Blood pressure & cholesterol medicine for a 97-year-old man?

Cholesterol lowering meds have a whole host of undesirable side effects. At 97 years old he doesn't need that, and his cholesterol isn't that high anyway. I would agree that 140/70 doesn't warrant meds at his age either. If they are giving it to try to regulate his heart rate, that particular drug is taking his B/P way too low and they need to go to plan B.

For heaven's sake why are those doctors subjecting him to those medications at his age? 140/70 is NOT dangerous for an 97 year old man. Hypotension is far more dangerous at his age. Even 124 for LDL cholesterol is not terrible for an 97 year old. Some doctors are out of control. I agree with getting him under the care of a geriatrician.

97? Chloresterol meds affect the heart. BP meds for 140 / 70?
Get him a good geratric doctor!

This is a wake up call for me. Thank you. I am really going to have to start watching diet and take the red yeast rice...

97 does he want to take it? He had a stroke. Perhaps dr's think that's what needs to be done.. Sometimes side effects are worse than the original issue.

you need to monitor his blood pressure three times daily with a cuff you can buy at CVS or Walmart. Collect two weeks of data and submit it to his doctor. Snapshot blood pressure is not an effective measure for accuracy and titration of medication

This question came back around and I see a lot of talk about the cholesterol medication so while the whole Afib control still holds I wanted to mention an option for cholesterol control other than medication. I see someone mentioned fish oil which does other things as well. But the other natural cholesterol control option is Red Yeast Rice. Mt husband was told his cholesterol was high during a yearly check up and given a prescription for medication. Doctor told him to have blood work again in 6 mos (I think it was, maybe it was 3...) to see if the dosage was right. He never even filled the prescription, I had been put on Red Yeast Rice when Lyme treatment factors elevated my cholesterol (quite a bit) so we tried that first to see if it would work for him too. It did, he had the follow up blood work done and got another prescription in the mail for 1 years worth of the cholesterol medication and a not raving about how well it had been working. Hahaha I'm with everyone here suggesting other options if at all possible to control cholesterol.

No. My dad lost all his energy from lack of salt and blood pressure lowering meds. His cholesterol was low . Watch the video where dr Nadir Ali cardiologist just today explains LDL cholesterol to Dr Berg and all the patients he saw with heart disease that had low cholesterol . It’s absolutely eye opening . His 30 years has caused him to question the role of LDL and thinks it may be protective . Best explanation I’ve seen in a long time .

My sister worked as an in-home health care provider for a woman in her 90's. After a hospital admission, she was put on a statin drug for cholesterol while still in the hospital.
After taking the drug, she became so disoriented that she thought she was back in Russia, where she hadn't lived since she'd been in her 20's. She began speaking only Russian.
My sister took her back to be seen by her primary care doctor, not the doctor who had started her on the statin. He said it was late stage dementia, due to her advanced age.
My sister protested and finally convinced the doctor to take her off the statin drug to see if the confusion improved. He finally agreed. The drug was stopped. Her mind cleared and she returned to normal mental clarity.

Geriatric medicine currently advises no BP meds unless senior patient BP is over 150/90. I would not think someone of age 97 would ever be over such a level. Current 84/50 in so very low, near deadly, sorry to say. It's the meds. REMOVE them asap, imo.

When my sister's blood pressure went very low after taking high blood pressure medication, she was told by her visiting nurse to skip a dose.

My dad's cardiologist had luckily read the latest reports saying that people in their eighties and nineties should not have such low blood pressure. He has cut his BP medicine to half and his BP runs around 98/82 and sometimes 101/84. He was getting lightheaded upon standing and almost falling. Only thing he takes now is Coreg and it is a very low dose.

Does he have a cardiologist? Who diagnosed the afib? I am one who agrees with you that at 97 why is he being given statins and bp meds with his current numbers? But, i am not a medical dr even tho i worked in the medical field a long time. I would think he needs to see a cardiologist then go from there. Best of luck in getting some straight answers!

Just because he didn't take meds before doesn't mean he doesn't now - however it should be for something specific not writing a Rx as an easy way for the dr

84/50 is too low as he can become dizzy & fall so that is an issue that you should bring up - even a lower dose but his prior BP was good so keep up the questions until you get a clear answer - FYI my dad had 79/48 & said he was dizzy but that was without meds [low BP runs in family]

My dad was a dr so he taught me how to do a quick dehydration test - lightly pinch the skin on the back of his hand to make a mound then take your fingers away quickly .... if the mound stays up then he is dehydrated & if it goes down slowly he is starting to become dehydrated but if it springs back then no worry - you can also check kids this way - practise a few times on yourself so you have a good idea

Your dad must feel tired with that low BP so he needs you as his advocate otherwise he may just do a line of least resistance due to tiredness

Be very cautious about low blood pressure. That is exactly what happened to my mother, who demanded to live alone in another state 500 miles from me. She was at the point of passing out so I got a night nurse to stay with her pro bono until I could arrive to move in with her and live with her in her home for an extended period.

You really need to talk to the Dr. PLease don't assume you can take him off either.
TAlk to the Dr and ask him what he thinks. A stroke is a very close to have the results. I have taken care 2 of my brothers and also I have had high blood pressure due to some circumstances. I am 75. 92 is quite a feat for him.
I know you are quite concerned. Drs do what is right and they understand the situation. I do care by all means and these things can bring questions.
Jane

Blood Pressure will fluctuate and you should maintain a log with notes. If he is dehydrated it could be causing the low blood pressure. Dehydration can sometimes also raise it too. I would cut back or skip a day of medicine and see the results.

