blood pressure meds causing zinging in hearing.

scottyboy76

I wake up with no big problem, 30 minutes after morning dose, have a pretty serious zing, not really a ringing, more like a cricket nonstop.

The maddening part is after the nightime round it gets much louder, it drives you crazy.

I have lost about 30 pounds trying to get the bp down to get off these damn things, sometimes it bugs me to even have the tv sound on.

Im even more empathetic to people like debs cousin who has had tinnitus over a decade from power saws and motors at work.

I take 10 mg. of Amlodipine in the morning

20 Mg. of Benazipril at night.

If your doc tells you to think of taking these, do all you can to deal with bp on your own

cnh

Not familiar with the second drug, but I've been taking Amlodopine Besylate (Norvasc) 10 mg for over a year now. No such problem with my ears. I too have had tinnitus, probably since I was a teen. I do not think that a simple calcium channel blocker would have such an effect and as drugs go there are far worse than this. The side effects are not that significant and many experience "none"! Better that than a stroke or worse! The symptoms you describe are not listed a side effects of this drug. And 10 mg is a fairly standard dosage for those of use who have spiking pressures.

Is Benazepril a diuretic? Not sure what your side effects would be here?

In any case you should probably be asking your Doctor about this. Meds can be switched out if they prove problematic.

Also, some hypertension is more dependent on genetic inheritance than anything you can do which includes, diet, exercise, etc. Unfortunately, I fall into that category myself. Half my family on my father's side suffers or suffered from it and none were really that heavy or out of shape!

BTW, Niacin is a natural substance found in many foods. It can cause "flushing" in anyone if administered in HIGH enough doses. And it is only dangerous in higher dosages. Commonly known as B3, it is a necessary B vitamin, and if I am not mistaken, B vitamins are water soluble?

cnh

scottyboy76

I had the same reaction to niaspan, a prescription niacin, trying to avoid statins.

Also,CNH, next appt. i do plan on talking to dr. about this, as the last month is where its gotten much worse.

While i agree its better than a stroke, its making me crazy, when you cant even be in a quiet room without a maddening sound inside your head, it gets old.

Im kinda worried my BP, like cholesterol and triglycerides being out of whack, might be unavoidable.

Guess they were not kidding about this getting old crap.

aboroth00

Sorry to hear about the health problems. I've had high blood pressure at a young age as well but that was due to various food related problems. Once the offending foods were eliminated, my BP's returned to normal. Pharmaceuticals should be treated as a last ditch solution for ongoing illnesses (acute illnesses are another matter). It's no surprised companies make billions off of statins. However, I've seen people significantly improve their condition using supplements such as fish oil and reducing processed foods and meats and increasing fruits and vegetables in their diets.

The best of luck

scottyboy76 wrote: »

I had the same reaction to niaspan, a prescription niacin, trying to avoid statins.

Also,CNH, next appt. i do plan on talking to dr. about this, as the last month is where its gotten much worse.

While i agree its better than a stroke, its making me crazy, when you cant even be in a quiet room without a maddening sound inside your head, it gets old.

Im kinda worried my BP, like cholesterol and triglycerides being out of whack, might be unavoidable.

Guess they were not kidding about this getting old crap.

aboroth00

Yup, all the B vitamins are water soluble. Excess B vitamins would typically be excreted through urine, but that does not mean ALL of it will be excreted on short order. A higher than recommended daily dosage is still not recommended. You have to keep in mind though, a niacin or any other supplement or drug is not just that active ingredient. There's the excipients, wetting agents, binding agents, capsule, solubilizing agents or what not in there as well! Synthetic niacin is made from various other processes with various impurities and if it's designed to be a slow or time released then there's one more factor to what it is. Niacin is a natural substance but synthetically produced niacin which has to be stable outside of a food product is different.

cnh wrote: »

Not familiar with the second drug, but I've been taking Amlodopine Besylate (Norvasc) 10 mg for over a year now. No such problem with my ears. I too have had tinnitus, probably since I was a teen. I do not think that a simple calcium channel blocker would have such an effect and as drugs go there are far worse than this. The side effects are not that significant and many experience "none"! Better that than a stroke or worse! The symptoms you describe are not listed a side effects of this drug. And 10 mg is a fairly standard dosage for those of use who have spiking pressures.

