Blood Pressure

[the big fella]

Am booked back for a round up with the consultant in a few weeks, I know I'm over weight and at risk which is why I booked the private check up. They took blood as well and run liver, kidney and a few other checks. I know diet and exercise is the answer just want to hear it from a specialist.

I'm not a Doctor and i don't want to frighten you , but i'd be very surprised if any Doctor would recommend exercise with the 98 on your reading, if however you are OW you seriously need to look at your diet and lifestyle once you reach 50 it's a different ball game.

If you are 50 or over I'd strongly advise getting regular checks every 6-12mths even If you've never had a day off sick, In fact especially If you've never had a day off sick.

You don't need to go private with It any local GP will check you out for free.

[PickleB]

I'm not a Doctor and i don't want to frighten you , but i'd be very surprised if any Doctor would recommend exercise with the 98 on your reading, if however you are OW you seriously need to look at your diet and lifestyle once you reach 50 it's a different ball game.

If you are 50 or over I'd strongly advise getting regular checks every 6-12mths even If you've never had a day off sick, In fact especially If you've never had a day off sick.

You don't need to go private with It any local GP will check you out for free.

What I understand from justin44's posts are that his problem was detected at a full check-up (private?) and he has been referred to a consultant. I presume that the doctor responsible for the check-up has already given him advice on life-style, diet etc. The consultant will be able give him more detailed information about cause, prognosis, treatment options etc. The only doubt I have is going away (flying, I presume) for "two weeks in the Maldives" before seeing the consultant. I'd ask advice about that, but he may already have done so.

Just a little background about my experience. The GP told me my BP was borderline high and offered me the opportunity to start medication. I chose not to take drugs for the rest of my life and lost a stone and a half in weight. A couple of years later I had a major heart attack, an out of hospital cardiac arrest, was fitted with 4 stents...and survived because my treatment (NHS) was swift and the best. I was lucky. Looking back on it I should have started the medication when it was first offered.

[higham5]

Before taking medication long term buying your own monitor and testing yourself over a period of time is sometimes a good idea.

Plus 1 for this advice, you wouldnt drive a car without a speedo, BP goes up and down with various things. I like a few on here have white coat syndrome. I recorded 145 in surgery , 120 when I get hone. Omron make numerous units for £20 to £40. Dont buy a super cheap one it may cause you more grief.
Used mine to work out what makes you get high readings , now use it 3 to 4 times a week.

Two big donts, dont take BP After alcohol it will be sky high, wear loose clothing, even a shirt cuff pulled up will create false results, plus feet on the floor etc listed above.

Good luck and hope you manage it well

[PipPip]

I took three readings yesterday 150/91, 137/87 140/80(all before 10pm) I'll fill in the chart and try to build up a picture, not convinced I need medication.

Similar position to me. My readings are quite variable but never higher than 140/92 and never lower than 125/78. I've been monitoring mine for 10 years and the overall average has been 130/84 for the whole time regardless of weight, diet or exercise. When I lived in Paris the doctor tested me just once and immediately put me on beta blockers. These dropped my BP to 120/75 but made me fall asleep at my desk a lot so I stopped them. My GP here in the UK says as long as I track it and there is no sign of it increasing over time I can carry on without medicine. I hardly ever drink, don't smoke, don't carry much extra weight and cycle 60 to 100 miles a week which I think is why they haven't given me medicine.

[Snowdon]

What I understand from justin44's posts are that his problem was detected at a full check-up (private?) and he has been referred to a consultant. I presume that the doctor responsible for the check-up has already given him advice on life-style, diet etc. The consultant will be able give him more detailed information about cause, prognosis, treatment options etc. The only doubt I have is going away (flying, I presume) for "two weeks in the Maldives" before seeing the consultant. I'd ask advice about that, but he may already have done so.

Just a little background about my experience. The GP told me my BP was borderline high and offered me the opportunity to start medication. I chose not to take drugs for the rest of my life and lost a stone and a half in weight. A couple of years later I had a major heart attack, an out of hospital cardiac arrest, was fitted with 4 stents...and survived because my treatment (NHS) was swift and the best. I was lucky. Looking back on it I should have started the medication when it was first offered.

