h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Welcome to the club, Mistadrong. The "pril" on the end of your medicine is a dead giveaway to the class it belongs to. "-pril" usually means that the med lowers is an ACE [Angiotensin Converting Enzyme] type of antihypertensive. I was on Captopril for a few weeks many years ago. It disagreed with my stomach, even at low doses. Lysinopril is the same sort of thing, but it's not as hard on my stomach. If I take three antacids within twenty minutes of taking it, the initial stomach discontent is neutralized.

What's funny is that Propranolol and the diuretic I was taking for 30 years were a constant cause of stomach acid [hence the need for antacids], but when I was taken off them for two weeks, my stomach was in such great shape that I needed no antacids for days on end.

Oh, well, the "No pain, no gain" slogan seems to apply here. In order to gain a healthy blood pressure, some pain must be accepted.

I'm glad to hear your health is improving and you're in good spirits, Paul.

I know we should be grateful that there are meds available that help
people's conditions. All the same it would be nice to have a med to take
that didn't have a side effect.

Some of the meds that I take seem to be free of side effects. I was on Lipitor [a.k.a. Atorvastatin], and then I was switched to Simvastatin. I never felt any side effects at all from them.

Atorvastatin! I take that one

Atorvastatin does a fine job. It's just that my HMO [Health Maintenance Organization] was looking for ways to save money on the prescriptions it filled, so my doctor switched me away from Atorvastatin because there was no low-cost generic equivalent. There is a generic version of Simvastatin, so that's what I'm on now.

my doc tried me on 2 others before ator' but I had the side effects of aching muscles with them (not that they are strongto start with)

Some meds are easier to live with than others. I hope you didn't have liver damage from those first two.

...ghastly, having to give up alcohol for fear of adverse reactions with meds, even that cup of burgundy before bed. (Its good for the heart.)...

all ok Paulplus I have a blood test every 6 month or so for liver etc because of taking a blood pressure tab and a little white with it every morning. Blood one causes excess potassium salt and white one gets shut of it

My doctor said that he carefully chose this medication. I've often been told that my potassium levels are on the low side. When I was in the hospital, I was given potassium supplements several times a day. I won't need them now, with this medication.

my B.P was ok until a few year back,the housing and council started mucking me about with my rent and council tax (someone in their office couldn't readand caused many problems,THEY never apologised after (as per))but that sort of got my blood boiling

Ah yes, bureaucracy and its minions have that wonderful ability to raise
the old BP.

I'm as fit as 10 men

9 dead and 1 knocked out

I have always refused to go on the wagon and/or drink secretly as those are classic signs of alcoholism - and I don't want to become an alcoholic

But then my ordered me to take a month long brake because my blood showed signs of my liver being in danger. This brake (November) is now over

You see, over the last 3 years I have been taken certain meds who are very hard on the liver, so I wasn't supposed to drink more than 3, 5 or 7 tops per week (!)

I did so anyway - what would life be without the odd glass of or , right?

I was warned that I might loose my hair and feel queasy, even vomit, for a day after taking my pills once a week but none of these things happened, so why should alcohol harm me?

Well, in the end it began to do so, but I had a good run - and now I am getting other meds which seems to w*rk fine, so I'm okay

In moderate amounts, alcohol is said to be good for your heart. Red wine in particular has resveratrol, which is as close to a rejuvenating substance as has ever been found. Some people claim that the French habit of drinking explains the French Paradox, i.e. that the French drink a lot and eat fatty foods, but have lower levels of heart disease than one would otherwise expect.

The downside is that the more you drink, the greater is your risk of cancer.

I've been reading about Vitamin K2, which promotes heart health, particularly in its habit of putting calcium in your bones rather than in atherosclerotic deposits in your arteries. Vitamin K2 is found in liver, egg yolks, hard cheeses, butter from grass-fed cows, and many fermented products such as Natto (Japanese fermented syboeans) or sauerkraut. Even yogurt has a bit of it. Just of the French love affair with butter, pate de foie gras, and duck fat. Maybe Vitamin K2 is just as responsible for their good health as the is.

Olive oil may play a significant role also

Grape stone oil contains far more unsaturated fat than olive oil does, but some people think olives contains other substances as well that makes its oil healthier than grape stone oil

They even have a name for it: The Mediterranean paradox

Good for me, I love olive oil

I eat everything in moderation,with as much variety as the Fates will allow. If you eat *too much* olive oil (and I know someone who does), you can get fat and may habe trouble qualifying for health plans.

Sensible. Too much of a good thing is usually bad

at every stage, some doctors/scientists etc will say "this is bad for you" - years ago they said "bran" doesn't do anything for you, so they took it out of certain foods. Then years later "yes it is used by the body somehow" so not only did they put it back, but NOW they cram extra in and say you've to eat moreThis is the same with most foods -good/bad as THEY dictate - ME! I eat/drink what I want, when I want and MY body will tell me if it's bad or not etc