Hi, I am 25 years old and have had high blood pressure for the past two years (runs in the family). I am extemely overweight and currently working on losing some of it. ;)

The reason I am writing is because I have been taking Maxide 37.5-25m for the past year and a half. I can't tell if it is helping with my blood pressure, as I am a worry wort everytime I go to the doctors, and it is always high. Yesterday, I went in to a brand new doctor and my pressure was 150/100 first reading and 156/98 second reading. She ended up making me a prescription for Zestril 2.5mg (an ACE Inhibitor), to take along with my diuretic.

I have no knowledge of this drug and don't feel confortable taking it. I have read some pretty bad side effects, and since I took my first pill this morning, I have had a slight headache, and light headedness. I feel like I'm pysching myself out now.

Is it extremely important that I continue taking this drug? Any advice or stories of experience would be most appreciated. Also, I want to take natural herbs such as Garlic or Coenzyme Q10. Has anyone had good experiences on either of these? :confused:

Thanks in advance!

Quote from nobodytotalkto:

At such a young age, they say that once you start the drugs, you will be on them for life. I seriously don't want that! I know that they can be as bad as they are good. I think my main concern is, what happens if I do lose weight, will I be allowed off? Will my veins be able to handle being off, if they are relaxed a lot now?

Most people who start BP meds are on them for life, but that is only the case if they don't solve the problem that is causing the high BP. If excess weight, lack of exercise, and/or too much stress is causing the high BP, then if those problems are solved, it is possible to get off the meds.

You are on an extremely low dose of Zestril. I was on 30 mg. Lisinopril (generic equivalent of Zestril) for four years during the high-stress and chronic sleep deprivation period that I cared for my husband 24/7. After his death I was able to decrease the dosage and finally, about a year and a half later after also making some dietary changes, was able to get off the meds completely. I took myself off the meds based upon my home readings. My doctor wasn't too happy about that when I informed her six months later, but what the heck. My unmedicated BP, which I took at home regularly, was averaging 125/75 or thereabouts, so she really couldn't complain too much. I had no side effects whatsoever from the med while I was on it, though, but it had reached the point that I was getting systolic readings under 110 too often while on it, and I just feel too lethargic when my BP is that low.

Unless you have severe side effects on the med, I would personally continue to take it for at least a few weeks. People who have minor side effects after starting a new BP med often get over these effects within a few weeks. After that time, if minor side effects continue, you might want to apply a stricter criteria as to whether to continue or not, depending on just how much the side effects bother you.

Many people find that their BP goes down considerably with weight loss and/or stress reduction. When my BP is up due to stress, I can often lower the systolic 15-20 points or more with just a few minutes of deep breathing exercises. Also when I eat a diet high in low-carb veggies like spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, celery, asparagus, etc. plus some legumes and low in meat and pasta or rice, I find my SBP tends to run about 15-20 points lower than when my diet is the reverse of that. Not everyone's BP is influenced that much by diet, but you might try it for a week or so and see if it helps.

If you don't have your own BP monitor, I'd get one. (Monitors with a cuff for the upper arm tend to be more accurate than those that measure at the wrist or finger.) Some people have "white coat syndrome" and the measurements taken at the doctor's office are considerably higher than their normal pressure. If that happens to be the case with you, you'd probably want to know it, as it could influence how much medication you'd be willing to take.

Zestril is not a harlmess drug. It is similar to the generic drug lisinopril. My mother took Zestril/hctz (zestoretic as well) and all of them caused her great harm. I suggest you do a search of your drugs to see what the side effects can be. That way when and if something happen you will be prepared.

Zestril is a brand name drug and it is a good bp med, however, like all drugs it has its drawbacks as well. Do a search so you will be prepared. You are on a low dose of zestril, my mom took 40 mg. She's diabetic and zestril is suppose to help the kidneys.

"Zestril is not a harlmess drug. It is similar to the generic drug lisinopril."

It IS lisinopril, and by harmless I meant relatively speaking. Just about every prescription drug has potentially serious side effects. Heck, even tylenol can ruin some peoples' livers. But as a whole, lisinopril is a RELATIVELY harmless drug compared to, say, calcium channel blockers (possibly cause heart attacks) and beta blockers (can cause severe depression and mental imbalances).