Anyone riding while with persistent high blood pressure.

[deptfordmarmoset]

Why did beta blockers make your life a misery?

They were fine with a small dose - BP low, feeling ok - but after a month or so the BP was up again. Doubled the dose and the BP came down again but left me feeling permanently exhausted. Then the BP went up again. So the dose went up again: Low BP again but I was a walking zombie. Beta-blockers work on suppressing adrenaline. My work was as a gigging double bass player and I needed adrenaline to work. I ended up being able to squeeze enough adrenaline together to get through, say, a Friday night gig but there was absolutely nothing left for the next couple of days. I couldn't work enough to survive so ended up on benefits.

So, from feeling fine and energetic with a BP systolic level reaching numbers well over 250, and a chance of dropping dead at any time, I ended up with the doctors happy but unable to work. My ''cure'' took me from living to merely existing and facing the regular DWP humiliations for the benefits to survive off.

A GP friend suggested calcium channel antagonists and they worked on the BP just as effectively with vastly lower levels of debilitation. I was still not fit enough to ride distances over about 80 miles though and I didn't have the heart to resume gigging: I was off everyones' contact list or had been replaced and bass playing had become associated with such misery that I never got going again. I still find it difficult to even listen to music.

In my case, doctors discovered that I had chronic kidney disease that was inoperable other than by having a nephrectomy. My experience of failed medical procedures made me unwilling to let them dice up my kidney in situ and take it out.

 

[david k]

They were fine with a small dose - BP low, feeling ok - but after a month or so the BP was up again. Doubled the dose and the BP came down again but left me feeling permanently exhausted. Then the BP went up again. So the dose went up again: Low BP again but I was a walking zombie. Beta-blockers work on suppressing adrenaline. My work was as a gigging double bass player and I needed adrenaline to work. I ended up being able to squeeze enough adrenaline together to get through, say, a Friday night gig but there was absolutely nothing left for the next couple of days. I couldn't work enough to survive so ended up on benefits.

So, from feeling fine and energetic with a BP systolic level reaching numbers well over 250, and a chance of dropping dead at any time, I ended up with the doctors happy but unable to work. My ''cure'' took me from living to merely existing and facing the regular DWP humiliations for the benefits to survive off.

A GP friend suggested calcium channel antagonists and they worked on the BP just as effectively with vastly lower levels of debilitation. I was still not fit enough to ride distances over about 80 miles though and I didn't have the heart to resume gigging: I was off everyones' contact list or had been replaced and bass playing had become associated with such misery that I never got going again. I still find it difficult to even listen to music.

In my case, doctors discovered that I had chronic kidney disease that was inoperable other than by having a nephrectomy. My experience of failed medical procedures made me unwilling to let them dice up my kidney in situ and take it out.

I took them for high blood pressure and irregular heart rythem which made me feel great at first but it didn't take long for me to feel like a zombie, in fact I was made up when they swapped them. However after the replacements not working I'm back on them! If I feel like a zombie I'll start taking them every other day. My heart hasn't been out since so pretty happy, probably have an opp soon so shouldn't be on them for long

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I took them for high blood pressure and irregular heart rythem which made me feel great at first but it didn't take long for me to feel like a zombie, in fact I was made up when they swapped them. However after the replacements not working I'm back on them! If I feel like a zombie I'll start taking them every other day. My heart hasn't been out since so pretty happy, probably have an opp soon so shouldn't be on them for long

If you don't have one already, I'd buy a heart rate monitor and keep and eye on your BP. One of the German discounters, LiDL and ALDI, occasionally stock them. They're cheap but they work.

As a matter of interest, do you know what the replacement med was?

 

[david k]

If you don't have one already, I'd buy a heart rate monitor and keep and eye on your BP. One of the German discounters, LiDL and ALDI, occasionally stock them. They're cheap but they work.

As a matter of interest, do you know what the replacement med was?

Flecinicide for the irregular heart rythem but now back on Bisporol
I'm on 2.5 of rampril for the high blood pressure.
I take levothyroxine for an under active thyroid, been checked and meds are fine
Was also on aspirin but this has been replaced by apaxiban.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Flecinicide for the irregular heart rythem but now back on Bisporol
I'm on 2.5 of rampril for the high blood pressure.
I take levothyroxine for an under active thyroid, been checked and meds are fine
Was also on aspirin but this has been replaced by apaxiban.

Oh, I see. I take Ramipril as well but 10mg. I really have crazily high blood pressure! Ramipril is known as an ACE inhibitor, the med I was talking about was one of the calcium channel antagonists, Felodipine. It reduces BP by dilating blood vessels.