Re: BP Meds

neighbor Dave wrote:
> neighbor Susan <neverm...@nomail.com> wrote:
> > neighbor Dave wrote:
>
> > > Thanks, gents - I have been participating in several specialized
> > > newsgroups for years, but I have never encountered as much spam
> > > posting as I see here. I'm glad to see that there are actually some
> > > serious posters here.
> >
> > > Anyway, here's my question. For several years I have been on a variety
> > > of BP meds. My doc has changed dosages and medications a number of
> > > times, but I seem to have a worsening problem - to wit, I feel drugged
> > > to the point of having difficulty working almost all the time, and it
> > > is getting worse as time goes on. My BP is well controlled, but I feel
> > > awful - queasy, dizzy, unable to concentrate, as if I have had too
> > > much to drink. My current list is Cozaar 100 mg 1x daily, Cartia XT
> > > (Cardizem) 120 mg 1x daily, Toprol XL 25 mg 1x daily, and HCTZ 12.5 mg
> > > 1x daily. I am convinced that this stew of medication is both keeping
> > > me well and making me sick. The Cartia was recently substituted for
> > > Avapro, and I seem to be feeling worse since that substitution.
> > > However, since drug side effects are additive and I'm on such a
> > > combination of stuff I don't want to jump to conclusions about any
> > > particular medication. My doc is perfectly willing to work with me and
> > > switch things around, but I was wondering if anybody else has been
> > > through this, and if there are suggestions for other things we could
> > > try, specifically with respect to meds. I'm otherwise already doing
> > > the obvious - weight loss, lots of daily exercise, very careful diet,
> > > low sodium, etc., etc.
> >
> > > Thanks
> > > Dave

Here are my earlier comments:

> http://groups.google.com/group/sci.m...b74462957d0b2?
>
> > Dave, I don't know your history, but often when folks mention a healthy
> > diet, they mean low fat, high carb, which most often leads to more
> > hypertension.

Healthy diets lead to healthier appetites.

Folks who remain brainwashed to falsely believe that hunger is bad
will be compelled to irrationally overeat and this is what leads to
the visceral adiposity that will drive up blood pressure.

> > Have you ever considered eating low carb? It will flush excess fluid
> > from your system, which by itself often will lower bp. It will also
> > reduce hyperinsulinemia, the cause/effect of the metabolic syndrome and
> > high carb diet. In addition, by substituting lots of colorful, leafy
> > veggies for starches, you get a lot more magnesium, by eating more
> > dairy, you get a lot more calcium, and by eating more animal/fish
> > proteins, you get a lot more potassium, all of which reduce hypertension.
> >
> > I used to have labile hypertension, occasionally spikes to 190/120. I
> > run about 110/68 routinely now, with no meds. I find potassium
> > supplementation especially helpful in dropping my bp.
> >
> > Susan

Low carbing is unwise because hyperketonemia is harmful.

The skull & crossbones on bottles containing acetone (one of the
ketones that builds up with low-carbing) are there to indicate
toxicity.

The loss of appetite from low carbing is from ketones like acetone.

This may be why you now have Addison's now (presumably from secondary
adrenal insufficiency from poor arterial supply for the pituitary) and
labile hypertension in the past.

Hyperketonemia increases lipid peroxidation throughout the body. I
would not be surprised if this is the mechanism behind possibly your
loss of blood supply to your pituitary gland.

> Susan,
> I am type II diabetic, well controlled on Byetta and watch my carbs
> like a hawk. I am high-fiber, low-carb all the way and have been for
> years. I am on the DASH diet - as Tim Conway once said, "I'm eating so
> much fiber that I'm passing wicker furniture"

You may be following Susan's footsteps toward having similar problems
with secondary adrenal insufficiency as the blood supply to your
pituitary gland is compromised by the increased lipid peroxidation
(vascular inflammation) arising from hyperketonemia which happens with
low-carbing.

Andrew <><
--
Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
http://EmoryCardiology.com