Unhelpful Doctor re weight loss.

[fionamw]

My OH, who's had Type 2 diagnosed for about five years, has made an effort and shed over a stone. Still overweight but shifted his BMI by 3 points or so. Still smokes but has plans to give up. Had his most recent checkup with a locum doctor. He'd been told last time he had a checkup that if he lost a stone he could probably have a reduction in his hypertension meds; the locum said there was a specific limit (130/85) below which he'd have to be before she'd consider lowering his medication because of his diabetes.
That seems strange to us, but he's in no mood to argue, just wants to get on with losing more weight.
Anyone any experience of this kind of calculation?

 

[LeeLee]

I can't comment on the calculation, but this might help a bit...

After years of steadily increasing weight and BP, I finally made an effort to lose weight. Since April I've lost 25% of my former self. BP in normal range now. Then I started getting strange potassium/sodium blood results. Turns out that the weight loss reduced my need for the BP drugs and the electrolyte balance was being thrown out of kilter by the Bendroflumethiazide diuretic, which I no longer need.

Good luck to your OH - with your support he can do it!

 

[MaryPlain]

I don't know the numbers, but I think that hypertension medication also protects the kidneys so that might be why the GP didn't want to reduce it.

As long as he's not getting low blood pressure there's probably not a problem.

I eventually came off blood pressure medication when I started to exercise more, and began feeling quite tired. My blood pressure was then quite low: about 110/60 and the GP said that there is some evidence that low bp is quite as bad for us as high so recommended a reduction. Eventually I got to the stage where I didn't need the medication at all.