Is high blood pressure medicine prescribed to ALL Type I’s to protect the kidneys?
I don’t have have blood pressure but, my Primary Physican put me on it to protect my kidneys. Last year I developed a dry cough which is a side effect of the blood pressure medicine I was taking. I was also getting dizzy spells from my blood pressure dropping too low.
I told my Endo about this and he said if I didn’t have high blood pressure I can get off the medicine. Well, today I had an appt with my Primary Physican and she put me back on the high blood pressure medicine. She prescribed a different kind this time.
I’m going back and forth here. Who do I listen to???
I had the same battle with my PCP. When I quit taking Lisinopril (let my Rx run out), she gave me the kidney-pressure lecture. IMHO, it’s one of those medications you need to decide about for yourself. Then again, if your endo told you you can get off the medicine, when it comes to D, endo trumps PCP in my book.
I guess that all depends on what YOU think.
Many others will have other interpretations/decisions but I felt like the research was overwhelmingly in favor of taking these medication for the kidney (and recent research says the eyes too) protective benefit. I don’t necessarily like taking meds (have been refusing statin b/c my cholesterol isn’t high) but in this instance I decided, for me, it is the best way to go. I also had a cough but it only lasted a few weeks.
My docs also kept switching me around and I found these meds had a profound effect on my insulin sensitivity. It does not happen to a lot of people but it is one of the known side effects of these types of meds so watch out for that.
I was put on it too b/c of my kidney (only have 1 was born that way) but could not take it for all the reasons you have already mentioned. After a trip to the er was told by the staff there my bp was 70/50 NOT TO TAKE IT ANYMORE b/c my bp ran to low. Had a talk w/ my dr about it and ALL my drs decided that (for me) it was better to take the chance than to pass out and be hospitalized b/c of the med. Oh and this was the easiest one on bp.
My primary tried to put me on a medication to protect my kidneys however my Endo never mentioned it. my endo is the Diabetes specialist, if she doesnt mention it then im not taking it!
I think that a blood pressure med is considered one of the standards of good care, but I choose not to take them. I did finally break down and try Lisinopril once. By the end, I was cutting the smallest dose pill in half and still getting low blood pressure readings like 70/45. I also got the cough which kept getting worse and worse. I tried a different class of BP meds, but was taking such a low dose that I finally eliminated it with my doctor’s support.
I got a little spooked by all the warnings on these meds. Yes, I know we’re supposed to take them to prevent kidney damage. But if you have kidney damage, they’re highly contraindicated. Go figure.
I do wish that someone would do studies on people with Type 1 rather than always assuming that these Type 2 studies carry over to Type 1. I especially wish that there were more heart studies on people with Type 1 who maintain relatively good BG numbers. Heart disease is part of the package for many people with Type 2 and metabolic syndrome. However as someone with Type 1, I just don’t make insulin. I don’t have high cholesterol. I’m not overweight. I don’t have high blood pressure. Yes, I know that my arteries can be effected by years of high blood sugar episodes. But I’d love to see studies on people with Type 1 with A1c’s in the 5’s and 6’s.
From what I see most people are given ACE inhibitors. I have NEVER had this suggested to me, by any doctor.
Now it’s a moot point because 3 years ago I began taking Atenolol (a beta blocker…different class of blood-pressure medications) to correct Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia (unexplained rapid pulse).
Yes- Angiotension Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (known to cause the cough) or Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARB’s)(not known to cause the cough) are the classes of meds studies have shown protect the kidneys.
Whether or not the doc recommends it is probably related to a whole lot of things including the amount of time they feel they have to spend with you, known reactions/sensitivities to other medications, their personal opinion on the research etc…I had to specifically ask and encourage my doc to “give” me the medication. He was very resistant for unclear reasons (it was not my blood pressure because it was running slightly high at the time).
My cardiologist had me on a beta blocker (Metoprolol), and my PCP had me on an ACE inhibitor (Lisinopril) at the same time, so you can be on both.
What I didn’t like about being on either med though is that I didn’t (and still don’t) have high BP. Metropolol kept my heart rate too low, and in combination with Lisinopril, my BP would sometimes go too low as well. They made me feel tired. Although I have never had a heart attack, last year I did have a procedure for couple of coronary stents, and the standard post-procedure course of treatment is to Rx an beta blocker. And, for T2 diabetes, an ACE inhibitor is also a standard course of preventative treatment.
To my cardiologist’s displeasure, I took myself off of the ACE inhibitor after one year. I read the studies, and the side effects of the med did not offset the 6-9% increased survival benefit. As soon as my Lisinopril Rx runs out, I plan to drop that med as well. I’m convinced that tight BG control should be enough. I see what my endo says.
I certainly understand your reasoning. Guess the reason I chose to start and stay on it is kidney failure is one of the scariest complications to me. Once the cough left I haven’t had a single side effect so I guess I will keep on taking it
I guess I don’t understand Doc’s displeasure about these things. In the end WE have to deal with what happens when we choose to take or not take a med. Why do they care?
Listen to your body!..If there is nothing wrong with your blood pressure then dont take the meds. Especially since you are getting bad results and your endo does not agree…Your primary should not prescribe you meds for prevention when they are clearly not helping…I had a endo do the same thing to me and I just stop on my own, she tried very hard to get me to keep taking the blood pressure meds but I saw no need. I feel like they need to meet a prescription quota sometimes…Once nutritionist told me I should take a asprin everyday, that all diabetics should to protect our hearts…I say no thanks to her also
My PCP put me on Lisinopril and my hands and feet swelled up, so he took me off again. I’m on 25 mg of Lopressor. It probably needs to be upped to 50 mg again (borderline high BP) but last time MD did that my pulse dropped into the 30s at night. I think my PCP just reads “what to do if they are T1 Diabetic”. He had me on a statin when my cholesterol is under 200. That lasted 3 days, until I started having frequent PVCs. I think of him as a giant pill pusher. If your symptom is A, you get this medicine, if it’s B, you get another medicine. And he does seem to get pissy when I won’t take it.
Hey Sportster - I’m just getting this r(x) from my endo to protect my kidneys and asking similar questions. Have real concerns about dizzy spells and going low – did they happen for you at certain times of the day or activities? I don’t know who you should listen to— your body’s, my vote. If I get anything of use from my second opinion doc visit this week, I’ll let you know. We’re in this together!
Hi AZsnbiker - My BP would drop at all times of the day and night. I would get dizzy spells and I know people around me thought I was drunk! I remember being at the Drag Races and I was sitting on the bleaches. I stood up and as I was making my way across the isle, I loss my balance and fell on a man. I was pretty embarassed about that. LOL
