Opinions and Advice on Blood Pressure and Medication(s)

[zaggahamma]

Whether as a cause from TRT or not (guess it doesnt matter) but i was wondering how high does your blood pressure need to be to benefit from blood pressure meds?

If your bp is usually 128/80 that is a little high for example but is it better to use bp meds or try not to?

[Testomaster]

Whether as a cause from TRT or not (guess it doesnt matter) but i was wondering how high does your blood pressure need to be to benefit from blood pressure meds?

If your bp is usually 128/80 that is a little high for example but is it better to use bp meds or try not to?

120/80 is how it should be. If systolic level ,the first , is around 130/135 is not a big problem as well.Diastolic level ,the second or lower number,should be not more than 85 instead . Let's say that if your BP is up to 140 /90 you are on cardiovascular risk.

Below a very interesting article :

Blood pressure is a measurement of the amount of force blood applies to the walls of arteries, which carry the blood from the heart throughout the body. Hypertension occurs when extra pressure exerted by the blood onto the arterial walls is strong enough to create a dangerous condition.

We use two numbers to measure blood pressure (e.g., 120/80). The first number in a blood pressure reading is the amount of "systolic" pressure when the heart pumps blood into the arteries. The second number is the "diastolic" pressure within the arteries when the heart has relaxed between pumping actions.

A systolic reading of between 120 and 139 is now regarded as prehypertensive; a reading of 140 or more is considered high. Diastolic pressure ranging from 80 to 89 is now classified as prehypertensive, and a reading above 90 is considered high. Both numbers are important, but for people who are 50 or older, systolic pressure is a stronger predictor of hypertension-related complications.

Dietary and other lifestyle modifications are usually the first treatment option for hypertension, Dr. Niedfeldt said. A wide variety of medications are available to lower blood pressure and are most often prescribed after lifestyle changes have been tried but haven't been effective enough. The side effects of these drugs can be different in physically active people, sometimes in ways that make it impossible to continue to engage in sports or workouts at the same level as before the medication was taken.

"The one major class of medications used for blood pressure are the diuretics," said Dr. Niedfeldt. "Those, for the elderly, have been shown to decrease morbidity and mortality, and I think for the casual exerciser they're not a big deal because they can use these diuretics safely. But I wouldn't use them in somebody who is doing two-a-day summer football workouts in ninety-degree heat, or in endurance athletes, for example, because that could be a problem.

"Probably the medications we use the most with athletes are the ACE inhibitors, similarly the angiotensin receptor blockers, because they don't tend to have an effect on exercise tolerance (capacity to exercise to one's full ability). For example, a beta-blocker can be an excellent anti-hypertension medication, which has been shown to be very useful in certain kinds of heart failure and heart attack. However, it reduces the rise in your heart rate that normally occurs with exercise. That can cause a lot of problems."

Tips for Athletes and Others
"We have some people who are strength athletes who don't do anything aerobic, and they still can be hypertensive," said Dr. Niedfeldt. "They potentially can add a little bit more aerobic exercise and bring their blood pressure down a little bit. Another thing I look for is what a person may be taking as far as supplements, because a number of supplements can increase blood pressure.

"Ephedra, for example, has gotten a lot of press lately, and it definitely can increase blood pressure. In 2002, somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.2 billion was spent on ephedra-based products in the US, and about three billion doses were taken. So I always ask about stimulants, dietary supplements, fat burners, metabolism aids, whatever they may be called, when I see someone who's exercising and I'm screening them and see that their blood pressure is high. Anabolic steroids are known to elevate blood pressure, so there's potential for the same with some of the other pro-hormone supplements."
Dr. Niedfeldt stressed that a diet with less salt and fatty foods, and avoiding tobacco and caffeine, can help lower blood pressure no matter what one's level of exercise. Foods that are high in potassium, such as potatoes, bananas and other fruits are also helpful.