Wow. May I ask if any deficit remains after your cardiac arrest...? You are very lucky to have survived at all. OOHCA has very low survival rates

The conversation about BP is very interesting for me because this is something that is drilled into us at medical school. And even more so during our GP placements. Fairly large drops in BP are possible by lifestyle changes alone - better diet, less salt, more exercise, stopping smoking, reducing or cutting out alcohol, less stress etc. If you need medication and are prescribed it, definitely take it. My mum didn't take hers as prescribed and it accelerated the demise of her kidneys. She was always going to get kidney failure because of a genetic condition she has (and that I don't have, thankfully, in case you were wondering) but not controlling her BP just made the end of her kidneys come that much quicker.

I wish good health and happiness to all at TZ!

[Snowdon]

Similar position to me. My readings are quite variable but never higher than 140/92 and never lower than 125/78. I've been monitoring mine for 10 years and the overall average has been 130/84 for the whole time regardless of weight, diet or exercise. When I lived in Paris the doctor tested me just once and immediately put me on beta blockers. These dropped my BP to 120/75 but made me fall asleep at my desk a lot so I stopped them. My GP here in the UK says as long as I track it and there is no sign of it increasing over time I can carry on without medicine. I hardly ever drink, don't smoke, don't carry much extra weight and cycle 60 to 100 miles a week which I think is why they haven't given me medicine.

Beta blockers are a very strange choice as a first line anti hypertensive. Was it prescribed for high BP or some other thing? Either way, I am not surprised it slowed you down. As someone who cycles that much, I imagine your resting heart rate is low to begin with. The BB will have lowered it even more..

[PipPip]

Beta blockers are a very strange choice as a first line anti hypertensive. Was it prescribed for high BP or some other thing? Either way, I am not surprised it slowed you down. As someone who cycles that much, I imagine your resting heart rate is low to begin with. The BB will have lowered it even more..

It was just for the high blood pressure. Strange French medical system does seem to use sledgehammers to crack nuts. I had a full heart ultrasound test at the time as part of medical examination and aged 38 they said my heart strength was typical of a 25 year old male. My resting heart rate is 56.

[Snowdon]

It was just for the high blood pressure. Strange French medical system does seem to use sledgehammers to crack nuts. I had a full heart ultrasound test at the time as part of medical examination and aged 38 they said my heart strength was typical of a 25 year old male. My resting heart rate is 56.

Very strange. In the UK, BB are not really used for their anti hypertensive properties because there are so many better options available. They have their place for other problems, of course, and are very useful.

[PickleB]

Wow. May I ask if any deficit remains after your cardiac arrest...? You are very lucky to have survived at all. OOHCA has very low survival rates.
...

I was fortunate in that my OOHCA was in the back of an ambulance. The GP has already dosed me up with clopidogrel and GTN. When I came to, they told me they were trying to contact the hospital for permission to up the energy...but couldn't get through. I have to hope that they would have done it anyway.

Ultrasound did show some damage, but remarkably little, all things considered. My last ECG showed as normal. The hospital has discharged me and so I'm only subject to annual checks at my GP's surgery.

[PipPip]

Very strange. In the UK, BB are not really used for their anti hypertensive properties because there are so many better options available. They have their place for other problems, of course, and are very useful.

Interesting and makes me glad I stopped using them after a few weeks. I had 6 months worth in the cupboard (another French approach - fill your home with pharmaceuticals!) and ended up binning the lot.

Edit, just remembered what the drugs were, they are called Lopressor (Metoprolol Tartrate).

[bigvic]

Fairly large drops in BP are possible by lifestyle changes alone - better diet, less salt, more exercise, stopping smoking, reducing or cutting out alcohol, less stress etc.!

From the start of Spring to the end of summer my BP drops significantly due to increased exercise (longer dog walks as one of my dogs is afraid of the dark and won't walk when the nights draw in!) less alcohol (mainly drink during the football season) and a big change to my diet with salads almost every day!
I amost overdid it a few years back, I lost two stone but kept taking my BP drugs and ended up in A&E after passing out with low BP! How stupid am I!?

[Christian]

Quick question - does taking BP medication affect travel insurance etc?

[sundial]

Quick question - does taking BP medication affect travel insurance etc?

Depends on the terms and conditions and whether a traveller is obliged to declare all medications … 'utmost good faith' is one of the fundamental principles of an insurance contract which an insured needs to adhere to i.e. declare all relevant information in accordance with the insurance contract … so if in doubt, read the small print and/or ask the insurance co. or broker or travel agent.

dunk

[robcuk]

Quick question - does taking BP medication affect travel insurance etc?

Depends on the policy, ours allows you to be on one BP medication only FOC, as long as it's declared, more than one medication means a medical review and, of course, an additional premium.

