Lowering blood pressure without pills?

Question

My blood pressure is around 145/90 and i am taking 50mg of Triamterene. Because my blood pressure is elevated, my doctor wants to put me on Lisinopril 10mg. The pharmacy warned about the medications both causing potassium levels to raise to unhealthy levels and to double check with my doctor. I did, and they still say it's okay to take it even though the things I read on the net and what the pharmacy told me were negative. I am 27 years old and am already half way through the process of getting the gastric bypass, if I change doctors now then the whole process will be screwed. If I continue to take the Triamterene and not start this new drug, then how long approximately will I see positive results if I try to lower the bloodpressure though diet/exercise. I am wondering on average if you see results in weeks or months because I don't trust this pill nor the doctor seeing that I was already in the emegency room last weekend because he had me on something else that didn't work.

The Linsinopril is a small dose though so I am wondering if it also makes a huge difference

Answer 1

Have you tried propranolol? It worked great for my anxiety and migraine which can cause high blood pressure. I was on it for two years and i didnt get any side effects. I was on it from 1994 til 1996. Believe me, until today, i never had a single migraine no more. Do ask your doctor about it.

Anyhow if you want, do try out malay alternative remedy for your blood pressure. My husband had the same problem with his blood pressure. I gave him:
1. Chopped chives eaten the way of your likings or
2. Water boiled with chives 2 cups a day or
3. Eat lots of garlic cooked or preferably fresh or
4. eat lots of bean sprouts

I used the chive methods for him to drink, and i also frequently gave him fresh chopped onions mix with soy sauce whenever he eats rice. His blood pressure is now normal.

Good luck.

Answer 2

A couple of things, for one, don't take a lot of medication advise from this site. You should consult with a pharmacist, not the doctor, but a pharmacist. They know far more about all these meds then the docs do, in general, and will be better able to discuss potential side effects and use of other meds in combination.

With that said, the medication you are already on is a diuretic, meaning it makes you urinate more frequently, which reduces the water volume in your blood, thereby decreasing your blood pressure. When you urinate, potassium is lost, this is natural, and if you urinate a lot you can lose too much. So drugs like triamterene were developed and they "spare" potassium, or lessen the chance you will piss it all away even though you are going to the bathroom frequently.
Sometimes using just a diuretic is not enough and the physician will add an ACE inhibitor as well, such as Lisinopril. It works, basically, by relaxing your blood vessels which again decreases your BP, but as a side effect it can increase potassium levels, but it doesn't always happen, its just a potential side effect. Its safe and effective and as long as you have fairly regular visits with your MD you will be fine. Just make sure to have kidney function and potassium levels checked from time to time and familiarize yourself with potential side effect of increased potassium.
As far as the time to see its effectiveness, well, its almost immediate, you won't have to wait for weeks to see a difference.
Diet and exercise can help alleviate your BP issues, maybe completely, but don't come off the meds unless you do keep the BP lower for a sustained period of time.

One last note, it doesn't matter whether you use a prescription diuretic or something that you grabbed off a bush in the back yard, if it makes you urinate frequently you will lose potassium, unless of course you use the potassium sparing type of pills. So if you go natural with some herb it will still affect your potassium levels and that could cause a problem.

Enough said, listen to your physician and consult with a pharmacist.

Answer 3

Your doctor is not sticking with recommended drug protocol for high blood pressure for individuals with no other diseases. The recommended first drug is a thiazide diuretic, like hydrochlorothiazide. Also, hydrochlorothiazide is one of the cheapest drugs on the market. Drugs likes Lisinopril and Triamterene are 2nd line drugs. High potassium levels with an ACE inhibitor (Lisinopril) and Triamterene (potassium sparing diuretic) is extremely common. The ACE inhibitor is the better medication. Triamterene is normally only used when you are only a little above normal. While there are times, Lisinopril is a first line drug, a Triamterene is never first line.
There are many non-drug treatments for hypertension, but you need to do both. Weight loss is vital. People have gotten their blood pressure back to normal just be losing weight. You should exercise. You need to be on a good diet, lots of fruits and vegetable, little fat. You need to avoid no more than 1 glass of alcohol per day. If smoking, stop. You should not eat more than 2-4 grams of sodium per day.
You should start to see results in about 2-4 weeks, if not sooner. You might want to get a home blood pressure kit to monitor your progress.

Answer 4

2

Answer 5

I saw everything gave a good and thorough answer, but I have to tell you, high blood pressure is called the silent killer for a reason. It kills you while you feel just fine. If you blood pressure is high enough to have been prescribed Lotensin, you will not be able to lower your blood pressure enough to avoid a stroke or heart attack with garlic. If you have high blood pressure, you should already have quit smoking and lost weight. You are playing Russian roulette with your life by not taking that medicine. You want to die, or end up as a vegetable in a nursing home for the rest of your life, because it was too inconvenient to take a pill? They'll be pouring pills down a tube surgically inserted into your stomach because you can't swallow, if you live. You won't be able to turn over in bed without someone helping you. Does that sound more convenient to you. You really don't realize the danger you are putting yourself in. Is this fair to your family to risk your life and health. If you don't like that blood pressure medicine, tell your doctor who can so easily try you on another.

Answer 6

First of all double check the drug interactions with the blood pressure meds. My doc wanted to put me on Triamterene also and when I researched it, it said don't take it if you are on any NASIDs. He didn't even check those things with me and I happened to be on Celebrex for a short period of time due to ankle and foot surgery. It is a good thing I read. So instead of taking the drugs and went on a site that I have used constantly called nativeremedies and ordered the Aquarite. It is a natural diruertic and even though it is a pain having to take it three times daily (it is a liquid you put in a small amount of water), it is safe. They say it may take up to 3 weeks to the full effect but even with the Dr. prescribed meds it takes 2-3 weeks. With this, you don't have to worry about potassium levels. Check it out and decide for yourself.

Answer 7

Get your weight down via diet and exercise and unless there is some underlying pathology your BP will drop like a rock.

Weight may be why you have a BP problem but one thing I can guarantee you is that you don't have high blood pressure due to a Triamterene or Lisonopril deficiency.

Answer 8

I take on Lisonopril. 10 mg in the morning and 5 mg at night and it controls my blood pressure really well. Maybe you could take just the lisonopril. For me, it is cheap and was a life saver. It has even controlled levels of stress that unbeknownst to me, were being elavated because my blood pressure was in about the same as what you have stated. I have to make sure I take in potassium. I do orange juice and bananas. It is my understanding that it lowers potassium because of it's diueretic effect. Lisonopril has been around for a long time. Are you taking any antidepressants? I had to quit taking antidepressants because they actually raised my blood pressure.

Answer 9

There are many factors that contributes to that particular disease but if the problem is about excess blood cholesterol you might take garlic and administer it sublingually it is a natural herbal medicine. Adequate excercise may also help in such condition. Eat low fat and and avoid salty foods.

Answer 10

1