Despite being on the following list of meds I'm still getting BP spikes, with my weekly average being in the high 140's/80's and I'm getting angina, with related symptoms, weekly (although less intense since being on isosorbide mononitrate).
I've been taking my BP for almost a year now and so I know how to do it, I just can't get my head around how it's possible for my body to be on all these drugs and STILL my BP is high. I'm supposed to keep it below 130 systolic but I'm rarely able to do that.
It must be so much higher when I'm actually doing stuff and I don't like the idea of that, considering I have mild CAD and I'm still undergoing investigations for MVA & CAS since my HA last summer.
In general I couldn't be more chilled, I meditate, I practice mindfulness throughout the day, I take walks in nature every day and I live and work on a farm (well, I'm not up to much work at the moment but it's a calming environment) but I can get passionate when I'm talking and I like a good laugh, both of which spike my BP and kick off my angina. It's rubbish!
When I tell the doc she'll just bump up my BP meds and I can't cope with the idea of even more drugs. However, if the alternative is a stroke, another heart attack or vascular injury then of course I'll do it.
Is that what could be happening? Could I be harming my vascular system with this constantly high BP?
I'll book in with the GP and do as I'm told but just want to see your experiences about this sort of thing.
Candasartan
Bisoprolol
Clopidogrel
Isosorbide Mononitrate
Atorvastatin
Ranolozine
Aspirin
Lansoprozol
Utrogestan
Estradiol
Written by
bee_bear
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I get what you’re saying in your earlier paragraphs. Your BP is higher when you are moving around (otherwise your body would not be able to move) and laughing. and that’s absolutely normal. The danger is when BP is too high when you are resting. I’m sure you have ten minutes rest before you take the test, with your cuff already on. Make sure eyes closed and breathing quietly and slowly.
And have a look,at the website of the specialist charity Blood Pressure UK.
Yes, I'm careful about how I take my BP. It's the idea that I'm constantly running on grade 1 or 2 hypertension at rest or slight exertion, while on all these meds, that's causing me concern.
Unfortunately, if you are taking the Self Care steps you are to control your blood pressure and it's still high you may not need new or more drugs , but you will need to accept that you may need in an increase in the dose of the blood pressure medications you do take already.Uncontrolled high blood pressure damages the arteries and makes them less elastic causing decreased blood flow and oxygen supply. It is a major cause of coronary artery disease and trigger for angina.
Even after getting blood pressure back to normal levels if you have had sustained high blood pressure for as a little as a year or two it causes damage which may not be fully reversed not just to your arteries and heart function but also to your brain function as it affects the vessels to the brain as well.
So getting the right dose of medication, or considering trying other blood pressure medications if you current drug does not seem to give you much control, even when you are not doing strenuous activity, is vital to prevent CAD or the deterioration of your current cardiac issues and heart function.
It may be worth doing a little research on other BP medication alternatives, looking at your current dose in comparison to your weight , activity and gender to see if it's actually too low for your needs and working with your GP to find what will really work for you, even if it may mean taking more drugs.
The Blood Pressure UK resource that Happyrosie suggested gives a detailed breakdown of how to take your sedentary blood pressure under the best conditions for getting the most accurate reading. Noting that blood pressure can vary considerably over the day, I suggest you take two sets of three readings at the same times each day and keep a diary. If you still believe your blood pressure is consistently too high I suggest you make an appointment with your GP and you can then take your diary as a discussion point.
That is exactly how I do it. I've been doing my BP for at least a year under those conditions and have a good idea of my averages. I still managed to have a heart attack 8 months ago while being treated for high BP (which is why I was monitoring my BP in the first place).
My question is that despite all the drugs I'm on for my heart attack, high BP, stents and ongoing angina, I'm still sitting on an average that is often grade 1 hypertension or just below at rest.
Just wondering what other people's experiences of this is.
A few months ago she upped my Candasartan and since then I've been put on the isosorbide mononitrate for my angina, that can also help bring down BP. Those did have an effect for a month or so and I was high normal for that time but the average is now creeping back up.
As I say in my post, I'm going back to the GP, who will more than likely up the candesartan again, but in the meantime I'm interested in what other's have experienced with high BP on all these drugs while recovering from a HA and being clinically diagnosed with MVA and CAS.
