Blood Pressure Meds

[Dave Hounddriver]

36 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

How exactly does it measure BP?

This medical app site says it doesn't work:

Quote

The app appears to use the same basic photoplethysmography (PPG) principle that other apps including Instant Blood Pressure or Pulse Oximeter use. Users put their finger over the camera, the flash turns on, and it generates a PPG waveform. How it goes from that to telling me my blood pressure is 108/69 mm Hg, blood viscosity is 0.37, oxygen levels are 97%, and “emotion” is happy/readily/catharsis/relax is left unexplained. If that omission wasn’t enough, that the app describes the systolic and diastolic blood pressure as the “high” and “low” blood pressure respectively doesn’t exactly engender much confidence that a ton of medical expertise went into developing this app.

There seem to be a lot of claims that it is a "feel good" app that simply tells you what you want to hear so you feel good about yourself.

 

EDIT:  Strange question.  Take a garden hose and block the end so it does not leak.  Turn the tap on.  Notice that the higher the water pressure, the "firmer"  or "harder" the garden hose is when you try to squeeze it.  So why is it, if we old times have high blood pressure, the ole "hose" doesn't get harder when the gf tries to squeeze it? 

Edited April 18, 2018 by Dave Hounddriver

[Jack Peterson]

 The one thing I have noticed from this Topic and listening to many on the issue of medication is that many never realise that Meds should be taken as originally prescribed at the prescribed time and not willy nilly,Meds are in many forms as we are discussing are non addictive and stay in your system for  24 hours so we need to be taking them the same time each day (or as near as we can get to it) For me, My bloods one is after Breakfast each day at around 7am all the others (there are 7 in all) are at times directed by my Doctor after certain meals. Should we deviate from this regime of med taking is it any wonder we get strange things happening and Blood pressure is up and down like other things that our meds control

 Just saying  G & G's 

[Dave Hounddriver]

1 hour ago, Jack Peterson said:

many never realise that Meds should be taken as originally prescribed at the prescribed time

Good advice.  It comes down to 3 points:  First:  How well do we know our own bodies,   Second:  A little knowledge is a dangerous thing,   Third:  If you have already had a problem, and the doctor's advice remedied it, the keep following the doctor's advice.  Such is my opinion, for what its worth.

(I have had three good friends die in the last 3 years because they self-diagnosed major medical problems but that was heart disease, cancer and pneumonia.  All we are talking about in this thread is preventative maintenance for good health and even doctors cannot agree on the best course for that.  Remember the days when the doctors told us to take a baby aspirin a day? Now some say "daily aspirin therapy isn't for everyone" because they found a link between aspirin and internal bleeding and other side effects.)

[Mike J]

On 4/16/2018 at 3:28 PM, Dave Hounddriver said:

My doc wants me to take 50 mg twice a day but I usually only take it once a day.  I don't like to take too many meds if I can help it.

I felt the same way.  Then I had a stroke, now I take it twice a day.  

[Dave Hounddriver]

2 hours ago, Mike J said:

Then I had a stroke, now I take it twice a day.

If its not too personal, may I ask if you were checking your blood pressure regularly in the days leading up to your stroke?  And if so were there irregularities?  Looking back on it, what were the telling signs that something was wrong?

[Mike J]

2 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

If its not too personal, may I ask if you were checking your blood pressure regularly in the days leading up to your stroke?  And if so were there irregularities?  Looking back on it, what were the telling signs that something was wrong?

I was not checking it but have have two nieces who are RNs.  They would check it and say it was "border line high".  I was taking one losartan each evening at bed time.  If I took morning and evening I would get dizzy when standing after sitting and was fearful that I would fall over and crack my skull.  There were no signs prior to the stroke and no history of stroke in my family.  I have taken an 80 mg coated aspirin every day for years, and took two immediately following the stroke.  This happened here in Moaboal at 9:00 pm and there is no hospital here.  Closest was Badian and all beds were full so arrived back at home midnight.  Stroke was left brain, so right hand, right side face, and completely lost ability to speak.  Interesting that I also lost ability to spell, as I scrawled a note to my wife using left hand that spelled "STOKE" instead of stroke.  Then "call Gay" instead of "call Guy" who is a neighbor.  Following morning I was able to speak but right hand was weak.  Went to Chong Hua in Cebu City and saw a neurologist and also got a CT brain scan.  No brain damage and recovery has been complete.  The doctor felt the daily aspirin plus the two immediately following were probably what prevented major damage.  Now taking losartin morning and evening, clopidogrel evenings, and daily aspirin in the evening.  I have trained myself to flex my leg muscles several times prior to standing from a sitting or laying down position.  That has lessened the dizziness when standing.   When I travel I keep extra aspirin in my "man purse" just in case.

[Dave Hounddriver]

21 minutes ago, Mike J said:

Now taking losartin morning and evening

Thanks for the explanation.  I would like to ask just a little more info.  Now that you are taking the meds morning and night, what is your blood pressure, ideally.  Is there a certain target number you try to stay under?  As to the stroke, is that caused by the high blood pressure (in your opinion) or by blood clotting in the brain (which the Aspirin is more effective against).

None of us want to go through that but we all have different drug interactions that make life difficult.  I cannot take Aspirin very often as I am prone to intestinal bleeding

I DO keep a couple of Aspirins beside the bed because if I feel any unusual symptoms like chest pain or unexplained headache I pop a couple and worry about the intestinal bleeding later, but that latter once put me in the hospital in a serious way so its unwise to recommend Aspirin for all people.

But you are another person saying that the Losartan is great so our main area of disagreement is what dosage to take and how often.  This is why I ask what your target BP is.  @Jack Peterson is another past stroke survivor so Jack, what is your target BP?  

[Mike J]

5 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

Thanks for the explanation.  I would like to ask just a little more info.  Now that you are taking the meds morning and night, what is your blood pressure, ideally.  Is there a certain target number you try to stay under?  As to the stroke, is that caused by the high blood pressure (in your opinion) or by blood clotting in the brain (which the Aspirin is more effective against).

Systolic runs 105 to 115, diastolic runs 65 to 70 with a target to be lower than 120 over 80.  So the morning and evening 50mg is doing the job.  I am also on simvastatin for very high cholesterol (300 + without meds).  My best guess for the cause of the stroke was a blood clot, but that is only a guess.  I was taking the aspirin as protection against heart attack but also knew it was effective in event of stroke.  

[Jack Peterson]

 BUT But my friends,  This changes nothing , your Doc is your best friend  Please trust  me

[sonjack2847]

12 hours ago, Jack Peterson said:

 BUT But my friends,  This changes nothing , your Doc is your best friend  Please trust  me

Very true we can listen to other people but we must remember "one mans meat is another mans poison".Take head of the person who is diagnosing you,if you are not sure get a second opinion.

Edited April 19, 2018 by sonjack2847
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