180/114 blood pressure -

[Lighthouse31]

Hello folks, I have been aware of the McDougall way if eating for some years and have been on and off it (more off than on) over past 15 years or so.

I am very overweight at 119kgs at 5'11. I checked my blood pressure first thing bceuase a friend is having issues with hers and I was just curious and I got the above reading and similar readings thereafter.

I have had BP issues before as I was an alcoholic drinking massively and I was on medication for a few years (I *think* it was amplodipine, but am not sure). In Between I have quit booze (10 years ago), don't smoke and I got very fit at one stage but obvs have fell off that wagon big time.

I am due to go to the Dr tomorrow and medication will be a cert. I have read a few old Newsletters and see that the Dr's preference is for Chlorthalidone.

https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2009nl/nov/bp.htm

One problem I may have with that is that I am on Quetiapine 200-300mg a day off-label (as well as venlafaxine, which itself raises BP) for anxiety and OCD. Quetiapine can affect kidneys adversely (as I know raised BP can) and I am concerned that a diuretic may place more stress on them.

Is Chlorthalidone suitable for me? If not, which class(es) of treatment would you recommend seeking?

Sorry my message is so long, if you have made it this far, thanks for reading.

[Drew_ab]

Hi There,

Thanks for checking in on the forums. I can't answer your question about meds, but I will say that a BP of 180/114 is dangerous and you'll probably need medication as soon as possible. Over time, you will likely find that you can either reduce (or in many, many cases) eliminate your BP meds. Having said that, please address it immediately. You do have a lot of work ahead of you given that your BMI is almost 35 and this puts you at high risk for negative outcomes from a plethora of medical conditions.

Now here is the good news. You actually know about WFPB starch-centered nutrition and have had periods of time following it in the past. Take advantage of this and jump in again with both feet - please don't wait until it's too late. Perhaps consider starting a journal on this forum for accountability and feedback.