Rockingchaircat Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 http://www.rawstory.com/2016/10/high-blood-pressure-medication-may-increase-depression-risk/ About one in three Americans have high blood pressure, and a new studysuggests that those on medications to treat this disorder may be at increased risk for depression and a number of other mental health problems. Although the exact reason for these results is not clear, the findings could suggest news ways to prevent mental health conditions, and also treat them. The study found that common prescription medications used to treat high blood pressure, such as beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, and angiotensin antagonists, were associated with hospital visits for a number of mental health conditions including depression and bipolar disorder. People taking a beta blocker or calcium channel blocker were twice as likely to have been hospitalized with a mood disorder as those taking an angiotensin antagonist, The Washington Post reported. The reason I'm including this report- is because I've seen no few instances of high blood pressure drugs being mentioned in folks who are working on getting off of antidepressants. Personally this news doesn't come as a surprise to me- Got High Blood Pressure- take this, which surprise surprise- increases your chances getting depressed. Solution? Take an antidepressant.... Of course. The more I learn of medicos- the more I detest them. 1)Zoloft- 6/99 to 8/04 2)Escitalopram- 8/04 to 8/10 3)Citalopram 8/10 to 4/14 (C/T), 4)Paxil a week or so, 5)Wellbutrin a week or so, 6)Reinstated Citalopram- 9/14 to 7/15 Before Taper- Celexa/20 mg....Taper Start- 04/21/15- 15mg....05/26/15- 10 mg...06/22/15- 5 mg...07/18/15- 0mg. http://tinyurl.com/qjfoqe9 Ativan/Lorazepam use/taper 10/14 to 2/15- http://tinyurl.com/ljebp84 Baclofen- Intermittent use of from 2008 till 2014. Some use of Promethazine. Some use of Zofran. Clobetasol Propionate- for Lichen Planus. Some Flexeril use. Ativan- GABA,A receptor Agonist., Baclofen- GABA,B receptor Agonist., Celexa/Lexapro- Serotonin 5-HT1A Receptor Agonist., Zofran- Serotonin 5-HT3 Receptor Agonist..Promethazine- Histamine H1-Receptor Antagonist. Flexeril- Serotonin 5HT2a Antagonist. My self imposed Amino Acid Therapy: Tyrosine 500mg 1xday, Theanine 200 mg 1xday, & Taurine 500 mg 2x day. (All neurotransitter pre-cursors)- seems to have helped me immensely. And of course- eating healthy, including Black Beans for the oligosaccharides for gut health. The attempt to develop a sense of humor and to see things in a humorous light is some kind of trick learned while mastering the Art of Living. - Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackieDecides Posted November 19, 2018 Share Posted November 19, 2018 (edited) the more I learn, the more it strikes me as crazy that my doctor thinks just adding pills is the answer to everything. recently, she doubled my dose of Ramipril because 2.5 was a "baby dose" and this would just bring my BP down a bit. however, I had told her I found it sedating and what happened was the 5 dose made me so sleepy that I drank more coffee and my BP actually went up. Edited November 19, 2018 by JackieDecides Currently taking Ramapril (blood pressure) 5 mg twice a day Omeprazole 10 mg AM and 20 mg PM (the taper has gone nowhere after the first cut) Famotidine once a day (and I still needs tums sometimes) magnesium 200 mg at night as of yesterday 2 fish oil capsules "EPA-DHA 1000" off Lexapro as of 5/2018 - last dose had been 5 mg every other day for a couple years highest dose had been 20 mg at which point I was diagnosed with Bipolar II, which went away when I cut the lexapro down to 15 mg. I spent years on Paxil before Lexapro (can't remember dose), briefly on Effexor and Abilify and others I have forgotten. in fact, when I was diagnoses with BPII I was put on all kinds of things which made me feel so bad I stopped them cold turkey within maybe 3 or 4 weeks, thank goodness. since then I've known these pills were terrible and I weaned down the Lexapro with zero help or support over I'm not sure how many years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackieDecides Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 I had to have my dose of Ramipril increased again and I do feel like it helped dampen down my anxiety but did increase my depression. But it's hard to be objective, of course. I wonder if anxiety increased my BP or high BP increases my anxiety or both? a spiral, I mean. well, things are better now but I hope I can cut back on it once my life is more settled. Currently taking Ramapril (blood pressure) 5 mg twice a day Omeprazole 10 mg AM and 20 mg PM (the taper has gone nowhere after the first cut) Famotidine once a day (and I still needs tums sometimes) magnesium 200 mg at night as of yesterday 2 fish oil capsules "EPA-DHA 1000" off Lexapro as of 5/2018 - last dose had been 5 mg every other day for a couple years highest dose had been 20 mg at which point I was diagnosed with Bipolar II, which went away when I cut the lexapro down to 15 mg. I spent years on Paxil before Lexapro (can't remember dose), briefly on Effexor and Abilify and others I have forgotten. in fact, when I was diagnoses with BPII I was put on all kinds of things which made me feel so bad I stopped them cold turkey within maybe 3 or 4 weeks, thank goodness. since then I've known these pills were terrible and I weaned down the Lexapro with zero help or support over I'm not sure how many years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ultimatumprisoncell Posted April 25, 2019 Share Posted April 25, 2019 I find this interesting and want to look into it further. I actually started taking clonidine (a BP medication of the Alpha blocker class) about eight months ago, specifically for anxiety and nightmares, and while going through AD withdrawals. This all came about after much research about them being used in children and by the VA as first-line agents for PTSD, anxiety disorders and also ADHD. My fiancee is a cardiologist and so he is very familiar with the BP meds, not an expert with the psych meds though and so he got a whole new perspective on them since we've been together. I don't doubt that any medication class could cause symptoms of any psychiatric nature... I just know that clonidine has done wonders for my overall anxiety levels and akathisia. Very interesting! Ativan 1or2mg PRN: 2003 - present Paxil up to 60mg: Aug 2005 - Feb 2013 Adderall XR Varied dosages on and off: 1994? - present Pristiq 100mg: Feb 2013 - Feb 2014 Effexor XR 150mg: Feb 2014 - Jun 2016; then gradual taper. D/C'd in Nov 2017. Xanax 1mg: PRN 1998 - Jan 2018 Zoloft 200 mg: 2016, Taper then CT Dec 2017 AMA. Destroyed my life. And everyone I love. Prozac 5mg daily: JAN 2018 - OCT 2018, CT'D against my will and despite my protests. Current: (NOV 2018) Ativan 1mg prn, Adderall XR 15mg daily, Clonidine 0.1mg twice daily Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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