Blood Pressure Medication

[nonthaburial]

I started a high profile job in China a year ago, to get the required residence / work permits here I had to undergo a very extensive medical examination.

At that time I was told that my blood pressure was on the high side and was advised to take medication if it got worse. Well a year on and I feel the problem is getting worse with the occasional headaches, I am prepared to take medication but am loathe to visit a Chinese hospital for an examination only to be told what I know already.

I am not putting myself on the shooting gallery to be told by all and sundry that I need a medical blah blah blah, all I am asking is, does anyone know of medication that can help and can I buy it over the counter at a reputable chemists in Hong kong where I intend to visit this weekend. Many thanks

[Old Croc]

High blood pressure needs to be managed. Not every medication works for, or is even safe for, every sufferer. Many drugs are not compatable with other medications you may be taking.

Under a doctor's direction, I tried many treatments without much result for years before my BP was brought down to reasonable levels. I now take 4 different drugs to achieve this.

You know my recommendation.

[meatboy]

i was the same as you couldnt be bothered until one day i felt rearly bad went to my gp.blood pre.240/100 critical level,was put on medication 4years later major heart surgery,dont ignore the warning signs,get yourself a blood pressure machine widely available.if you want to know the warning signs i will post mine.

[Gary A]

When I retired in Thailand, I was on three different blood pressure drugs and a blood thinner. My blood pressure was NOT under control. Not only that, I felt bad every day. I was telling a good friend about my problem and he insisted that I go to see his heart doctor. I don't remember the doctor's name but he was at Bangkok Pattaya Hospital.

The doctor gave me a brief examination and asked what medication I was taking. I had brought the drugs with me and gave them to him. He took a look and said nothing but I could tell he wasn't happy with those drugs. He said nothing about the US doctor but said I would be better off to throw them away. He prescribed a 20mg Anapril ACE inhibitor and a baby aspirin a day. He wanted me to come back in a week to see him again. Within a few days I felt great and when I went back to the doctor, he checked my blood pressure and told me it was fine.

My US health insurance covered drugs. Sounds good, right? It wasn't good! I had a co-payment of $20 for each prescription for a total of $80 a month. Here in Thailand, the Anapril costs me about 300 baht for 100 foil wrapped tablets. Baby aspirins are cheap too.

I would never advise anyone to be their own doctor. I was amazed that my blood pressure was controlled with one little pill and an inexpensive pill at that. I live upcountry but fairly often go down to Jomtien. There is a drug store just off of Beach Road on Soi Chaiyapruk. I bought a box of Anpril there and he charged me 265 baht. That is a great place to buy all your medications.

[Kalbo]

i was the same as you couldnt be bothered until one day i felt rearly bad went to my gp.blood pre.240/100 critical level,was put on medication 4years later major heart surgery,dont ignore the warning signs,get yourself a blood pressure machine widely available.if you want to know the warning signs i will post mine.

While I can't speak for anyone else, I'd be very interested in hearing what warning signs there were. Thanks

[meatboy]

i was the same as you couldnt be bothered until one day i felt rearly bad went to my gp.blood pre.240/100 critical level,was put on medication 4years later major heart surgery,dont ignore the warning signs,get yourself a blood pressure machine widely available.if you want to know the warning signs i will post mine.

While I can't speak for anyone else, I'd be very interested in hearing what warning signs there were. Thanks

i had a high profile job wich included looking after celebs.working all hours,quite stressfull,first i wasnt sleeping well,then one evening i went to bed and started to shiver,there were flashing in front of my eyes something which i hadnt had before,mrs meat phoned out of hrs.nhs.uk.explained to centre they said a doc.would call back shortly,2hrs later i told them not to bother.i have already said about my bp.this was next morn.warning signs,stress,heavy feeling in my arm left side,unable to walk after food,tightness in the chest,fighting to get my breath when excited,i was lucky to see a private doc.diagnosis,leaking valve, blocked hearterieswas put on 6diff tabs,after 4years i got to see a heart surgeon told me they had to operate within 4months,8hr op.new aorta valve and a double by pass,i now have to take,3tabs to control bp and the heart beat,amlodipine,perindopril and bisoprosol,warfarin to control my blood,and statins to keep my colestral in check,you know your own body so if you think your not right get it checked.being 40plus kilos overwheight i was my own worst enemy liked a drink and i used to eat anything.

[VocalNeal]

i was the same as you couldnt be bothered until one day i felt rearly bad went to my gp.blood pre.240/100 critical level,was put on medication 4years later major heart surgery,dont ignore the warning signs,get yourself a blood pressure machine widely available.if you want to know the warning signs i will post mine.

While I can't speak for anyone else, I'd be very interested in hearing what warning signs there were. Thanks

General feeling of being unwell, can't sleep, heart-rate high.

All private hospitals have blood pressure monitors ask to have a check.

BTW DIY Monitors are available for 1500 Baht.

[IMA_FARANG]

I am currently taking a drug for my high blood pressure. It was prescribed for me by a doctor in Greece where I was working at the time.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you attempt to take any high blood pressure medication without seeing a doctor and having him/her prescribe a blood pressure medicine for you. Even then you have to be monitored when you start taking that prescibed medication for any possible bad results. Most of the drugs are safe, but it simply is impossible for even a well trained and experienced doctor to be totally certain how any individual will react to any drug, blood pressure medication included.

So your first rule should be...see a dctor and have a checkup. Let the doctor decide what drug(s)you need. The doctor will also give some sound advice about "life style" modification. Most likely you won't like what he/she tells you...and will say you "can't be bothered" because your "too busy" for all that. I did, and that attitude eventually put me in the hospital for a week. It was a wake-up lesson.

