BP Med

Zooka15 · Apr 7, 2016

Was wondering if anyone had any experience with losartan for high blood pressure? Did it help with ED?

CoastWatcher · Apr 7, 2016

Sexual dysfunction in hypertensive patients treated with losartan - PubMed

An angiotensin II receptor blocker, it has a better profile in this regard than many other types of anti-hypertensives.

maxadvance · Apr 7, 2016

sounds like viagra

IronSmith · Apr 7, 2016

Zooka15 said:
Was wondering if anyone had any experience with losartan for high blood pressure? Did it help with ED?

Finally a topic I can participate in! I've been dealing with elevated BP for 40 years, no matter what I tried or how lean and hard I hit the cardio my numbers were really bad and as time passed that didn't improve and most of the first medications didn't do much to control it any longer.

Fast forward to a year ago and the addition of Losartan, I guess it never really occurred to me I was past the initial stages of ED and it was getting worse for some time and the BP meds were adding to it as years came and went.

Almost immediately I noticed an improvement in erection quality with initial dosage of 50MG, nothing spectacular but firmer and definitely improved. After a trial period of 50mg of the Losartan it didn't quite have me where I needed to be for the BP levels and we added another 50MG for a total of 100mg daily and I saw even more improvement in the ED.

Then it hit me, I'd lived with it for so long I guess I forgot what it was like to get an erection like your supposed to have and I mentioned it next visit to the doctor and started daily Cialis and the results from that are spectacular combined with taking Losartan daily.

I've since switched to using Tadalafil from a research peptide company in place of the Cialis tablet due to cost and it's been a new lease on life, every morning and daily erections like a 20 year old and my energy levels are up and I feel great. My bp levels are the best they have been in over 30 years and the Cialis/Tadalafil combined with Losartan has everything to do with it.

Try it, work with your MD and see what it does for you I call it the miracle drug!

Zooka15 · Apr 8, 2016

Thanks for the replies, I have been deeaing with some ED issues off and on , didn't want to throw another med in the mix that could make that worse. My BP sits around 140-130\85-80, no matter what I have done I can't seem to get it to budge. Even the loss of 40lbs had no effect. So I was going to talk to my MD about controlling my bp and was going to bring losartan up.

IronSmith · Apr 8, 2016

Well those numbers aren't to bad, I'd assume your taking something along the lines of hydrochlorothiazide and maybe lisinopril already?

I'd bet a combo of HCTZ and Losartan would really be a better way to go for you, talk to your doctor about the ED and read up on alternative sources for Tadalafil if your insurance won't cover Cialis (tadalafil) as the cost is nearly confiscatory there are many available legitimate sources for Tadalafil you wouldn't have any reason to know exist without seeking them out.

There's absolutely no reason to live with the effects of ED, and once you understand the cause of it and how PDE-5 inhibitors help you fight back you'll see positive results in almost no time once you start to treat the condition.

Nelson Vergel · Apr 8, 2016

I take losartan. Have not noticed better erections or libido.

Some guys get tired on BP meds. I take it after dinner since there is some evidence BP meds work better that way.

Note: diuretics are important but they can cause insulin resistance (and thus, increase fat gain).

Here is some good posts on BP meds

What high blood pressure meds are the most TRT friendly ?
Managing blood pressure
How to lower blood pressure naturally

bigfred32 · Apr 9, 2016

I take losartan for HBP. Never noticed any good or bad related to ED. I take it in the morning and don't notice any side effects one way or the other

IronSmith · Apr 9, 2016

I've taken every BP med there is at some point, Losartan is the only one that had no undesirable side effects.

Steelballs · Apr 9, 2016

Losartan (ARB) is the bomb. I take it for migraines not HBP. I love it. Was taking Lisinopril (ace inhibitor) before but switched because of the coughing side effect. The doc put me on 6 other BP meds prior to Lisinopril and they effed me up. I got serious ED. I have read a firkin ton on this and Losartan doesn't cause ED. I did have better erections when I first went on it. For those of you who have switched from a beta or alpha blocker, ya very good chance you got better erections because alpha and beta blockers give you ED. When I was trying the different BP meds after like 6 months I told the doctor something was wrong. I have ED. He's like oh ya that's a common side effect and laughed. What an effing ass. And guess what he is the norm. GP's think nothing of it. If you are on a beta or alpha get off of it now. It can cause permanent damage to your little buddy. I was on this crap for 6 months and it took a year to get back to 75%. I am on daily Cialis to get me to 100%.