[xellos99]

Lots of info on the net; 24 hour blood pressure monitor...you might also Google that term. If you then select Images you'll see plenty of pictures of various makes of kit, but most seem to use a standard inflatable cuff held up by friction.

its nothing to worry about. you only need too worry when they start putting radioactive stuff in you

[wildheart]

Here's the update on my own situation, I came off the med's other than Kalms. I returned to the Dr this week, blood pressure measured at 143/81, he's happy for me to try and reduce this further using diet and exercise. Which is good news, I will take two readings a week at home and will take my chart in in three months time. My cholesterol is at 6 which he wants lowered and my prostate is border line what ever that means? I'm just getting old!
I meditate every morning for 15 minutes which seems to help, he wants another blood test next week. Ho hum!

[PickleB]

Not really for the OP as he's already taking advice from his GP, but others may be interested: 6 things you need to know about high blood pressure .

[chicaneuk]

I'm 35, 6ft tall and only weigh about 11 stone.. so pretty thin. Not very active at all, but I walk to work 2-4 times a week depending on the weather (3 mile round trip) and don't eat ridiculously at all. I have a very sedentary desk job. Don't smoke. Drink a little bit but nowhere near excessive - maybe a 5 measures of whisky a week.

My blood pressure for some reason is always all over the place but after a break and not checking it for a while, I picked up a better quality machine today and am slightly horrified to be taking readings evening at 150/110 this evening. The systolic value isn't great, but the diastolic value is ridiculous.

I'd say I might need to start eating better, but am so thin already I'm not sure I can afford to start losing weight? Suffer from crazy amounts of anxiety and worrying about things so pretty sure this is complicating things. I think it's back to the doctors ASAP next week as clearly I need to start getting a handle on this now and to try and understand the underlying causes here.

[Snowdon]

I'm sure the GP will arrange all necessary investigations to try to find out the cause of your high BP. It may be that you are diagnosed with "essential hypertension" where no underlying cause is found. Maybe they will find a cause (secondary hypertension). Who knows

You're in the best position lifestyle wise though which is good. If you were leading a grossly unhealthy lifestyle, you'd be in a worse position now

[deepreddave]

Had a TIA two months ago in the firm of an Amaurosis Fugax. Immediately onto meds to reduce blood pressure, cholesterol and a statin without any base testing. Heart tests and scans all done and show nothing so pushing for an appointment to come off meds though think clopidogrel may be advisable longer term. I paid for a cholesterol test at Sainsbury as always been in before and now 2.5/1.4 so probably less than 4 pre meds. Bought a blood pressure monitor as an just turned 50 so seemed a good idea, averaging 125/78 so looking to increase daily exercise again now to come off meds in due course. Always healthy in the past, bmi 22 non smoker and occasionally drink but weeks without. Bolt from the blue to say the least but definitely makes you think!

[wildheart]

Had a TIA two months ago in the firm of an Amaurosis Fugax. Immediately onto meds to reduce blood pressure, cholesterol and a statin without any base testing. Heart tests and scans all done and show nothing so pushing for an appointment to come off meds though think clopidogrel may be advisable longer term. I paid for a cholesterol test at Sainsbury as always been in before and now 2.5/1.4 so probably less than 4 pre meds. Bought a blood pressure monitor as an just turned 50 so seemed a good idea, averaging 125/78 so looking to increase daily exercise again now to come off meds in due course. Always healthy in the past, bmi 22 non smoker and occasionally drink but weeks without. Bolt from the blue to say the least but definitely makes you think!

Good luck with your recovery, proves its not always the obvious that makes us very ill.
Excerise is a massive to our well being as is peace of mind and contentment.

[deepreddave]

Good luck with your recovery, proves its not always the obvious that makes us very ill.
Excerise is a massive to our well being as is peace of mind and contentment.

Thanks. More regular daily exercise is the thing for me to improve as it's easy to overlook with an office based job. Gardening in the sun, rain and snow today though!

[wildheart]

I went on to Ramipril a fortnight ago after months of fighting to get the bottom figure down. Now 136/86 my weight is constant at 87.0kg. I'm still dong very low carb. No side effects with the drug other than the dry throat.

[mondie]

Another sufferer here, I take 5mg of Rampril a day and all's good. My family has good genes, no history of cancer or heart problems etc but we did get high BP. I exercise about 10hrs a week and I found diet or exercise did little to change my BP so have accepted I am on pills for the long term.

