swimming with hypertension

Hey Ray, I am new to this site (in fact this is only my second post...and I'm still waiting for a reply to my first one).....But I wanted to say that I am also on HB Medication. I was 65 pounds over the weight I am now at (this was about about 5 or 6months ago) when I first found out about it......I had swelling in my ankles and I thought I might be diabetic or something....The doctor determined that I had hypertension and placed me on "Benicar- HCT" I told him that I was going to start exercising a lot to lose weight ....so I guess he may have factored that in to my prescription??....Anyway, I hoped that after losing so much weight (together with the better diet and cardiovascular training) that my hypertension would go away......Unfortunately I found out a few weeks ago that this will not be the case. My doctor said that a significant percentage of adult males will most likely need to be on some kind of HBM by the time they are 50 (I am 40)......It appears to be mostly genetic. You can improve your HB slightly with diet and exercise even when the condition is mostly genetic ....But I will have to most likely be on the medication for the rest of my life. The good news is that so far I haven't noticed any bad side effects to my swimming (fairly intensly at that on a fairly regular basis). Maybe you should ask your docter about different medications that may be more suitable to intense exercise (such as Benicar - HCT for example)?? Good Luck with it though!......there are apparently MANY of us in the same boat. newmastersswimmer

After posting my reply to Ray's original message I noticed the post made by Jane Moore MD. ....(I guess I should have read through the entire thread first before posting my reply....oops!). Anyway, I was wondering if you (Jane Moore) knew how to classify Benicar HCT in terms of being a Beta Blocker, Ace inhibitor, or calcium channel blocker....(or possibly something else?)....and whether or not Benicar HCT is considered a good medication for someone doing intense cardiovascular exercise??....(My docter is kinda of hard to get a hold of...and I would rather know now rather than several weeks from now if you know what I mean). Thanks, Jim

Ray, sorry to hear you're joining the HBP club! It runs in my family too. I take Norvasc, which is a calcium channel blocker. It works by relaxing the blood vessels, making it easier for the heart to pump and reducing its workload. My doctor prescribed a calcium channel blocker rather than a beta blocker, because he knew I was a swimmer and didn't want me to feel fatigued. The only down side I've found to Norvasc is that it makes my hands and feet swell sometimes. On the bright side, it has had the beneficial side effect of nearly eliminating my migraine headaches. Given a choice between migraines and fat feet, I'll take fat feet any day! I don't think it's had any impact on my swimming (I'm about as slow as I always was!). Meg

Hi Ray, As gull80 says hypertension shouldn't interfere with your swimming. Exercise is important in controlling high blood pressure. There are many different medications for treatment. As Meg says, be sure to let your doctor know that you swim vigorously. Beta blockers are commonly used and do frequently interfere with the ability to train and/or race by limiting the maximum heart rate or by causing fatigue. ACE inhibitors or calcium channel blockers are better choices. As long as your blood pressure is controlled, you should be fine with continuing to swim. Jane

You should of course discuss this with your physician, but I see no reason why this should interfere with your swimming, assuming your blood pressure is under control. In fact, 30 minutes of daily exercise is currently recommended per the national guidelines. Perhaps hypertension runs in your family?

Thnks Gull80 for the very informative response! I'm guessing that you must be a doctor or something? I've noticed that there seems to be a higher incidence of people working in the medical field here involved in Masters Swimming than in the general population.....for example I saw that Jenny Thompson is going to be a resident soon last night when I was watching the World Short Course Championships on T.V. I have also come across many other big name swimmers who are doctors (like Dr. Ron Karnaugh for example).....My highschool swim team is having a 20 something year reunion next month and I saw the e-mail addresses of many of my fellow simming campanions on the e-mail invites and was suprised to see how many of them have Dr. So and So in their names (or e-mail addresses).....This is a very interesting phenomenon. I was pre-Med my first year of undergraduate school many moons ago ....but I quickly abandoned the idea after the first pre-Med meeting in which I saw films of actual surgeries.....I realized then that I was WAY to squeemish to become a doctor and went immediately into something else. newmastersswimmer

Originally posted by MegSmath It works by relaxing the blood vessels, making it easier for the heart to pump and reducing its workload.Meg Meg, Sounds like you have an unfair advantage at meets!

BenicarHCT is a combination of an ARB (angiotensin receptor blocker) and a diuretic. It is a good drug for hypertension, although not necessarily the cheapest, and should not interfere with your swimming. A related class of drugs, the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors or ACEI, have been shown to reduce the risk of suffering strokes and heart attacks, and also the risk of diabetes. It is not clear whether the ARBs will have the same benefit, but they do not cause a cough which can be a side effect of the ACE inhibitors.

Swimming should, in the long run, help keep your blood pressure under control. Some additional things to do are: - Monitor your blood pressure regularly. There is evidence that you can learn to lower your blood pressure a little through the biofeedback of regularly measuring it. Also, regular measurement will let you know whether you are successfully keeping it under control. - Even though you are not "overweight", it may be beneficial to work on keeping your weight near the bottom of the normal weight range. - Reduce your salt intake. - Take nutritional supplements that give you the RDA of Calcium and Magnesium, since a deficiency in these minerals can contribute to hypertension. - Potassium, Coenzyme Q10, the amino acid arginine, and garlic may help to keep your blood pressure under control. Based on the reading I have done, it appears that ACE inhibitors are probably the best choice for hypertension medication if you exercise regularly. But this is something you need to work out with your doctor. Keep in mind that a person can have a sensitivity to a particular medication that makes it a poor choice for him or her.

Originally posted by Rnovitske Meg, Sounds like you have an unfair advantage at meets! Ray, you've obviously never seen me swim! I need all the help I can get! Seriously, I don't think I swim any differently after medication than I did before. I didn't feel bad before my HBP was diagnosed, and I pretty much feel the same now. Meg