Coach · Apr 9, 2016

So I had high BP.....started to exercise and TRT no problems....get rid of your meds. It's my opinion that BP is wayyy over prescribed. If you have ED problems, your BP meds are part of the problem. Exercise and diet

Zooka15 · Apr 9, 2016

Coach said:
So I had high BP.....started to exercise and TRT no problems....get rid of your meds. It's my opinion that BP is wayyy over prescribed. If you have ED problems, your BP meds are part of the problem. Exercise and diet

I am on TRT , I exercise both strength and cardio, I also would rate my diet pretty clean. My BP has never budged. So for some its not that easy. If things were easy or we had no issues , we wouldn't be posting and reading these forums on a daily basis....lol

CoastWatcher · Apr 9, 2016

Coach said:
So I had high BP.....started to exercise and TRT no problems....get rid of your meds. It's my opinion that BP is wayyy over prescribed. If you have ED problems, your BP meds are part of the problem. Exercise and diet

PIf that worked for you, that's great news. For many it's not so simple. If only it were...

IronSmith · Apr 9, 2016

Zooka15 said:
I am on TRT , I exercise both strength and cardio, I also would rate my diet pretty clean. My BP has never budged. So for some its not that easy. If things were easy or we had no issues , we wouldn't be posting and reading these forums on a daily basis....lol

Absolutely, I was in better shape then 90% of my age bracket all my life and worked much harder at staying on a strict dietary regimen and my numbers never budged without the meds. I'd been dead and gone already were it not for the lifestyle choices and meds slowing the progression.

I absolutely agree with steelballs position on most BP meds causing ED or piling it on sooner in life and is likely why I saw a change when I dumped everything but a small diuretic dose and switched to Losartan and daily Cialis.

GA8314 · Apr 9, 2016

BP control is a tough issue. If you need a beta blocker you need a beta blocker. I tolerate Bystolic (Nebivolol) quite well, because it's B1 specific and shows the least amount of side effects including ED.....

I also take an ARB but I take Telmisartan.

I'm not sure if it's been published yet, but if not it will be soon, but the new BP guidelines are going to recommend treating for BP<120 versus <140. Something like 9000 patient in the study and they stopped it short since patients in the more aggressive treatment group had better overall morbidity and mortality.....

BP and Diabetes are the most common cause of renal dysfunction. BP is nothing to mess around with, though I agree that options can be challenging. You may need to experiment with different medications like sometimes we need to get dialed in with TRT.

But, I would NOT ignore Hypertension. The ramifications of uncontrolled HTN are very very serious as we all know.

John O'Connor · Apr 9, 2016

Zooka 15 - My numbers are similar to yours - just slightly elevated. I would recommend not treating with meds until it gets to the 150/90 and higher range. Also - the lower number is the more concerning number. So 150/80 is not bad. But 140/100 would be.

Why does salt increase BP? (Creatine may likely do the same as it does cause water retention). They cause your body to retain water and homeostasis leads to water volume being in balance throughout your body (tissues/blood). So salt raises BP by raising blood volume. More volume = higher pressure - just like a garden hose.

Now lets think about how our body regulates blood pressure via the RAAS system.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renin–angiotensin_system

CHF (Heart Failure) goes hand-in-hand with kidney failure.
When your kidneys are not getting enough blood they:
signal (release renin) your liver to release angiotensin I -
which is converted to angiotensin II by ACE - (ACE inhibitors stop this)
which leads to contraction of blood vessels - (smaller hose = higher pressure)
and with aldosterone signals the kidneys to retain more sodium, thus causing more water retention thus higher BP.

But it does all of this to make sure the kidneys and other organs are getting enough blood/oxygen. The issue is it puts more pressure on the heart to pump against that pressure - thus causing heart damage. CHF becomes a viscious cycle which is very difficult to stop once it becomes severe as the kidney's and the heart are both damaged, and need the other to work harder.

So - to everyone, don't lean on these drugs unless necessary - they are counteracting your bodies natural homeostasis. Many of you do truly need them - but just don't be overly anxious to start.

Note the way (some) Beta blockers (specifically non-selective beta blockers like propranolol/inderol) work is by depressing the CNS, which can lead to a drop in mental alertness. So if you feel tired all the time and take one of these types of Beta blockers consider switching to something else. [updated after clarification below] Full list of different types of Beta blockers here: CV Pharmacology | Beta-Adrenoceptor Antagonists (Beta-Blockers)

And as many of the body builders here know - exercise is important - but the big results happen because of diet. Its no different for controlling BP - so watch the salt (and possibly creatine) intake. Add more fruits and vegetables = potasium rich. Sodium & potassium counter act each other.

Citruline is a natural vasodilator (natures viagra). Its in a lot of pre-workout drinks to give a bigger pump. Consider trying a product like this ReGen by RSP Nutrition at Bodybuilding.com - Best Prices on ReGen!