[Andyg]

Just measured mine as I had a scare a few years ago.

At the age of 52, it was measured at 165 and 102 (I weighted 103kg)

Today (about 5 minutes ago) at 56,it measured 133 and 78 (I now weigh 80.7kg).

No drugs were involved. For me it was all about exercise and diet.

[GOAT]

I was on Ramipril for a couple of years until I got "the" cough- truly nasty. Then swapped over to Candesartan at the lowest possible dose and been fine since.
I've been a marginal case for treatment for years , shift work hasn't helped...

[Andrzej]

At the age of 52, it was measured at 165 and 102 (I weighted 103kg)

Today (about 5 minutes ago) at 56,it measured 133 and 78 (I now weigh 80.7kg). No drugs were involved. For me it was all about exercise and diet.

I posted on this thread back in March that I am on Amlodopine and Atenolol. One of the dosages has been halved since I went from 90 kilos to 77/78. With the weight loss I have also been encouraged to start exercising again, so now doing the local weekly 5km Park runs.

[Andyg]

I posted on this thread back in March that I am on Amlodopine and Atenolol. One of the dosages has been halved since I went from 90 kilos to 77/78. With the weight loss I have also been encouraged to start exercising again, so now doing the local weekly 5km Park runs.

Great stuff. For me (i hate running) it's 3km on the rower and 100 sit ups.

Now looking forward to my Roast Sunday Lunch, which is about 33% smaller than it used to be.

[TerryT]

I tried amlodipine for high BP, it brought it down a little but not enough.
The GP doubled the dose, it reduced my BP, however my ankles and legs became very swollen and painful.

He then prescribed Lisinopril, I've been using that for a couple of months. At first It seemed OK with no side effects, unfortunately new side effects have appeared, these are,
a dry cough, headaches, joint pains, swollen ankles and feet.

Back to see the GP later this week.

[jegger]

Up to about 3 months ago my BP was very high, around 160/89.

I went on a crazy diet, cut out all sugar apart from fruit, no flour/pasta, lost 3 stone and now my BP is around 127/74. 17 stone to 14.
Not sure if it was more the weight loss or the no sugar that did it but the end result has lowered my BP.

I've now started eating all food groups again, hoping my weight and BP doesn't go up again.

Anyone explain why it's recommended to take 3 readings, 1 min apart as I've noticed my BP does read lower and can be quite a bit on the 2nd/3rd reading.


Though, when the Doctor/nurse has ever taken my BP they only take one reading.

[PickleB]

The only reason I can think of for taking multiple readings is to ensure that you're sufficiently relaxed after having put on the cuff etc. I don't suppose that many of us sit there for 5 mins or so before taking a reading. Taking more than one should ensure that your BP has a chance to fall to a stable level and that you're not recording an unnecessarily high result.

Doctors and nurses will take more than one reading if the first is not in the range they're expecting.

[jegger]

The only reason I can think of for taking multiple readings is to ensure that you're sufficiently relaxed after having put on the cuff etc. I don't suppose that many of us sit there for 5 mins or so before taking a reading. Taking more than one should ensure that your BP has a chance to fall to a stable level and that you're not recording an unnecessarily high result.

Doctors and nurses will take more than one reading if the first is not in the range they're expecting.

Thanks, that makes sense.

In my experience, nurses only made a comment at most, the odd 1 would try the other arm. No multiple readings.
I was in hospital on an unrelated issue, had my BP taken at least 3 times a day, recorded, most times the comment was made my BP was high, no action taken, no information given, no mention of it from the doctor.

I bought a reader when I left hospital and took action myself.

[wookie]

Nope...there are not (AFAIK) any age, height or weight parameters for adults.

As for what is being measured the NHS explain it here: link:

Blood pressure is measured in millimetres of mercury (mmHg) and is recorded as two figures:

• systolic pressure – the pressure of the blood when your heart beats to pump blood out

• diastolic pressure – the pressure of the blood when your heart rests in between beats, which reflects how strongly your arteries are resisting blood flow

For my own purposes I made these notes (NB For anything above normal BP the upper bound is the highest reading that fits the associated description):

Normal
daytime	< 135 / < 85 mm Hg
nightime	< 120 / < 70 mm Hg at night
Levels above
during the day	140 / 90 mm Hg
at night	125 / 75 mm Hg
…should be considered as abnormal

upper bounds	sys	dia	category
eek!	≥ 180	≥ 110	hypertensive emergency
too high	180	110	hypertension - stage 2
high	160	100	hypertension - stage 1
raised	140	90	prehypertension
normal	120	80	desired
low	90	60	hypotension (low BP)

