High Blood Pressure

[Cuban]

i also in my research came across comments about cialis and thought i would give it a try to see how it was. a visit to the pharm and i learned 4 tabs (i prefer the gel form) was 1800 bhat, quite a big price diff ( i get kamagra gels for 100 bhat) but he had generic apcalis from india for 800 bhat (for 4). not sure about whether they are good generics or not, the info out there i find is very mixed about these knock offs so if you have any comment on them please let me know.

One problem with the "knock off" drugs can be the consistency across batches, both quality and quantity of active ingredient within the pill/gel etc. This is one reason that the major drug companies warn against pill cutting as this may result in the wrong amount of the drug being taken if the pill is cut unevenly, those that are cynical might comment that this is why Pfizer designed the Blue Diamond pill Viagra with a particular coating and thickness to make an accurate half-cut difficult, the profits on 2x 50mg packs rather than 100mg packs being cut down etc etc.

As I mentioned before and elsewhere on this forum effective dose will vary depending on the person, it would be wise to know your own body and the effect that recreational use of a dose of any of the sildenafil compound has. Even when given under doctor's direction this is very much a trial to see the effect of a low dose that could then be increased IF required.

Cialis is an even smaller pill than Viagra (re.pill-cutting), although it's longer lasting effects mean you take less of it. One pill for the whole weekend, is almost the marketing tag line for the recreational user. I find it very interesting that the average user of other less socially acceptable recreational drugs like E, Special-K, Ya Ba etc. are much less concerned about the dose they take, trusting the dealer that the pill supplied will be enough for the desired effect without overdose or side-effect.

The limitation of dose is one benefit that the use of gel Kamagra offers, being able to easily limit the amount of gel that you take, down to a drop, a splash the size of a one Baht coin or more if required. I have not encountered anyone that has suffered from it's use, however the circles that I move within do not (generally) take more than a few a week, and this is over a period of about three years. I know a few people that have taken Kamagra (or other sildenafil) in combination with other non prescription drugs with no major dramas - however - playing blindly with chemicals un-aware of drug interactions is a pretty stupid thing to do.

If experimenting between different sildenafil drugs it would be wise to allow time for your body to completely pass traces of the first drug before popping another pill, four days IMHO is safe. There are many web sites that list side effects of many medications, for example: http://www.drugs.com/viagra.html

Moderation in all things seems to apply to this area as well as so many others.

Buying signally Kamagra will be about 100 Baht, by the box it is something like 40 Baht per pack. Buying in bulk would keep your dosage steady within the same batch from the supplier, however this is probably a minor factor in real life. It would however reduce your exposure to a single bad dose from a fake drug bought as a one off from a random shop/chemist store.

Facino, the chain is represented in many places across Thailand, the 5% discount card is a nice touch, their web site is in Thai (I've not found more than a handful of English words on the whole domain - someone please correct me if I've missed something.)

This link provides a list of Fascino stores across the country.

This link refers to Fascino stores in Bangkok.

If your ability to read Thai is as poor as mine and you can not get someone else to translate, print out the page with addresses and ask someone on the street or get a taxi to take you to the nearest one. Otherwise find your nearest hospital, Fascino have the habit of putting up stores close by - I wonder why !

HTH

Edited April 30, 2007 by Cuban

[kuma]

Cuban

thanks again, great help

from the fascino site it looks like there are shops on asok 21, suk 35 and suk 55

i will try to find one and post if have success.

wow quite a savings to buy kam gels in a box. i guess if they do not expire that would be the route to go.

i also in my research came across comments about cialis and thought i would give it a try to see how it was. a visit to the pharm and i learned 4 tabs (i prefer the gel form) was 1800 bhat, quite a big price diff ( i get kamagra gels for 100 bhat) but he had generic apcalis from india for 800 bhat (for 4). not sure about whether they are good generics or not, the info out there i find is very mixed about these knock offs so if you have any comment on them please let me know.

One problem with the "knock off" drugs can be the consistency across batches, both quality and quantity of active ingredient within the pill/gel etc. This is one reason that the major drug companies warn against pill cutting as this may result in the wrong amount of the drug being taken if the pill is cut unevenly, those that are cynical might comment that this is why Pfizer designed the Blue Diamond pill Viagra with a particular coating and thickness to make an accurate half-cut difficult, the profits on 2x 50mg packs rather than 100mg packs being cut down etc etc.

As I mentioned before and elsewhere on this forum effective dose will vary depending on the person, it would be wise to know your own body and the effect that recreational use of a dose of any of the sildenafil compound has. Even when given under doctor's direction this is very much a trial to see the effect of a low dose that could then be increased IF required.

Cialis is an even smaller pill than Viagra (re.pill-cutting), although it's longer lasting effects mean you take less of it. One pill for the whole weekend, is almost the marketing tag line for the recreational user. I find it very interesting that the average user of other less socially acceptable recreational drugs like E, Special-K, Ya Ba etc. are much less concerned about the dose they take, trusting the dealer that the pill supplied will be enough for the desired effect without overdose or side-effect.

