I have to agree that 132/81 does not seem high enough to treat. At the doctor's office my bp is usually at least that high but at home it is lower. Dr Gilbert Welch in his book "Overdiagnosed" suggests that when a person's readings are close to what is considered normal the negative side effects of the medication may outweight any minimal gain that might be attributed to taking the drug.

Jean

Thud thanks so much for the list and the information that I'm losing potassium too. Today the only bothersome symptom is sedation. Looks like I need to give it some time. I'm going to try to stick on the medication and hope weightloss and relaxation will lower my bp. I have a heart murmur and things like this drug are really, really hard on me.

muffles I'm going to try the yoga, I just have to find seated stuff. This has been the most stressful time of my life. The workers comp adjuster wouldn't pay me workers comp so I went on disability but they've stopped payments twice. I haven't been paid anything for 6 months. Living on the kindness of landlord.

jschwab I have hypothyroidism, doctor is getting my old medical records. I lost my drs and am on medi-cal. The dr thinks I may have diabetes insipidus, I already have dehydration problems. Might be from a concussion.

jey I read your posts before and bought the omron blood pressure meter they recommended. thanks good information.

cotonpal, Merpig, Meme#1 Its comforting to know my blood pressure isn't so bad. Not sure what I'm going to do just yet.

Thanks everyone!

I am on a small dose of Losartan for my high blood pressure, but I also have low blood pressure at times. Any higher dose, and I get dizzy and lightheaded. So only meditation and deep breathing will get it down naturally -- and, of course, this WOE.

But I'd be pretty happy with a BP reading of 132/81, especially in a doctor's office where I get "white-coat syndrome." Just my opinion, but if the doctor knows you're dieting, he or she should suggest to watch and wait. Of course, I don't know any other of the circumstances.

I too would be thriled to have a BP of 132/81. This morning mine was 140/92. I took it two more times and it settled on 131/ 85 which is ok with me. I'd question the doctor's judgement to put you on BP meds at those readings.

You are in the healthy range of blood pressure. Why would your doctor put you on medication? The world is overmedicated. . You are doing just fine. And hydrocholorothyazide is a diuretic in itself. If you are feel dizzy you need to talk to your dr immediately.

I, like others, am flummoxed as to why you would be prescribed blood pressure medication for a very normal reading. If that's your high, then you're in a very safe and healthy range. I was able to stop BP medication after 6 months on LCHF and the determining factor justifying the decision to stop medication was my ability to remain at or below 140/90. Current thinking is that the concept of what constitutes HBP has crept higher over the past several years due to better understanding that everyone has a slightly different normal due to a variety of conditions including age: normal BP goes higher as we get older, lifestyle: activity levels and dietary factors including alcohol consumption have influences as well, and heredity: we tend to have a genetic influence here as well.

The reason I came off BP meds was a result of have lost 35-40 pounds and in the process my BP normalized and my moderate sleep apnea went away. Note that sleep apnea can cause higher BP and can tax the heart as well, so all these symptoms can be managed over time with a consistent LCHF program including regular periods of IF. Good luck with this, and as Thud observed, no one here is a doctor, so seek competent advice. However, sometimes I wonder about some doctors . . . .