I collapsed in the shower last year and felt pretty sick for 5 or 6 days until my wife finally persuaded me to go to hospital, They took my blood pressure straight away which turned out to be 234/140, spent the next 7 days in hospital.
looking at your post may I suggest an extra catergory for people like me called Hypertensive Apocalypse

It came out of the blue too, blood pressure checked by my doctor 3 months before collapse which was very reasonable for a 50 year old smoker at 123/77 and still no explanation for the sudden BP problems.
I take Lisinopril and amlodipine daily and suffer the painful feet thing but my blood pressure is back to pretty much what it was before the collapse although to be honest I still don't feel as physically strong as I did before all this happened.
wook

[wildheart]

I collapsed in the shower last year and felt pretty sick for 5 or 6 days until my wife finally persuaded me to go to hospital, They took my blood pressure straight away which turned out to be 234/140, spent the next 7 days in hospital.
looking at your post may I suggest an extra catergory for people like me called Hypertensive Apocalypse

It came out of the blue too, blood pressure checked by my doctor 3 months before collapse which was very reasonable for a 50 year old smoker at 123/77 and still no explanation for the sudden BP problems.
I take Lisinopril and amlodipine daily and suffer the painful feet thing but my blood pressure is back to pretty much what it was before the collapse although to be honest I still don't feel as physically strong as I did before all this happened.
wook

I think this proves that all of us over 50 need to take regular health checks. Whether it’s for BP or prostate regular blood tests can save lives and don’t take very long.Even if you don’t see the GP keep taking the blood tests.J

[sundial]

Diet can help to maintain normal blood pressure. A bowl of porridge daily especially with added oat bran (oat bran is soluble fibre) will help maintain normal blood pressure and also lower cholesterol levels. I add nuts and whole fruits to porridge - whole fruits including the skins / peel (if edible) made into a 'smoothie' … and nuts include chopped avocado stone and mango kernels (just the mango kernel - not the husk). And fruit juice instead of milk with porridge. I chop a mixture of various nuts and seeds in a Kenwood chopper every morning - just a few of each to make a 25% (ish) by volume porridge mix. The fruit smoothie mix including the skins can be anything e.g. whole clementine or half an orange, whole Kiwi (including skin), fresh pineapple (including the core but not the skin), passion fruit pulp/seed and half a whole lime (lime and passion fruit gives the mix a good 'tang' ) … also banana … latter can be sliced complete with skin and microwaved for a very tasty 'whole banana' snack … dip each microwaved slice of banana into the prepared smoothie. But everything in moderation and don't overdo it. Some may be surprised at the suggestion to eat banana skin but it's delicious when cooked (microwaved) as whole banana slices - and very nutritious. Yesterday I cut a large avocado in half for lunch and was surprised to find it had an enormous stone (egg size) which weighed 120g. Most people discard the stone - I cut it into pieces and then this morning was chopped in the Kenwood chopper with other nuts. There are more nutrients in the avocado stone than in the flesh. Beats all the fry-ups and chips. Maintaining low cholesterol promotes an efficient cardiovascular system.

dunk

[Fschwep]

Most of my life I was at about 120/80 or 130/80. No problem there. I am now approaching 60 (59 next weekend) and more recently, my pressure has lowered to about 110/70. How? No medication. I love liquorice, which is available by the ton in the Netherlands where I lived. I now live in France where the stuff is not sold much, so my consumption has gone from about a kilo per week to maybe two kilos per annum (usually after a visit to family in the Netherlands, when I stock up and eat it all during the first two weeks or so after my return). Liquorice is known to boost blood pressure. So that's just an example of how a siple lifestyle change can lower your BP without any need for medication. The goal of Big Pharma is to sell us as much medicines as possible, and convincing us that we have 'new found' or 'newly defined' conditions is an effective way to sell poison (which most medicines actually are) to millions of people who never knew they had a 'disease' and would not have died a day earlier from it - but who may die earlier from the side effects of stuff they take every day, and from the side effects of the drugs they take to counter the side effects of the first, and gain other drugs to counter the side effects of... et cetera. Like it was said in an article linked by another poster, the goal of the industry is not to heal us, but to treat us. Healing us would mean we would no longer need treatment, so selling us stuff that does not work (or not wll enough) is good business.
My dad died recently at the age of almost 90, two months after his wife died. We emptied the pharmacy cabinets of both: about 10 kilos of drugs for my mother and just a box of aspirins for my dad. He never used any drugs, had superb heart/lung condition. He did not eat excessively, did not smoke, was not a heavy drinker during the last decades of his life, and has always been a 'recreative' sportsman who jogged at a leasurely pace, skated, swam, never to win competitions but just because he liked to move. Everything with moderation, keeping physically active, seems to be a good strategy. Avoiding industrial foods full of salt and preservatives (not to mention remains of pesticides) seems to help, too. Before you succumb to the use of drugs, unless your values are truly sky-high at the 'Eek, I'm about to die right now' level, better see if a lifestyle change will work instead.