The limitation of dose is one benefit that the use of gel Kamagra offers, being able to easily limit the amount of gel that you take, down to a drop, a splash the size of a one Baht coin or more if required. I have not encountered anyone that has suffered from it's use, however the circles that I move within do not (generally) take more than a few a week, and this is over a period of about three years. I know a few people that have taken Kamagra (or other sildenafil) in combination with other non prescription drugs with no major dramas - however - playing blindly with chemicals un-aware of drug interactions is a pretty stupid thing to do.

If experimenting between different sildenafil drugs it would be wise to allow time for your body to completely pass traces of the first drug before popping another pill, four days IMHO is safe. There are many web sites that list side effects of many medications, for example: http://www.drugs.com/viagra.html

Moderation in all things seems to apply to this area as well as so many others.

Buying signally Kamagra will be about 100 Baht, by the box it is something like 40 Baht per pack. Buying in bulk would keep your dosage steady within the same batch from the supplier, however this is probably a minor factor in real life. It would however reduce your exposure to a single bad dose from a fake drug bought as a one off from a random shop/chemist store.

Facino, the chain is represented in many places across Thailand, the 5% discount card is a nice touch, their web site is in Thai (I've not found more than a handful of English words on the whole domain - someone please correct me if I've missed something.)

This link provides a list of Fascino stores across the country.

This link refers to Fascino stores in Bangkok.

If your ability to read Thai is as poor as mine and you can not get someone else to translate, print out the page with addresses and ask someone on the street or get a taxi to take you to the nearest one. Otherwise find your nearest hospital, Fascino have the habit of putting up stores close by - I wonder why !

HTH

[PeaceBlondie]

Now, three months after my minor stroke, my BP is down to 120/90. I cut down my caffeine intake from three to two (bottles of 1.25 liters each!) of Pepsi Max. I increased my swimming and other exercise. I am still on Felodipin, 5 mg per day, and the neurologist last week took me off of Plavix and now I'm on 300 mg of aspirin per day.

Sheryl, I cannot remember exactly, but I think that in my first 3.5 years in Thailand, my BP was around 150/110. The cardio guy always says that now it's 'perfect.' Is 120/90 good enough?

[Old Man River]

Now, three months after my minor stroke, my BP is down to 120/90. I cut down my caffeine intake from three to two (bottles of 1.25 liters each!) of Pepsi Max. I increased my swimming and other exercise. I am still on Felodipin, 5 mg per day, and the neurologist last week took me off of Plavix and now I'm on 300 mg of aspirin per day.

Sheryl, I cannot remember exactly, but I think that in my first 3.5 years in Thailand, my BP was around 150/110. The cardio guy always says that now it's 'perfect.' Is 120/90 good enough?

While I can't answer your question on what is good enough, you might want to try giving up some of the caffeine you are taking in by drinking two and a half liters of Pepsi Max per day. I used to do the same (or more), but have switched to Crystal Light teas. Actually, I drink their lemon aide as it satisfies my craving for sweets, but has no calories and no caffeine. I can easily drink two liters per day of this, and am not taking in any of the caffeine I used to get from Pepsi Max (or Coke Zero).

[Sheryl]

Now, three months after my minor stroke, my BP is down to 120/90. I cut down my caffeine intake from three to two (bottles of 1.25 liters each!) of Pepsi Max. I increased my swimming and other exercise. I am still on Felodipin, 5 mg per day, and the neurologist last week took me off of Plavix and now I'm on 300 mg of aspirin per day.

Sheryl, I cannot remember exactly, but I think that in my first 3.5 years in Thailand, my BP was around 150/110. The cardio guy always says that now it's 'perfect.' Is 120/90 good enough?

Blondie, it would be better if the diastolic (the second number) were lower (60-80 being ideal) but some in some people that just can't be achieved, or is achieved only in tandem with the systolic (top number) dropping too low.

As the previous poster said, you are still ingesting mega quantities of caffeine and really should decrease it. In addition to aggravating your BP it will sooner or later cause gastric problems (GERD etc) and it puts a strain on your heart. (Pepsi does a number on tooth enamel, too). Can you try diluting the Pepsi with plain soda water? If you do it gradually (increasing the proportion of soda to pepsi a little bit each day) you should be able to get to a point where you find a half and half mix perfectly refreshing, and it will have cut your caffeine intake in half while still giving plenty of fluids.

If you aren't willing to do this (although I strongly urge it), the dose of Felodipin you are on is a can be adjusted upward, normal dose range is 2.5 - 10mg. Adjustments should be made in 2.5mg increments (1/2 tab). You could try 7.5mg but go back down to 5 if you find you are feeling dizzy or otherwise unwell. While a systolic of 90 - 120 is fine (and some people normally run in the 80's with no problem), people who are hypertensive do not always tolerate the lower range. Be guided by how you feel. Would be a good idea to avoid driving for a few days while testing out the higher dose, until you are sure that you tolerate it OK.

[wileycoyote]

I've ben advised to take 1 small folic acid tablet a day- no side effects but folic acid helps break down homocysteine .