Maintaining an appropriate body weight is another very useful tool in managing hypertension. Fast walking, bicycling, running and other aerobic activity also help, as do stress-reducing relaxation techniques including meditation and deep breathing exercises.

For athletes and others who adhere to fairly rigorous exercise routines, Dr. Niedfeldt recommended good communication with physicians as to the level of athletics they enjoy and immediate reporting of any unusual symptoms that may arise if hypertension medication is used.

Dan Ullrich
HealthLink Contributing Writer

[GottaGetIt]

140/90 is when they started me on meds. It corrected it back to where yours is now. Then TRT raised it (even with increased med dosage) to above 140/90.

[Testomaster]

140/90 is when they started me on meds. It corrected it back to where yours is now. Then TRT raised it (even with increased med dosage) to above 140/90.

So what kind of antihypertensive drug are you taking ?
I'm having good results with 50 mg. of Losartan (Cozaar) a day.

[GottaGetIt]

So what kind of antihypertensive drug are you taking ?
I'm having good results with 50 mg. of Losartan (Cozaar) a day.

I'm on Benicar HCT 40/25 (not available in a generic)
which has a diuretic in it.
I've tried a couple/few (don't remember) generics but had sides like a cough that wouldn't go away. So I went back to the Benicar.

I didn't have issues with ED initially but I was also on an AD med at the time since my outlook was pretty shitty from going through a divorce at that time.

[Testomaster]

I'm on Benicar HCT 40/25 (not available in a generic)
which has a diuretic in it.
I've tried a couple/few (don't remember) generics but had sides like a cough that wouldn't go away. So I went back to the Benicar.

I didn't have issues with ED initially but I was also on an AD med at the time since my outlook was pretty shitty from going through a divorce at that time.

Thanx for sharing mate .

I've also tried another one before wich gave me a bad cough , the name was Ramipril (marketed as Tritace/Ramace or Altace).
Cozaar seems to be ok at the moment ; in case it won't work properly , I will switch on Candesartan Cilexitil HCT (marketed as Atacand,Biopress,Amias) wich is another angiotensin II receptor antagonists in a combination formulation with a low dose thiazide diuretic hydrochlorothiazide .

I'll let you know.

[kickinit]

Im on benicar as well, its helps thats for sure. I like betablockers better though.

[zaggahamma]

are you guys saying not to worry until i get consecutive bp readings of 140...if i come back 128/80, 135/80, 133/80/, 125/80, 138/80, 140/80, 118/80, 130/80 for example(s) would i benefit from bp meds or would it not be necessary/helpful

[GottaGetIt]

1. Talk to your doctor

2. BP fluctuates - Mine was consistently at 135-140/90 for 2 years
before 1 out of 2 doctors decided to medicate me for it.

[Testomaster]

are you guys saying not to worry until i get consecutive bp readings of 140...if i come back 128/80, 135/80, 133/80/, 125/80, 138/80, 140/80, 118/80, 130/80 for example(s) would i benefit from bp meds or would it not be necessary/helpful

In my opinion if you keep your diastolic pressure under 85 don't need any medications . You will never have 160 - 80 , that's almost impossible . 133-80 or even 140-80 is acceptable , you can easily control your systolic pressure (the first one) increasing your cardio , controlling your food (less salt) ,etc.etc. Don't forget that once you start with an antihypertensive therapy it is for life.

At the end I agree with Gottagetit , talk to a cardiologist.

[zaggahamma]

i've been to heart doctor...we never spoke much about bp as mine was never really extremely high just occasional figures as i posted b4 but my curiosity is leaning to the question of do we want our bp to be as low as possible as long as its still in the normal range (not too low)...
like would my arteries/health be better with bp of 115/80 over the years vs. 120/80 or 125/80? whether the bp was improved with meds and or diet/exercise?

and is it proven that eating less salt will lower bp? or is it more so that sodium will aggrevate an already problematic high bp problem?