RE: What is a BETA blocker ????

birol · Oct 02, 2003, 05:32 PM

birolAAArrrrggggghhhhhh,

I called the doctor s office to check if I can take aspirin and was told that I can take tylenol, and if the headache is real bad to get myself to a hospital s emergency dept pronto.

Also doctor wants to see me tomorrow , arrrrrggggghhhhhh. If she was this concerned about me, why did she not talk to me yesterday ? Darn it I was there with her all of 3 minutes after having waited an hour !

I wonder what got her so concerned all of a sudden ? She told me that all blood tests were normal, looked good, same with the urine tests. Same with the ECG. If she thinks this is helping me, she is dead wrong. Probably she feels guilty not talking to me properly yesterday.

Would I still get a stroke when the BP is 139/89 because it was high previously ? maybe that s a possibility. Oh well, I can t be too worried about it right now, watching Dr. Phil [

]

lets see if the single Tylenol will work ....

tlhdoc · Oct 02, 2003, 06:39 PM

birolI hope you feel better.

birol · Oct 02, 2003, 07:11 PM

tlhdoc

QuoteORIGINAL: tlhdoc

I hope you feel better.

Headache is gone now, well almost completely ... I have to listen to myself to feel it.

Been to Wallmart and got one of those manual pump difital display BP measuring thingies, 39 bucks. I hope worth it. Measured my BP there and it was 145/107, eeeewwwwwww. Went to Shoppers drugmart after passing by a supermarket, and it was 150/106. Waited a few minutes to settle down and it went down to 145/88, 78 heartbeat, which I liked. Obviously when I move so does my BP HAHAHHAHA.

birol · Oct 02, 2003, 08:12 PM

birolOk just got another one, 115/78, HB : 75 .... Hmmmmmmm and the effect of the medicine must be disappearing as I got it at 9 pm last night. I don t feel too bad anymore [

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Camperroo · Oct 02, 2003, 08:21 PM

birolBirol, you are without a doubt a sweetie pie....but stop FIXATING!!!! Breathe in deep, exhale slowly.....breathe in deep, exhale slowly....ahhhhh now doesn t that feel good![

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birol · Oct 02, 2003, 08:57 PM

Camperroo

QuoteORIGINAL: Camperroo

Birol, you are without a doubt a sweetie pie....but stop FIXATING!!!! Breathe in deep, exhale slowly.....breathe in deep, exhale slowly....ahhhhh now doesn t that feel good![]

[

][

] LEMME GO AND CHECK AGAIN [8D][8D][8D][8D]

MommaMia · Oct 03, 2003, 12:08 AM

birolAnyone seen a hypocondriac here lateley?[8D]

birol · Oct 03, 2003, 07:08 AM

birolHey I kept measuring last night and it was around 135/75 , and i had such a good sleep, lemme go and measure now [

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SheBantam · Oct 03, 2003, 07:44 AM

birolIs there a common thread here?? Does camping increase the BP? I know, it is all the bargains I cannot find to overstock my camper with and make more work for me setting up and tearing down that is causing all this stress.[8D]

I do have a question for the cardiac professional people, Since I am on this medication to decrease my heart beat, is that why when I go to CURVES and they stop the program to do a 10 second check on pulse rate, that I cannot get above 13 and it should be 16 to 19 for my age group (I am working up a sweat in that 30 minutes).

Birol, I get headaches when I forget to take the pill.

Here is what I am on:

Ziac
The Following Information Provided by Thomson MICROMEDEX (via a search in yahoo)

Also known as:
GENERIC NAME(S):
Beta-adrenergic Blocking Agents and Thiazide Diuretics ( Systemic)

Beta-adrenergic blocking agent (more commonly, beta-blockers) and thiazide diuretic combinations belong to the group of medicines known as antihypertensives (high blood pressure medicine). Both ingredients of the combination control high blood pressure, but they work in different ways. Beta-blockers (atenolol, bisoprolol, metoprolol, nadolol, pindolol, propranolol, and timolol) reduce the work load on the heart as well as having other effects. Thiazide diuretics (bendroflumethiazide, chlorthalidone, and hydrochlorothiazide) reduce the amount of fluid pressure in the body by increasing the flow of urine.

brainpause · Oct 03, 2003, 08:40 AM

SheBantam

QuoteORIGINAL: SheBantam
I do have a question for the cardiac professional people, Since I am on this medication to decrease my heart beat, is that why when I go to CURVES and they stop the program to do a 10 second check on pulse rate, that I cannot get above 13 and it should be 16 to 19 for my age group (I am working up a sweat in that 30 minutes).

Paula, yes, the Ziac is much the reason why your heart rate doesn t get fast enough. But don t let that stop your exercise.

And, although I have/had high BP, I fully believe that camping actually helps my BP!

Larry

birol · Oct 03, 2003, 08:58 AM

brainpause

QuoteORIGINAL: brainpause

QuoteORIGINAL: SheBantam
I do have a question for the cardiac professional people, Since I am on this medication to decrease my heart beat, is that why when I go to CURVES and they stop the program to do a 10 second check on pulse rate, that I cannot get above 13 and it should be 16 to 19 for my age group (I am working up a sweat in that 30 minutes).

Paula, yes, the Ziac is much the reason why your heart rate doesn t get fast enough. But don t let that stop your exercise.

And, although I have/had high BP, I fully believe that camping actually helps my BP!

Larry

If I camped my BP would be sooo low now [

]

SheBantam · Oct 03, 2003, 09:50 PM

brainpauseBirol, the BPs are high for the similar reason mine is...sorta...you want a campe and the stuff that goes into it. I just keep seeing stuff that I think I could use and fret over how it would fit into the camper/truck or how I can get it in and out of the camper and how long it will take to put up or break down...