Or this Xtend Original BCAA Powder
(even the name makes it sound like it could help erections)

Or any of these Citrulline | bodybuilding.com
- but again watch the pre-workout products with excessive creatine as that will cause water retention.

Interesting thread I tripped across while looking for the above links.
Supplements

Nelson Vergel · Apr 9, 2016

John O'Connor

Thank you so much for your great posts. I appreciate you joining us.

Nelson

John O'Connor · Apr 9, 2016

Thanks Nelson. I'm learning so much here and happy to share the little bit I've learned along the way. Such an amazing group of people on here sharing their knowledge.

GA8314 · Apr 9, 2016

John O'Connor said:
Zooka 15 - My numbers are similar to yours - just slightly elevated. I would recommend not treating with meds until it gets to the 150/90 and higher range. Also - the lower number is the more concerning number. So 150/80 is not bad. But 140/100 would be.

Why does salt increase BP? (Creatine may likely do the same as it does cause water retention). They cause your body to retain water and homeostasis leads to water volume being in balance throughout your body (tissues/blood). So salt raises BP by raising blood volume. More volume = higher pressure - just like a garden hose.

Now lets think about how our body regulates blood pressure via the RAAS system.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renin–angiotensin_system

CHF (Heart Failure) goes hand-in-hand with kidney failure.
When your kidneys are not getting enough blood they:
signal (release renin) your liver to release angiotensin I -
which is converted to angiotensin II by ACE - (ACE inhibitors stop this)
which leads to contraction of blood vessels -
and with aldosterone signals the kidneys to retain more sodium, thus causing more water retention thus higher BP.

But it does all of this to make sure the kidneys and other organs are getting enough blood/oxygen. The issue is it puts more pressure on the heart to pump against that pressure - thus causing heart damage. CHF becomes a viscious cycle which is very difficult to stop once it becomes severe as the kidney's and the heart are both damaged, and need the other to work harder.

So - to everyone, don't lean on these drugs unless necessary - they are counteracting your bodies natural homeostasis. Many of you do truly need them - but just don't be overly anxious to start.

Note the way Beta blockers work is by depressing the CNS, which can lead to a drop in mental alertness. So if you feel tired all the time and take Beta blockers - switch to something else.

And as many of the body builders here know - exercise is important - but the big results happen because of diet. Its no different for controlling BP - so watch the salt (and possibly creatine) intake.

Citruline is a natural vasodilator (natures viagra). Its in a lot of pre-workout drinks to give a bigger pump. Consider trying a product like this http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/rsp-nutrition/regen.html

Or this http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/sv/xtend.html
(even the name makes it sound like it could help erections)

Or any of these http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/cit.html
- but again watch the pre-workout products with excessive creatine as that will cause water retention.

Interesting thread I tripped across while looking for the above links.
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=170591981

John,

First, not all Beta Blockers depress the CNS all that much. If you mean "depress" as in crossing the blood brain barrier, then the more lipophilic ones such as Inderal/Propranolol can for sure do that. But, not all are lipophilic and not all are "non-specific" in the type of adrenergic receptors they BLOCK.

Also, they block receptors MOSTLY in the periphery, with B1 specific blockers mostly binding those receptors on the heart.

As for CHF and CKD, you are correct, they are complicated issues. But, the most (by FAR) important cause of chronic kidney disease is uncontrolled hypertension and diabetes. Here's the study I referred to earlier.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/news/press...sive-blood-pressure-management-may-save-lives

Anyway, it's true that lifestyle modifications are the best means but as many of us have attested, it is often not enough. If you need the meds, then I would advocate taking them given the implications of uncontrolled hypertension.

Just another point of view, but I see two modifiable risk factors (HTN, and Diabetes) causing so many human health problems that it's hard to describe. It's staggering, the damage those two problems cause if left untreated.

John O'Connor · Apr 9, 2016

GA8314 - I stand corrected.

My understanding was in relation to Propranolol / Inderal, which I've actually used for public speaking (stage fright). Many performers use it for this reason. They block the sympathetic (fight or flight) response.

CVS has a good explanation of the different types. CV Pharmacology | Beta-Adrenoceptor Antagonists (Beta-Blockers)

Again, thanks for the clarification.

Also - reading up on Losartan too. Losartan - Wikipedia
It's a selective Angiotensin II type 1 inhibitor.

There is a warning under mechanism of action section related to potassium, so pay attention to that too. "Because losartan can cause hyperkalemia, individuals should not use potassium supplements or salt substitutes containing potassium without appropriate monitoring by a physician.[7]"