Thanks, Hedi, these are some of the questions I wanted to find out the answers to, because sometimes when I feel bad it's not up and other times it is. One of my brothers told me I should take the meds every day preferably same time each day, yet his wife told me that he doesn't take his except when his B.P. is up. Were you saying the doctor had you take a reading 3 times in a row or meds 3 times? Before it was under control? It does change throughout the day, and sometimes mine will come down some after a meal too. Marie can make mine go up when we argue sometimes. Thanks for replying Hedi.
I forget to check, except when I get headaches or feel weird, then I remember to check it. Thanks for the reply, Ken.
Just as an aside in this thread about blood pressure. I posted earlier about Viagra extending men's lifespan who take the drug. Viagra was first approved as a drug primarily for women who had pulmonary hypertension. The ED thing was discovered as a side effect of the drug and, like minoxidil and the statin drugs, the drug became marketed for the side effects much more often that for the primary purpose of development. The women's dose is 50 mg of sildenafil while the men's is commonly 100 mg, but the women who have pulmonary hypertension take it daily and the men take it (generally) only when needed. The man who won a Nobel Prize in Medicine for the discovery of the effects of nitric oxide on health wrote a book on the subject. I have scanned the tome, but never read it in detail. What I did gather was that he recommended taking 10 grams of L-arginine and 500 mg of L-citrulline every day split between morning and evening on an empty stomach to make the arteries more flexible and lower blood pressure. Amino acids are generally safe in moderation, but they can get pricey at these doses. Oh, and if you are on nitrate drugs or nitrites for angina or blood pressure, don't take the sildenafil without consulting a physician as you could die from severe hypotension.
That's a good reading Yvonne and I think like you, B.P. monitors will definitely give you a good idea of where your reading is at. Do you take meds same time each day? Two of my brothers, both ended up in an ambulance from B.P. and told me they woke up in the hospital and didn't know how they got there, Bobby said everything was spinning until he passed out and told me they would take their meds from now on. Thanks for the reply, Yvonne.
Even the posture or position you are in can change the BP readings. Crossing your legs or ankles or holding your arm with the cuff on up from the table can cause erroneous readings. @Ken Anderson or the other EMTS/Paramedics here can probably come up with other things that cause errors as well.
Sildenafil is the generic Viagra, right? You would have to be a rich man to afford Viagra, from what I heard it cost per pill. So you saying that Viagra was first made for hypertension in women, right? Seems I have heard that before. I know metformin was made for cancer right at first then used for diabetes now.
Doctor had me take 3 times in one setting. Take it, then wait a few mintues and then take again. Taking medicine as directed is for a reason, taking it when you feel like it -dumb. We take ours of morning before eating as that is the instructions. You can not control Bp by only taking medicine erratically. Make sure you have right size cuff, because that also changes BP. Most people can use what comes with the system.
Thanks for the info, Hedi. That's what my brother Bobby said, he said because it regulates the B.P., they want you to take it every day. He doesn't according to what his wife, I overheard, on a phone call, told Marie, but maybe he was just trying to help me. I know my father ended up on dialysis because of not taking his, which killed him at 73 y.o., and he hated it, he told me, Son, you need to do what the doctors tell you because I don't want you to have to go through this, and if it wasn't for of leaving your Mom out here in the woods, I would take my gun and end this misery. He said it just drains me every time I go through these dialysis treatments.
Further to this discussion re BP meds it seems that there is a wide range of opinion as to when and how folks take their BP and as I have said that I now only vary occasionally take mine I will relate how I got to that point. Before my stroke prior to having a relativity minor medical procedure I needed to be given some med to get my BP down before the procedure could take place, nothing more was said and I thought no more of it. I had no regular 'doctor' at that time. After my stroke I was assigned to a regular local Nurse Practitioner and put on various medications to control my BP, over the next 2 years or so in consultation with my NP we adjusted those medications until my BP became reasonably stable throughout the entire day under varying circumstances. Over that time I was taking my BP at random times several times a day and reporting same to my NP at the next visit and adjusted accordingly, over that time I saw readings from 105 to 180 or better each taken multiple times sitting at rest in my arm chair. General speaking those taken during my formal check ups were higher than those take ½ hr before at home! I do not particularly recommend when or if to take your BP, lets face it I NEVER took mine prior to my stroke, but more to illustrate that for us older folks it pays to work closely with your medical professorial to get those meds right and that may take a while …. and take those warning signs of lightheaded moments seriously.
Generic Viagra is not terribly expensive as drugs go. I don't know how it compares to regular BP meds. I think with the Good Rx card and some other drug discount programs it is less than $1 per pill so it would be around $30 a month if you took it every day. If you only take it when symptomatic as you do now, it would be less. You do have to have a prescription for it though.
Yeah, I know, but, I was asking you about what you had posted about, Viagra being made for women's hypertension before it was used for men. Is that true? My other comment was about how much I had heard they were charging for that stuff, which surprised me.
It was approved for pulmonary hypertension which is primarily a disease that women suffer for some reason much more than men. I don't understand what else you want to know. It is available in generic form at both dosages, but a prescription is required, mostly because of the interaction with cardiac drugs. On the drug discount programs it is about $30 A MONTH.