Blood pressure tablets and cycling

[JBGooner]

Just had my five-year check and my BP is pretty high, 158/100, now measuring at home and that is, so far, the low end.
So I reckon I'll be on the BP tablets. Does anyone know how this may effect my cycling? I'm hoping they make me faster
Also might there be any brands to be avoided or preferred?
Cheers

 

[KnittyNorah]

There's an awful lot more involved in the treatment of high blood pressure than mere 'brand of tablets', as there are a wide range of contributory factors. Have you had a 24-hour BP monitoring session set up? That should probably be the beginning of the study, unless there's an overt cause for your issues.

 

[fossyant]

Mine goes up at work and in the GP practice I did the 24h one and the overall average was fine - might be worth a home unit, as it told me my BP was perfectly normal once I'd sat down and relaxed after work.

 

[oldwheels]

Mine goes up at work and in the GP practice I did the 24h one and the overall average was fine - might be worth a home unit, as it told me my BP was perfectly normal once I'd sat down and relaxed after work.

Same result for me.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

My wife has white coat syndrome, at home it's fine, go to surgery & it's sky high

 

[numbnuts]

I'm on BP tablets, now I struggle to get my pulse above 130 bpm even on the turbo, other than that I'm fine.
I'm on Bisoprolol to lower BP and Nicorandil for opening up blood vessels.
My BP is now around 124/63

 

[Cycleops]

I'm on BP tablets, now I struggle to get my pulse above 130 bpm even on the turbo, other than that I'm fine.
I'm on Bisoprolol to lower BP and Nicorandil for opening up blood vessels.
My BP is now around 124/63

I understand Sildenafil opens up the blood vessels too

 

[I like Skol]

I understand Sildenafil opens up the blood vessels too

Damn! Why am I cursed with stupidly healthy blood pressure, low cholesterol and supra-normal lung capacity when I could otherwise be getting 'free' performance enhancing drugs on the NHS.......

 

[JBGooner]

I bought a blood pressure monitoring kit from Lloyds and have done a couple of measurements. The results are worse than I got at the doctors
My dad took BP tablets for years and my mum still does, so I guess its probably genetic.
My bloods came back as a gold star she said.

 

[vickster]

See what the GP suggests. Some have more side effects than other, eg the cough associated with ACE inhibitors (the NHS website should be able to provide info on the different classes).
Losing weight and reducing salt content can help lower BP

 

[KnittyNorah]

What are termed 'lifestyle changes' (diet, weight, activity and so on) can be just as, or even more, important than popping pills regardless of type or brand. Some people who need to take pills initially are able to undertake 'lifestyle changes' to an extent which enables them to change, reduce or even stop their medication. That's not possible for everyone - it depends on the root cause/s of your raised blood pressure, and the root cause of your raised blood pressure will dictate which types of pills you may, or may not, be prescribed. People's reactions to different ones vary too, so there's no saying by anyone here which one/s may be 'best', still less which might be most suitable for you.

 

[byegad]

I bought a blood pressure monitoring kit from Lloyds and have done a couple of measurements. The results are worse than I got at the doctors
My dad took BP tablets for years and my mum still does, so I guess its probably genetic.
My bloods came back as a gold star she said.

My Lloyds one reads a tad high, verified by my GP taking it on one arm and the machine on the other.

 

[KnittyNorah]

My Lloyds one reads a tad high, verified by my GP taking it on one arm and the machine on the other.

There's often a natural difference between the two arms, regardless of the machine used. Which is why, when taking your own BP, it's best to be very, very consistent - same arm, same place on the arm, same routine, same body position - so you are comparing like with like.

 

[Cycleops]

Damn! Why am I cursed with stupidly healthy blood pressure, low cholesterol and supra-normal lung capacity when I could otherwise be getting 'free' performance enhancing drugs on the NHS.......

Used to be free but not any more, only if you're disabled now I think. Not to worry you can buy the knock offs for cheap, about .80p each here.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I understand Sildenafil opens up the blood vessels too

Makes sense as wider pipes means lower pressure for same volume of blood pumped.