only one shot. but he could tell me any minute to restart taking my blood pressure medications after a test or whatever, and trust me I would do it without even thinking about that as it is my doctor’s words and I know that he’s trying to help me and to keep me safe. And he is daily learning how to do so. He’s knowledge is much more vast than mine and yours together and if we do feel fine without following his instructions, it does not mean that soon enough we are not going to regret it, isn’t it? maybe what he is doing now is not for keeping you safe at the moment but for you to be safe in the future. Think about that. hope you would be fine.