Is Benazepril a diuretic? Not sure what your side effects would be here?

In any case you should probably be asking your Doctor about this. Meds can be switched out if they prove problematic.

Also, some hypertension is more dependent on genetic inheritance than anything you can do which includes, diet, exercise, etc. Unfortunately, I fall into that category myself. Half my family on my father's side suffers or suffered from it and none were really that heavy or out of shape!

BTW, Niacin is a natural substance found in many foods. It can cause "flushing" in anyone if administered in HIGH enough doses. And it is only dangerous in higher dosages. Commonly known as B3, it is a necessary B vitamin, and if I am not mistaken, B vitamins are water soluble?

cnh

bikezappa

There are many BP reducing options out there. Ask your Doctor to try another one.

Good luck.

Tornado Red

I got off of the BP meds about 6 years ago, had been on them for about that same length of time. I did this under the watch of my doctor and things have worked wonderfully. Put down the salt shaker, the same with sugar which now appears to be as bad or worse for your BP than salt. Exercise 3-5 times a week and (heaven forbid) gave up drinking 6 years ago as well. This worked for me, took awhile for these changes to become habitual though. Your results may vary. I am no doctor, but did stay at a Holiday Inn last night

I wish you the best Scotty getting yours under control with some sense of normalcy back in your life, whatever that takes.

bikezappa

Tornado Red wrote: »

I got off of the BP meds about 6 years ago, had been on them for about that same length of time. I did this under the watch of my doctor and things have worked wonderfully. Put down the salt shaker, the same with sugar which now appears to be as bad or worse for your BP than salt. Exercise 3-5 times a week and (heaven forbid) gave up drinking 6 years ago as well. This worked for me, took awhile for these changes to become habitual though. Your results may vary. I am no doctor, but did stay at a Holiday Inn last night

I wish you the best Scotty getting yours under control with some sense of normalcy back in your life, whatever that takes.

Good advice for us all and lose a little weight.

boston1450

Go see a D O .....MD Doctors just throw meds at ya.. DO's seem to look at technics & meds together & from what ive seen do a better job pinpointing problem solving more to your individual need.

bikezappa

What is a D O?

boston1450

Doctor of Osteopathic

cnh

Yep! Quite a few of them up in Maine. Training is not radically different from an M.D. Pretty similar in many aspects. The history of the licensing of M.D.s and D.O.s is, to say the least, very "interesting"!

There is an ongoing debate as to whether diet and exercise can lower cholesterol. And some of that seems to be genetic. I have friends who are their proper weight, eat WELL and have readings greater the 265? I do think that you can LOWER your numbers as mentioned above. And personally I've seen mine run from 145 to 175 to 200 depending on weight and diet. In fact DIRECTLY related to weight and diet. The lowest number was when I was ill and my weight dropped to my H.S. weight and my appetite was non-existent. I was putting down, maybe 1200 calories a day by force because I was nauseous.

Never been on cholesterol meds. Don't need those. But again, there is NO family history of high cholesterol?

I agree about the comments on niacin. My father was the vitamin man. He only took natural versions of them, whatever that may mean. If you're an anti-mega Vit man, you'll argue against them till the end. There is no stopping that debate. But all I can say is that the man was in top mental and physical condition until he popped from an aneurysm which no one can predict or know about before hand most of the time.

Then there is that PLACEBO thing. It's "unbelievably" REAL and demands MEDICAL attention. Don't treat it like it's nothing!

Best thing is to talk to your Doctor and hope that you have one of those M.D.s whose training in supplements was not a mere week or two in medical school? There are a lot of younger doctors who are taking many things that they WERE not taught in Medical School seriously and experimenting with alternative medicine along with the traditional DRUGs and SURGERY approach. In China a dual system has been operating for a bit longer. Having lived and worked there a number of years I've found myself treated with a combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine with no ill effects and good results! The mind must remain "open"!

