Dear Friends:

I take (for HBP) every morning a 1/2 pill of Atacand Plus (comprised of
8 mg Candesartan cliexetil and 6.25 mg hydrochlorothiazide (HCT - water
pill)).

Because of 'dizziness' on the golf course and BP of 96/44 after golf at
home on my BP machine, I decided last Friday (four days ago) to *stop*
taking this medication.

I've been measuring my BP each morning since last Friday on arising
(and after peeing), and still find my BP this Monday morning to be 121/68
(however, this Tuesday afternoon at at Safeway BP machine my BP was
143/66.

Question: When will the last remnants of my BP medication be flushed from
my body ??

TIA,

--
Mel Smith
candesartan half-life is between 5 and 11 hours, and hydrochlorothiazide
half life is between 5-15 hours, assuming the longer half life of 15 hours
for hydrochlorothiazide, and assuming that after 5 half-life's almost 97
percent of the drug is cleared from the body, one can generally assume that
after 75 hours most of the drug would have cleared. Some drugs have a post
receptor effect, in that small amounts of the drug may effect distal
receptors after most of the drug is gone. However a two week washout
period would probably mean the drugs would be virtually undetectable.

Drs Simon & Chung:

Thank you both for your responses !

This morning my BP was 138/72 -- going up a bit more I guess.

Dr. Simon:

I guess I can assume that most of the BP meds have disappeared from my
body by now, and the measured BP is really *mine* now.

Dr. Chung:

I have long (3 years) been affected by lightheadedness/dizziness in the
mid or late morning hours, and as mid-afternoon approaches, the 'feeling'
disappears. As a result, when I was in Arizona for the winter 2 years ago, I
self-medicated by cutting my BP pills in half, and this resulted in less of
a dizziness feeling. I informed my GP and he concurred by phone in the
cut-back. I 'winter' in Arizona from Canada for five months each year.

However, over the last year I have lost weight (from 155 to 138 lbs), and
now the dizziness is *still* causing problems.

I *thought* that if I tried a little experiment by stopping the meds and
watching my BP carefully, I could determine if the BP was the cause of my
morning dizziness, I could then go to my doc, and let him know of my *own*
experiment (I would be sure to get chastised too !)

I *was* taking Pravachol every day too, but with his permission two
months ago, I 'upped' my niacin to 2 grams/day (i.e., 4 - 500 mg pills - one
in morning, one at supper, and two at bedtime), and eliminated the
pravastatin for a 3-month test. I will be returning for a checkup with him
in two weeks, and will probably be told to get back on the pravastatin.

So, with all this, I don't *think* I had a silent heart attack ??

btw, I'm 76 yo and 5'7" with a 33-inch waist, and I'm a Type A (

Thanks to you both again for your responses!

Pondering what to do next ....