blood pressure meds.

diuretic not diruretic.

Oh dear, that has really cheered me up! As well as posting about difficulties with my osteoporosis meds on a another thread, I now find my BP is up and BP meds also need changed.

The side effects are such a pain, aren't they? You just can't win!

I think my BP meds make me very tired - I do take a bit of a mix though - nebivolol which is a beta blocker - Valsartan/Hydfochlorothiazide -Rilmenidine and half a Spironolactone. That us my breakfast - then I take a second Rilmenidine and a Keppra in the evening.
Normal dose of Keppra is two a day - morning and evening but mine is a precaution rather than a cure - once my BP spiked and I had a fit - first and only time. After all the tests they discovered I do have a brain and all was normal except I reacted to disco type lights. The tablet is to make sure nothing happens when I am driving at night or when the sunlight strobes through a line of trees.
Next time I have an appointment I am going to see if there is anything that could be switched although to be honest I know I have reactions to other meds such as Amlodopine or Ramipril.

Does anyone else find they feel very tired? I can only work for so long and then need a sit down! I cleaned our bedroom today - involved pulling out bed to hoover under etc and change the bed - I said to DH I could do with an injection of energy and he replied that he was thinking about trying an injection of heroin or LSD but he was afraid of having hallucinations!

I thought it was just me and age related tiredness. In the mornings I take 1x Candesartan 8 mg, 1 x Bisoprolal Fumarate x 5 mg, and 1x Dispersible Aspirin x 75 mg. Plus 1x Ad-Cal. I used to take Ramipril, but developed a cough. At night I take 1 statin, Atorvastatin 20mg, replacing Simvastatin, which I found made me very achey. But the tiredness goes on.

Yes welshwife, I get v tired as well. I take a similar ''cocktail'' to Auntieflo with one or two more. I also take Candesartan and didn't realise it was a diuretic..
The tiredness I feel just seems to happen suddenly at night and often I just go to bed

My tiredness is after I do any activity or strangely when I have eaten. I looked up about having reflux and it seems some BP meds X an cause or increase that too! Ramipril gave me a cough and Amlodopine caused swollen ankles.

My ankles and feet are swollen with Amlodipine too. I have difficult feet to start with, EEEE width, and I was very pleased to have found a manufacturer who makes wider fit shoes that fitted me perfectly. So pleased to have shoes that fit that every time they have a sale I have bought any shoes that I like the look of until I have several pairs unworn and waiting.

Then Amlodipine was added to my BP medication, and now my feet have gone up at least one fitting, possibly more. I can only wear an old pair of boots which let in water. I ordered a pair of 8Es which arrived today - most comfortable from toes to instep but too wide at the heels. They have been returned to exchange for 6Es, which I hope will not prove too tight. It's a bugger.

The pharmacist told me that the ankle swelling should have stopped after a month and if it continues the meds are not suitable for you and to ask the GP to change them.

I have mentioned it and was told that "If it gets really bad" I am to come back and she will find something else. I've been putting up with it, but after measuring my feet (2cm more round them at night than in the morning, and heaven knows how much more than they were before I started the Amlopidine) I mean to go back.

Elegran I think you should go back, there are many similar drugs you can take instead of Amlodipine. I was on it for a while, Doc asked if my ankles were swollen and I said slightly but I could put up with it. He replied that I shouldn't have to and prescribed a different drug.

I was taken off Amlodipine because of ankle swelling, and put on Lercanidipine, which doesn't make my ankles swell.

I was advised it is preferable to take BP meds at bedtime to lower the likelihood of getting diabetes. I also recall being told to take one sort in the morning and the other at bedtime. It's confusing.

For the bp I take Rampril 1 x 10mg and Bisoprolol 1x 10mg daily. They tried me on Amlodopine but my legs below the knees became tingly with swollen ankles so hard they affected my stability when walking. My bp was 190/105 3 weeks ago at the surgery. In my area there is not a regular BP clinic.
Has anyone bought their own home BP machine and what hour is it best to take a reading? Thanks.

I have a machine, an Omron M2. It's very easy to use, runs on AA batteries. I take my BP at any point in the day and the readings can vary anything up/down to an extra 40/10. Add on an additional 10/10 when I visit the doctor's or hospital and I reach your heights SparklyGrandma. I'm convinced the doctor's machine will blow up on me some day, so I've considered taking my own along to the surgery! (That won't do any good though because it's all down to my being wound up.)
I take 3 different medications.

Back to CoKenzen TriciaF, I was prescribed that in the UK, but when I moved to France my stomach didn't like it in a big way and the doctors in France took me off it.

I too have an Omron M2, which I bought in a well know high street store begin with A.
I bought it to replace the one I had for about 10 years. I thought the old one wasn't working properly, as my BP was so high. Unfortunately, my BP readings were still as high with the new one.
My GP asked me to bring the new one to the surgery to calibrate it with his. He, too had an Omron2.

I have been told to take readings twice in the morning and twice before I go to bed. I keep a note, then doc has a look when I go to surgery.

I think there is a memory function on the machine, (I haven't found it yet), so you don't have to keep note yourself.

My doc insist on seeing it on paper! I keep forgetting.

I am on a low dose of Amlodipine (5mg), which the pharmacist suggested I take in the morning. I have had minimal ankle swelling in the hot weather which might not even be related to it. However, I do have a bit of a dry cough. Has anyone else found this? It is way down the list of possible side effects. I am due for my first 6 month review soon so will mention it. BP seems fine anyway, I have to do home readings due to white coat syndrome.

I'm obviously very fortunate as I've been on Amlodipine 10mg daily for about 15 years and never had a leg/ankle problem. I do have the irritating little cough though, shysal, but am learning to live with it because it took so long to sort out a regime that didn't have horrendous side effects but does work.

Amlodipine gave me an irritating cough and Rampril swollen ankles GP changed to Losartan and that was fine.

I have an AND machine which we bought about 14 years ago - it was the same as the Dr was using. The machines which are not so accurate apparently are those which go around the wrist rather than the top of the arm.

I wish I understood how BP meds work.
I have a bit of understanding of 'blood thinners' and anti - cholesterols, but no idea about BPs.
I think there must be at least 2 basic types.