Let me put it in audio terms. All of you guys that believe 'everything' makes a difference and that audio cannot be fully quantified; why should any other area that involves a human dimension not have similar parameters. A "good" diagnostician cannot be made. There is art in medicine, it's not simply "objective"!

cnh

FTGV

What may I ask is your BP level at that required the meds?

cfrizz

scottyboy76 wrote: »

I had the same reaction to niaspan, a prescription niacin, trying to avoid statins.

Also,CNH, next appt. i do plan on talking to dr. about this, as the last month is where its gotten much worse.

While i agree its better than a stroke, its making me crazy, when you cant even be in a quiet room without a maddening sound inside your head, it gets old.

Im kinda worried my BP, like cholesterol and triglycerides being out of whack, might be unavoidable.

Guess they were not kidding about this getting old crap.

Scotty, there are hundreds of different blood pressure medications, tell your doctor to get off his lazy **** and try different ones until you find the right one that does the job with minimal side effects. A lot of people have good luck with Lisinipril.

As for the cholesterol, niacin does work but it also jacks up a persons liver, it put my mom in the hospital! I've been taking simvastatin for years with no side effects and the cholesterol is under control. If you have high cholesterol because of genetics all the dieting and exercise in the world won't help you!

It might mean that you become a pin cushion for a while, but it will be worth it once they find the right meds and dosages.

scottyboy76

My bp was never screamingly high, but the diastolic, "lower no.", was around 100 sometimes, and both were beginning to run consistently higher than it should have been.

Cathy, thanks for the info, i did not know there were that many meds for bp, will definitely discuss this with him, the ringing has really become a problem since my last visit.

My triglycerides have been very persistently high, once over 600, simvastatin was one i tried, as well as others, im now on atorvastatin, and tolerating it reasonably well as far as muscle pain and wasting.

My chol., and trigl., levels are still not perfect, but if my meds dont kill me, i think i could skate by for quite bit longer than before.

BTW, the men on my dads side always die of heart disease, in fact my dads disabling heart attack occured in his 40s, and he lived a sorry 8 years and died in his 50s.

Hoping my moms sides excellent track record with heart health might balance that out.

tonyb

I think CNH and Tornado Red hit on some very good options/info. If your BP being high is not super high or the result of another illness, I would try some other lifestyle adjustments. Prescription meds should always be the last choice in my book. Ask your Doc for a different med, and a lower dose while you work in some lifestyle changes. Slowly wean yourself off the prescription meds if you can. Don't just stop and try some home made guide to lowering your BP. This could cause a spike and put you in danger. As suggested, putting down the salt shaker, sugar, get off the caffeine, going easy on the carbs at night, some exercise, all good idea's to start with. Cinnamon also is wonderful for lowering BP.

Most all prescription meds have some sort of side effect, some not readily apparent too. So in helping with one problem, you create another....which requires....more meds. A vicious circle that unfortunately many subscribe to. Also educate yourself on how the body works, what happens when you put something good or bad in your mouth, how it breaks down, and how that effects you. Again, like audio and all things, the internet is full of misinformation that is agenda driven or just trying to sell you stuff. Stay away from people pushing products with wild claims of home made miracle cures. Nature in and of itself does provide lots of beneficial organic material to help with all sorts of things but none are a miracle cure for anything so keep that in mind. Health isn't based on one thing alone, it's a team effort and you and your choices play the biggest role.

Our body will tell us when something is wrong, in your case your BP is telling you to change what you have been doing. Listen, learn, and adjust. Kinda like being behind 3 touchdowns at half time, you make adjustments in the locker room to have different results in the second half. Us old farts are in that locker room. We need to come out in that 2nd half and adjust our strategy for a healthy old age. That 4th quarter will be brutal if we don't.

tonyb

Hate to beat a dead horse here, but interesting conversation with the head nurse at the Doc's office. After reading the warning labels on the Celebrex and steroids they prescribed, I had concerns and called. Anyone who has seen the warning labels on any med, knows they look like closing documents on a real estate transaction. They cover every possible thing that can go wrong, even death, and then some.