I camped last weekend with the bare bones, the night I was by myself, I woke up the next morning feeling absolutely great...then the family came and the cell phone broke...The Bp started to rise, I think...

Larry, I work up a good glow (women do not " sweat" , we glow) doing the circuit and my muscles tell me that half hour is doing something. The management tells me that as long as I get a glow, I will be on the wall as a looser.(as in lbs and/or inches), not to worry that I cannot get the heart rate up.

GDSLTS · Oct 04, 2003, 11:44 AM

birolBirol,

One thing you need to know is WHY you were put on beta-blockers (bb) in the first place. What were the symptoms or reasons you went to the doctor? Their primary function is to reduce the force of contractility and to reduce heart rate - both of which reduce the amount of oxygen the heart requires. If you are taking (bb) for these reasons, you probably have coronary heart disease and this drug is helpful in preventing heart attacks, managing the disease and keeping you medically safe. They also have a slight to moderate antihypertensive property. That is the role of the doctor. But what is your role?

1) Be compliant with taking your medication
2) Begin losing weight now - that will reduce the oxygen demand on the heart and reduce B/P
3) Discuss with your doctor taking a lose dose aspirin daily
4) Begin a walking program daily (as a minimum)
5) Significantly reduce the amount of saturated fats and trans-fats - read labels
6) Choose lean forms of meat [NTE 4-6 oz daily] - fish, fowl without skin, and red meat with fat trimmed
7) Choose nonfat or very lowfat forms of daily products (nonfat or 1% milk, nonfat yogurt, lowfat cheeses)

Significantly reduce butter, margarines (except those WITHOUT transfats), mayonnaise
9) Enroll in a stress management class and learn some specific relaxation techniques
10) If you have high B/P, reducing your salt (sodium) intake may help reduce your blood pressure.

Obviously, you can t do all the things at once. But you can BEGIN with a number of them TODAY.

Lastly, monitor your B/P on a regular basis. Ask your doctor what signs & symptoms he/she wants you to be aware of so you won t be putting yourself at risk because you didn t know.

BottomLine - You need to become more knowledgable about your problem. You can t fix it unless you know what needs to be fixed.

This is not an exhaustive list, but it will give you lots to think about.

birol · Oct 04, 2003, 12:48 PM

GDSLTS

QuoteORIGINAL: GDSLTS

Birol,

One thing you need to know is WHY you were put on beta-blockers (bb) in the first place. What were the symptoms or reasons you went to the doctor? Their primary function is to reduce the force of contractility and to reduce heart rate - both of which reduce the amount of oxygen the heart requires. If you are taking (bb) for these reasons, you probably have coronary heart disease and this drug is helpful in preventing heart attacks, managing the disease and keeping you medically safe. They also have a slight to moderate antihypertensive property. That is the role of the doctor. But what is your role?

1) Be compliant with taking your medication
2) Begin losing weight now - that will reduce the oxygen demand on the heart and reduce B/P
3) Discuss with your doctor taking a lose dose aspirin daily
4) Begin a walking program daily (as a minimum)
5) Significantly reduce the amount of saturated fats and trans-fats - read labels
6) Choose lean forms of meat [NTE 4-6 oz daily] - fish, fowl without skin, and red meat with fat trimmed
7) Choose nonfat or very lowfat forms of daily products (nonfat or 1% milk, nonfat yogurt, lowfat cheeses)
Significantly reduce butter, margarines (except those WITHOUT transfats), mayonnaise
9) Enroll in a stress management class and learn some specific relaxation techniques
10) If you have high B/P, reducing your salt (sodium) intake may help reduce your blood pressure.

Obviously, you can t do all the things at once. But you can BEGIN with a number of them TODAY.

Lastly, monitor your B/P on a regular basis. Ask your doctor what signs & symptoms he/she wants you to be aware of so you won t be putting yourself at risk because you didn t know.

BottomLine - You need to become more knowledgable about your problem. You can t fix it unless you know what needs to be fixed.

This is not an exhaustive list, but it will give you lots to think about.

Wow !

Good way to look at it !

I was put on the medicine because i have hpertension

I am taking my medicine
Started to loose already, have a goal to go down to a specific weight
Aspirin, I gotta ask her ...... I asked for a headache and she said take Tylenol
Yup, walking more now
Fats .... Gotta learn how to do it properly
Lean meat, no steaks

[&:]
Yup, nonfat is easy .....
butter rarely used, margarine, will cut .....
Stress management ..... Who me worry ?
Salt, stopped using it years ago, have to start watching the food I eat as well ....

Got myself a BP measurement thingie ... doctor wants me to bring it in to calibrate it to what she measures, she wants to make sure it is accurate in other words.

Nooo, it didn t give me lots to think about

Stuff I already knew [8D][8D][8D] (yeah right) [

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brainpause · Oct 04, 2003, 02:05 PM

brainpauseGDSLTS s advice isn t bad, but I highly recommend the Atkins Diet for men. It seems to work better for men than low-fat diets, as most men like their meats, etc. I have " played" with the diet and lost six pounds (of about 15 I need to lose). Basically, the premise is to cut your carbs to a much lower intake. That means breads, soft drinks, pastas, etc. However, Atkins (atkinsdiet.com) makes controlled-carb versions of pastas and breads.

Cutting carbs out of the American diet has become a big deal. It is such a big deal that I saw on the news that the infamous Food Pyramid is being changed to have fewer carbs/bread servings in it.

Larry

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