High Blood Pressure

[Markp7119]

I had high blood pressure prior to my heart attack and CABG last June 2021

I don’t take any blood pressure tablets now but my BP has rocketed high over 180/80

I have been on Ramipril 5mg for 1 week but BP still high

What advice can anyone give me to try and bring BP down from a medication perspective

I am being seen at the hospital medical unit as went to A and E initially rather than through GP route

Thanks in anticipation

[Hidden]

In my view immediate lifestyle changes are unlikely to reduce your BP to 'normal' levels, although long term they may help. So speak to your GP since you may need to add further medication. In my view as far as they are concerned it should not be just a 'routine' appointment, so you may need to be assertive with the GP reception team to get an urgent appointment.

[Markp7119 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks

[Hidden]

Dear Markp7119

Sorry to hear that your blood pressure is still on the high side, but we don’t know a lot about you and if a life style change will help in anyway, ie smoking, overweight, unfit etc etc.

Your Dr/heart nurse should be monitoring the effects of Ramipril and will be slowly ramping it up.

Your heart nurse/team will be the best to advise you on your worries, if you haven’t started a rehab programme { I haven’t } you could chase that up,

But please your heart team is just at the end of a phone, give them a ring, their knowledge is there to help you.

Take care

[Markp7119]

Thanks for your response Is there a number for the heart team ? Or do you mean my doctors ?

[Hidden in reply to Markp7119]

If you were discharged from the hospital at some time following your HA you will be back in the care of the GP. Your hospital follow up notes will confirm that. But even if you weren't, and are still receiving periodic reviews by the 'heart team', the quickest route to getting an appropriate assessment of your condition by a health professional is to go to your GP. That's what they are there for.

[Markp7119 in reply to Hidden]

ThanksI have an appointment with hospital tomorrow as a follow up and will then go through GP

KR

Mark

[Hidden]

If you have a follow up with the hospital and the outcome is that medication is prescribed, make sure that either a) you leave the hospital with enough of the meds to last you a month or b) you are given a prescription or c) - least preferred - you receive a firm promise that details of your new meds will be advised to the GP on an urgent basis to allow them to prescribe. This is borne out of my recent experience when a consultant cardiologist increased the dose of one of my meds, but it took over two weeks for the letter to the GP to arrive and they would not change my meds in the interim (well not until I wound things up a bit 😉)

[Markp7119 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks good advice