The Nurse tells me to pay no attention to those warnings in the box of meds, the drug companies have to put that in there to cover their butts. I said....yeah, I get that, but who is going to cover my butt should something happen ? You ? The drug company ? If I can't decipher any truth to the side effects, how can I determine if it's safe for me to continue to take ? Is there any truth to any of this B.S. in the box ?.....I asked. Answer.....well, yes and no. That's your answer ? I mean ...WTF ? Why on earth would I put something in my mouth that can be life threatening, for a condition that is not ? Seriously.....and people wonder why we get grumpy as we age.

Want to know why ? It's because with age comes the ability to see things as they really are and not threw rose colored glasses that come with a box or is told/taught to us. That goes for many things other than this subject matter too. Sorry gents, just venting a little today. I've come to realize the days that I'm just pissed off for whatever reason are starting to out number the days I'm not.....and that too pisses me off. LOL.

cnh

Certainly meds are a last resort and the side effects can scare anyone as Tony points out. But there comes a time when you have NO choice. I am a case in point. Throughout my 30s my BP would occasionally spike, in my 40s it started to go into the borderline territory 90s/130s--in other words this was my normal pressure, never lower. My physician refused to drug me till I got into my 50s and 90s/130s looked like a normal pressure for me if I was lucky, but my spikes were getting higher and higher. And my morning pressures were usually 150/103--the spikes were even HIGHER)!

My father NEVER took any medication even though he often spiked at phenomenal pressures like 210/120 or more? In his early 70s he was briefly hospitalized for congestive heart failure, more for the back up of some fluids into his lungs, etc. He was out in a couple days, no stints, no surgery, but required to take meds. It took weeks and weeks to adjust his meds since he was a "difficult" case, hence Cathy's there are TONS of meds for BP, dozens and dozens. With the meds in place he lived for another 15 years, no stroke, no heart attack. Finally burst an aneurysm in his 80s. Went in an hour or so. In this case the drugs gave him a lot more life.

Sometimes you have no choice. My first cousin who is a lot older than I has had two mini-strokes in his 70s. He is now over 80, on meds and you wouldn't know he had any stroke at all from watching him and talking with him.

I am NOT a fan of meds. But in some cases, you have to bite the bullet. My doctor held off as long as possible until my age and my pressure intersected and left no more time for waiting.

As suggested above lisinopril is probably an option substitute for something like benazepril? There are at least a dozen others that can be substituted. As I said above, my father went through a dozen or more meds before they even found a combo that worked for him.

Interestingly, when it came time for me to take meds, I had my father's info so I passed it to my physician. Sure enough, what worked for him worked for me. Even though the first few drugs I took did almost nothing to lower my pressure, before I had his list. Genetics? Probably!

cnh

cfrizz

Tony stop being a crabby old man and take your meds!! Instead of not wearing rose colored glasses, you and most men want to live in state of denial. This is why women tend to out live men.

My mother had a significant heart attack and didn't even know it the only symptom she had was shortness of breath (this is common for women) If she hadn't gone into the hospital for a diabetic infection it might never have been discovered. Her odds of living past 5 years was slim to none since she only had 15% of her heart left by the time the damage was discovered. When she died at the age of 79 from congestive heart failure she had made it past 10 years!

What did her doctor attribute it to? She took her medication and followed doctors orders! My mom barely weighed 100lbs and had high cholesterol up the wazoo. You don't have a choice when you have bad genes. Out of 6 children that my grandmother had, only the two women lived long enough to get old. Mom to 79 her older sister to 82. All 4 boys died without hitting 70, my dad didn't make it either. My older brother died at 48! All except 3 got taken out with heart problems.

My brother Mark is doing everything possible to live a long life, he started going to the doctor, taking his meds for glucoma, & HBP. He's only 49 but has already had two colonoscopys since colon cancer is what took out our dad at 59 years old!

My dads brother believed in eating right and exercising, but refused to take his BP meds since it got in the way of his sex life. Needless to say it didn't matter when his head exploded with a anuerism, I don't think he made 60.

Medicine is not the be all to end all, but it can certainly help extend your life as Cnh pointed out. Living in denial or just being stubborn will more than likely get you dead a whole lot earlier.

mike89

scottyboy76 wrote: »

I wake up with no big problem, 30 minutes after morning dose, have a pretty serious zing, not really a ringing, more like a cricket nonstop.

The maddening part is after the nightime round it gets much louder, it drives you crazy.

