Hypertension and You: Old Drugs, New Drugs, and the Right Drugs for Your High Blood Pressure

I thought my mild hypertension was well controlled and then found out a few months ago that I had been getting lower numbers because of the way I took it. So I began to take it the right way and was disturbed to find out it was sometimes higher than I wanted it to be, i.e., higher than 120/80. So I began a journey of investigating various books, probably 50 in all, looking for information and solutions to hypertension. Like so many people, I first hoped for just a "natural" solution but when I tried to get off one of the medications I've been on for the last 8 years, I got very sick. Then I stumbled upon HYPERTENSION AND YOU and because of the good reviews and the realistice and helpful premise of the book--finding the right drug for me with helpful hints on talking to my doctor about it--I got the book.Wow! This is an amazing book that has changed my life in real ways for the better. It clearly educated me on how the body works and what causes hypertension, what might be becausing my hypertension, and the classes of drugs that treat the different causes of hypertension. It is simply magnificent in it's clarity about every issue involved from the costs of different drugs, the correct dossages, the side effects, etc.The book is very clear, logical, and not too difficult for the lay person, although it is not an easy read. My copy is underlined and dog eared and I have passed it on to my husband, a physician, to read to make sure I have understood everything.What did I find out for myself? I found out that I am on exaclty the correct combination of 2 drugs I should be on! Yeah! I may ask my doctor to tweak the dosage slightly on one of the two but I will wait to see because I'm doing so well. I also found out that I was drinking too many fluids each day and that I should cut back to drinking only what my body tells me I want. Since doing that, I have slept through the night without having to go to the bathroom--the first time in 8 years! This is making a real difference in my life.I also learned how to take my blood pressure correctly and how to insist the nurse take it at my doctor's office. I learned how to balance sodium with potassium and liquids and not get that washed out feeling. The author suggests taking a slight increase in the diurectic I am on the day after eating a high sodium meal at a restaurant and I will do that, too. One of the wonderful things is that for years my weight has fluctuated up and down--sometimes by 6 lbs in one day! I had no idea why. Now I know that because I was drinking so many fluids that I was putting my body through quite a lot to get rid of the fluid! Since I've cut back on fluids and made sure I get enough sodium, my weight is consistently low. (I lost three lbs. in two days and have kept it off--and I'm maintaining my weight on about 1,400 calories a day--something that is unheard of for me)My blood pressure is consistently 120/80 and only rises slightly after eating and then falls within two hours. Just after walking for half an hour, it is the lowest ever--116/66. I am thrilled.I can't encourage you enough to get this book! I have never read a book by a physician who was able to so clearly give information that is practical and helpful with absolutely no hype backed up with a lifetime of clinical experience.Some other personal information that may help you: I discovered that because I'm on a diurectic and wasn't eating enough sodium for breakfast, that I was dizzy and weak. So I started a daily sodium count and added sodium at breakfast and that took care of that problem. In other words, when you are on medication, you have to be careful with following nutritional advice for the general public that doesn't take into consideration who you are and what you personally need. Too little sodium makes me feel faint and ill becaue I am on a potassium sparing drug.In addition, as I was learning about my own hypertension and taking my blood pressure often during the day, I discovered that gluten/wheat and dairy products elevate my blood pressure for hours. Both gluten and dairy elevate my systolic blood pressure by 15 to 20 points! And both would keep my blood pressure high for an entire day. Since I've eliminated both from my diet, my bood pressure is consistently low.I hope this review will help you! Please click below if it has.

I read this book before making a follow-up visit with my hypertension specialist. I had determined that most of the medicines I had tried up until then were giving me shortness of breath when doing practically nothing at all, except two of them, losartan and HCTZ (hydrochlorothiazide). I explained that I was no longer going to take the third medicine and suggested that we raise the dose of the HCTZ. She said that there was no "middle ground" dose between 25 mg and 50 mg but I replied that there is a way to get 37.5 mg by prescribing 3 capsules daily of the 12.5 mg dose and we went with that. I have a blood test to have done soon to check my potassium levels, and the book suggested that, too.For the most part, the losartan and HCTZ are keeping my BP under 140/80 and I no longer am short of breath after walking across the room. That's all it used to take to make me have to stop and catch my breath. I've had a few readings just above 150 on the systolic reading. I plan to ask if I can be prescribed 4 of these daily with directions to take 3 and add another only if I encounter a somewhat salty meal, like the author of the book does with some of his patients.The author explains very well what the angiotensin-renin system is in the body and what medicines act on the various stages of that system. He also explains how diuretics like HCTZ work, what others are available, and why a potassium-sparing diuretic might be used alongside a regular one. There is also hypertension aggravated by stress, though it's not the major cause of most people's hypertension, and how that can be addressed with certain medicines.The book filled in some of the blank areas in my medical knowledge about hypertension. One thing my family doctor was trying to do was to get my BP under 120/80. That meant higher doses of medicines than I really needed to be taking. Hypertension specialists generally try to get you under 140/90 and if they achieve that, it's considered to be satisfactory. People in their 60s are generally targeted to be under 160/100 or so because the studies have shown no significant benefit to reduce it to lower than that.If your family doctor has you on more than three medicines (I'm only on two now instead of three or four), ask to be referred to a hypertension specialist. If you are experiencing side effects from your BP medicines, ask to see a hypertension specialist. If your doctor or hypertension specialist doesn't listen to your concerns, go see another doctor or specialist.One thing you will get out of this book, if nothing else, is that one medicine might work very well for you but might not for someone else. You need to target the system in the body that is not working quite right to bring the blood pressure down successfully with minimal or no symptoms. You don't need to live with side effects in most cases once the proper mechanisms in the body are addressed, and within each of the different drug classes there are several good and inexpensive medicines, one or more of which should work for you.I was unable to use medicines like spirinolactone, lisinopril, diltiazem (felt like it nearly killed me), amlodipine, and some others, but they might work just fine for you. I see so many older people seriously short of breath after just a short walk, just like I was, and it's often because they are taking the wrong hypertension medicines.If you suffer from hypertension, do yourself a favor and get this book so you can understand what is causing the problem and how it can be addressed with minimal or no side effects from any medicines you take.If you found this review helpful, please click the YES button below.Thanks!!!

Than you Dr. Mann for providing crucial information that empowers us to take some control over our medical treatment and our lives. I highly recommend this book to everyone with hypertension, but even more so to physicians treating it. I would guess that many are unaware of much of this information. This book could provide the "playbook" for the patient/physician team to work together in managing this pervasive health problem in the best way possible. With regard to the repressed emotions aspect, patients could try energy psychology techniques such as EFT or TAT or hypnotherapy to relieve themselves of the effects of past trauma. There is no need to relive or retell the trauma with these therapies and they are extremely successful. Thank you again for taking the time and caring enough to educate us!

I found this book very helpful in order to get a broader understanding of hypertension. It is based on studies in the US but still useful and well explained. Hopefully he will do an updated version soon. If this is an issue for you then it's a good book for your library.

If you have high blood pressure you need this book. The writing is clear and easy to understand and it feels like the doctor is right there explaining it to you. You can then talk to your own doctor knowledgeably about the different treatment options (in fact, take the book in with you). Highly recommended.

Apart from the detail of the different drugs and their effects. The perspective of how doctors prescribe drugs was interesting - especially coming from another doctor. I had recent angioplasty on my right coronary artery and I am researching the effects of my beta blocker and ramapril on my condition. I feel well informed on both these drugs after reading this book . Thank you.