Q: A few months ago, my BP was averaging 160/90, now with Resperate it is around 130/65, however I am also taking Amlodipine 5mg. Can I stop taking the medication? I am 72, and apart from BP and high cholesterol, I am generally fit and healthy. I swim almost daily and I am around 65 kg
A: Never stop taking blood pressure medicine without consulting with your doctor. Stopping blood pressure medicine must be done carefully with proper monitoring. Although your blood pressure is good, it is still not in a normal range. It is likely both the Resperate and the amlodipine are contributing to your control. Discuss this further with your doctor.
Further Reading:
RESPeRATE – How It Works
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Wow, this person is 72 years old with a blood pressure of 130/65 and this is not in the normal range?!?
A better answer, from a layman’s viewpoint, is…….maybe. Consulting your doctor will, to the highest side of probability, result in a “no” answer.
There are things you can do in addition to RespeRate that can assist you in your goal of getting off of blood pressure medication. Dr. Sherry Clark’s excellent book, “The High Blood Pressure Hoax”, has lots of alternatives for you. She also spells out a method that I have used for safely getting off of blood pressure medications.
I hope this helps. All the best!!
The author of the book the commenter mentioned is Sherry Rogers, not Sherry Clark
I think the name is not relevent. the point is the blood pressure level. 130/65 is more than NORMAL for a 72 year old!
My wife is a MD and will tell you all the BS with the “blood pressure” hype.
I do totally agree to not take yourself off a med, you need to speak with your doctor. But the other responses from resperate are BS.
One a side not I’m not even 50 and only wish my BP was that low.
the doctors are talking 110-125 for every one on the high side now days. I just wish I were 18 again where mine would be in that range. I am in the 140’s (73) and my doctor is not happy Low in the 60’s.
If ‘normal’ is now 110/60 than my fit and healthy 25-year old daughter would have to be on medication. Her BP is in the mid 120s/mid 70s.
I am old enough to have witnessed the havoc long-term blood pressure medication can cause on the general health of many people. The risks with 120/80 without any other problems is ‘quite low’ and not all of those ‘at risk’ go on to have a stroke or a heart attack. If your risks is lowered to 3% with medication you are still ‘at risk’. This reduced ‘risk’ may come with plenty of unpleasant side effects that can make life very miserable. Some medications have been associated with an increased risk of getting diabetes, strokes or heart attacks, the very thing medication is meant to prevent. Many patients on medication are so miserable, that they want to get off the life-saving drugs. And of course, the older you get the higher the ‘risk’ or certainty of dying of old age – with or without higher than normal blood pressure.
Every patient should ask their doctor what his/her blood pressure is and whether he/she is taking medication if it is in the range of 120/80.
I do understand that there are people who must take medication when all else fails but I question whether it is really necessary to shoot BP down to 115/60 with medication. It seems to me that doctors and pharmaceutical industries need new guinea pigs.
I am a nurse of many years and was taught that 140/90 was the upper normal, and that blood pressure increases with age, as the arteries lose their elasticity. In fact, for someone whose BP usually runs high will not feel well with a BP of less then 110/60, or thereabouts.
Dear D.Carestia: I shall be most gratefull if you could give me some tips from the Book you memtioned.I am also the same age of 72years and am trying to wean off medication for the high blood pressure which I am facing. My e-mail address is [email protected]. Thanks and May God Bless You.David.
This person has BP reading of 130/65, it is not normal, but abnormal. He has 72 years old. As he is over 55 years, pulse pressure only will take into account. His pulse pressure is “65”. This figure is high and should be treated. Pulse pressure should be less than “50”. Pulse pressure/ Heart pressure will be the difference between Systolic and Dialstolic pressure. However RespeRate can decrease the pressure into optimal level. Because it is a simple science that breathing exercise everyday 10 to 15 minutes will decrease the BP into normal level. I hope this helps..
I tried cutting back on my Hyzaar, from 50 mg. to 25 mg. over a week, to see if I could get off the medication by using Resperate. However, although it lowered my blood pressure a little bit for the time immediately after using it, the blood pressure continued to increase for the next day, when I decided to go back to my regular dose. However, if I am taking my regular dose, Resperate works better and does lower the BP and its effect remains for a day or more.