It is not good taking all these tablets and how they can make us feel but if your BP is not under control that is not good either
I totally understand how you dread more medication especially with the list you are already on or the dose been upped I am just the same but sometimes if we are doing everything we can do to get our BP down and it just won't have it then medications are the only thing we can take and it is important to get it down and it stay down as eventually it can affect our hearts
I am on a few meds that you mention I do not like the side effects they give me tried others no better so I stick with the ones I am on and despite the side effects when I take my BP and it is a good reading it encourages me to keep taking them
I have read that your Candesartan keeps getting upped I am on that and mine was upped but with Bisoprolol both together even though Bisoprolol can give us side effects so far seems to be working even though I take one morning and one at night
I am glad you have a Doctors appointment so you can talk all this through
I hope you will find a combination that works for you as there will be one it can just take some time to find it
I can't handle the side effects of amlodipine or ramipril but so far candesartan has been ok.
So your doc has you taking bisoprolol twice a day? I'm taking bisoprolol once, in the morning and candesartan in the evening.
I'm going to ask if taking my candesartan in the morning could be a good idea to help my daytime BP and also if my ongoing angina could be helped by getting my BP down. I'm desperate to solve the angina, so I can get on with my life!
I had real problems getting my BP down and keeping it down partly been such an anxious person which does not help
Sorry I did not explain quite right I take my Bisoprolol in a morning which if needed I could up even though it is fins I also take something called Spironolactone in a Morning which is a water tablet I believe but does help with blood pressure to
Then in an evening I take the Candesartan I have asked before if I could take the Candesartan in a morning instead but was told with the other two I need to take in the Morning that could make my BP go really low so this is my combination and how I have to take them
If Candesartan is not giving you any side effects though and they want to up the dose again then I maybe would try that better than been given yet another tablet
It did take a while as I said sorting my BP out but they get there and they will get yours stable to x
Ah, sorry I should have read your post more carefully! I see what you're saying. You've reminded me that I was already told that was the reason for taking them at different ends of the day. So that's a question I don't need to waste time on with the GP! Thanks again
When we are replying like this things can come across different to if we were actually talking to someone I don't think looking back I explained as good as I could have so no need to be sorry and at least as you say that is one question you can knock of the list x
I take my bisoprolol split into am and pm doses 2.5 each, previously I was on 77mg And wiped out lightheaded, mines after openheart surgery for valve replacement last Nov
I'm diabetic type 2 a bit overweight which I'm struggling to lose since op has disturbed my diabetes and my mental health, take many of the meds you list and my BP is variable but getting better
did you know that geta blockers (like bisoprolol) can affect your blood glucose levels? you may want to discuss a change of medication with your doctor
Thanks yes Im on a cocktail of different meds for everything, Ive been on betablockers for 40 yrs now, recently cut my biso dose to 5mg from 7.5 and am beginning to feel a bit betterBeen on diabetic meds for 25 yrs, all sorts including a period on insulin when I was much worse than I am now
All I really need is to pull myself together and stop my emotional snacking which is the problem rather than meals but having been through the months of the shock of diagnosis of the valve issue and consequent surgical journey its my brain that needs to begin coping now, lol
My daughter takes a two Candesartan a day to help control heart rate rather than BP, although it can do both because it helps to dilate blood vessels.One morning and one evening, perhaps that could be an option for you.
My diet has always been good, home grown and home cooked low in fat and salts, high in veg & wholegrains etc, no alcohol or smoking, active lifestyle (farmer). So I don't feel like I can improve much there, except reducing stress - which I've been forced to do because my farm business is on hold while I get a handle on all this.
My problem at the moment, that could definitely be improved and I'm trying my best with, is keeping active enough daily, without triggering angina symptoms. I can't do cardiac rehab until I've had a few more tests, so I'm muddling along as best I can with the advice I've found online.
Trying to balance it all isn't easy and it would help to know what harm, if any, is being done in the meantime to my vascular system, as well as why the average is high again, despite all the meds.
I know I'll end up just having my meds upped but it's frustrating. It takes some getting used to, going from never visiting a GP to being on that list of meds, that's upped every time I see a doctor.
I don't feel anxious, I'm just not happy about the ever increasing list of meds I'm on, which are gradually being upped, and the possibility that my consistently high BP average is making my angina symptoms worse, despite the drugs.
I've not been on the meds for a year yet, so maybe I need to be patient but when I first went on amlodipine last yr it was like a miracle, brought BP right down within 24hrs. (Since then I've swapped to Ramipril and then because of the ramipril cough I'm now on candesartan).
