Annie Anderson | Blog

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I thought the blood pressure medicine I take was causing me to gain weight. Since we don’t have a scale at home, I had no idea really how much. But I knew that my clothes just didn’t fit right and I felt different.

Well, last week was my doctors appointment to check how the blood pressure is doing on the meds and see if anything needs to be adjusted. I told the doctor about my suspicions (that the meds were causing weight gain) and at first, he thought I was just being overly sensitive. That is, until he actually went back through my records and realized I was right!

Between May when I began taking the prescription and August, I gained 11 pounds. And between August and now, I gained 13! And the meds were the only change I had made. Everything else is the same – food, exercise, etc didn’t change. Just the stupid medications!

So, he changed the medication and hopefully it will be better. I do feel a little different on these but I’ve only been taking them for 3 days so it’ll be a while before I notice any major changes. With any luck, the weight gain will reverse itself!

Let me just take a moment – again – to implore you to keep on top of your health. You owe your health to your family, especially if you have little kids. Health is not something to be taken lightly. Do your best to keep healthy. I generally don’t condone going to the doctor and using medications – I don’t think they are the “cure” – just a stepping stone, maybe, to get well enough to get off them if possible.

Obviously, there are some things that need constant medication like some forms of diabetes and what-not and I’m certainly not saying to never use prescription drugs. Just do your homework, ask questions, be informed and use your best judgment. And of course, I am not a doctor and I don’t play one on the internet, either. I’m just a mom, a writer and a graphic designer who has a few health issues. Take it or leave it but don’t substitute it for real advice.

Hope you had a great weekend! And thanks for all the birthday wishes! You all are awesome.

Be blessed,

Way back in the Spring of 2009, I found out I have high blood pressure. Not something I’d ever had problems with – even throughout 4 pregnancies (I’ve also never had heartburn) – and it came on pretty suddenly. My doctor still isn’t very sure why. I did have high cholesterol at one time (not anymore) several years ago but he doesn’t think that was a contributing factor.

In any case, I began taking some prescription medications for it and although they work quite well, they’ve caused me to gain weight. Weight that I had been LOSING up to that point. This does not make me very happy. In fact, I’m quite peeved about it – especially since 1) the doctor knew I had been losing weight pretty steadily and 2) he knew full well that weight GAIN was a side effect of this particular medication.

At the time I began the medications, I only had about 20 pounds to go until I was at a weight that is within the normal range for my height and body type. Now, I’ve gained enough back that not only is it frustrating but it’s also causing additional blood pressure issues and it’s quite possible he’ll want to raise the dosage.

Well, it ain’t gonna happen! In fact, on my next appointment to check the dosage levels and what-not, I’m going to talk his ear off about the weight gain issue and let him know that I’m not happy about it. Hopefully, there is another medication that can help just as well without the side effects this one causes.

And this is what loathe about modern medicine – it never really addresses any underlying issues and only treats what’s on the surface. Sometimes to the detriment of other things. Instead of doing that, they just want to add another medicine to the list or up the dosage of the current one. It’s a catch-22.

Really, I would prefer a more homeopathic or naturopathic solution to the blood pressure problem but unfortunately, our insurance doesn’t cover that type of treatment. So, I’m stuck on that point. I’ll tell you what, though – if the doctor doesn’t address my concerns, I will fire him as my doctor and find one who WILL!

I don’t have time to play games with my health. Neither does my family. Especially not with a health issue that could – quite literally – kill me if not taken seriously. That just isn’t worth it.

In the meantime, though – I’m going to begin an experiment to help lose the weight the stupid medicine has made me pack on. We already eat a pretty decent diet around here since we have so many allergies to things like eggs, milk and the like. We also eat many meals that are vegetarian or vegan so it’s not going to take much doing on my part. The biggest factor is that I’m going to cut out everything but vegetables and fruits for the next 3 months. I’ve already stopped eating bread, rice and stuff like that. Now I’m just going to stop eating meat and and cheese.

My only concern is protein, though. My metabolism and such is that my body needs protein. I can always tell when I haven’t had enough. There are alternatives, of course, like protein powders. In fact, I actually do use a vegan brown rice powder quite often. The problem is that it’s like eating bread. So I’m not sure it’ll have the effect I’m hoping for.

We’ll see what happens, I guess. Maybe I can lower my weight AND my blood pressure by making that one change. That’s my plan, anyway.

If you have any experience with this sort of stuff, do you have any tips, thoughts or ideas you can share? I’d love to hear them! You can always email me privately if you don’t want to leave a comment. Just go here to send me a message.

Be blessed,