Have you gone off meds against your doctor's advice?

[Julie in CA]

I've been taking blood pressure meds, and a statin drug, and my doc is very happy with my current levels.

 

I want to quit it all. I'm doing the right stuff now (I haven't before). I'm getting exercise, I'm staying within my calorie limit. I just want to quit the extra "stuff" and see if my body can correct itself now that I'm treating it better.

 

I haven't talked to the doc about it yet. She's a nice person, and has been fairly open to my opinion and not pushy at all, but I'm sure she's not gonna approve of this.

 

Dropping it all--bad idea?

[Liz CA]

I probably should not answer this thread and encourage you to be rebellious - but you can decide for yourself.

 

I have gone against MD's advice and went to a naturopath instead and followed her advice because I personally was way more comfortable with the course of action she suggested.

 

This is highly individual because it's your life after all! Before you do anything drastic, could you make an appointment with a naturopath?

I could PM you with one in C. I think you are in the same county as I am!?

[littlebug42]

I would exercise caution. My mother thought much the same way and weaned herself off of her bp meds when she was eating right, exercising etc and she ended up in the ER multiple times with blood pressure that spiked to 215/112 - what they called stroke level. I won't say it couldn't be done but I would do it under the supervision of some sort of doctor.

[PollyOR]

I've read that sugar and blood pressure can be related. FWIW

[Anne]

Definitely start with your doctor. If you're not satisfied with her answers and response, then consider another doctor - maybe a naturopath someone recommended?

 

I also vote for caution. Remember that the consequences could be dire and permanent.

 

Anne

[Merry]

for a second opinion elsewhere if your doctor still doesn't change her mind. The doctor might consider cutting the dosage in half or something. My dh's doctors have adjusted the medications for him over the years when he asked them to.

[Julie in CA]

I've read that sugar and blood pressure can be related. FWIW

Yep. I eat close to no sugar now. No bread, no potatoes, no rice, limited fruits. Tons of veggies, lots of salad, plenty of protein. I'm feeling much better, though I slip once in a while and have popcorn at the movies or a bite or two of dessert.

[MeanestMomInMidwest]

DO NOT go off BP meds on your own. I have taken care of many, many people who have done this. here is a short list of some of them

 

Subarachnoid hemorrhage

Cerebral Vascular Accident (Stroke)

Dissecting Aortic Aneurysm

Hypertensive Crisis

 

they don't call hypertension the silent killer for nothing

[Jean in Newcastle]

The problem isn't necessarily with going off them but with going off them suddenly. Many medicines need to be weaned off of slowly. Do not do this without a Dr's advice on how to do it and without having other things in place. Other things can be diet and exercise but might also include supplements and other natural remedies.

[JenAL]

Do you check your bp at home? Have you been getting very low readings? If you've just been getting normal readings, then chances are the bp meds & the current changes you've made are working together to keep you bp at a safe level. I wouldn't try to wean off or stop it completely without medical supervision.

 

FWIW, I'm a former bp med taker who thankfully no longer needs meds! But I didn't go off of my meds without my dr's advice & close monitoring (both at home & at dr office). I still watch my bp cautiously as high bp runs in my family so I've been advised it could return.

[TravelingChris]

I haven't but then I don't have any conditions that would improve with anything I do by myself. On the other hand, I recommended that my dh not start his bp medication without a clear understanding of why he is taking it. He followed my advice and I hope to get him to see another doctor next month when he is finally home. (He was telling me that his bp was in a range that is not supposed to be treated with medication. I told him that he needs to get this cleared up since unless he actually has high bp, he shouldn't be on medication).

[RegGuheert]

I went off thyroid replacement hormones (synthroid) about 20 years ago and I believe I may have nearly killed myself. Unfortunately, I did not realize the possible risks of suspending the medication and I ended up flat on my back without enough energy to even lift myself off the floor.

 

In that case, I'm upset that the doctor did not tell me the goals of the "treatment" nor did he tell me the dangers of suspending it. I can tell you it wasn't for a lack of asking on my part.

 

All that said, today we have access to MUCH more information with which to make medication decisions than we did 20 years ago.

[Crissy]

I wouldn't recommend stopping your medication on your own, but neither would I recommend allowing a doctor to dictate what you must do.

 

Make an appointment with her to create a plan to work your way off the medication. Do some research, write out your plan and your ultimate goal (no meds) and ask her to help you refine the steps you should take to reach that goal.

She is a partner in your health care, not your boss.

[cillakat]

Dropping it all--bad idea?