I know you probably don't want to hear all this stuff, in fact you said so in your original post. I don't want to preach, I'm just telling you what happened to me and what I had to learn myself.

[puuchai299]

You may want to take a look at this also,a friend of mine had a mass stroke at the age of 32,caused by un managed blood pressure,

http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/guide/hypertension-high-blood-pressure-stroke

[meatboy]

when i look at the discription what i take to control my bp.before my op i was on 5diff.ones monitored twice a week till they found the right ones,now perindopril is used to control my bp and reduce the risks of cardiac events,they also work by widening the blood vessels so the heart can pump blood through them,bisoprolol is used to control bp and cardiac heart muscles so it helps you receive the right amount of oxygen,amlodipine which also treats bp they belong to a group of medicines called calcium antagonists they relax the blood vessels so that blood can pass through them more easily, so you might think these 3 all do the same job but that is wrong they all work together as one,so to try and control bp by buying over the counter is a recipe for danger.

[Kalbo]

i had a high profile job wich included looking after celebs.working all hours,quite stressfull,first i wasnt sleeping well,then one evening i went to bed and started to shiver,there were flashing in front of my eyes something which i hadnt had before,mrs meat phoned out of hrs.nhs.uk.explained to centre they said a doc.would call back shortly,2hrs later i told them not to bother.i have already said about my bp.this was next morn.warning signs,stress,heavy feeling in my arm left side,unable to walk after food,tightness in the chest,fighting to get my breath when excited,i was lucky to see a private doc.diagnosis,leaking valve, blocked hearterieswas put on 6diff tabs,after 4years i got to see a heart surgeon told me they had to operate within 4months,8hr op.new aorta valve and a double by pass,i now have to take,3tabs to control bp and the heart beat,amlodipine,perindopril and bisoprosol,warfarin to control my blood,and statins to keep my colestral in check,you know your own body so if you think your not right get it checked.being 40plus kilos overwheight i was my own worst enemy liked a drink and i used to eat anything.

Thanks for that. Forgive me for being nosey, but how old are you ?

My own story is that I was going through an unbelievably stressful period at work around mid 2008 (age 40), and developed a general feeling of being unwell.No symptoms as you described, just general fatigue, with a lot of 'fuzz' going on in my head.I got checked up, and blood pressure was 172/90 on the first occasion, 168/92 about 2 weeks later. I was put on amlodipine and told to get my act sorted out or I'll be on meds forever.

3 years later, I no longer smoke, am 8 kgs lighter and eat a whole lot healthier and bumped up my exercise regime. I am no longer on any medication, and my BP this morning was 122/68. (usually in the 130's/ 70's)

All I need to do now is to keep all this up for the next few decades

[meatboy]

hi kalbo i was 57 when i realised things were not right i thought it was part of getting old,worked down the coal mines 20years on the coal face and roadways bloody hard work,never smoked in my life but abused my body after grafting down the pit you looked forward to the weekends,plenty booze,chinese,indian currys,pies,chips and this was all hours of the night you never think it will happen to you.i was 62 when i had surgery,now i feel wonderful, living in thailand helps, i suffered bad with athritus,hands, neck ,shoulders, knees only once the last couple of years have i had any pain,and that i put down doing too much in the garden.

[backstairs]

I was diagnosed with essential hypertension at the age of 25. Finally in Asia ten years later the Singapore doctor sent me for lots of tests and put me on a beta blocker. 25 years on and I am fine. My BP is normal. There are many new drugs out now but several docs say to me, 'It works for you, dont change.' So go see a DOc. Then take his advice on which one to use. And can you ask him if it is ok to use it with the occasional Cialis? I would like to know.

[Phil Conners]

While I can't speak for anyone else, I'd be very interested in hearing what warning signs there were. Thanks

While there may be warning signs, most often there are none, hence the term "the silent killer". Suggest you get a test, and get started on treatment asap if you have high blood pressure.

[Honkytowner]

High BP can be caused by a variety of different conditions. One of the most common is Metabolic Syndrome [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_syndrome ]. If this applies in your case, you might only need a simple and cheap diuretic, such as thiazide. See: http://www.nih.gov/news/health/jan2008/nhlbi-28.htm.

Having said that, I echo what others have advised: Do get a proper medical assessment of your condition from a doctor before you attempt to self-medicate!

[tim armstrong]

High BP can be caused by a variety of different conditions. One of the most common is Metabolic Syndrome [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_syndrome ]. If this applies in your case, you might only need a simple and cheap diuretic, such as thiazide. See: http://www.nih.gov/news/health/jan2008/nhlbi-28.htm.

Having said that, I echo what others have advised: Do get a proper medical assessment of your condition from a doctor before you attempt to self-medicate!

Yes, agree with everyone else. Do not self medicate. You are probably not 18 and invincible anymore so take heed of all the good advice. Think about this one - if you die from a sudden stroke or heart condition that could have been prevented by medication, how will that go down with those close to you ? See a doctor.

[Bagwan]

After complaining of generally feeling unwell and discovering that my systolic pressure was 185 mg my doctor prescribed Fortzaar which is not at all expensive and can be obtained without prescription. 48 hours later my blood pressure was 118/78 and has remained at a comfortable and safe pressure for the three months since. I have helped the process along by at long last given up smoking (only took me 60 years!) ate more fruit and vegetables, and walked around a lot. I have been taking Simvastatin for 5 years so that my cholesterol levels are very good.