best blood pressure med to take with Lexapro

[kmrozinski]

I take 10mg of lexapro per day, plus 25mg of Hydrocklorothiazide, 50mg of Atenolol and 20mg of Lisinopril.  When I started to take the Lisinopril, I would wake up in the middle of the night with my heart racing and feeling as if I had a panic attach. I sucked it up and got used to the med over time and it stopped happening.  My blood pressure is still not really under control, at the doc's office I am slightly up 135/89 etc.(I also have white coat symptoms)  Last visit my doc wanted me to increase the Lisinopril to 40mg, by the third day I felt the same way in the middle of the night waking up with heart racing out of control and feeling as if I am having a panic attach. I went back to just taking the 20mg and the symptoms disappeared.  Is there a better combination for someone like me who has had panic attacks in the past and is sensitive to side affects like racing heart etc. I just don't feel like being a science project trying different med's until one works.

Any suggestions?

[kmrozinski]

Thank you for your advice, I am see my doctor again in two weeks, so I will bring it up to him and see what we can do about it.

[RubyWitch]

I have heard that Lisinopril can cause folks to have headaches until they become accoustomed to it, but not what you're dealing with. Which could be a very real side effect of this med...........just because I've never heard of it, doesn't mean others haven't.
My best advice and probably what you will hear on this forum, is to get back with your doctor and tell him/her what is happening. It may not be the med for you!
The one thing I wonder about is since I'm assuming your doctor knows you have the infamous "white coat" fear, and that fact will cause your BP to be higher in his office than elsewhere. Personally I think increasing the dose of Lisinopril right now is kind of hasty, but I am NOT the doctor, so do what they say!  Do you have your own BP kit? I would suggest getting one, and don't scrimp on the price, get the best you can afford. Once you get one, do NOT become obsessed wtih taking your BP every15 minutes! Take it once a day at a time when you are the most relaxed.........but be aware that even THAT reading is going to be slightly higher than your norm because you are nervous about it. There is no way to "sneak" a BP, so I suggest you take it daily for about a week or two and get a good average. You will see that your BP fluctuates all the time and will be different at different times of the day. Do your best to really relax when taking it. Some good deep breaths before and let your mind go off on a bit of a walk about while the pressure is being taken. You should see a rather dramatic drop.
Sorry, but we can't really recommend a medication for you. Only you and your doc can decide if the one you're taking is the best for you or not. You could read some post here regarding Lisinopril by typing the name in the box at the top called "Search MedHelp." That should bring up just about every post that has been written about this med. You can also speak with your local pharmacist, who is a DOCTOR of PHARMACOLOGY about your symptoms and they can make some suggestions for you. They  cannot change your meds in anyway, but they know more about meds than 99% of most doctors! They are a valuabe resource! Use them!
Best of luck
Keep us posted and write again if you have any more questions!
Peace
Greenlydia