Re: Gotta Get Blood Pressure Down For DOT Physical.

 An update... We had our doctor appointment this morning and this new doctor actually seemed like a pretty good guy.  I did not detect any arrogance, just a sincere desire to help.  He said the beta blocker would not be a good choice because my husbands heart rate is already low (66).  So he gave us a prescription for a diuretic, stating that usually when the diastolic number is that high it's because of too much fluid in the body or a malfunction with the kidneys.

Potassium is a natural diuretic.  But whether or not he can use this depends on the diuretic.  If he is on a loop diuretic like Lasix (furosemide) then he needs to take potassium with it to prevent  potassium depletion induced heart arrhythmias.  If he is on a potassium sparing diuretic he needs to watch his potassium intake.

One thing the doctor is overlooking though in my opinion is that if the problem was water retention then the blood pressure should also be elevated prior to his going in to the doctor.  It would not suddenly rise when he goes in.

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