Switching blood-pressure meds
July 23, 2007I had my annual check-up with the doctor, and he says there’s only two things that were worth mentioning–my triglycerides are too high, and my blood pressure is also too high. The triglycerides he wants me to attack via diet–cut down the fats, try to lose another 10 pounds. He says that should be enough to bring it down from the 277 reading back under the 160 level which is the acceptable range.
As for the blood pressure, it was only the lower number that he felt was too high–120 over 95. The triamterene is having an effect but not quite enough. So he wants me to move up to an ACE inhibitor, in this case lisinopril.
I’m not thrilled by some of the potential side-effects listed, like diarrhea and headaches. I guess we’ll see, I stopped by the Walgreens on my way home tonight and picked up the prescription. It’s actually a combination drug the he prescribed for me — it has the lisinopril plus an ingredient similar to the triamterene. Two drugs in one really, two different attacks on the blood pressure.
I’ll say this, the pills are tiny. So at least they won’t be difficult to take. Plus the medication is dirt cheap–$8 for a month’s supply of 30 pills.