Anyone have problems with controlling blood pressure?

I've been having high blood pressure for 20 yrs. Have tried at least 14 different drugs, some giving me horrible side effects but still can't get my blood pressure within normal limits. Right now my ankles are swollen from taking Norvasc. I am tired of drugs that don't work.Anyone have problems with controlling blood pressure?
I find that doctors tend to be way too quick to medicate and rarely are willing to try different things. In your case, it sounds like your doctor has tried every medication in the book. But have you taken care of all the other potential causes for hypertension:





I you haven't already, you should:





1. Reduce sodium intake (to on the order of 2000 mg/day).


2. Increase potassium intake (eat more potassium-rich fruits like bananas and oranges).


3. Reduce (or eliminate for the time being) the ';bad habit'; drugs: smoking, alcohol and caffeine.


4. Reduce BMI to %26lt; 25.


5. If all of the above don't help, try something like the DASH diet or the Rice Diet. The Rice Diet almost always does the job, and then you can add in foods as you find they don't elevate your BP.





I also recommend joining the bloodpressureline Yahoo! group. There is a bunch of good material in the group's files and links. It is run by a doctor with a great interest in fighting hypertension, particularly seemingly uncontrollable cases, and he is very responsive.Anyone have problems with controlling blood pressure?
There are some people that have a hard time controlling their blood pressure with medicines. You said you have had it for 20 years so I think that can rule out an adrenal tumor (often a cause of uncontrolled blood pressure-but not likely you'd live with it this long). You didn't say if you had other medical problems like high cholesterol or diabetes. Obesity/overweight makes it really hard to control. Most people will end up with more than one high blood pressure medicine to control their pressure but again as long as you have had it, it is likely you have been on multiple drug regimins. Another thing I have found with my patients is ongoing and untreated sleep apnea can make it impossible to treat high blood pressure-if your doc hasn't done a sleep study maybe ask about one. You should have also had a thorough renal (kidney) work up looking for renal artery stenosis-if you are put on an ACE inhibitor (like lisinopril) your blood pressure can actually go up. Maybe it's time to get a second opinion from a specialist-cardiologist or nephrologist.