As a result of my 24hr BP monitor early last yr the GP said I need to get my BP under control or I could have a stroke/heart attack and put me on amlodipine. The side effects were nasty and a different GP said I could just stop them because my hypertension wasn't the worst he'd ever seen... a week later I had a heart attack.
My BP average before the amlodipine and heart attack was in the low 150's.
I was hoping the stents would sort the hypertension out but now they're saying I've got Microvascular Angina, which hypertension is a risk factor for. So I'm very keen to get my BP below 130/80 if there's the possibility that the high BP is exacerbating it.
That's something I don't fully understand and will be discussing with the GP but just wondered about other's insight on this.
Can you tell me what your side effects were on Amlodipine?
I have quite a few but accepting them as my BP has never been as good. I was considering changing to something else but it took months for my BP to be so stable and now under 130/70
My cardiologist told me that he wanted my BP to be in the 130's and no higher that 85. I was consistently getting around 150/94.
He put me on 50mg Losartan and it reduced my BP to within his range within 24 hours!
I've had no side effects and he said this medication is really good and rarely gives side effects which is why he prescribes it (along with being on it himself).
Maybe a change of medication might help? I was on bisoprolol when my heart condition first arose but was then switched to diltiazem and that has been great for me.
Thanks, this is so helpful. I've not heard of losartan before, I'll ask the GP about it.
I had a similar experience as you when they first put me on amlodipine last year but I just couldn't cope with the side effects. So perhaps a different med will do the trick.
When I saw my GP (before cardiologist) he wanted to just up my diltiazem but my cardiologist said it would probably give me swelling and gave me this tablet instead. Maybe it's not a common GP prescribed one? Diltiazem stopped my angina too - another one maybe to try?
You are on alot of tablets, hope they can reduce some 🙂
Wow, that’s quite a cocktail you’re on! To answer your question, yes, consistently high BP does affect your vessels negatively, which is why we’re always put on medication to lower it.
Thanks for answering that bit of the question! I'm musing on the impact of a consistent high BP average on what they've said is likely microvascular disease, that's causing my ongoing angina.
I'm going to ask the GP if there's a chance it's not microvascular disease and instead it's just that I've not got my BP under control.
after several years of taking hypertension medication and a gradually climbing BP, I was fed up with the spiral and was accepting that I was stuck with thisI have ME, which limits my activities and energy levels - but I was finally able to gradually increased my activity levels over a period of 6-9 months - I lost weight, was able to do more and my BP dropped to acceptable levels
I'm not saying that this is possible or works for everyone but it could be worth a try - I did it very slowly, setting very low activity targets which were achievable -the weight loss was an unplanned bonus along with the lower BP
I'm so glad you've been able to build up your activity level and it's helped with your BP.
You've described my experience too, it's a spiralling that I'm really keen to get a handle on, like you have, to try and minimise the constant increase in drugs I'm on.
I try and pace my activity but sometimes I'm caught out when the slightest exertion or even talking excitedly can kick off angina symptoms and leave me on the sofa for days.
They wont let me back on cardiac rehab until I've had a few more tests, but I just know it would really help me with this.
Did you use anything to help you with setting your targets? I'm just monitoring what I do with my Fitbit but it would be helpful to use a suitable activity plan for recovery
I used my Fitbit to count steps - as I said, I set very low, easy targets, like a 10% increase, and only increased a little when I felt stable at that level
much easier and more rewarding than aiming higher and failing😊
Hey 🙂That's the usual starting out dose, very low.
As my BP has always run high, I too was started on this dose, but it made no difference whatsoever.
Frustrating slowly, over time, I was increased to the heady maximum dose of 10mgs ! where I still am today.
I'm very resistant to most meds I have to take and always end up on the max. doses. Just my body I guess. I've been like this from teenage years. .
I'm mostly stable now, so its keeping my BP in check but I'm not convinced, that if I'm under extreme stress, it won't continue to rise.
I don't have a monitor anymore. I've had several over the years and they all gave inconsistent readings, which just made my stress increase even more 😱
I just get it done when I attend GP or other hospital appointments.
If I was suspicious it was high, I just pop into my local pharmacy and they are happy to check it for me. 🙏
Just realised I hadn't posted this directly to you!
Glad you finally managed to get your BP mostly in check but that's quite a long time to get there!
I hear you about the monitors. It's likely I have 'white coat syndrome', so I still prefer to check it at home to get my average baseline.
