Q: Has anyone who started taking meds for BP ever come off them if their lifestyle change reduces BP?
A: Yes, many people have been successful in controlling their blood pressure with lifestyle changes. Getting down to a normal weight and having a regular exercise program can make a world of difference to your health.
Further Reading:
10 ways to control high blood pressure without medication – Mayoclinic.com
(15 votes, average: 4.07 out of 5)
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I totally got off my meds. It was easy-just stopped eating the “bad carbs” , cut down on sugar, stopped the fruit juices and anything that spiked my blood sugar.Basically, I am now on a modified version of the so called paleo diet. I dropped 20 pounds and myblood pressure is almost always below 120/80, often around 108/69. You can do it and so could millions of americans if they would just change their diets. I also do a good cardio workout around 5 times a week. Get that blood pumping for a 1/2 hour to an hour a day! I climb a very steep hill for 1/2 hour and that does the trick. Good luck-you can do this.
You are really lucky, all i need to be like you in other to be off medication is support, which i am getting from my wife,but not taking to it because of the nature of my job and other things that iam doing with regards to my career.
Reading your write up now has giving me some upliftment on what is more important to me and my wellbeing.
Hey Mike,
Simply put, nothing is more important than your health. I am glad you are going to be proactive in pursuing better health. And i guarantee you will in short order. After just a couple of weeks of commitment to healthier lifestyle , ie better diet/exercise, you will feel much better. This will strengthen your will to make this a permanent lifestyle change. This is not a “diet” or fad. This is your LIFE! As I said, you can do this and you will be so glad you gave yourself the gift of health.
And you get the added benefits of self empowerment by taking your health into your own hands and not leaving it up to a doctor who although with the best of intentions, is all too often the unwitting shill of the pharmaceutical industry. I just lowered my cholesterol by 60 points(!) through simple lifestyle changes and taking krill oil (high cholesterol is not in and of itself a terrible thing-it turns out to be much more complicated than the usual layman’s explanation,). But this all goes together, ie so called ‘metabolic syndrome’ is caused by continually spiking your blood sugar by eating sugar laden foods and soft drinks, and eating fast metabolizing carbs. Stop all that and watch your system come back into balance. And it happens fast, almost instantly. That is, you;ll probably notice a difference in how you feel in a matter of days. Good luck.
Thanks Brian that is some really encouraging news, right now I’m on the paleo diet and I’ve lost 42 pounds since Aug and my goal is to get off the meds. I’m 355lbs now lifting and treadmilling down to 300lbs by April. Hopefully I can get off by then.
Yes, absolutely. I began hydrochlorothiazide at age 52 for mild hypertension (about 144/90). After a couple of years, lisinopril was added in. Now at 58, Ive lost 20+ lbs., have made exercise more aerobic and have used Resperate for almost 6 mos. My bp meds have been cut in half. My bp averages 124/82, and we expect that I may be able to get off all of it before too long. GOOD LUCK!
Thanks for all this information. I’m 35 and have a bp of 140/90-160/90. I have just been told by my doctor I’ll be on medication for the rest if my life. Scary! He didn’t even ask if exercised or ate badly. I will set about making the changes now and aim to get myself off the tablets. Thanks again.
Changing your lifestyle can be a big plus. I am 50 years old and was on hyzaar, cozaar and atenolol – very scary – the same thing my doctor told me. He just wrote a pescription and said that I will have to take that for the rest of my life. No way – I talked with other hypertensive patients and chaingcing your lifestyle do help. I cut down on sugar, fat and salt, eat small portion size, eat more veggies and fruits and most importantly exercise 45 min to 1 hr daily. Am so happy to say that now I am on 25mg atenolol ONLY. Thank God, with his help – I try to do my share daily and it is helping. Thank [email protected]
I was taking Metropolol 25mg twice a day and I was like a walking zombie. I was told by doctor that if I wanted to live another 20 years I would need to take the medication for the rest of my live. I decided to go to an alternative medicine doctor who helped me get of this horrible medication. I changed my diet, reduced sodium, sugar and cholesterol intake and exercise daily. My daily blood pressure is 110/75. Another thing that has helped me greatly is taking Hawthorne berry daily. Have a blessed day.
my bp is very high. it’s usually about 160/90. I’ve had it as high as 200/120. I’m on 4 different meds to lower it, but they don’t seem to help much. I’m afraid I’m going to have a stroke! any other helpful info. as to what I can do to lower it. I’d like to live a little longer! I’m 50.
Yes, I have gotten off of all medications for high blood pressure. My blood pressure has been as high as 195/115 when my first serious episode came along. It took me three years to get off of all drugs, which earlier included a beta blocker, diuretic, and ace inhibitor. Diet and exercise are two important elements, and there are many more. There are natural diuretics that you can take each day, celery juice, dandelion leaf supplements, jumiper berry, and others. Pomegranate is a natural ace inhibitor. There are relaxing techniques, including resperate, and accupuncture, as well as EECP are very beneficial to many. This list is not exhaustive. There are many natural methods of lowering blood pressure, and medical doctors do a disservice to their patients not only when they tell them that they will not be able to get off of meds, but also when they are ignorant to the many natural methods that can help control high blood pressure. Dr. Sherry Rogers’ book, “The High Blood Pressure Hoax”, is a great starting place for alternative approaches to lowering blood pressure, and includes a very good plan for gradually reducing meds. Good luck!
I just take 2 pills for blood pressure,i am working on losing weight too and exercizing more and eating right too.
I agree with all of the above. Personally I have found diet and exercise to be the most critical factors for getting my BP under control. In my opinion one must start there before eating a pomagranate or popping grape seed extract etc. Resperate should be used in conjunction with serious lifestyle changes, not alone. I’m not talking about a walk around the block a couple of times a week and only having 1/2 a piece of chocolate cake for dessert. You really have to commit to a regular cardio regimen and a clean, low “bad carb/fructose/sugar” diet. You need to educate yourself as to what constitutes a “bad carb” and how it affects your metabolism. Then you must adhere to your program for a period of months. Constantly reassess and refine -ask yourself what works and what doesn’t.Think of your body as your own private chemistry set. Experiment and you will find what works best for you. Everybody’s different.
The point is you don’t need a pile of esoteric supplements to bring down your BP. All you need is the resolve to make the necessary changes that will lead to better health.
Brian,
You are right on it! I’ve spent six years on every kind of BP medicine to no avail. It was never controlled. I cleaned up my diet. Got away from sugar and do 20 minutes of interval cardio a day and now I’m on half the dose of meds I used to be on and working towards getting off those. It definitely takes a committment. But it’s so worth it.
Thanks.
Hey Brian Whistler……
Thank you, thank you for all of your posts. You have renewed my hope and my faith that I can and will be able to do this finally thi time. Getting off the meds, that is. You rock!