Blood Preasure Meds and Question on BP

This is a question for his doctor!

My sister has high BP & takes meds (at night) & in the beginning they made her very tired, I believe that is why she was instructed to take the meds at night? After the first week or two the fatigue decreased.

The doctors want to monitor him for a month for a reason, I suggest you do not deviate from directions on his Rx without first talking to his doctor.

There could be something else making him tired. Maybe that's not the right med for him. Could he try taking it at night? Sometimes it's a balance between the side effects and the risk of heart trouble or strokes.

When I was pregnant and on blood pressure meds, I remember being very light headed in the morning. I took the meds 3 times a day, but it was that morning dose that did it for me. Also, as a Catholic, I noticed it at Mass (you know, stand, sit, stand, kneel). I honestly can't remember what my doctor told me.

I would call the doctor. I absolutely would not mess around with blood pressure meds. Call the doctor in the morning (even on a Saturday) and see what he/she has to say. It's possible that the dosage needs to be changed. There are also other meds that could be tried. But I don't think you should do this without first checking with his doctor.

That's right where you want his bp to be! He is probably getting fatigue from the foods he is eating. His body is also adjusting to everything. His body trying to be healthy with this great bp, carbs will wear him down, as well as not exercising, and not drinking enough water. Pills cannot make the body feel perfect all around, it's a great start but you have to fill in the other areas. If you do pills alone you are going to have these side effects. Up the water intake, walk 30 minutes everyday, cut out carbs and have tons of vegetables and fruit and a healthy protein and he will feel like a new man with these meds! And of course let your dr know everything going on!!

Please don't self-medicate because you "think" he is getting too low. You two need to suss this out with the doctor.

Do you have a blood pressure cuff? Buy one that takes the pressure automatically - the pharmacist can help you pick one. Take it with you to the doctor to make sure it's callibrated right. Ask what time of the the day to chart his pressure.

You really need to work WITH the doc on this and not just mess around with the medicine.

Good luck.

Hi Geebers,

What is your husband's BP at the point when he feels tired? 122/78 is normal range BP.

What else is going on at about 6 hours after he takes the meds? What time of day is it? Does he have a meal then? What is he eating?

There are more questions to be answered before a decision is made to talk to the doctor about changing his dose or prescription. Please DO not make these changes yourself.

Is his BP 122/78 30 minutes or so after taking the medication? Or is his BP 122/78 6 hours after taking the medication?

122/78 is normal, not low.

Either way, I wouldn't do anything without talking to his doctor.

ETA - Please don't worry about what Diane said. Not everyone is able to control their BP through diet and exercise. The reason the list of side effects for any medication is so long isn't because any of those side effects are very common. In fact, most of them aren't common at all, and if you were to have any of those side effects your doctor would more than likely consider trying a different medication. The list of side effects is included in ads because of fear of lawsuits!

Did you know that sleeping pills contain the warning, "May cause drowsiness." Um, ya think?

Don't do anything without talking to his doctor. Just call and leave a message with with the doc's nurse. Do you have a home BP machine or one he can take to where he is when he feels bad? It would be nice to have a reading then. You can get one at Walmart.
It could be the BP med but doc needs to be aware of all decisions.

122/78 is where you want his blood pressure to be. it's within healthy ranges (I'm a nursing student and they drilled it into our heads not to say "normal" LOL ... "normal" can vary WIDELY from person to person ... example "Normal" blood pressure for me is 102/60).

While changing the diet and exercising can do a LOT for blood pressure and should definitely be incorporated (cut out caffeine and salt especially) it's not the ONLY method.

DO NOT change his meds without consulting his doctor first. It may just be a need to change to a different time of day to take the meds ... or it may be that it's not the right med ... or it may just be that his body needs time to adjust to a healthy blood pressure.

Even though a pharmacist IS a doctor and they know the meds up down and sideways and know what is and isn't safe to do (probably better than a lot of doctors) ... I would still consult with his regular doctor first. If doc says cut it in half ... then go for it.

I take my bp meds at bed time, my husband's bp meds include a diuretic so he takes his in the morning. Any physical side effects should be regulated after a couple of weeks or he (your husband) should talk to his doctor.

On a side note, we do exercise regularly and eat a pretty healthy diet with the occasional cheat meal. High BP and hypertension runs in both of our families, we are genetically predisposed to this just as if it were breast cancer or depression. Using medication to help our bodies function in a healthy manner and not over stress our cardiovascular system is smart. He is doing the right thing in the long term for a healthier heart.

My husband was told to take his Bp med at night, I think for this reason. He used to take lisinopril but switched to diovan because he developed a persistent dry cough with lisinopril. His pressure isn't too low, by any stretch, but he may be taking it at the wrong time of day or he may need to build up to that dose, or he may feel better on a different med. I know my husband's dose started very low then was gradually raised over a 6 month period. Have him discuss it with his doctor. Good luck!

DO NOT cut the pills in half! 122/78 is normal, so you definitely don't want to adjust the medication without the doctor being the one to adjust the dosage. You have no clue if the fatigue is from the medication or if it's from something else. Your husband should be keeping a journal of what he's doing and eating, drinking and any other meds he's taking even if it's something over the counter.

And yes, you DON'T want to just change the dosage on the medication based solely on the pharmacist's suggestion. The pharmacist is knowledgeable about medications and possible side effects but the pharmacist is NOT knowledgeable about your husband's full medical history and circumstances, and even if the pharmacist is correct, no changes should be made without the doctor weighing in first. I'm 100% certain that the pharmacist wouldn't have suggested such a thing without making it clear to you that he meant "first consult with your doctor."

Talk to his doctor. Definitely don't cut pills in half. And that BP is not low at all so it may be something else. If he's not feeling good, best to talk to te doctor.

Not unusual at all. But frustrating to go through, and really unnecessary in the long view. I don't think it's wise to adjust medication without consulting a doctor unless it's for something fairly innocuous (e.g., allergies, for most people). That said, I'm not "pro-medication" because I think the side effects are significant for many people - just read the ads (1 page add followed for 2 pages of disclosure) or listen to the commercials (last half is speed-reading of what could happen). I do think there's a lot you can do with food-based (and simple) steps to bring the BP down and have the doctor determine that the medication can be reduced or even eliminated. A lot of doctors will say "Oh, it's only the medication doing that" but you'll know - if the meds take it to 122/78 and the other measures take it down further, it's obvious. A colleague of mine was on 3 meds and was weaned off 2 after just a few months of safe and simple steps. I was never on meds but they kept saying I should go on them - so I did the same thing, using patented (and therefore proven safe) nutritional products. I also had more energy. Your husband could try that for 2-3 months, maybe less, and get rid of the symptoms first, and then, ideally, the meds.

personally i take my bp pills at bedtime so you might try that

My daughter is on a blood pressure med that is used off-script as a sleep aid. It is called Clonidine and she takes 0.1 mg. So yes, a lot of meds have side effects and sleepiness is one of the major ones. Just have him take his meds at bed time or with dinner so the fatigue helps him fall asleep.

How long has he been taking it? Did he just start? I felt very fatigued and just wonky for about two weeks when I started Lisinopril, and then the side effects subsided.

Have him talk to his doctor before cutting the pills.