[sundial]

Most of my life I was at about 120/80 or 130/80. No problem there. I am now approaching 60 (59 next weekend) and more recently, my pressure has lowered to about 110/70. How? No medication. I love liquorice, which is available by the ton in the Netherlands where I lived. I now live in France where the stuff is not sold much, so my consumption has gone from about a kilo per week to maybe two kilos per annum (usually after a visit to family in the Netherlands, when I stock up and eat it all during the first two weeks or so after my return). Liquorice is known to boost blood pressure. So that's just an example of how a siple lifestyle change can lower your BP without any need for medication. … Everything with moderation, keeping physically active, seems to be a good strategy. Avoiding industrial foods full of salt and preservatives (not to mention remains of pesticides) seems to help, too. Before you succumb to the use of drugs, unless your values are truly sky-high at the 'Eek, I'm about to die right now' level, better see if a lifestyle change will work instead.

Yes, liquorice is known to increase hypertension; there are lots of herbal teas available which include liquorice but they all have warnings printed on the packets advising those coping with hypertension / high blood pressure not to consume the tea to excess.

dunk

[patrick]

After taking Enalapril given by my GP after a farce of a blood pressure test I’d been experimenting with different natural remedies,exercise and relaxation techniques which worked for a while,but after a couple of highish readings I panicked and went back on the Enalapril with all its side effects. The last few months I've been trying Melatonin and luckily it seems to be working.This morning I've had readings of 97/71 84/63 and 61/47 given an average of 80/60 with a heart rate of 80 (I suffer from white coat syndrome so my first reading is always high). Gp’s in the UK and here in Spain seem to be in a rush to prescribe HPB medication without exploring other avenues of treatment......makes you wonder why?
https://heartmdinstitute.com/heart-h...lood-pressure/

[sundial]

Another proven remedy to reduce hypertension / high blood pressure is Chia seeds … but don't expect instant results. Regularly adding to the diet i.e. daily over a period of time can reduce hypertension. However, Chia absorbs several times its own dry volume of water ... so should be soaked in water before consuming or ground in a pestle and mortar and added to e.g. porridge i.e. porridge with additional water. Chia has been known to cause digestive problems when not consumed with sufficient fluids.

dunk

[Bootsy]

Latest advice is to diagnose hypertension only after a 24 hour blood pressure monitor, not on a single reading (unless exceptionally high). Worth insisting on that initially, you may have white coat effect.

That's what I had 15 years ago. Both my parents had high BP young and likewise I do too. Been on a low dose of Candesartan now for all those years and it works for me with no side effects. Was put on Beta Blockers to start with which were awful and turned me into a zombie.

[bigvic]

After taking Enalapril given by my GP after a farce of a blood pressure test I’d been experimenting with different natural remedies,exercise and relaxation techniques which worked for a while,but after a couple of highish readings I panicked and went back on the Enalapril with all its side effects.

I got nearly all of the side effects listed taking B/P tablets ending in the word "PRIL"! I'm currently on Losartin and Indapamide which is working fine, so far...

[patrick]

I got nearly all of the side effects listed taking B/P tablets ending in the word "PRIL"! I'm currently on Losartin and Indapamide which is working fine, so far...

Sadly Melatonin isn't available in the UK although a substance naturally produced by the pineal gland.Apparently you produce less with age and I imagine the ban came after the CJD outbreak,although now all melatonin is synthetic.Not saying it's for everybody,but when cardiologists use it themselves it's a good sign.If you go on holiday (or have a friend who is) it's available in most chemists in most of the EU countries the USA and Canada.Costs 12 euros for two months supply here in Spain,and added plus it really helps those who have trouble getting to sleep.