Im not supposed to tell you all this but my wife is a Cardio doc…and she sips a little vino and the lips start to loosen…but she tells me all the time they are lowering these guidlines because, we as a nation are getting healthier…believe it or not! more people are going tot he gym, eating better and less are going on meds…so they had to lower them so they could capture that small % they are missing. same with lipid drugs…my father died at 85 his BP was 150-90…from 50 yrs of age…so just live! quit worrying so much about this stuff.. eat right get to the gym…destress!! 115/65 my arse. my kids are 125/82 and they both have 10% bodytfat and work out like mad men…
What a great reply …I’m 74 and average BP of 155 I don’t feel any symptoms of a stroke coming on. How old do we want die. My goal is to live a healthy 80 w/o drugs.
Once you are taking a drug for a period of time, your body adapts to that drug. You are basically a drug addict. Doctors do not tell you this when they write the script. Stopping any drug “cold turkey” could cause other problems. Unfortunately once the Doctor gets you hooked you must go back to him/her. Since their vacation is coming from the drug company, chances are they will keep you on the drug. sad but true.
My Dr of 30 years told me that there is no set BP number for any one person. He menthoned a little item called “Medicine by the Numbers” which I took to be the new age set of guide lines for all people. My BP has averaged 140/70 for the last 30 years, I am now 73. Who knows for sure ?
If you go off of BP medicine you are in danger of a rebound to a much higher level. I have stopped several times only to rebound! This is not a good thing!
I am a 36 year old single mother and I thought or was hoping reducing weight better exercise or something could help us get off of this medication. Well thanks the ones above who advised not to. I obtained it while giving birth to my now 3 yr old son. Is there a doctor out there who can help me assist or consult is this something that is natural or could happen during the birth of pregnancy I never heard of it before and many of my friends and family are older since my dad had me when he was 40. But I also had diabetes diagnosed almost a year before I had my son! Can anyone give some additional advice or consultation. Thanks!
Dr. Thomas Cowan author of The Four Fold Path to Healing states on page 161 that a person’s age plus 100 over 90 is considered normal. IE: a 60 year old could have a normal reading of 160/90.
These new guidlines can give doctors justification for perscribing more and more medications.
This is where I have a little problem, when in the 70’s we can’t lift as much weight as when we were in our 20’s, nor can we run as hard or as long, nor can we eat the same grease foods or big heavy meals, the skin is not as strong or pliable or elastic, the muscles are not as strong, nor the bones, the digestive system is not up to the task with big or grease meals as it once was, even old Willy is not up to the task with the same vigor in its amorous encounters, the hair can’t keep up with the times, nothing in the body is as good as when in our 20’s, but for some reason the the blood pressure has to remain perfect as when teenagers. I wish my BP was that good.
After losing weight I was able to get off BP meds-over a period of months the medication was gradually decreased. Each time it was decreased there was a rebound but I knew this was only temporary. I am off meds altogether now and feel great!
When reading the advice I had the same reaction as D.Carestia: 130/65 not in the normal range? Yeah, you better get it down to 129/65 right away. I don’t think any doctor would warned her that it was not in the normal range which only causes unnecessary worry. The rest was good advice, however.
I am a 54 year old black man . over the last couple of mounths I have lots a few pounds. ( iwas 248now iam 230). My bp is 128over87)when it never was below 140/90in the last year. even old willy is starting to act right.
What absolute baloney! For people in this age range (includes me) 140/90 is “normal” during the day, as long as it goes down a bit before bedtime.
Our bodies produce corticosteroids through the day to help us move and interact and work, etc., then ease off so we can sleep, thus BP increases. Melatonin production has recently been looked at and lack of it is implicated in hypertension–i.e., poor sleep.
Non-dippers, where BP doesn’t dip at night, are at greatest risk. And people who have doctor appointments between about 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. are at greatest risk of being forced onto drugs! Geez, a healthy 35-year-old with good BP can have an argument with a co-worker midday and have a spike as high as 160/95 for ten minutes. An hour later he’ll be back to his normal daytime reading of 125/130 over 70/75.
I find that often times I am awakened between 2:00 and 5:00 am by high blood pressure. This is the time when, I understand, hormones are released in preparation for daybreak and activity.