I have lost about 30 pounds trying to get the bp down to get off these damn things, sometimes it bugs me to even have the tv sound on.

Im even more empathetic to people like debs cousin who has had tinnitus over a decade from power saws and motors at work.

I take 10 mg. of Amlodipine in the morning

20 Mg. of Benazipril at night.

If your doc tells you to think of taking these, do all you can to deal with bp on your own

Hiii Scotty i think it's a cause of your BP medicine.Most of the BP patients have trouble this problem,so avoid take more medicine and stay calm and cool in a day.If you release your tension first then BP problem is doesn't harm you again.One more thing to know change your medicine and consult with other doctor for treatment.

4xoddic

"New guidelines suggest that people over 60 can have a higher blood pressure than previously recommended before starting treatment to lower it. The advice, criticized by some physicians, changes treatment goals that have been in place for more than 30 years.

Until now, people were told to strive for blood pressures below 140/90, with some taking multiple drugs to achieve that goal. But the guidelines committee, which spent five years reviewing evidence, concluded that the goal for people over 60 should be a systolic pressure of less than 150. And the diastolic goal should remain less than 90."

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/19/health/blood-pressure-guidelines-can-be-loosened-panel-says.html?_r=0

My BP is usually below 130/86. I'm on 40 mg Fosinopril (one of 5 meds I take every day). Caffeine = 1 cup of Lipton's. I have eggs maybe once/month. Love 5-minute oatmeal w/raisins (add raisins first, to soften; a friend could never duplicate our oatmeal, until he found that secret out [difficult to separate raisins from instant oatmeal packages?]).

Since my bypass in 1998, my MD/Endocrinologist/cardiologist always react to my cholesterol levels* with "you're not on any medication, is that right?" Then they pull out a sample of some new drug & suggest maybe this would bring it down below 94 . . . In every drug trial, the result is Diarrhea.

*
Total Cholesterol (*160)

Desirable: Less than 200 mg/dl

LDL Cholesterol (*93)

Optimal: Under 100mg/dL

HDL Cholesterol (HDL is protective and higher numbers are better) (*42)

Low: A level of 40mg/dL is considered low, and puts you at risk for heart disease.

Triglycerides (*121)

Levels above 200mg/dL, and possibly even above 150, may increase heart disease risk.

http://www.healthcentral.com/encyclopedia/408/339.html?ic=506048

My BIL has been diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. Observing his numerous trips to the toilet this Thanksgiving; on the way home, I got to reflecting on my experience with Cholesterol meds. Grown men don't discuss such things; so I called his wife. Sure enough, he's been on one for several years. No MD ever brought up that it might cause Diarrhea? She/He has a question for his next appt.

cnh - we used to travel to Lawrence (170 m RT) to take our Tollers to an Auburn U. vet who studied at the Chi Institute with Dr. Shen Xie, Director of Holistic Services at the University Of Florida College Of Veterinary Medicine. The Vet has moved to Lenexa. Yes, KSU has a Vet College, all indoctrinated & sponsored by Science Diet. My wife cooks up a variety of meals: turkey & beef stews, sweet potatoes, no-sugar applesauce, low fat yogurt, and a grain-free kibble. I used to proudly state: "We take Monkey & Punkin to a Feng Shui Vet in Lawrence." Just going to Lawrence is viewed as a Far Leftwing action here in KS. /sarchasm

cnh

4xoddic wrote: »

"New guidelines suggest that people over 60 can have a higher blood pressure than previously recommended before starting treatment to lower it. The advice, criticized by some physicians, changes treatment goals that have been in place for more than 30 years.

Until now, people were told to strive for blood pressures below 140/90, with some taking multiple drugs to achieve that goal. But the guidelines committee, which spent five years reviewing evidence, concluded that the goal for people over 60 should be a systolic pressure of less than 150. And the diastolic goal should remain less than 90."

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/19/health/blood-pressure-guidelines-can-be-loosened-panel-says.html?_r=0

My BP is usually below 130/86. I'm on 40 mg Fosinopril (one of 5 meds I take every day). Caffeine = 1 cup of Lipton's. I have eggs maybe once/month. Love 5-minute oatmeal w/raisins (add raisins first, to soften; a friend could never duplicate our oatmeal, until he found that secret out [difficult to separate raisins from instant oatmeal packages?]).

