Hi! I'm a 59 year old clinical psychologist. I'm very healthy, average weight, eat healthful foods, exercise, don't smoke, rarely drink, etc, etc, i.e., your ideal patient. EXCEPT that I've suddenly ended up with high blood pressure! I was at my dentist's office last week, and during a routine PB check, my BP was somewhere around 140/105. Scary! Especially for me, who's always in perfect shape. So I had it checked again today, at a friend's office (he's a surgeon buddy of mine) and it was about the same. (About 30 minutes later, my BP had calmed down to around 145/85, but that's nothing to brag about, of course...) So my friend Eric prescribed 10mg of Liinopril (it's what he takes). And I've just taken my first med, as of an hour ago. No side effects, but I hate being on a BP med! I want off ASAP. So here's my question (sorry for the long intro!):
Since I'm already doing so many of the things you would characteristically recommend for naturally reducing BP, what do you suggest? Also, I'm not sure how to go about reducing the med slowly, as I attempt to change a few lifestyle habits toward the healthier side. In other words, how do I "test" whether my BP is coming down in independent relationship to the med? As of the first high reading of a week ago, I immediately cut, cold turkey, all caffeine, alcohol, and salt, and I started eating more potassium-rich foods. (I do understand, by the way, that I now need to limit my intake of potassium, so I guess I need to cut down/out bananas, spinach, etc?) I am practically in a panic, because this is literally the first conventional med I've ever had to take. And we all know that calmness is key here, so HELP! Thanks so much, Denise D.