Managing the Side Effects of Blood Pressure Medication

(by Jeannette) — I had a heart attack in October of 2005 at the age of 62. At that time I had two stents placed and was placed on Metoprolol (a beta blocker), Enalopril (an Ace Inhibitor), Plavix (a blood thinner) and Lipitor (for cholesterol). I was also given Nitro glycercine I was not given a choice about this, it was (and is) standard protocol for someone who has experienced myocardial infarction (heart attack).

I had a heart attack in October of 2005 at the age of 62. At that time I had two stents placed and was placed on Metoprolol (a beta blocker), Enalopril (an Ace Inhibitor), Plavix (a blood thinner) and Lipitor (for cholesterol). I was also given Nitro glycercine I was not given a choice about this, it was (and is) standard protocol for someone who has experienced myocardial infarction (heart attack).

I had not had high blood pressure prior to my heart attack.  I do have a family history of heart disease in that my mom and dad both died from different aspects of heart disease, so apparently in the medical world, it was assumed inevitable that I would have to have high blood pressure.  I was told I would be on medication for the rest of my life.

As a health professional myself, I accepted this direction, assuming as most people do, that the Doctor knows best.

My heart attack was a wake-up call for me and I changed my diet, lost weight and began to exercise with alacrity for about 2 1/2 hours 3-4 times a week.

Gradually, I noticed that I had no energy.  I would exercise and come home and fall asleep for two hours-Me who never napped in her life! I was lethargic and had lost my zest for life. My husband noticed the changes in me before I did, and they frightened him.

I took an IQ test (standard IQ test) and found that my IQ had dropped by 13 points!

I noticed that, despite the exercise (which is supposed to build strong muscles), my muscles were sore and achy all the time.

I began to experience heart palpitations.

My blood pressure, never high prior to the heart attack, would now drop precipitously low after exercise–to the point that the staff at the Wellness Center refused to allow me to leave the building until it came back to a more ‘normal’ level.

I reationalized all these symptoms and told myself that it was ‘just old age’.  After all, I was now over 60.

Then, one day a friend whom I had not seen for a while came to visit.  The first words out of her mouth were, “What is WRONG with you??!!”

After a few attempts to explain to her the differences she saw in me, (like I said, just ‘old age’) I began to wonder myself.  After all, exercise is supposed to invigorate you and here I was exhausted and falling asleep after a couple of hours of exercise!

I noticed I was dragging around the house, drifting from one chore to another and not really getting anything done.  This was NOT me!!  I began to wonder what had happened to that energetic, enthusiastic person I used to be.  And, suddenly, my ratiionalization of getting old didn’t make sense to me anymore.

I started googling the medications I was taking and looking at the side effects.  Sure enough, everything I was experiencing was listed as a side effect of one or another of the drugs I was taking.

I discussed all this with my cardiologist. She was reticent about the medications being the cause of my symptoms. but was willing to work with me when I said I wanted to reduce my medication and eventually get off it entirely.  She cautioned me against this, as her entire orientation (as is true for most doctors and particularly cardiologists) is towards drugs and surgery.

As others have done, I began my quest for information, for natural healing methods, for healthy ways of eating, etc.

I found a medical doctor (MD) who does not believe in drugs and switched my care to him.

I found a nutritionist and began following a whole foods nutrition program which I keep in even today.

It took about 6 months, but I did wean myself off all drugs.  My cardiologist’s response to this was, “Well, I guess I only need to see you once a year now!” (I had been going to see her every 3 months when on the meds).

All of this occurred during the time period of 2005-2007.  I threw away my last bottle of medication in Augsut of 2007 and I have never looked back!

I have been off all medication for almost 5 years now.  I recently underwent a series of tests to see how I was doing.

All tests came back ‘normal’, much to my cardiologist’s surprise.  The best thing she could say was that I hadn’t gotten any worse, but I know that I am actually BETTER now than I was 5 years ago.

I am enthusiastic and energetic.  I am symptom free. I love life.  My quality of life is amazing and I feel younger at almost 70 years of age than I did when I had the heart attack at 62.

I would encourage everyone who is currently on medication for heart disease to fully investigate their options and not just sit back and be the effect of our society’s current orientation towards drugs as an answer.  Drugs are NOT the answer.  Drugs are not natural.  They do nothing but suppress symptoms. Drugs do not heal anything.  They just make you sicker. And they take away your quality of life.

If my story helps just one person, I will feel like I’ve accomplished something towards changing our society and its viewpoint on health and medicine.

Do you have a story or tip living with high blood pressure that you would like to share »

Please Note:
Information contained within this email is intended solely for general educational purposes and is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice relative to your specific medical condition or question. Always seek the advice of your physician or other healthcare provider for any questions you may have regarding your medical condition. Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies.

Opinions and comments expressed by contributors and readers of LowerPressure.com are not designed to and do not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion,
treatment or services to you or to any other individual.

FacebookLinkedIn
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (19 votes, average: 4.58 out of 5)
Loading ... Loading ...