What do you do with high blood pressure that just won't go down despite medication?

Are you exercising? Walking for 30 minutes a day lowers blood pressure. Has the person lost weight? That has a definite effect on blood pressure. Have you cut down on salt? Switched from table salt to sea salt (lower sodium)?

A second medication or different medication might help. What does the doctor say?

The person(male in early 50s) does all the right things and avoids salt like the plague. There is a big amount of extra weight that just won’t budge despite walking for over an hour daily and generally being as active as possible. Doctors keep emphasizing weight loss but belly fat simply won’t budge despite great effort.

LIposuction?

@gailcalled too many risks I guess.

Bananas or other potassium rich foods can help.

My husband was one of those people, @ZEPHYRA. His blood pressure was astronomical despite a combination of three meds. It was frustrating and terrifying. He stopped smoking over a year ago. The blood pressure barely budged. He got serious about increasing his activity level and lowering his caloric intake and he has lost 50 pounds. It has taken nearly 6 months for the weight to come off, but his blood pressure is now, thank God, perfect.

He is taking the highest dose you can take of three meds. The only thing left to do was to start trying different combinations. We didn’t want that. The weight loss really did the trick. He goes back to his doctor in August and I’m hopeful they’ll take him off some of the meds. His blood pressure has been staying in the 116/77 range.

Before, it was averaging 190/160-with the meds.

Lose weight. It always lowers blood pressure.

Thanks for the answers, I agree that weight loss will make a difference unless there is another reason. I know that in this case heredity has also played a role.

The person may be eligible for weight loss surgery. People who get weight loss surgery usually have to drastically lower or even stop taking their blood pressure medications, as well as cholesterol meds and diabetes meds, usually within days of surgery. Google it and you will confirm what I am saying. The person should seriously consider WLS if they are eligible for it.

You need to see your doctor.

@Rarebear, the OP said “despite medication.” My guess is there is a doctor involved.

That’s why the OP needs to see the doctor. There’s more than one medication.

How timely. I have lost 56 lbs, my BMI is down to 26, but I can’t get my BP down. But one thing that has come up is that I am not sleeping well at night, a lot of emotional issues that were suppressed by being fat seem to be coming forth. So my next move is to find a cortisol suppressant supplement; that was recommended by my doctor’s nutritionist today.

@zenvelo, are you currently, and have you been in the past, under a doctor’s care for you BP problems? Are you on prescribed meds? How long did it take to take the weight off and how long has it been off?

Sometimes the high blood pressure is hereditary and has nothing to do with weight, I have a friend who is very thin and always have been but developed high blood pressure in her 30’s and continues to battle it. There are more than one type of medication out there and sometimes its just finding the right medication and following the doctors diet recommendations. She finds though when her salt intake is drastically low is when the meds work best which means reading a lot of labels and not putting salt into anything and using the salt alternatives that are out there to cook with.

my problem is that my BP is so low I become a slug.

I agree that there might be a med that will work, if he has not tried a few different ones that might be an option.

Obviously, many above have commented on weight loss, but since that does not seem to be easy for him, he needs to do something in the meantime. By the way I have a friend who is perfect weight, jazzersize 5 times a week. Hard to control high blood pressure. Genetically bad. Her family has a lot of trouble with blood pressure. Her medication does help significantly though.

Be sure he has had his thyroid checked, a full panel. It could explain high blood pressure and difficult to lose weight. It is a simple, not very expensive blood test for them to check some of the basic thyroid numbers. At minimum they should check T4 free, T3, and TSH in my opion, but I am not a doctor. His doctor may have checked it already. I hope so. Does he have thin hair, need a lot of sleep, dry skin?

@bkcunningham My weight loss is since Christmas, so 7 months. My BP is the same as it was last fall, ranging from 135 to 175, over 90 – 95. I did have a physical on May 31, in which all my numbers were good except my BP. She prescribed a BP medication, but I am trying alternative methods first- Olive Leaf, Bitter melon, L- Arginine, and a few other things.

Today I met with a nutritionist under my doctor’s practice; I asked for help planning a stabilization diet once I reach my weight goal (another 8 lbs from here). The nutritionist and I talked about my sleeplessness and getting cortisol under control with supplements.

@zenvelo Has your doctor checked your thyroid?

There are many things that can cause blood pressure to be hard to control. Two things I can think of to have your doctor evaluate for are renal artery stenosis and obstructive sleep apnea. Both can keep blood pressure high despite medication.

@JLeslie Thanks, I’ll ask if that was part of my last bloodwork, and if not, see about getting it checked.

Apparently hormonal tests appear normal, so it’s not that.

@Penycat how does one go about doing tests for renal artery stenosis?

@zenvelo I’m interested to know if they have checked it. I am not assuming whether you have thyroid troubles or not, but I can tell you when my blood pressure suddenly started running high, I was the one who had to ask for my thyroid to be tested. I didn’t even know at the time it can affect my blood pressure (but a doctor should know) but I was having other symptoms I associated with thyroid. Right around the same time a close girlfriend of mine was having high blood pressure and her doctor automatically tested her, and indeed she was very hypothyroid. The side story is the wierd thing is I had been up to visit her several weeks before and then suddenly both of our thyroids crashed. Our numbers were way off. I literally had my thyroid tested 3 months before and it was normal. It was routinely tested by my doctor, because of other problems I have and a thyroid history in my family.

However, even if your blood pressure is high from thyroid the blood pressure drugs should work I think to help control it. I’m not sure? I was just upset they were ready to give me blood pressure drugs and not look for an underlying cause. Fixing my thyroid was of paramount importance for multiple reasons. Once I took thyroid meds my blood pressure went right back to normal, and a lot of other things got much better that never would have happened if they just gave me blood pressure medicine. I really think I could have wound up with all sorts of unnecessary tests being done, if the thyroid test had not been done.

Do you happen to live in the goiter belt?

Stress can cause High blodd pressure as well.
Try yoga, or walks to nature parks,quietness.
Or have a separate area to wind down and enjoy quiet soothing music.

@Zephyra you have your doctor order Renal artery dopplers, it’s an ultrasound test.