Thanks guys for your responses. I now feel better about jumping off the Big Pharma wagon. I still take Lorsartan, for my blood pressure. Obviously it is working with my normal pressure. What put me in this position was a mild heart attack in 2000. Didn't even know I had one, I thought is was a bad case of heartburn. I do remember pain on both sides of the middle of my chest which normally it would be only the front. Two weeks later, I took my Moms advise and went to see her Cardiologist and the EKG showed it. This started my regiment of pills, never took any before this. I remember the little purple pill, Lipitor
Luck have it I ended up having a mini stroke (TIA) about 15 years later. Here again, thought it was an ear infection, I got dizzy and went to my knees. I have had many ear infections that makes the room spin.
Even drove 7 hours to South Padre on vacation the day after it happened. After about 3 days of major headaches persisting we cut our trip short and came home. Went to ENT to find nothing wrong, Doc suggested I see a Neurologist, what is that? lol He ordered an MRI, two weeks later, they found I actually had multiple strokes, ???, the Doc called the day of the results and ordered me to rush down to the hospital where they had setup me bypassing the waiting room and going straight in. I ended up staying over night being monitored, this was 3 weeks after my stroke, $60k bill for one night and I had no hookers
, only a nurse waking me hourly, haha. So fast forward, had a follow up MRI a year later and the tear in the vessel they found on the MRI had fully healed. Was told it looked like it may of been from an injury earlier in my life, I have had several neck issues over the years, did a lot of stupid things in my youth.
Sorry for the long post, but for me, the above seems mild. But to add, our family on my Moms side, has had heart issues, both grandparents, triple bypasses, but they were in their 70-80s and both had blood pressure issues and loved salt
All the above will give a Cardiologist all the ammo they need to push their drugs on you. Only way to tell if they work is to get off of them for a period of time, or at least this is my thought.