blood pressure

[scallowayuk]

hi, im off sailing this year for a few years, been to my gp regarding my high blood pressure meds, to be told i can only have three months worth, i cant afford to fly home every three months, anyone else had this problem .if so i would appreciate some advice how to solve it , not going is not an option, have been cguising for the last 10 years not stopping now, regards. ps im in the uk.

[Tkeeth]

is the prescription only for 3 months or the refill? If it is just a refill, you can do mail order and use a forwarding service. I believe there has been quite a bit of discussion on this topic.

[Rudderless]

I'll assume that the doctor knows you are away for more than 3 months at a time. Is the 3 month limit something that your doctor wants, a restriction from your drug plan (if any), or a blanket policy in the UK?

I was on statins for blood pressure for a while, though I opted to stop taking them and deal with the cause, though that's not always an option. I don't think they were very expensive, so you may be able to pay out of pocket if it's a drug plan issue. I know that here in Canada a 3 month supply is the limit for drug plans.

My work was very seasonal so I would often stock up on meds when I had the money for the times when it was lean. My doctor always gives me prescriptions with refills, so I don't have to keep going back to her. The only issue I had with this was the pharmacy telling me it was too early to get a refill, but when I pointed out that I wasn't on a drug plan they were happy to give me the refills.

Hope you find a solution.

[zeehag]

depending on your travel plans you may find replenishing your meds in th e cruising grounds less costly than in usa or whereverville.
happy travels. i know many hypertensives sailing and cruising. also lose 20 pounds for lower pressure. each 20 pounds is 10 points. if you havent weight to lose-- check out the local farmacias.

[Cheechako]

Where are you cruising? Get a written script, or a few from your doc. Get the meds locally when convenient.

[s/v Moondancer]

I have my pharmacy post my meds to my local UPS store that handles my mail forwarding and UPS sends the meds to wherever I am in the world. Never had a problem with customs.

I also get drugs locally, I just paid $15 for three months of BP meds in NZ. It helps if you are on a med that is cheap and generic. I got my cardiologist to change me to a cheaper statin.

In Panama I could buy the meds without a prescription.

[sailorboy1]

I got a 6 month supply. You have to battle and pay cash but if was less than$50 for my 2 no meds

[UNCIVILIZED]

1) Do a search & you'll get dozens of hits on this topic
2) Have your MD write a letter stating what you're taking (generic names, & proprietary names), why, & in what dosage.

And do the above for any medical condition that's ongoing, or semi-routine. Plus, it can't hurt to have the letter written in a few of the more common languages. Say; English, French, & Spanish. Along with anywhere else you may concievably cruise, or that an airline flight that you take might inadvertently get diverted to.

This way, wherever you wind up, you can find a local physican, & work with him to get squared away medically. Especially as quite a lot of cruisers find healthcare costs to be lower than at "home", including prescription costs. As well as major issues, including surgeries & the like.


EDIT: One other "trick" that some cruisers use, is to have the prescription written at 2x the dosage you actually take. And then take 1/2 the dosage listed on the bottle. That way a 3 month's supply is good for 6 months.
And for things like some blood pressure meds, which tell you to take extra (PRN) if you're pressure is running high, then in a sideways kind of logic, the above makes sense. Ditto if the bottle says "reduce dosage if BP is too low"/hits an acceptable range with less meds/day or per dose.

[boatman61]

Get a letter from your doctor stating your problem and treatment and you can go to any hospital in the EU and get a script.. you'll need the EU Health Card which you can apply for at a Post Office to present when you attend.. its the reciprocal health charge system which means you pay pennies for the appointment.. and its better and quicker than the UK.
That will cover you down to and around the Med and around the Canaries/Azores.. if you get across to the Caribe go to the French Islands like St Barts, Martinique etc.. you'll be covered there as well.

[senormechanico]

Isn't there some standard to what is high?
I don't see anyone posting numbers.
How can anyone make decisions from these posts?

When I was eighteen years old, my blood pressure was checked.
It was 120 over 70.

When I was 45 and running a 6 1/2 day business in a mall location with all the pressure to achieve and trying to raise kids at the same time, my #s were 130/80.

I have no idea what my numbers were while cruising Mexico in the mid '90's.

Now that I'm 71 and semi retired, I'm still averaging my age 45 numbers.
FWIW, I now take my blood pressure a couple of times a week, just because a monitor is so easy to do.

FDA Auto Digital Arm Blood Pressure Monitor Large M Cuff Home BP Machine Device | eBay


Should I be worried?

Not me !

[Rudderless]

Originally Posted by senormechanico

Isn't there some standard to what is high?
I don't see anyone posting numbers.
How can anyone make decisions from these posts?

You certainly have yours under control, which is great.

I don't think anyone it trying to diagnose high blood pressure, just suggesting how to get an adequate supply of meds for an issue that a doctor has identified.

I think, but don't quote me, that high is when either number is higher than 145/95, but as a diabetic, high for me is anything over 135/85. Mine was high but I changed to a low carb diet, dropped a bunch of weight, and now I'm around 105/75, which is where I was until my mid-late 30's. I just need to get my resting heartrate down, but I doubt I'll hit the 50 bpm I had as a teenager, though my brother's at 55, but he does ironmans triathlons.

[DotDun]

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