I have been on the same anti-hypertensive for the last several years and my bp is going up. Should I talk to my doctor?

Q: I am a type II Diabetic and have been on an antihypertensive for several years. My BP is slowly creeping up into the 140’s over 70-80. Should my doctor consider a different antihypertensive?

A: Your blood pressure is getting into the range where your doctor might want to consider a medication change and/or use of the RESPeRATE. If you are not keeping your blood sugar under good control, the elevated blood sugar could be contributing to progression of your disease and the increase of your blood pressure. You should discuss both your blood pressure and blood sugar range with your doctor. However, Dr. Moshe H. Schein reported at the annual meeting for the European Association for the Study of Diabetics that self-treatment with RESPeRATE can significantly lower blood pressure among patients with type II diabetes. In a new study of 60 patients with type II diabetes, those who used RESPeRATE experienced a drop in systolic blood pressure of 9.5 mm HG (opposed to an increase of 2.1 mm HG among the controls) and a drop in pulse pressure of 5.9 mm HG (opposed to an increase of 3.6 mm HG among the controls).