I'd gone in to A&E to get some angina that felt different checked out and I ended up being held in hospital for a week getting those anti-stroke injections in my stomach every day because my BP was so high and wouldn't settle. I felt relatively calm but was a bit spaced out and lightheaded.
Dr Angela Maas, cardiologist wrote a book on women's heart health and said in it that;
'White coat hypertension is not an innocent phenomenon.
Large studies have shown it’s linked to a 2 fold increase in death from cardiovascular disease.'
So, I try to avoid hospitals and GP's as much as possible! I've not tried seeing if the pharmacy here does BP's, will check and give it a go. Thanks !
Are you using your utrogestan and estradiol as patches , sprays or oral tablets? Although both of these HRT alternatives are more well known to lower blood pressure in comparison to combined alternatives, there are some people that still get high blood pressure whilst using them .
It may be worth discussing this with the GP , and even seeing if you taper off them and have a few days to a week HRT free whether this brings a reduction in your BP.
If one of them , or both together are partly the cause you might be able to try another alternative or find a way to take them each day that wouldn't affect your BP.
Are you drinking the recommended amount of fluids each day?
Drinking before. during and after any physical activity does help you to maintain your blood pressure and heart rate while moving by improving how well your autonomic nervous system reacts to orthostatic change, as well as improving the viscosity of your blood and blood flow.
Have you had Vitamin B12 , Folate , Vitamin D , Ferritin Magnesium and Electrolytes blood tests in the last six months?
Deficiency in these can happen despite a good diet , especially if you are on certain medications that affect your stomach acid.
Kidney salt and mineral imbalance can also be an issue.
These low normal levels ( borderline insufficiency) deficiencies and imbalances can all affect how well your medications work, cause palpitations and angina , and increase blood pressure and heart rate issues.
It's a simple thing they always neglect to check , especially in relation to B Vitamins and Magnesium, but it can make a big difference in symptoms and how quickly they can be reversed.
It's worth getting them tested , even to just have a baseline record and to rule them out as a factor in your problem , and it's recommended to monitor these things when you are on numerous medications and have heart , liver or kidney related health issues.
Hi, I have read all these posts, and it's all about many drugs etc. I have seen a Naturopath, and she has been very helpful, there are a number of herbs which help/support the cardio system and BP, I would suggest you find a Naturopath, who is experienced and uses Iridology for diagnoses (which finds out any other underlying problems) and then herbal and other complementary treatments. Worked for me, my wife, and my brother.
I appreciate what you're saying, I am gutted I'm on all of these drugs at the moment. However, I'm only 8 months post heart attack & stents and I have ongoing angina. For now, at least until I'm a year post heart attack, I'll take the drugs that the cardiologist gives me.
In 4 months time, I'll be throwing myself into alternatives to the drugs, like naturopathy (I know of a great naturopath) but I will always take an aspirin every day.
I don't know what iridology is, I'll look it up.
Thanks again and I'm glad it worked for you and your family.
My blood pressure is the same when I am sitting down it's about 130/75 and when I am standing up it goes up sometimes to 151/96 which it was a few minutes ago mostly about 145/85 isch
Surely what you are asking is for someone here to advise you on treatment which must be up to your health professional ONLY and hope the moderators will also support this point of view
At no point in my post do I ask for advice on treatment. To quote "I'll book in with the GP and do as I'm told but just want to see your experiences about this sort of thing."
I consistently mention in all of my replies that I'm grateful for other's sharing their wisdom & experience as I can raise relevant experiences with my doctors.
It's ridiculous to suggest that I've asked for advice on treatment. Please read posts more carefully before accusing people of being foolish.
Just a reminder that content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and your doctor. Please avoid making any changes to your medication or advising others to do the same, without speaking to a health professional first. Many thanks,
Thanks for the reminder but just to be absolutely clear - at no point have I, or anyone responding to me, suggested anyone change treatment without discussing it first with the relevant doctors.
I've reached out on here as others experiences are invaluable in helping me advocate for myself with my doctors, to further my progress in healing after a heart attack. It's one of the reasons this forum is so helpful and one of the reasons I thought this forum exists.
I appreciate you have to post this in response to Kelling's comment but a more careful reading of my post and my replies would have shown, clearly, that there is no need for this warning.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Having a meltdown today
Isosorbide mononitrate 
micro vascular angina
87 yrs old with low blood pressure
