medications

My husband gets regular, 5x a week exercise, aerobic and weight bearing, is a vegetarian, does not smoke or drink.  Is overweight by 35 lbs but has been at that weight for several years despite a healthy lifestyle.  His bp was borderline before he took up his fitness and diet regime, but then dropped to normal.  After a year of being into his program his bp suddenly shot up and was not controlled by lifestyle changes.  HIs doctor put him on half tab of 75 mg. triamterene and his bp is normal now, but he is experiencing a marked decrease in libido.  Is there another medication that he could try?

[CCF CARDIO MD - DLB]

Dear lr

There are numerous other medications that can be used for blood pressure. Just make sure your husband brings this side effect to his doctor's attention. Also, if your husband could lose some weight, it might obviate the need for medication.

I hope this has been useful. I wish you the best of luck. Feel free to write back.

Information provided here is for general purposes only. Specific questions should be addressed to your own doctor. If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.