Alternatives

[Stainlessstevie]

Has anyone gone the alternative route to control their BP, IE Homeopathy, Acupuncture, Herbal etc.If so what & were there less side effects, also was it successful??.

[Happyrosie]

obviously I started down the lifestyle and diet route but have not used over-the-counter preparations nor acupuncture etc. My sister used acupuncture for something else and it seemed to bring her pressure down very very slightly.

You could also post this request in the British Heart Foundation part of Health Unlocked

[Stainlessstevie in reply to Happyrosie]

Eating a very healthy way, good amount of exercise, weight is right for my size.Just have side effects on the BP/heart drugs.

[Happyrosie in reply to Stainlessstevie]

if you are in the UK you can ask your pharmacist to suggest alternatives, or indeed there may be a pharmacist attached to your doctor's group of surgeries - ask at your doc's reception.

[Stainlessstevie in reply to Happyrosie]

I appreciate the reply, but I'm after people's personal experience of the alternatives, ie effectiveness, side effects etc.I struggle with drug side effects.

[tykesammy in reply to Happyrosie]

Hi Happyrosie. My feeling is ,If you cannot get any help from a doctor, you sure as hell ain't getting it from a pharmacist.

[Happyrosie in reply to tykesammy]

Mainly because pharmacists have trained for years concerning medications and doctors haven’t.

high street pharmacists do stints in bospitals, where they advice the doctors.

[tykesammy in reply to Happyrosie]

Oh really !!! Well I have to say pardon me then. I just think doctor's do not have a clue at times. But for me It is very scary.

[Happyrosie in reply to tykesammy]

Doctors very rightly rely on pharmacists for help. Doctors are not and cannot be all-knowing and all-seeing, they are professionals who sometimes need other professionals to help them - I see this as an advantage.

[tykesammy in reply to Stainlessstevie]

Oh tell me about it, I am diagnosed as being BP meds Intolerant. So I am struggling.

[rosyG in reply to tykesammy]

Hi

I have been given so many BP meds that haven't worked and the few that worked caused tachycardia My problem now is I had a mild heart attack in January so have to return to the BP meds I have asked to be referred to a hypertension clinic and will post on here if anything is suggested that might be of use to others. Calcium channels blockers and diuretics worked but caused tachycardia Am now trying Losartan cause cardiology likes it after heart attack Also supposed to have beta blockers but I have occasional vagal atriall fibrillation and beta blockers can make that worse so really am going round in circles!!

[tykesammy in reply to rosyG]

Hi rosyG, yes I too have gone through the whole lot of BP meds. I have posted before and you may have seen my post, that I was diagnosed as being BP med intolerant. I am sorry to hear you had a mild HA. Thing is with me, I know that these meds would bring my BP down, but they all make me feel really unwell !!! A while back I was under the endocrinology dept, had loads of tests to try and find a reason for my high bp, but nothing specific came from all the tests, so the endocrinologist ( whom I did not like one bit ) came to the conclusion that I needed to have CBT sessions to ( AND THIS IS WHAT SHE SAID, I WAS ABSOLUTELY FURIOUS ) to accept and tolerate the side effects. I asked her how she would feel if she felt unwell all the time, and felt like life really wasn't worth living. Of course no answer, she thought it was all in my head. Needless to say I asked to be transferred to Bristol Heart Institute. I am now trying Eplerenone for the 2nd time in small amounts, so I still haven't found the answer yet. Probably if I lost 2 stone and walked 5 miles a day, That may be the answer ?? But we are not all perfect, and owing to agoraphobia/panic attacks/depression It is a tough one.

[rosyG in reply to tykesammy]

they tried me on eplenerone after heart attack nbut no effect.

[tykesammy in reply to rosyG]

Oh really rosyG, well I aint holding out much hope then. But as a last resort they are going to try my on a drug which is used for erectile dysfunction lol called Tadalafil, but apparently it is not licensed for the use of hypertension, but they say when all else fails they sometimes use it. x

[rosyG in reply to tykesammy]

I think I saw Barts hospital had had success with that

[tykesammy in reply to rosyG]

Oh really ??

[tykesammy in reply to tykesammy]

Something has to work.

[BobbyCollins]

Hi there

I also would be interested in this approach but I think it is a challenging route to go down. I too suffer badly with side effects and surgery pharmacist says he is at a loss now. Saw a cardiologist too complete waste of time prescribed drugs I'd already had and said well don't take them then. It is so hard to keep going I am worn out with it all. As ever any thoughts welcome.

[tykesammy in reply to BobbyCollins]

Hi, yes it is very soul destroying, some people can just take a pill each day, like my hubby with no side effects at all. I have been 5-6 years on this trail, and it has had a disasterious affect on my health I believe.

[rosyG]

PS to my post below . Beetroot juice has been shown to reduce BP ( see Queen Mary's study also on BHF website) and seems to have some effect for me

[tykesammy in reply to rosyG]

Yes Beetroot juice is good, tastes like shit but good. lol

[figster]

hi,

Sorry for the late reply to this post. There are plenty of people with high BP who use an alternative approach. Unfortunately, there are not many who respond to such questions on this platform. It’s really frustrating but in my experience this platform is not great for people who are minded to consider a natural path to wellness.

Having said that I am happy to share my experience. First a caveat that I am not a medical practitioner and am not offering advice to you.

I have used a number of natural approaches. However, I have mild hypertension so bear this in mind. Originally, I used a high dose Hawthorn Extract which worked really well for me for about a year before it stopped working. My BP then started to creep up again, no idea why. I then started using Olive Leaf Extract and Taurine, which brought my BP back into the normal range.

There are several people on this forum who use Hawthorn for BP control and others who use Olive Leaf. I am hoping that this post might prompt a response from one of them!

Hope that helps you with your journey.

[Stainlessstevie in reply to figster]

What concentrations are you using.

[figster in reply to Stainlessstevie]

I use 1000 mg olive leaf extract twice a day. Same with taurine.

[figster in reply to figster]

I can’t remember what I used re Hawthorn extract but it was very effective for a year or so. You want extract rather than berry. There’s loads of research on the internet.

[figster]

I have not had any side effects with Hawthorn or Olive Leaf extract. Get support from a good holistic practitioner, particularly if you are taking other medication. A pharmacist won’t have the answers you need regarding herbs and supplements.

[Stainlessstevie in reply to figster]

Thankyou for posting, I find it surprising that there isn't more info regarding people's experiences with alternatives.My personal leaning would be towards a more natural type of treatment, but that is due to side effects which are pretty horrible from BP drugs.

[figster]

same here, I had horrible side effects with prescribed drugs. I am more inclined to use natural approaches where I can so I lean in that direction anyway. I’m confident that you will find something that works for you but it takes time and energy. It’s a real shame that the people who are on a natural journey feel uncomfortable posting in this group. It’s very mainstream unfortunately. Other groups are much more open to alternatives.