Getting off Drugs....the Legal Kind

I figured this was as good a time as any.....to try getting off of my blood pressure medication. I'm walking daily. I'm eating well. I'm exercising.

A heart specialist threw me on the meds a couple of years ago when I had some fluctuating blood pressure readings and a couple of episodes of atrial fibrillation. It wasn't a huge deal...all of the tests they ran were normal....but they decided I had to be on the meds because one of the side "benefits" of the drug was it's ability to regulate heart rate. So, I very reluctantly gave in.

The heart specialist was the doctor that told me, "This is your last question," when I kept asking how he knew I would have to be on the meds for the rest of my life and his answers weren't working for me. He was rude and arrogant and I left with the prescription and never went back.

Two years later I want to know if I need to be on this stuff or not, and the only way to know that is to get off of it and see what my body does. If my pressure skyrockets or my heart is unhappy, I will go right back on.

I'm doing this under a doctor's care, so don't worry. I had to cut my dose in half for two weeks and then cut it in half again for two weeks. I have one more week of that and then I stop...and see what happens.

I really don't mind being on the meds IF I need them....but like I said...I didn't think I needed them then and I don't think I need them now. Of course, I could be wrong and if I am, I will be a good little girl and start taking them again.

I monitor my pressure daily...sometimes a number of times a day which is really ridiculous, but it is a little scary. I've had some high readings, but that is not uncommon. The problem is when your blood pressure is high for extended periods of time. Mine is not.

Have you ever felt so strongly about something that you just had to do what you felt was right...even when most everyone around you thought you were wrong? That's me right now.

Missing Dog

When the vet gave Irv the pills for Wrigley's new allergies last week, he said, "She is going to drink a lot of water and need to urinate a lot. Don't get upset because she is going to have some accidents."

I think what he should have said is, "Your dog is going to drink a lot and she is going to have to pee every 15 minutes. Don't get upset because she is going to pee all over your house day and night. She is also going to walk around like a zombie. You won't even recognize your own dog because she will be gone, and in her place will be this blob with glassy eyes that just sleeps or lays on the couch with her eyes open, but not really seeing anything....but she won't be scratching anymore."

I have had dogs and cats my entire life...not one of them has ever had to be on medication for anything....and it's pretty safe to say that unless my pets have some life threatening disease, they will never be on medication again.

I had no idea that dog meds would have the same kind of side affects that human drugs have. Wrigley was just so out of it. It broke our hearts. There was no tail wagging, no happiness, no barking, no playing with Sparky, no following us around the house, no bugging me when I did my yoga, no pushing the bathroom door open when Irv was combing his hair in the morning...nothing....our dog was GONE.

Irv called the vet Tuesday and asked him about it. The vet said those are the side affects of the drug, and if she wasn't scratching anymore to take her off the one pill, but to leave her on the antibiotic. He said to save the rest of the pills in case it starts up again.

Well, the pills will be properly disposed of, and I will be searching for a natural solution to Wrigley's allergies if they return. She will never be on meds like that again.

Irv didn't give her the pill Tuesday and I got up yesterday morning to Wrigley barking to play with Sparky and a cold nose in my ear when I was doing my yoga! Welcome back Wrigley!!

Anyone have a natural solution they would like to share?