Therefore, I don’t think it is lack of sleep that brings about high blood pressure, but that the converse is true: high blood pressure interferes with sleeping.
I use resperate and even though my BP is good I have to stay on medication because I have atrial fibrilation
and the BP meds help regulate it somewhat. I am 83 years old.
I am so glad to hear that so many people are questioning this idea that everyone’s bp has to be the same….no two people are the same!!!! That said, this new age of “pre disease” is alarming but it serves the Big Pharma well. If they could get everyone hooked on a pre disease medication, just think how much money that is worth to them! Think about it.
It is sad that, because of this, we cannot trust the medical profession as in earlier years. It just shows that we cannot place our trust in man, but must place our trust only in God.
Mary, your comment about Big Pharma may make sense, except for the fact that most BP meds are generic and cost $4 at WalMart. I don’t see how they’re getting rich on that.
Dana,
Drugs make you dependant on the physician. Need a refill? When did you see the doctor last. Physicians push drugs to be in the good graces of the drug companies. Drug companies could not survive without the medical profession. The drug industry is a scam. Watch the TV ads.More dialogue about side affects than the benefit of the drug. Exercise and a proper diet will assist. Some drugs have nade me ill. Almost died from quinadine with 106 dgree temp. The medical profession is still in the dark ages.
That is only true for certain classes of drugs. Check out the price for Diovan and other angiotensonII inhibitors. It will cost over $200 per month for one of them. The generics are only available because Big Pharma’s patent ran out so they come out with 2 drugs in one of the same stuff and charge outrageous prices for them. Walmart and other big chains often buy their cheap $4 generics from China also.
Get a grip here, how can one even elude to this 72 yr old, as the bp not being in normal range. how much lower do you want it to go? is this a real doctor, I have asked this question before but never a reply. she sounds so off the wall, with the responses to questions
I’m 85. My internest said that BP of 140 is ok for my age . My cardiologist disagrees, says it should be at 130 or less. A piece of chocolate cream pie could easily resolve the issue. Watch the TV ads.More dialogue about side affects than the benefit of the drug. Exercise and a proper diet will assist. Some drugs have nade me ill. Almost died from quinadine with 106 dgree temp. The medical profession is still in the dark ages.
130/65! “You’re doing great.” Stay on your meds, continue with Resperate, and keep swimming!
I want to know if taking low sodium salt is safe and better than the normal salt
Thanks to an alternative medical doctor, I was able to stop using a common BP med which had destructive side effects, impacting my marriage, and my ability to exercise. I later learned that drug is implicated as a cause of heart failure; now, I am better able to regulate my BP without it. And, I no longer feel like I will die in the next 5 minutes!! I changed doctors as a result of this experience, and am glad I did so.
Good for you Mike. If more people would change their docs, perhaps we would have a healthier society and better physicians.
This is probably good advice for most people but, please be aware that some people have serious blood pressure problems. When I was diagnosed (after menopause) with hypertension, my BP was 300/250!
Wow that a high reading, did you get it down Zenaida?
Absolutely some people have serious blood pressure problems. Just not 90% of American adults. Your readings were immense! Of course, you needed medical help and medication. But the gentleman who’s question started this thread has readings in the 130’s over 60’s. And he’s 72. So to be told his numbers should be lower is simply not ok.
I am 57 Male good height to weight 3 years ago was placed on Lisinopril 20. BP remains around 138/75 but goes up to 145/80 at DR’s.
Question, I take Potasium 100mg with my daily vit’s good idea? I also take CQ-10, Oil’s and Asprin.
some people feel its better to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables for the potassium. I would add magnesium (not mag oxide)along with your other supplements. Good book to get is Dr Sherry Rogers The High Blood Pressure Hoax for info on supplements. Also Metabolic Cardiology by Dr Stephen Sinatra. Between those two books you are equipped to help yourself.
I just must put a word in here. I too am 72, I am still working and yes, if you get upset, the BP will go up. I take two meds ofor high BP. One is free from my insurance company, can not complain. The other does cost but here is the thing. MY BP is much better than it used to be because of medicine. I sit most of the day at work, no exercise but trip to printer and Bathroom! I have a wonderful caring Doctor whom I trust completely. He is always looking for ways to get me off medicine that no longer needed.
