Anonymous Guest
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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2004 7:19 am GMT +0000 Post subject: Blood Pressure Meds |
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Bike Doc, let me give you some background before I ask my question. I am a 31 year old and have had a pacemaker(Dual Chamber, Demand) for 10 1/2 years. My family is littered with heart disease, hypertension, etc. I take cholesterol meds and see my cardiologist every six months. I have never had a heart attack but deal with all the other stuff that goes with the pacer.
I went in for a check up on Tuesday of last week and they decided to put me on Zestoretic for BP since it was 130/100. Everything else about me was picture perfect. This is a week and a half after finishing in the top ten in the beginner race for my age at Bar H. So I started on the meds last week and was back at Bar H this past weekend to do work to get ready for the 12 Hour race we are putting on this coming weekend. We then rode afterwards. I was toast on the ride. I had a big bag of nothing even to the point of my legs cramping and my heart racing. I had to stop and just let everyone else go on. So is this just a by-product of the Zestoretic causing some dehydration or is it worse than that? |
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The Bike Doc 250+
Joined: 08 May 2003 Posts: 1398 Location: Corpus Christi and Warda, Texas
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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2004 11:08 am GMT +0000 Post subject: |
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Ride4Beer:
Zestoretic is a combination blood pressure medication of lisinopril, an Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitor, and hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic. ACE inhibitors lower blood pressure by inhibiting the body from producing a potent vasocontrictor (a substance that contricts the blood vessels and thereby raising the blood pressure). The diuretic component lowers the blood pressure by decreasing the intravasular volume, effectively dehydrating the body. Side effects of these combined medications can include dehydration especially when combined with increase sweat loss, such as when you were out riding, muscle cramps from falling postassium and sodium, hypotension (low blood pressure) leading to weakness and faintness. skin rashes, allergic reactions and other side effects.
Talk with your doctor about your reaction. Before committing to long term antihypertensive medication, getting home BP monitoring with a machine that has been calibrated with the physician's office BP monitor is helpful in determening whether or not the high blood pressure measurements persist or is just related to the anxiety of being in the doctor's office (White Coat Syndrome). With your history of heart problems do talk to your doctor before stopping or making sudden changes in your medications. Sudden changes could be life threatening.
Thanks, _________________ Paul K. Nolan, MD
AKA: The Bike Doc |
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