exercising actively and regularly. Within a few months I did not need the medication any more. I'm about to turn 70.

Good luck to you! It's easier to take care of it when it's still in the "low range."

I hope to get back to exercising more regularly after the ice and snow goes away. I would like to NOT have to take drugs if I could but I can't fight it without perhaps. I don't know....

That's how long it took to bring mine down.

and according to my BP machine, nothing is happening. I haven't had extra trips to the bathroom either, so I'm suspicious this won't work for me.

Thanks for replying, I'm a little 'freaked' or at least fell like there is no one to talk to about this. I am not crazy about taking drugs, but I may have to. I don't want to have a stroke either.

and you might need to up the dose or add something (usually an ACE inhibitor like lisinopril) to it. Keep a diary of blood pressures three times a day for a couple of days and call for an appointment.

Good luck, something will bring it down.

I do have a two week appointment, and a BP monitor here (although spouse says it may not be accurate...) I have a new BP monitor on order.

I am sure something will bring it down, and maybe I need to give it a week before I start to convince myself it is not working.

Appreciate your replying to me. I don't want to ge 'obsessive'-but this is the first chronic-needs-meds condition I've dealt with for myself.

It will not help, but do just the opposite. Good luck.

Trying hard not to panic-I agree, it probably makes things worse.

Hoping something helps here-I know I should be patient, but I'm afraid once you decide to 'do something' (as in take some medication) I think the expectations of results are too high.

so if this doesn't work, others will be tried.

Bonus: My hypertension is probably under control, but the low dose ACE inhibitor I'm on keeps me from getting migraines!.

that is what my Doctor said. I am just hoping this diuretice works as it seems to be the least side affect prone! I certainly could be wrong though.

On a very low dose cocktail to control. Last time i checked, it was 120 over 72.

I am unfortunately, 'drug averse'-I guess I worry about side affects. Although, high BP has some nasty side affects I don't want to participate in.

I am in the 'trial and error' phase-I appreciate all the comments folks have left here as I feel a little 'bewildered' by having to take medicine on a daily basis. Silly, I know.

It's whats in Viagra - l'arginine is an amino acid which produces nitric oxide in the body. It dilates your blood vessels and lowers your pressure. It also ups your sex drive naturally. I take 2000 mg morning and night with magnesium citrate and it works for me. Actually, watermelon has lots of arginine.

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/282287/Louis-J-Ignarro

Dr. Louis Ignarro, a profesor of Pharmacology at the UCLA School of Medicine, won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1998 for his research on Nitric Oxide. He has a book "NO More Heart Disease."

"Summary
Dr. Louis Ignarro discovered the molecule of cardiovascular health Nitric Oxide (NO)which is produced naturally by the human body and serves as a regulator of blood pressure to help prevent blood clots. The problem is that many people find this out too late, going through life without understanding that this all-important molecule is the difference between healthy living and a heart attack. With all the focus on new diets, Dr. Ignarros research is all the more vital. In an easy-to-follow plan which discusses NO friendly foods and informs about supplements to stimulate NO production he lays out a regimen that age-proofs the cardiovascular system, keeping it clean and the blood vessels strong. The Say Yes to NO program allows readers to tap into the bodys own cardiovascular drug and discover that the littlest molecule can make a tremendous difference."

I will look that up and talk to the purveyors at my local health food store.