Hi, I am 58 all most 59. Two year a go my primary care doctor has noticed my blood pressure was running high about 140/85 or 155/90. This was going on for weeks. Then one day at work I started to feel chest pains. My boss and others took my blood pressure and it was 201/100. That landed me in the hospital and now I take 10mg of Amlodipine and 10mg of Atorvast. Could these medication be bad for me and any tips on how to improve my blood pressure so I do not need the medication or should I just stay on them? I am not get any bad symptoms. Just some swelling in the lower leg that comes and goes.
I am getting high PSA when I get my yearly blood work done. The urologist have me take 3 days off the bike and it goes down. I this normal?
It can be….I have had higher than normal (for me) PSA readings after some trauma to my perineum. A lot of saddle time can cause a similar effect.
As for your BP, if you would like a home monitor, send me a DM and I can hook you up with a unit.
Thee are definitely ways to lower your BP without medication (diet, exercise, etc) but you should develop such a program in consultation with your doctor.
An elevated PSA due to time in the saddle is common. It’s not a bad idea to avoid riding (or having sex) for a few day prior to getting this test so you get a more accurate results
201/100 is scary high. What diagnosis were you given in the hospital? The fact they put you on atorvastatin (a drug to lower lipids) makes me think you had coronary artery disease or perhaps a TIA.
Given your really elevated blood pressure these medications are definitely good for you. That being said, all meds have the potential for side effects. Some people on atorvastin will complain of muscle pains (it had the potential for rhabdomyolysis) some people on amlodipine will complain of headaches or dizziness or a few other mild side effects.
Many people can get off these meds with lifestyle modifications. You would just need to be able to hit continue to hit goal blood pressure and lipids.
(This is all coming from a medical professional but without the benefit of knowing your labs, full medical history and family history. So of course work with your physician to create any plan you would wish to pursue)
Thank you, I have a BP unit to check my blood pressure.
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Thank you, I have a BP unit to check my blood pressure.
Hi Mhandwerk, thank you for replying, It looks like I am going to have to improve my diet to help lower blood pressure and lipids. For exercise I am on track to get 5000 miles for the year. Hopefully 300+ hours of cycling for the year. I looked up rhabdomyolysis and it sounds bad. I do not think I have to many side effects from the medication right now. But long term maybe can things get worse. Maybe more time on the bike could help, like 10,000 miles next year.
Thank you
I’ve had essential hypertension since my late teens, with occasional readings not far off yours. Been around the block on a variety of bp meds. Here are my thoughts:
- I take amlodipine 10mg like you. Works reasonably well for bp and no issues with training. It has recently started giving me more foot-swelling when I’m on my feet all day (uncommon) and is something to be aware of.
- I had to stop the diuretic HCTZ because I just couldn’t stay hydrated for bike rides. Also, it’s technically on the global dro list as banned in and out of competition.
- I’ve taken a beta blocker (metoprolol) before but really didn’t like the heart-rate limiting effect. Took forever to get my hr up in workouts and my already low resting hr was ridiculously low.
- Lisinopril (ace inhibitor) has been fine for me and I continue to take.
Atorvast is a statin? So not a bp drug but as with all statins I guess watch out for new muscle pain.
I personally haven’t found exercise to help my bp at all. I would guess from hours you’re reporting, more exercise isn’t going to help you either (if it was going to help, it’d already be maxed out).
Weight loss helped me a little, but definitely not curative. I was skinny when diagnosed, and current bmi is 22. 28 at my heaviest.
Diet may help, but that’s a huge topic. Or perhaps stress management – actually something I’ve never seriously investigated.