10mg Ramipril

[PVYXAAEI]

I had a heart attack just over 12 months ago. My blood pressure has continued to stay fairly high despite taking blood pressure medication to lower it Sorry I don't understand the blood pressure readings only basic knowledge but previously it has always been the top number of blood pressure that has been a concern however the last 6/7 months the bottom number has started to rise and pretty much stay high ( I must add my blood pressure is not dangerously high that I need to visit A&E but I always let my GP know)

Today's readings 167/110

So the doctor has increased my Ramipril medication to 10mg today . Previously taking 7.5mg i do hope this helps but I am concerned incase I have side effects . I go on holiday on Friday to Spain , I looked at possible side effects and its saying dizziness, fatigue

I just wondered what other people's experiences are having high blood that won't decrease and also experiences of medication ?

[BeKind28-]

Hello

I have always been told that that a good blood pressure is 120 or under top figure and 70 or under bottom figure especially with heart patients even though we are all individuals and have different readings and might have been told otherwise however those readings you are getting do read high and they do need to come down would be my opinion

As you are already on this med and I imagine not getting any side effects from it I would think or hope the increase would not affect you

It is important though to get those readings down so fingers crossed you will be fine with the small increase and I hope you have a lovely Holiday x

[Chappychap]

Blood pressure is amongst the most important risk factors that we need to manage. The good news is that for most of us it really can be controlled.

I found that three factors had a roughly equal impact on getting my blood pressure back into the safe zone.

One was medication, but this only seemed to account for about a third of the fall in my blood pressure. So if meds aren't working for you then don't despair, you have two more tools in your toolbox!

Two was weight loss and exercise, I can't separate them as they happened together, but these two have a seriously impressive part in reducing blood pressure.

And three was moving to a low salt diet. It's astonishing how important this is, even today if I have something like a take-away meal laden with salt then my blood pressure spikes up and remains elevated for three or four days. The problem is that salt is everywhere in our modern diet. Processed and packaged foods are full of the stuff, even sweet foods contain salt, and some things like processed meats and ready meals are absolutely stuffed with it.

Good luck!

[PVYXAAEI in reply to Chappychap]

Thank-you for your responses. I am hoping because I have been taking Ramipril for over 12 months with no side effects that this small increase will be OK. I am a little concerned that I am on the highest dose of Ramipril

I can't blame weight because I am slim build but salt intake I could definitely do with watching this .

I do try to eat healthy but I would say I do like my salt for extra flavour .

Thanks again

[Lezzers]

A blood pressure reading of 167/110 is way to high, your Dr has done the right thing by increasing your ramipril to try & get these numbers down. As far as I'm aware you would only start dizzy etc if your BP went too low, a normal BP is considered to be120-100 over 80-70 (though I'm happy to be corrected if these numbers are wrong). But even if your BP does go a bit low you won't necessarily feel dizzy, not everyone does, my husband's BP reading were in the 80's/50's just recently and while his medical team weren't happy about it it didn't affect him at all. In hot weather it's important to keep yourself hydrated, dehydration can make you feel very poorly. The last thing I would advise is to tell your travel insurance company about the increase in your medication & why, to not do so could invalidate your travel insurance.

[Blackcatsooty]

very good replies.

Can I add :

1) don’t panic. Your reading is. A bit high but not yet catastrophic.

2) if you get checked by a medical person, your reading might be higher. This is known as white coat syndrome.

3) you need to relax. Try getting relaxation sessions. They help a lot and will teach you how to relax I also use a tinnitus relaxer. Works for me.

4) ideal levels will differ. I live in deepest rural Essex and they look to keep me below 140.

I also have a house in London suburbs and they say 130.

Please don’t just ignore. Edge it down. Not least of all, you will feel a lot better.

Sooty

[10gingercats]

I always had excellent blood pressure all my life.Then last winter my pottasium and creatinine went haywire and my blood pressure joined in the fun!It was so high as to to be scary.GP was quite blase about it but not so my cardiac nurse who was close to blowing her top when she heard about it.So we all tried to get it down. It took a few months of fiddling with meds and eventually dropped to 120/80 or thereabouts ...sometimes less. I am slim, eat fairly healthily, not high salt and walk every day and am busy with activities for someone 10 years younger.I am 85. The med.s that eventually worked for me was a small dose of Furosimide plus 2.5mg of Amdopoline once daily .The moral of this tale is it can take a while to get your blood pressure down and to keep it down.Once my pottasium problem past I expected my blood pressure to get back to normal by itself but not so.blood pressure can be a real problem but we do need to work at keeping it within range and not be fobbed off with keeping it high as my GP was prepared to do.

[Bingo88]

Hope your blood pressure comes down soon for you. Just take care of how you are feeling on your holiday and enjoy yourself in Spain. If its not coming down when you get back home contact your doctor there's plenty more tablets they can try. I was told blood pressure should be 120 to 140. Over 60 to 80. A little bit either side of these readings is usually acceptable but all doctors have different ideas. Enjoy your holiday and take care. Brian