what's the safest maintenance med for a husband who has hi BP but doesn't want to see a doctor?

Question

...and we can't really convince him to go to the doctor. I know that he reaaly needs to take maintenance medicine for the heart since he's exposed to daily stress and lack of sleep. His blood pressure is always high. and there was a time when he reached a 170+/130+ blood pressure. He tried to take Norvasc before without the doctor's prescription then stopped, and then Co-amoxiclav, and eventually stopped taking it also.

Answer 1

Before you treat the bp, you must first see if his HBP is an independant problem or if it's a symptom of another problem manifesting in the form of HBP.
There may be a high cholestrol issue. Imagine a hose. If you block the hose at any point while water is passing through it, you increase the pressure with which the water will squirt. If there is vascular blockage due to cholestrol deposits, you must get him on a statin drug to reduce that asap.
If he has hypothyroidism (an under active thyroid) that may also manifest in increased blood pressure. In that case you don't want to reduce the BP, you want to increase TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) via a synthetic thyroid replacment pill taken daily. If that's the problem the blood pressure will then return to normal (he may even notice other seemingly unrelated problems disappear as well)
There are a lot of if's and you need to have him see a doctor for blood work before any diagnosis can be made.
I'm sorry that he's going to make it hard for you, but there are way a woman can convince her husband:
Secretly make an appointment for him and make sure you include a lab appointment.
Tell him that you're taking him to brunch on that day and that you want him to take that morning off. (Becuse he can't eat breakfast due to the impending blood drawing). Then make a fun morning of play (use your imagination) and fun in the house to distract him from eating breakfast. By the time you're dressed he'll think you're going to brunch and that's when he gets taken to his appointment. If you get him in a good enough mood, he won't run away and you will both win!!!!! {evil grin!!} ;o)
Good luck!

Answer 2

If his blood pressure is that high he needs to see the doc ASAP as he is risking a stroke. Do not let him take meds without a doctor prescription. Point blank tell your husband that you are afraid of him having a stroke and that the least he can do is see the doctor and get his BP under control. If you have children lay it on the line and tell him if he won't go to the doctor that he needs to get increased life insurance for you and the children so that when he dies you are protected. Use any technique you can to get him to see how serious this is and that if he doesn't get it taken care of he will risk losing the things he loves due to a stroke or death. I am not sure how family frienly his doctor is but for my husband when he noticed his BP was getting elevated I had the clinic pull up his chart when I went in to discuss other problems about my son and then gave the doctor a copy of his current blood pressure readings and he gave me a script for blood pressure medicine. He did know that I am a nurse though but you may want to consider trying that route.

Answer 3

He is a ticking time bomb. I don't think anyone on Yahoo Answers is qualified to answer this type of question--unless they're a cardiologist. Even then , a doctor would have to know a complete history and get a physical examination compiled. How would anyone know based on this info provided if your husband's bp is related to coronary artery disease, kidneys, or his fluid balance?
He needs to see the doctor or first resolve his adversion to seeing one.
I would say at least take an aspirin a day to keep his blood thin, just in case his arteries are narrowed from plaque. And another advantage of aspirin and keeping the blood thin is that if he could possibly lessen the chances of clots----but, bottom line, he needs to see a doctor and the sad part is that no one can make him.
I'm not trying to be sarcastic, but if he ever strokes out because of his bp, then he won't have any say-so. At that time you can call the shots and he'll get all the medical attention he needs.

Answer 4

There is a steroid hormone called cortisol (also known as the stress hormone) that your body releases continuously with peaks twice daily around 4-5am and again at 4-5pm. This is why most heart attacks occur in the AM. This hormone greatly increases your body's BP and HR. This is why your husbands pressure is high in the morning and about 12 hours later. Your husband should be on a slow release and sustained release once daily medication to help control these peaks and troughs.

Answer 5

Sorry if this is mean,,,,,,,

If I were with a man like him......I'd up his life insurance and go find me a boyfriend to comfort me after my husband died.

Having a blood pressure like that is putting him at great risk for a stroke, kidney failure, heart failure etc. It isn't a matter of "if" he will have any of those problems, but when! He WILL never live to old age unless he gets that BP under control. Very serious thing for him and you! If his blood pressure was that high once then it probably is high or higher a lot!

He probably doesn't think he has a problem because he feels fine. Thats why they call it the silent killer.

I was told that for every month that your blood pressure is elevated your creatine level goes up .1. Normal creatine is < 1.4 or so. If you add .1 x 12months then it wont take long for him to be in kidney failure.

Answer 6

Ask him if he wants a kindey transplant? The kidneys are very sensitive to pressure changes in the body and are usually the ones to take a hit with high blood pressure. I can't tell you the number of people who were ignorant to their blood pressures....and they ended up in kidney failure. It's not something to play around with.

Ask him if he's interested in signing up for lifelong dialysis treatment? That's what happens when your kidney stops working....and you have to have a machine basically pee for you....

Kidneys are not the only thing at risk here....his heart? Not everyone survives a heart attack. High blood pressure predisposes people to strokes. What a way to live, huh? You can become a vegetable after a stroke....or loose your ability to talk, walk, go to the bathroom by yourself....and the list goes on and on...

Your husband sounds like mine. I'm a nurse and tell him the horror stories of people who didn't want to take medicine or take care of their problems, so then they end up in the hospital with noncurable conditions....if only they did one simple thing....go to the doctor!

Not very many people like the side effects to the blood pressure medicines. It beats the alternative tho. There are so many different types of medications out there....if he wasn't happy or the medication side effect was intolerable, he really should see about taking something different.

Feel free to contact me...I can share some scary situations with him....with all honesty, he is not being fair to you...because when he has his heart attack, stroke, or kidney transplant, you will be left picking up his pieces....his primary caregiver. I hate to say this, and it may seem harsh, but he's being selfish. My husband is in the same boat.

Best wishes.

Answer 7

Maybe you could find out what it is that keeps him from wanting to see a doctor? Could it be fear of a worsening diagnosis? Lack of insurance/fear of treatment costs?

Of course non-medical options include not smoking, reducing sodium intake, eliminating/reducing stress and finding alternate methods to deal with stress, and losing weight if necessary. Sometimes those are not enough to eliminate the problem.

High BP is dangerous - not only for the heart but for the brain (stroke) and the kidneys too. It is also extremely dangerous for someone to abruptly stop taking BP meds - high BP rebounds and can be worse than before. Best of luck to you.

Answer 8

If he's a white guy that wants a drug with low side effects that doesn't cost an arm an a leg then he probably would want an ace inhibitor (also good for kidneys) like benazapril it can be mixed with amlodipine in low doses to get great results in a drug called lotrel hardly any side effects, yet plenty of action, finally there is a beta blocker, that's what I take, plenty of side effects, tired all the time, no sex..etc tell him to give the other a try first before judging

Answer 9

First of all, NEVER take drugs that aren't prescribed to you! That's a big no-no! It could be contraindicated in your husband's case, and cause serious reactions. If your husband is refusing to go to the doctor, he should try to change his lifestyle. He should quit smoking (if applicable), drink alcohol in moderation, lose weight if needed, and try to avoid daily stress as much as possible. Talk to him and encourage him often about going to a doctor because consistent hypertension could lead to a stroke or heart attack. Going to the doctor could save his life!!!

Answer 10

Your husband should be under the advice of a doctor, period. The other alternative is grim and will make all his loved ones cry. Trying to treat a problem like hbp by yourself is worse than speaking as your own council in a trial, ultimately, you lose.