If it was not for good doctors, many of us would be dead as I have had Cancer and many other things. We all have Free Will. If you do not like a doctor, change or don’t go but we can not doctor ourselves. Generations which did that did not live to see 72.
I am 83 years old woman. I am still working in a cafeteria kitchen. But my BP pills
is interferring with my chemo pills. Doctors did not tell me that. So I started on
my own and found Atenolol interfers with my other meds. So now I am opting
to buy a Resperate and get off Atenolol. Too many pills can interfer. You must
go on line and get the Interaction on pills. The doctors do not do that. We have
to do our research on our own. It is our life and they do not hve the time.
Has anyone have any comments on Resperate. I have read a few here that it is
good. You just have to take the time. Too many meds are circulating out there.
this is a wonderful site to be able to write our experiences. Thank you
Luci,
I have been a long term user of Atenolol and all I know is that there have been some claims that there is an increased risk of diabetes. Originally when I went on them at the age of in 1995 (I am now 44), I was told that they sit in the kidneys and enlarge the blood vessels, in addition to restricting the speed of the heart. Subsequently, it appears that they only do the latter. I am not on any other meds, but your case may be specific enough to ask your doctor directly.
Also, I never suffered any of the side-affects mentioned on this thread or in the literature and as a border-line case originally, my doctor said it was to protect me in the long-run. Since loosing 15 pounds in a few months, just recently, I have cut-back to 25 mg (1/2 a tablet) without consulting a doctor. in 1997, my bp was on average 140/90, now on 1/2 the dossage, its 115/75, my pulse is around 55. I plan on going off it completely once I get to 180 pounds (currently at 200). Does anyone have any advice?
November 30, 2012
Luci, Your entry was in February and it is now November, however, I hope the following will be of help to you.
D. Carestia, the gentleman who is at the top of this tread of comments, was the biggest help to me after he kicked the BP Med problem and then wrote an article on this website about how he did it. Please look for his article. I give him so much credit for my success in accomplishing the same goal. It took me a year. Cut meds in half the first 6 months. Cut the half of original meds in half during the next 3 months. Accomplished both of these with my doctor’s assistance. The last 3 months I had to go alone, as both my cardiologist and internist had ‘drank the kool-aid regarding under 120/72.
1. Get in touch with your body. Know the feeling of when your BP is going up. Understand what makes this happen, when you have had steady level readings prior.
2. During the times of decreasing meds, start experimenting with different supplements and keep records of what takes your BP down and how much it reduces it with how much of the supplement.
3. Here are some things that worked for me.
Celery stalks (4) lowered my BP 10 points within about 1/2 to 1 hour. While on the road I could also use 16 oz. of water with 30 drops of Celery Seed Extract – wonderful refreshing drink.
8 oz of 100% Organic Pomegranate Juice would bring my BP down by about 7-10 points in an hour.
Common Herbs/Supplements – These items are a part of my lifestyle in any given day. May use 3 of them, may use all of them.
Magnesium
5 HTP
Garlic
Fish Oil
Flax Seed Oil
Coconut Water
L’Argentine
Hibiscus Tea
Dandelion Tea
Cinnamon Tea
Emergency Remedy for me.
One night during my last 3 months (ON MY OWN)
My blood pressure started mounting about 8pm at night. Nothing seemed to work. Used severl different items from the above.
I knew the time had come where I had rounded the corner and was dealing with Hypertension REBOUND. My body did not want me go go off of the last of my meds. this was a scary time for me. My husband wanted to take me to the ER. I knew a year of hard work would be gone if I went and they put me on Intravenously given BP meds. I promised my husband if it did not come down to an acceptable number I would go.
I laid on the couch with the BP monitor on. started breathing exercises, closed my eyes and prayed to the Creator for wisdom.
My husband peeled 5 cloves of fresh garlic, minced it and mixed with coconut oil. Spread on whole wheat toast and I nibbled it till gone. Within about 40 minutes of so. My BP dropped 40 plus points.
Here is the long slow breathing I did…
Inhale 7 counts and hold breath 7 counts and push out your breath with force. this can lower your BP more than you would ever believe.
