Help with appointment!

[KICKSTART]

Hi guys , got an appointment for clinic next week , just one problem .It is with a new doctor i have only seen once before and she was really horrid! (we locked horns straight away) The problem is ..she just doesnt listen .I have really bad reactions to bp tablets , but will she listen , no, she went on and on about how my 'reactions' dont matter , it was more important to take the tablets . To be honest she didnt listen to much i had to say , you could tell she didnt much like me . Now i have to face her again and i am still having problems with the bp tablets, they make me totally breathless and so weary that i just want to lie down all day, being on my own this isnt much use to me. I am not against trying anything they suggest but i wish they would believe how bad they make me feel. Any suggestions?

[okarol]

That's awful not having your concerns validated by your doctor! I know there are so many different BP meds available that it seems reasonable for them to try a different one. It mat be as simple as adjusting your dosage, but as you say, if she's not listening, what's the point? What is your blood pressure now? If it were me I would take the meds and keep a log of my blood pressure twice a day to see if there isn't a pattern of the pressure dropping too low. Then perhaps she will see that you are having an unhealthy drop (if that's the case.) Nevertheless, don't let her disregard your symptoms. Be firm!

[KICKSTART]

Okarol .. no its the other way round my bp is way to high . I have tried 8 different tablets up to now , the first dose ,the tiniest reduces it slightly , so then they decide to increase it and as soon as they do , thats when the problems start. I can tolerate small doses , but thats about it. I know its important to bring it down , but also i think its important to have some quality of life , which these tablets dont give me. Honest i have to drag myself of the sofa ,cant get my breath and just feel lousey, but no -one will believe me.

[Deanne]

I don't know if this would work for you, but I'm a letter-writer when it comes to trying to make people listen to me and I'm afraid they won't. I'd write down the medications, symptoms / reactions, and how they affect my life. I did this when I got a new gyn. I don't know if it was that I finally found a compassionate gyn or if the letter that did the trick. Previous gyns wouldn't take me seriously when I described my symptoms. When I handed the letter to this one, she scheduled me for a laparoscopy right away and worked toward resolving the problem.

[stauffenberg]

Of all the bad reactions I have heard of people having to anti-hypotensive medication, breathlessness is a new one on me.  Perhaps you are suffering from fluid overload which is causing both the breathlessness and the hypertension?

While on dialysis, I had the rare reaction of some patients to hemodialysis that it made my usually normal blood pressure shoot sky high.  Of course, every time a junior doctor would see that, I would be prescribed anti-hypertensives, which would bring my blood pressure to about 80/40, so I had to walk bent over double to maintain sufficient pressure in my head to stay conscious.  They would never believe that, of course, since the pressure was always measured during the treatment, when it would go high again.

Keep in mind that you don't have to take the medicine they prescribe.  Also, I have found that if a person observes a strict no salt diet, this alone in many cases brings the blood pressure to normal without drugs and without harmful side-effects.

[paris]

I had similar reaction to bp meds. It took months for me to feel better, after trying several different types. Finally tried to first ones again and after some time, my body adjusted and I started feeling better. Now bp is well controlled and no big side effects. Hope you find a good combination that works for you. But, do keep telling your doctor how you feel, even if they don't listen!

[glitter]

my husbands first neph was just like that- she over prescribed him until he was deathly ill-finally he just cut back on the ones that made him feel the worst until we could find a new Dr that would listen- i am sorry that you seem to have few choices-somewhere in this board is the whole story we went through- I just cant believe (even after learning it first-hand) that there are Dr's who will not listen....it just blows my mind-

[BigSky]

Its not unusual to have such reactions within the first 2 weeks or so on new medication.  After that the reactions should subside. If not push for new medication.  If she refuses mention malpractice.

[KICKSTART]

Thanks guys have read all your comments.Firstly its not 'hemo' causing high bp , i do capd. Secondly i dont use any salt in my diet (obviously its already in some food) but i have never , even prior to dialysis used salt as such. Thirdly , i have had about 8 lots of bp tablets , usually giving each one a month or more to settle down, unless the side effects where really bad. Lastly breathlessness is listed among the side effects of the tablets i have tried , and as soon as i stop taking them within 2 days the breathlessness has gone , which wouldnt be the case if it was fluid. One of the doctors is aware of these side effects and has confirmed i am hyper-sensitive to drugs (great when all they want to do is pump you full of them)But even the doctor that understands this ,just shrugs her shoulders and doesnt really seem to care! I cant see how i am going to win this one?

[nextnoel]

Thanks guys have read all your comments.Firstly its not 'hemo' causing high bp , i do capd. Secondly i dont use any salt in my diet (obviously its already in some food) but i have never , even prior to dialysis used salt as such. Thirdly , i have had about 8 lots of bp tablets , usually giving each one a month or more to settle down, unless the side effects where really bad. Lastly breathlessness is listed among the side effects of the tablets i have tried , and as soon as i stop taking them within 2 days the breathlessness has gone , which wouldnt be the case if it was fluid. One of the doctors is aware of these side effects and has confirmed i am hyper-sensitive to drugs (great when all they want to do is pump you full of them)But even the doctor that understands this ,just shrugs her shoulders and doesnt really seem to care! I cant see how i am going to win this one?

I have been on lots - and I mean LOTS - of bp drugs & combinations thereof over the past 7 years, and only recently found a combination that works and doesn't cause unbearable side effects.  There is no excuse for your physician not to vigorously pursue finding what works best for you.  Those side effects are serious, and have their own negative effect on your body (not to mention your spirits).

My suggestion is to be VERY PERSISTENT - if you can't stand a particular side effect, state that in very specific terms, and insist on trying another drug.  Keep reminding her that you are doing your part to try to put up with reasonable side effects, but that in the case of side effects you cannot tolerate, you expect her to do her part by trying other drugs/combinations.   (And of course, can you change to another doctor?)

(BTW, in my experience, side effects have rarely improved or lessened with continued use of the offending drug.)