Blood Pressure

[Sky Blue]

Is it wise to get a CAA class 1 medical while under medication for high blood pressure? :confused:

[Brenoch]

I´m no expert but as far as I know it should not pose a problem.. Quite a few of my colleagues are using medication for high blood pressure..
Have a little chat with your physician, I´m sure he/she will know..

[ 15 December 2001: Message edited by: Brenoch ]

[mallard]

In my youth I remember pilots worrying about being failed for high blood pressure.
It was my AME who alerted me to my borderline status (I am in my late fifties) and told me to have my GP arrange a 24 hour monitor.
The result of that was the prescription of a small pill once a day. Over a period of 6-9 months the dose was increased to where I am now.
It is no hassle and there are no side effects.
I take it with a diuretic (reduces body fluid but no you are not constantly having a wee like when you have been in the pub too long) and a multi-vitamin to compensate for crew food.
Given the hidden nature of high BP... it has no symptoms but contributes to heart disease and stroke... I am pleased to have been monitored and benefit from modern medicine.

[flufdriver]

Fellow pilots,
i have some really good news for those of you that have BP-worries.

I am 53 and i keep relatively fit, I have had borderline BP for many years. A friend, who is a physician recommended that i take 100mg of Co-Enzyme-Q-10 daily, as studies have shown that this dosage has had profund results in reducing BP in middle aged people that were not able to reduce it otherwise, meaning by diet and exersize.

After taking this supplement for about 4 months my BP started to come down, I have now reduced my dosage to 2 X 30mg per day and my pressure is steady around 122/75.

Now, if they just get this industry back on track i might be able to keep flying till i have enough money to retire!

[mach78]

Thanks for that flufdriver.Good to see helpful posts likr this.Must try it,only problem I can see is that it sounds expensive Q10 being the price it is.

[GlueBall]

Pressures below 140/90 will not trigger the interests of the FAA's Aeromedical Branch.

[IHL]

Flufdriver,what is co-enzime Q 10 and how does it work? Are there any side effects ?

[flufdriver]

Co Q10 is a supplement like a vitamin or mineral, in fact it is normally produced by the body but production diminishes once you reach 35 as part of the natural aging process. The anti-aging benefits have been known for a long time, however untill recently Co-Q10 could only be extracted from (I've been told) Beef hearts, it was therefore very expensive and not widely available, now a sinthetic production method has been found, it is therefore much more readily available. The research that i am familiar with was done with daily 100mg dosage, the general effect was a slowing of the natural aging process along with a reduction in BP, it also reduces the signs of aging, for instance, those brown spots on your hands disappear after a while etc, the key is that Co Q10 needs to be taken consistently for about 3-4 months before the effects become apparent, i do not know of any (negative) side effects other then the cost of the supplement.
I hope that helps.

[IHL]

Flufdriver : Thanks for the info.

[HHarry]

Quite many people have borderline/modestly raised blood pressure. During follow-up some of them are normotensive. If Blood pressure is borderline/modestly raised, one can try nonmedical treatment. It is often effective and nowadays often recommended.

Nonmedical treatment is: If overweight, reducing weigh may prove to be effective.
Most importantly, try to reduce NaCl consumption, as most of us use too much salt (NaCl). Try to increase regular exercise if possible. Try to use less alcohol (if consumption is heavy). Try to use more nonsaturated fats in your diet.

But, as always, a good health check should be done first to exclude secondary hypertension.

HHarry