Hi Jude---I'm aleka :wave:and have been on Atkins since May 9th of this year. When I started, my Blood pressure was very high At times 202/117. I tookToprol 50mg twice a day. My medication is a Beta-Blocker and I really feel it has slowed my weight loss some---but After about 6 weeks on Atkins I was able to stop one of the pills and I had to quit taking arthritis meds because we found that each time I took them My blood pressure would skyrocket. Now after about 3 months on the diet and 25 pounds lighter my blood pressure stays down. I am still on one pill daily but hope to get off of it as soon as my doc says it is ok to. Tell your Mom to hang in there and congratulations for doing Atkins!!! It really works.! Aleka:wiggle: ps. For my arthritis, and back fractures I take msm/condroitin/glucosamine/motrin/ (can be bought over the counter) and a muscle relaxer prescribed by my doc. Bye:wave:

Thanks, Aleka. It's helpful to hear of other people's experiences with high blood pressure. Was it Celebrex you were taking for arthritis pain that raised your blood pressure? Mom was on it for (I think) about two years before the doctor realized that it might be the cause of her BP skyrocketing.

I'm so thankfull she decided to give lowcarb a try. She's hopeful that the weight loss (down 19 lbs in 8 weeks) will continue to help the BP.

judy

Hi Jude--:wave:--First I was on Daypro--did ok for a while--Then to celebrex--did ok at first on it--Then had a terrible time with Vioxx--That stuff as far as I'm concerned was almost a killer for me. That really shot my blood pressure sky high. So--I talked to my doctor and wanted something more natural. He told me about glucosamine and condroitin but need to take a high dose. My friend who is a nurse and my daughter who is a physical therapy assistant told me about MSM- She even put her lame dog on it and he is doing better than I am--:lol: Anyway--tell your Mom not to get discouraged. Sounds like she is doing great. I have been on a little over three months now and have lost 25 pounds so far. I'm sure as her weight comes off her B/P will also come down. Bye for now. :wave:---Aleka

Thanks, Aleka. I'm going to check with Mom about the condroitin and MSM (must be good if it helps dogs lol!). I know she's taking glucosamine, but not sure about the others.

judy

Hi again Jude--Tell her that you have to give it time to build up in your bloodstream before she will notice any effects. Have a good evening!!!:agree: Aleka

Hi Judy,

Just thought Id toss this in with the rest...I have extremely high blood pressure, have had for years. A few weeks ago my current drugs just quit working and my MD started me on some new stuff that made me feel just horrible. We switched to another combo, but my weight loss just stopped. I did some research and finally got things under control by adding a supplement, Vita-Pressure, made by Atkins. Its got a natural diuretic in it (L-Carnitine) that works as well as any prescription one Ive ever tried. This supplement along with a low dose of bp medicine is keeping me nice and controlled and my weight loss is marching along again.

Good luck to you and your mom...:wave:

I have been on Prinivil/Lisinopril for about 1 1/2 years for spilling protein in my pee. This blood pressure drug stops me from spilling the protein therefore protecting my kidneys from further damage caused by diabetes.

Anyway, as of today I am off the medication because my right kidney has been aching at night and since all of the tests (urine, xrays and an mri) came back negative, I can only assume it's this pill. (since my symptoms started when I started taking it--but have gotten worse lately).

I've been on Atkins since June 25th and have only lost 5 pounds, so I am very anxious to see if by dropping this medication if the weight will just fall off. I've been 100% faithful in these 50 days. Who knows, maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and be down another 10 pounds! (I wish!)

I will be going on another blood pressure pill (Cozaar), but I am taking a 3 month hiatus to see if this kidney stops hurting. I can't find anything that shows Prinivil causes weight gain or slows down loss---does anybody know for sure out there?

"T" :)

Hi Judy--

Since your mom has "loosened up" enough to give you actual numbers for her blood pressure readings at her family doc, maybe it's time to revisit the idea of picking up a cheap wrist-cuff monitor to get daily tests. They aren't famed for their accuracy, but can be "indexed" to the doc's cuff during an office visit. Meanwhile, it will give her an idea of her relative rises and falls in pressure, while in a non-threatening home environment. Her docs will certainly appreciate any additional info they can get on how she is reponding to the meds they are prescribing, and it should serve to give your mom some feeling of "participation" in her treatment as she logs her results. I think you (and she) might be pleasantly surprised at pressures taken in a "home-setting", especially after using the cuff becomes "routine."

BTW, I run (and log) my BP 3x/day, and my wife (who is changing BP meds) does hers 2x/day.

It sounds like your mom is getting on the right track, and she is to be complimented on her great success in weight-loss to date. I think she can look forward to feeling even better in the future.

Hi Everyone,

Sorry I haven't been around the forum for a couple of weeks. Just busy with work and whatever. The good news is that Mom's now lost 22 lbs, the bad news is she went to the family doctor yesterday and her BP is up again.

She sees the specialist Sept 25 when, hopefully, he can suggest a new medication. I have to bite my tongue not to nag her to call him now--he doesn't even know she's not taking the new med--because she gets stressed and that can't be helpful.

An odd thing happened last night though. Mom was feeling faint and that made her frightened enough to go to emergency. The doctor did several tests and couldn't find anything wrong other than the high BP. But the strange thing was that they took her BP first and it was 215/90, then an hour later it was 190/76, then another hour later it was back to 215/90. Is it normal for it to fluctuate like that over such a short period of time?

And to give you an idea of what this woman is like, the only reason I know about last night's episode is because my cousin told me she had a strong (psychic?) feeling that I needed to call Mom. Mom's attitude? "I'm OK and I didn't want to worry you." The woman drives me crazy at times!

judy

You should know by now, Judy, driving you crazy is a parent's job! It's karma leveling the scales from when you were a kid and drove her crazy!:)

As for your BP question...yes, pressures can show significant variation over relatively short periods of time in many people. A person with perfectly normal BP readings can show 20-30 points of increase in response to a simple headache...and a corresponding drop after a couple of aspirin take effect. At least you now have some actual numbers for her BP! There are loads of BP medications available, and it seems likely that trial and error will find the combination that is optimal for her. In the meantime, her weight-loss is a big plus for her, making it easier for the drugs to do their job.

Most BP meds take a while to work...typically one to two weeks for a consistant effect to be noticeable. It usually takes a similar period of time for BP meds to clear your system. This means that she (and you) should not expect dramatic changes in her BP immediately after a shift in drugs, but should expect to see improvement about a month after she begins taking a new med.

For the record...her pressure is relatively high, and does need to be controlled. But there are many folks with higher BP's who have found the right combination of meds to lower their pressures into normal range. Both of you need to adopt an attitude of "calm persistance" in getting her doctor(s) to keep looking for the meds that are right for her.

Thanks, Geo....I guess being patient and calm is the best medicine for both Mom and I. I'm very thankful that she's taken so well to lowcarbing.

You're so right about payback rights...Gawd, when I think of what she went thru with an insecure teenager! lol

judy