Divine Intervention?
Faith in the Divine?
Faith in my body being able to know itself?
Herbs mixed with Law of Attraction?k
Maybe all the above.
Thank you, D. Carestia for your success and then writing about it to encourage me.
Kindest regards.
Mary (Cherokeechyld)
kMaybe.
I was able to get off 20mg of Lisinopril in about 2 months. Never had any high BP until wham, all of the sudden it hit. I quickly reformed my diet to DASH with not much in the way of results. Had been exercising for 15 years, so that didn’t prevent it. I then went plant based–no animal protein whatsoever, no dairy, sugar or oils of any kind. BP dropped and stabilized to 115/65 where it now stands 9 months later.
I think another reason BP is high is because of sticky blood,when the blood cells stick together they are slow to pass thru the arteries so the heart has to pump harder to push the blood thru and also to reverse (the diastolic and systolic pressure).This is called rulleau,check it out,have a live blood anasysis to see if ur blood cells are clumped,then find something to clean unstick it.Try looking at Cardiovascular mender by BIO ANUE,ahd also SERRACOR NK by bio med labs to clean out the fibrin in the arteies
Here are some ideas for this man.
Anyone who wants to prevent the bad things high blood pressure tends to make more likely,will get better protection, and in many cases dramatically better protection, to attack that goal directly.
Go on a combo you like of the DASH II and the Mediterranean diet for sure including using only olive oil for oil and eat a lot of nonstarchy vegetables.
STOP all soft drinks, packaged snacks, and packaged desserts AND the high fructose corn syrup, excess sugar and salt, and refined grains and cheap oils and hydrogenated oils in all foods and drinks you were eating.
Keep up the daily swimming. And, carefully add some strength training and interval cardio each week to your swimming — even 10 minutes a day every other day of each will help.
Doing that protects you about ten times better than the drugs unless your blood pressure is over 160 over 100 without drugs.
160 over 90 is almost high enough to justify drugs.
But it is not opinion but an experimental question whether you can stop the drug.
Work with your doctor to withdraw from the drug safely at the same time you use the Resperate daily or close to it and add these lifestyle upgrades which both protect you and are proven to also lower high blood pressure a bit.
What happens when you stop and have been off the drugs a few weeks?
Do you jump back to 160 over 90? Then maybe going back on the drug makes enough sense to do it.
But the statistics for the Resperate on the average suggest it will give you at least a 12 over 7 drop; and these lifestyle upgrades will add at least another 8 over 5 if you do them all well.
That would get you to 140 over 78 or less. Doctors and drug companies would love for you to take drugs too at that level.
Without taking the health protecting actions you are already doing and adding these upgrades, you might live longer with the drugs.
With them, at that level, the drugs simply do not add that much PROTECTION despite the lower blood pressure they cause.
Why take them at that point?
I am 69 yrs Indian & vegeterian diagnosed Hi Bp as 170/95 about 5 yrs ago . I was prescribed amlodipine 5 mg . With change in life style and food habits now my BP is 120-130/ 80-85 with blood bio-chemistry in normal range. My Doctor says continue amlodipine 5mg life long. I want to get rid off this drug. Whenever I experiment with 2.5 mg dose my Bp increases to 140/90.
I would like to add one point. High BP is really a signal that something is happening in the health of your arteries. The guardian and lifejacket of the arteries is what is called the endothelium. It’s now thought that endothelial dysfunction is the gateway to many diseases, diabetes, CVD, hypertension etc. Protect that endothelium and eliminate those foods that we know are the atheroslcerotic building blocks, like meat, dairy and oil. When the endothelium is healthy it produces a large supply of nitric oxide which is the strongest vasodilator in the body.
When dignosed hypertension 7yrs back with Bp at 170/90, I was put on amlodipine 5mg dose but my BP used to be 130-145/80-85. But some tips suggested by Dr. Rowena, I could reduce my Bp by about 10 points.Futher ,by reducing weight and change in life style my BP is at 120/80 now with amlodipine 5mg. Doctor says I have to continue drug lifelonge.When experimented with 2.5mg,Bp rises to 140/90. Is thre any sugesion to get rid of amlodipine ?