Since my bypass in 1998, my MD/Endocrinologist/cardiologist always react to my cholesterol levels* with "you're not on any medication, is that right?" Then they pull out a sample of some new drug & suggest maybe this would bring it down below 94 . . . In every drug trial, the result is Diarrhea.

*
Total Cholesterol (*160)

Desirable: Less than 200 mg/dl

LDL Cholesterol (*93)

Optimal: Under 100mg/dL

HDL Cholesterol (HDL is protective and higher numbers are better) (*42)

Low: A level of 40mg/dL is considered low, and puts you at risk for heart disease.

Triglycerides (*121)

Levels above 200mg/dL, and possibly even above 150, may increase heart disease risk.

http://www.healthcentral.com/encyclopedia/408/339.html?ic=506048

My BIL has been diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. Observing his numerous trips to the toilet this Thanksgiving; on the way home, I got to reflecting on my experience with Cholesterol meds. Grown men don't discuss such things; so I called his wife. Sure enough, he's been on one for several years. No MD ever brought up that it might cause Diarrhea? She/He has a question for his next appt.

cnh - we used to travel to Lawrence (170 m RT) to take our Tollers to an Auburn U. vet who studied at the Chi Institute with Dr. Shen Xie, Director of Holistic Services at the University Of Florida College Of Veterinary Medicine. The Vet has moved to Lenexa. Yes, KSU has a Vet College, all indoctrinated & sponsored by Science Diet. My wife cooks up a variety of meals: turkey & beef stews, sweet potatoes, no-sugar applesauce, low fat yogurt, and a grain-free kibble. I used to proudly state: "We take Monkey & Punkin to a Feng Shui Vet in Lawrence." Just going to Lawrence is viewed as a Far Leftwing action here in KS. /sarchasm

If coming to visit a Feng Shui Vet in Maine is subversive then I must be on a "list". lol

Excellent numbers there!

I've seen these NEW BP guidelines but let me tell you something. You know what the AVERAGE BP in China is (1.4 billion people)?

110/70. When I was there and had a pressure of 110/90 (under great stress in my 30s). The Chinese Doctors thought I was going to go into cardiac arrest. That didn't happen, I was just high strung from living in the middle of nowhere and having four intestinal parasites floating around in my system!

Lower BP is one of the most significant things you can do for yourself. If possible keep it below 120/80, if not somewhere around that range is better than having it too high.

Don't you think it is EXTREMELY interesting that as the REQUIREMENTS for STATINS are being LOWERED to ABSURD levels, that BP should go in the OPPOSITE direction?

What's the problem? BP Meds not PROFITABLE ENOUGH?? Statins yield greater "margins", perhaps. Statins are just PLAIN NASTY.There has to be a better way to lower cholesterol and we all know cases of individuals with ridiculously high cholesterol readings who lived into their 80s with no visible heart disease till the end?

It seems like "inflammation" and the control of that is probably FAR more important than the control of Cholesterol. The simple correlation between cholesterol and heart disease has always been a little "fuzzy" since it is but one indicator among many others.

I'm afraid to say the Medicine has its "fads" as well. Somewhere between Tony's rant and whatever the current fad is, we need to make our own decisions with an M.D. WHO WILL ACTUALLY LISTEN TO WHAT WE ARE SAYING. Mine does and that's why I've been with her for over two decades!

cnh

scottyboy76

Thanks for all the advice guys, definitely love hat on all these meds, seems like yesterday all i took was occasional antihistamine.

I have lost about 40 pounds, mainly from cutting down amounts eaten, and pretzel sticks as late night snack, as well as a little peanut butterfor protein to tide my glucose over at night.

BP has def. improved, will be seeing doc tomorrow for blood work results.

BTW, Im about to have 3 chipped right rear molars looked at by a dentist, the worst auditory problems are on that side.
Last night i noticed they had some blackness (decay), I had just been living with them for a while, kinda looking to see if that is at least part of prob.

CNH, It sounds like you have led an adventurous life.