 

Yes. Find a doc that will support you in slowly reducing to see what your (new) normal levels are.

 

K

[Julie in CA]

I didn't mean *drop it all on my own, all at once*. I meant that I'm considering seeing the doctor and assertively saying that I really want to give it a try without the meds, then following her directions for getting off of them (even if she really probably wishes I would just stay on them).

[PollyOR]

Good luck. :)

[OrganicAnn]

I would definitely talk to the doctor and see if there are choices.

 

Also you may consider that even if you are eating healthy and exercising, what if you go to a restaurant or someone house and you eat something very high in sodium. I saw some news article recently that it is not just having a low bp it is have a steady bp without spikes.

[Tap]

Another vote for talking to your doc first.

 

There are stair steps in prescribing therapy. A doctor will usually try one medication, then add in another if the first doesn't work. If those don't work they may try a different combination. If you talk to her, she can suggest which one to go off of first and what to watch for. That way you have her on your side if you start noticing side effects and would like to try something else or go back on your meds.

 

There may be a viable reason to go off, and if so the doctor will most likely be quite supportive of a change.

 

I hope it works out for you!

[tkeller]

I am also seeing a naturopath doctor and am tapering down on my anti-depressants while adding in some more natural therapies.

 

Good luck!

[asta]

A couple of things:

 

1. "Natural therapies" are drugs. They are just unregulated drugs that lull people into a sense of comfort because they don't come from a pharmacist.

 

2. You're feeling better because your meds are working, in concert with the changes you've made in your life, not necessarily because you don't need them any longer.

 

This is actually an extremely common phenomenon in all avenues of medicine and illness (the "I feel better, I must no longer need X" thing).

 

I would strongly recommend having a frank talk with your doctor about the actual state of your illness and the possible ramifications of going off of your medication at this time. Some people are able to manage their illness w/o medication (just as some diabetics are able to manage w/o insulin) and some simply are not.

 

Be well.

 

 

asta

[Julie in CA]

This is actually an extremely common phenomenon in all avenues of medicine and illness (the "I feel better, I must no longer need X" thing).

 

It's not so much because I *feel* better, but rather the fact that I am now doing all of the things they told me to do in order to avoid medicating for high BP and high cholesterol in the first place. My life has changed in ways that now allow me the time to do what I need to for my health. I appreciate all of the input here though, and I'm thinking over the advice I've received.

 

Thanks!

[Peela]

I think the key is to take responsibility for your own health- and use the doctor for their area of expertise, which isn't actually health, it's medication. I personally would go off the drugs, but not without making sure I had educated myself fully...maybe a naturopathic doctor or a more alternatively minded doctor would be more compliant with your wishes.

[G5052]

DO NOT go off BP meds on your own. I have taken care of many, many people who have done this. here is a short list of some of them

 

Subarachnoid hemorrhage

Cerebral Vascular Accident (Stroke)

Dissecting Aortic Aneurysm

Hypertensive Crisis

 

they don't call hypertension the silent killer for nothing

 

My mother is institutionalized with vascular dementia because she went off of her blood pressure medication, and it began a snowball of problems. If you truly test in normal ranges for BP, of course it would be OK to discuss it with your doctor. Some people with marginal problems are able to come off of BP medicine. I just wouldn't do it just to do it.

Edited April 16, 2010 by GVA

[RegGuheert]

I went off thyroid replacement hormones (synthroid) about 20 years ago and I believe I may have nearly killed myself. Unfortunately, I did not realize the possible risks of suspending the medication and I ended up flat on my back without enough energy to even lift myself off the floor.

 

In that case, I'm upset that the doctor did not tell me the goals of the "treatment" nor did he tell me the dangers of suspending it. I can tell you it wasn't for a lack of asking on my part.

2. You're feeling better because your meds are working, in concert with the changes you've made in your life, not necessarily because you don't need them any longer.

The point which I failed to make in my post is that the medication I was taking was NOT needed and NEVER was. It was prescribed to treat my symptom (a goiter), not to solve the cause of the problem, since that was unknown.

 

Anyway, I have never taken *any* synthetic thyroid hormone again and I have been fine for over 20 years. However, I nearly killed myself that first day I went off the meds. The point is that I should not have gone off the meds abruptly, even though I really did not need them.

 

It seems pretty clear from reading the other posts that high blood pressure medication is quite different from my situation, so YMMV. Even though my father suffered from high blood pressure, I have low blood pressure, which I inherited from my mother.

 

Best wishes for getting off your meds safely and successfully, Julie!