Diuretics

ThePiglit

An old story but interested to know what anyone thinks

About 3 years ago went to see GP about minor matter and she picked up that I had quite high BP 145/97 or theraabouts. Went back a couple of times still about the same. Told her didnt smoke or drink and rode a bike and went long distance walking etc.

Anyway sent us to hospital for tests. ECG was excellent and blood tests also.

So she gets the prescription pad out anyway says "BP could kill you" and offers me some Beta Blockers. Pointed out I suffered Asthma as a kid and she says er no, well have some diurectics (frusemide). I said - what and go on a 50 mile bike ride over the pennines She said Yes fine. Left the surgery haven't been back since.

Monitored own BP and its been dropping very slowly and now averages 135/93 which I am taking the decision to live with.

I honestly believe if I had taken her advice I would have been in serious trouble. Some people have died taken diuretics illegally!

Any comments?

SteveR_100Milers

ThePiglit wrote:

So she gets the prescription pad out anyway says "BP could kill you" and
Any comments?

Not the response you're looking for maybe, but I can envisage this in a "Death can be fatal" 2 Ronnies style... The obvious question, did BP kill you then? It's almost worth riding under the rear wheels of a large truck just to prove the point..

ThePiglit

Indeed the threat of possible death seemed not only tautalogical (spelling!) but an ill advised patient handling technique. Now I have passed 50 (years old not mph) I am fairly well convinced that death is something one should come to terms with rather than avoid at all costs. An ageing population held together by various treatments and false images of a riotously active and happy retirement is not summat I fancy being part of.... But I as ever, digress........

JOHNO 3

Sorry to move away from the Diuretic topic but a similar thing happened to me regarding the blood pressure. It was a little on the high side at a recent check up. I too do the long rides and also fell walking when I get the chance. I was sent away and advised to cut down on salt. Tried this for 2 weeks and went back to the practise nurse at my GP's and the BP was normal. I dont add salt in cooking so all the salt I take in is already in my food. I was somewhat surprised to see just how much salt I was taking in. The "hidden salt" they talk about.
A favourite of mine and a lot of cyclist is beans on toast. Calculating from the labels an ordinary tin of beans= 3.6 grams salt and 4 slices wholemeal bread=2grams. Thats 5.6 grams in just one meal. 6 grams being the recommended daily intake its easy to have far too much without ever knowing. So its easy on the salt for me.

ThePiglit

Re salt: Looks like death by bacon then. How bloody ironic.

SteveR_100Milers

ThePiglit wrote:

Indeed the threat of possible death seemed not only tautalogical (spelling!) but an ill advised patient handling technique. Now I have passed 50 (years old not mph) I am fairly well convinced that death is something one should come to terms with rather than avoid at all costs. An ageing population held together by various treatments and false images of a riotously active and happy retirement is not summat I fancy being part of.... But I as ever, digress........

Yep, getting olds hurts, so why prolong the pain. sod the statins, if I collapse with a coronary halfway through a TT then great!

ThePiglit

Indeed my very sentiments. I trawl Mountain Rescue Team web sites during my lunch hour and cheer whenever some old git has a heart attack or whatever on the hill. As Winnie The Pooh might have said "A jolly nice death I wish it were mine, tiddly pom"
At least out on a TT or the hill you will not be leapt upon by some 50p first aid hero with a resussitor "saving a life" but condemning you to god knows what cos some of your brain has died already
Old age is with a very few exceptions a seriously unpleasant business. I reckon for every one 80 year old running marathons etc there's another 99 suffering from all sorts/
But I as ever digress............................

elvisparsley

Your GP appears to be perfectly correct in offering you treatment for your BP, assuming it was persistently raised over a period. Frusemide is generally not used to treat hypertension but other diuretics can be very useful and may be recommended as first port of call depending on your age, race etc. Abuse of diuretics is rather different to therapeutic use and I think it might be a little dramatic to suggest you'd be dead if you'd followed your GP's advice. Of course it is up to you what you choose to do and as you point out, it's not all about drugs. Well done for getting your BP down again and keep up the good work

paulorg

GP's are now treating most moderately high BP aggressively due to the potential (i.e. expensive) need for treatment later in life, they have national frameworks which tell them what to do, it's currently BP, not so long ago it was Diabetes and Cholesterol.

As for Frusemide (or Furosemide to give it its proper RINN) It's rarely used to treat BP, more commonly used in heart failure to get rid of oedema caused by the excess water in the system. I would have expected a beta blocker but when you said they were not compatible they should probably have gone for an ACE inhibitor like Ramipril. It gives you a proper b****** of a headache when you overdo it physically in the first few weeks (not while I was cycling though )

orv

Yup under the "Quality and Outcomes Framework" they get points for keeping their patients blood pressure down..... and points mean prizes, er bonuses.

If a practice keeps the blood pressure of most of its patients below 150/90, it can receive up to 56 points

lfoggy

Hypertension is a risk factor for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. What this means is that you are at increased risk of these problems if your blood pressure is high (but by no means certain to suffer from them). With the blood pressures you quote you are likely to have a relative risk of heart disease or stroke of at least twice that of your normotensive peers. Depending on your age, sex and other risk factors this may well put you into the category where treatment would be beneficial. This is why your GP advised you to be treated. Most studies have shown that practical lifestyle modification to have a minimal or at best modest effects on blood pressure which is why drugs are usually required. As has been said frusemide is not that good for blood pressure reduction but there are plenty of safe and effective alternatives. Why not go back to your GP and have a chat to her. You could also look at the website of the British Hypertension Society
http://www.bhsoc.org (which has a useful risk calculator) or patient uk http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/23068761/ for a good layman's description of hypertension.