Wiley Coyote

[kayaker]

Am 32 don't smoke, don't drink, eat fresh food, no coffee, no sugary drinks, no fatty meat, lots of veg and my bp is still 140-150 / 70. Seems sometimes it doesn't matter what you do!! Oh and I get plenty of excercise. Even tried fasting, heard that just drinking water for a week can clear your system up and get your blood pressure down. It didn't! Am worried as history of heart trouble in the family and dad just had a heart attack, despite the fact that he too lives a reletively healthy lifestyle, very similar to mine!

[PeaceBlondie]

Folic acid is one of the drugs I've been on since my stroke in May.

Sheryl, I'll try to cut down the caffeine intake, but if I do, my narcolepsy/ADD will kick in and tempt me to increase my occasional dosage of Ritalin/Rubifen. I know that carbonated beverages of all types eat away at soft tooth enamel; I lost all my teeth that way! Also, I've started drinking a nightcap of 200 ml of sparkling red wine. As always, thanks for the advice, Sheryl.

[TheChiefJustice]

Am 32 don't smoke, don't drink, eat fresh food, no coffee, no sugary drinks, no fatty meat, lots of veg and my bp is still 140-150 / 70. Seems sometimes it doesn't matter what you do!! Oh and I get plenty of excercise. Even tried fasting, heard that just drinking water for a week can clear your system up and get your blood pressure down. It didn't! Am worried as history of heart trouble in the family and dad just had a heart attack, despite the fact that he too lives a reletively healthy lifestyle, very similar to mine!

Where do you get your BP numbers from? Are these home readings or are they taken at the hospital. My BP was always quite high when taken at the hospital so I was asked to see a cardiologist. He told me to monitor my BP at home for one month, at various times of the day, and them come back to him with the results, as well as the BP monitor I used (he recommended a good one for me). At home, my readings ranged from 90/55 to 130/75 or so, with an average of around 115/70. Stressful days did show higher readings, but nothing as high as the readings I was getting at the hospital. When I went back to the cardiologist after one month, he looks at the results and then asked me to show him how I had been taking my BP with the BP monitor over the last month. I took a reading exactly as I had done every day for the last month and it came up at 160/90. He then took the reading with his own instrument, confirmed that the reading from my BP monitor was accurate and then told me I had nothing to be concerned about. In future, he advised me that there is no need for me to have my BP taken when coming to the hospital for any normal check ups etc.

So, that is why I am wondering whether your reading was taken at home or at the hospital.

[Sheryl]

Folic acid is one of the drugs I've been on since my stroke in May.

Sheryl, I'll try to cut down the caffeine intake, but if I do, my narcolepsy/ADD will kick in and tempt me to increase my occasional dosage of Ritalin/Rubifen. I know that carbonated beverages of all types eat away at soft tooth enamel; I lost all my teeth that way! Also, I've started drinking a nightcap of 200 ml of sparkling red wine. As always, thanks for the advice, Sheryl.

Blondie,

Sorry, didn't realize you had ADD/narcolepsy. Thought the high Pepsi intake was just an idiosyncrasy.

In your particular case the caffeine is probably the lesser of the evils. As you may know, Ritalin and related meds can cause or aggravate high BP, in fact hypertension is considered a contraindication to them, altho of course in some cases they just have to be given anyhow.

So drink up, if it helps keep you off (or on as little as necessary) of those meds!

[lopburi3]

Believe he is also drinking Pepsi Max (not the real stuff) which probably is a lot less problem for his teeth than sugar filled Pepsi.

[kayaker]

Results have come from home. Was a little concerned after my dad had a heart attack, so I got myself a reliable brand blood pressure monitor. So far have only been further worried. At the hospital my readings are normally 140/80 but they keep telling me that's normal. At home the readings have always been 140-150/70-90. I don't feel bad, my chest is tight sometimes if I really push myself but in general no problems. Also worried about an article i read about enlarged hearts!!!! At the risk of sounding like a hypocondriac do you think is a problem?

[buffcoat]

I have been on tablets for years and will have to stay with them till I kick the bucket.

Good news is that high BP takes a long time to do damage so you have a lead time to identify and deal with it.

There are various factors that give rise to it an various factors that can help.

Everyone is different.If you are concerned then the only way to allay your concern is to go to a professional for a total check.

[TheChiefJustice]

Results have come from home. Was a little concerned after my dad had a heart attack, so I got myself a reliable brand blood pressure monitor. So far have only been further worried. At the hospital my readings are normally 140/80 but they keep telling me that's normal. At home the readings have always been 140-150/70-90. I don't feel bad, my chest is tight sometimes if I really push myself but in general no problems. Also worried about an article i read about enlarged hearts!!!! At the risk of sounding like a hypocondriac do you think is a problem?

For home readings, these readings are a bit high. I would advise you see a cardiologist to find out if you have high blood pressure. They may advise a 24 hour monitor to get a better idea of your BP readings over a longer period. Certainly does not hurt to check.

Edited September 7, 2007 by TheChiefJustice

[lopburi3]

Take your meter to the hospital and use both and check that it reads correctly (you make your own check using your meter and have them also make a check). Most of us have "white coat" higher blood pressure in a hospital setting. Mine was 153/80 earlier this week (dentist), immediately after return home was 130/70 and next day at home, same time, was normal 114/66.