BP Still too high. Meds include, Ramapril. Bisoprolol. Sertraline. Omeprazole.

[Fazer800]

Hello friends. I have been taking Ramapril 10mg and Bisoprolol in a very small dose 1.25mg. I also take sertraline at quite a high dose of 150mg. 20mg, Omeprazole too of course!I am still getting regularly high BP readings.

Very high often.

Incidentally, my mood has not been better for decades. I feel quite content, so these high readings are not brought on by worry.

I am here to get sensible advice from people with first hand experience, for no other reason than it been a logical thing to do.

I am fairly certain, my past poor diet and lifestyle has lead to restrictions in blood flow.

My cholesterol is of course also too high at 7.3.

Statins have been suggested, but we decided to see if we could bring that down with changes to lifesyle at first.

I did have a reading of 7.3 twently years ago however. So these levels are pretty much unchanged.

Any advice on what may work to get my BP down from anyone with a similar experience? Would be greatfully received.

What drug combinations, diet, exercise, rest/ work patterns helped?

I work and my work is physical.

I do downhill mountain biking for sport.

I could still exercise a lot more, eat better, reduce alcohol intake etc. I'm working on these things with some success, and will continue doing so.

[AlfredV]

I had borderline high blood pressure leading up to my heart attack. It was probably gradually increasing with my waistline. That was over three years ago and shortly afterwards I switched to a clean low carbohydrate diet (virtually no processed food, no grains, no added sugars, no potatoes, no vegetable seed oils). My weight fell off and my BP came down quite rapidly. A typical reading for me now is 105/75 unmedicated and this was achieved within a few weeks of the dietary change (so it wasn't attributable to the weight loss which took place over 6 months).

Might not work for everyone but might be something to think about.

[Fazer800 in reply to AlfredV]

Thank you Alfred. Could I ask you please...What kind of foods did you eat?

What kind of drink did you have?

Did you have a set meal plan and times at which you would eat etc?

I assume there was zero alcohol involved, and a low salt intake too?

If you don't mind, could I ask what your weight was and how much you got it down to?

Your methods have had very impressive results for you indeed. I would very much like to give it a try myself. I hope you are feeling as good as you deserve given all the dedicated effort you've put in. Many thanks for you help.

It is greatly appreciated.

[AlfredV in reply to Fazer800]

I dropped 50lbs and achieved a normal BMI. I've since put a bit of weight back on but my BMI is still in the normal range.

I would typically eat, meat, fish, seafood, dairy, eggs, vegetables and nuts and small amounts of fruit (berries only). This diet has changed in recent months to be about 90% meat, fish, seafood dairy and eggs, no fruit. I've seen further health improvements since.

I eat twice a day. My first meal is early afternoon, and my dinner is normally between 6-7pm. Some days I make a concious decision to go 24 hours without calorie intake and just have dinner.

My salt intake has become high. I start getting problems if I limit my salt intake. I find the taste of salt alters if my intake is too low and I start craving it. It is quite weird. I'm aware this is the opposite of what my doctor would recommend.

Drinks-wise I usually start my day with coffee. I no longer drink black tea (personal reasons) but occasionally have a green tea. For most of the day I drink water with a small amount of salt in it. I do drink alcohol. I know I would be better without it and it is something I am working on.

None of this should be taken as medical advice and I know there are posters here that would be horrified by it (but see no problem with cake and ice cream). This is what I do and it has worked incredibly well for me following several years of debilitating health problems. I think with any lifestyle changes it is important to listen very closely to your body and act accordingly. Good luck in whatever you do.

[Fazer800 in reply to AlfredV]

Thank you for taking the time to provide me with this information. All the best to you.

[Happyrosie]

well Fazer you are on the way! The website of the specialist charity Blood Pressure UK is a good source of information. Drug combinations vary by sex, age,,ethnicity and what’s good for me might be unsuitable for you.

Keep,at it!