Hypertension?

From my own experience....I am 30 and started taking hypertension drugs about 3 years ago. I started with Lisinopril and had no problems with training. :)

Most people with high blood pressure will have to take medications for life. And it usually gets worse with age. It's not uncommon to see patients on 3-5 pills 1-2 times per day. You can forstall this progression by doing what you're doing. Exercising, eating well, staying low stress. I don' t know about the effects of the medications on training, but it sounds like it's been ok for the other guys on the forum.

When my first wife left me a note saying she was moving out and she'd be in touch, I had a period of high BP starting with a reading of 160/100. I was about 35 or 35 at the time. We got back together, figured out it wasn't going to work and have moved on to much greener pastures. Now, back to the BP issue. My mother has high BP so it runs in my family to some degree. My grandfather died from heart disease compounded by diabetes. I was put on low dose of something... forgot what. I stayed on this dose for over 10 years and then my doctor told me that I was going to need to go on meds for cholesterol, too. THAT'S when I asked, "is there anything *I* could do to prevent taking more drugs?" That was the first time he said, "well, as a matter of fact, there is." I lost 40 lbs in two months out of pure fear. It wasn't a wise thing to do but I didn't know what I needed to do, what to eat, what exercise to do, etc. Once I lost the weight, I avoided the cholesterol meds and then I set my sights on the BP meds. I was learning about healthy eating, weight training and fitness in general. I was able to get off the BP meds and haven't had to go back! I just had my annual physical and am still off the drugs at age 52. I've been off the meds for 6 years now. How? One of the big reasons I was able to get off the BP meds is because I bought a monitor and took my own readings. If you rely strictly on the ones taken in your MD's office and you're like me, you can bet they will ALWAYS be high. When I track my own, I even have LOW readings at times. You BP is the average of readings, not the high readings you might get once in a while. Even thinking about taking my BP will jack it up so I always take several. I have a notation about reading an article in Time (or something) before taking it and the reading was high. Apparently, I'm very sensitive to even the thought of what it might be. When I go to the doc, the nurse takes it and it will be high normal but, when the doc takes it at the end of the visit, it's pretty normal. I'm not discounting diet and exercise because I know that's the real reason for getting mine down but you need to look at the whole picture and that's often overlooked from what I've learned from others in the same situation. I think weight training was an important part of it. Learning how to eat well was important. I'm swimming now more than before but haven't given up weight training or other forms of terrestrial exercise. This was one of my proudest accomplishments. My body fat is now around 12%, I'm 6'3" at 205 lbs. I would like to get lower on both. I'm pretty active in terms of regular exercise. I eat 5 smaller meals a day. I eat plenty of protein and less carbs. I eat salmon, nuts, raw veggies and apple for meals during the day and simple veggie with meat dinners. Oatmeal is typical breakfast. Yes, I do drink alcohol but I know that this is a big contributor to high BP so I keep it in moderation. I even eat some salt but try to keep to a minimum. I think that potassium supplementation may play a part in that some elements in our soils are depleted due to constant farming but would be there in the foods we evolved eating. Here's one source on K: www.hopkinsmedicine.org/.../199716.HTM So, while many people need to take meds for life, not EVERYONE does! Best of luck to you and don't despair... it'll just raise your BP! ;)

Maybe my weight loss also helped 85lbs, my diet, my exercise swim about 1000m a day and ride my bike 6k a day.

I forgot to mention, that before I ever got started on any blood pressure medication, the doctor first prescribed a blood pressure cup machine. It isn't too complicated to use, just put on the cuff, push a button, and wait. Some people even say to bring your own machine to the doctor's office to see how the drive there and the anxiety of being in the doctor's office affects your blood pressure. I usually take a few readings a week. The doctor said to take them at a variety of times, but to note the date and time I take it, since it will vary (sometimes considerably) throughout the day. I also use blood pressure machines when I'm out and see one, such as at a supermarket, Wal-Mart, etc. Different machines have different levels of accuracy, but if you average them all, it should work out in the end.

Originally posted by BradMM So, while many people need to take meds for life, not EVERYONE does! Best of luck to you and don't despair... it'll just raise your BP! ;) Thanks Brad for the encouraging story. It is funny that you mentioned taking your own blood pressure. Over the weekend my my Doctor friend said the same thing. I guess certainly people tend to get a little worked up just by walking into a doctors office. He basically said that I am doing the right things already, eating heathy and exercising regularly and that BP meds don't have to be a life sentence. I guess its just a new goal to shoot for. Kevin

There is an excellent article describing the pros/cons of various blood pressure medications for the athlete at: www.fit-zone.com/.../hype.html

I started swimming after 23 years off and learned six months later I had VERY high blood pressure. I didn't learn about it until I tried to change my life insurance. My BP at the office was about 200/100 at the first visit. I was immediately put on meds and told to relax for a few days (over a holiday weekend). I was a bit heavy at the time (5'8 and 185, but reasonably strong). My diet was not/is not awful but my activity level was not good. And there was stress at work (still is). Doc adjusted my BP medication two weeks later and it turns out I also have high cholesterol. Worth noting that I admit I didn't have a physical for 15 years. I take Lotrel every day now. BP holds steady at 130/80 and also take Lipitor. As a precaution last year I had two stress tests, including the nuclear version. Passed completely. I swim 12,000 yds a week and race 4-5 times a year. I lost 15 lbs and made slight adjustments to diet. I feel pretty darn good now.

Originally posted by Mswimming 1. Does this mean I will be taking BP medication for the rest of my life? Possibly, but not necessarily. 2. How will this impact my swimming/ability to train? is there a better medication that I should ask about so there are not adverse effects? From what I've heard, ACE inhibitors don't impede athletic training as much as some other anti-hypertensives. 3. Do I need to start taking things easier in the pool? Probably not. What you have is a stage I hypertension. That's likely to be helped by swimming. 4. Since I have a family history of hypertension does this mean there is really nothing I can do aside from medication? Absolutely not! First, you could stand to lose some more pounds. Second, try reducing your salt intake (if you haven't already). Third, I'd suggest that you learn to take your own blood pressure and monitor it regularly, since you may be able to learn to lower it a little through biofeedback. Fourth, I'd suggest taking supplements with the RDA of calcium and magnesium, since a deficiency in these minerals can contribute to hypertension. Fifth, I'd suggest supplementing with potassium and coenzyme Q10, since they may help to combat hypertension. Sixth, you might want to consider taking the amino acid arginine, since its action as a nitric oxide releaser may help to combat hypertension. 5. Anything else I need to be concerned about? Obviously, work on reducing any other risk factors you may have, like high serum cholesterol, low HDL, high triglycerides, and high homocysteine. You may also want to consider having your C-reactive protein levels monitored regularly. Bob

Wow Bob, Thanks for such a detailed response. Just an update. So far I haven't really felt much of a difference training or swimming. And I swam a meet this past sunday where I challenged myself to swim all of the freestyle events in one day (50, 100, 200, 400 LCM). The last swim was the 400 and I just missed breaking 5 minutes by less than half a second. Not a great time, but it felt solid after a long day of swimming. And I while I didn't push it hard in any one race, swimming 4 good races in one day has gone a long way in trusting my body again. I've also started watching what I eat and have set a goal to get down to 190 by worlds. When I first went to the doctor I weighed roughly 205 and I am already down to 199. My next doctors appointment is in a week and a half so hopefully I'll shown some sign of improvement. I also plan to talk with him about supplements and about having some of the other risk factors you mentioned checked. Thanks Kevin