The reason you cannot get a clear answer is the CMS Shared Savings Program which involves as much as a 60% payback for either denying treatment or the end of an elder's life. 34 years working at a major university in medicine, and our docs flying to D.C. to set up death panels was very educational and terrifying, as my parents were aging at that time. Now I am living the horrors of these programs where a 90+ y.o. is always in the crosshairs. My Dad was murdered by an LTAC, after inserting an unnecessary trach (they used no ventilator, and routinely knocked off the t-bar with his sats staying at 98 to 100% and heart rate at 69). My favorite Uncle was sent down the same grist mill and we could not prevent it. He had a simple uneventful ERCP for a blocked biliary duct with "no blood loss" except that after his death of an infection we got the bill including 6 units of blood. At the same time, my Mom had a UTI and collapsed breaking her leg. Both these fit elders were kept in the ER (different hospitals, but both feeding into the same long term acute care facility) for over 7 hours with no hydration of nourishment. Even after being assigned an inpatient room, the dehydration continued. Both had long q-tips inserted unto their nostrils with regular taking of their temperatures. This nasal q-tip issue is done under circumstances when a patient has come from another recent hospital stay to prevent transmission of MRSA. But in my Uncle and Mom's case neither had been in hospital in years. Within 6 hours, both of them spiked a very high fever with a terrible cough. At that time, a nurse came in and inserted betadine into their nostrils. I think this was to destroy the evidence of seeding them with type A enfluenza. After my Uncle was taken home, he died. My Mom was still in hospital, and we were told she had congestive heart failure. I have taken care of her for over 20 years, worked in medicine and as a consultant for athletes, so I know what congestive heart failure is. They used that excuse to deny her hydration, gave her hydrochlorothiazide and lasix at the same time. They never took tests to assess her electrolyte washout and continued on a saltless diet. I asked for a doppler which showed her ejection fraction was excellent (took four days to get the result as they continued their dehydration program), and destroyed their game. Her hospitalist actually threw the copy of her result at me and grunted "she doesn't have congestive heart failure, in fact her ejection fraction is excellent," turned and stomped out of Mom's room, and I never saw him again. They tried to transfer her out to Kindred Hospital, the same hospital responsible for Dad's death. We took her home, and are still dealing with the damage the hospital inflicted on my recently very fit and active Mom. Many years ago, my parents excellent doctor who did not have priveleges at these hospitals took them both off statins and due to their fitness gave them blood pressure meds to be taken as needed. Beetroot and magnesium were really quite effective. He said, and my research at my hospital, showed that elders do better with slightly elevated blood pressure, because perfusion is better. I thank God we found this doc, because their prior high class concierge doc was destroying them. Modern medicine is very dangerous for elders, and my experience in medicine and my age of 72 is keeping me away from allopathic medicine. We are living through the actualization of 1984 (nothing is as it seems). Everything a doctor tells you must be researched, so don't get lazy, if you value your loved one's life. God bless all of you and may He give you the energy, insight and intellectual curiosity to fight this new holocaust of elder abuse!

Blood work will show dehydration.

Check with his Dr. first. My Mom103 was taken off one BP med and Cholesterol meds by cardiologist a few years ago. (Statins cause problems and her blood pressure was not high - medicines had not been changed in 19 years) . Recently she wound up in hospital - thought it was stroke - turned out to be very low blood pressure. Carvedilol (BP and CHF) dose lowered way down. Another drug discontinued altogether. She was taking 3 drugs that work by lowering blood pressure (although one is needed for PAH - she is no longer able to take). Now on oxygen 24/7. (very bad CHF) All drugs need to be reevaluated at least every 6 months - and any time there is a change in health.

Ask his doctor. He should be able to tell you why he prescribed them. It’s trendy to complain about medication and” Big Pharma” but a lot of people in their 60s would be dead long ago without them.

When changing or dropping medications, best to inquire about withdrawal symptoms instead of stopping cold turkey.

My 97 yr old mother was prescribed a daily aspirin after her stroke, instead of cholesterol lowering medications.

NO! AND, no one is supposed to be on Cholesterol meds at 90, let alone 97.
If his BP is that low - stop the BP medicine too.

Your dad or his POA have total control of what he takes. The doctor only sees him for a few minutes and consults unreliable statistics. You are with him much much more than the doctor and see infinitely more. You can consider the doctor's advice but don't be intimidated by the white coat.

Gut reaction the doctors, by prescribing the cholesterol medication and the BP medication are probably trying to prevent another stroke that either may be fatal or life altering.
If he is of sound mind and can understand the reasoning behind the "why" he is taking the medication he can determine if he wants to continue it. If he is not of sound mind and if you are his POA for health you can decide if you want him to continue with the medication.
After my Husband was diagnosed with dementia I made the decision to have him put back on a cholesterol medication (he decided years prior that he did not want to take it after being on it for about 6 months) I decided that it would be more difficult for me to care for him if he had a life altering stroke along with the dementia. After he went on Hospice I decided to discontinue his cholesterol medication. He lived another 3 years and although he may have had "mini strokes" (I think he also had vascular dementia so I don't think the meds would have helped in any case) he never had a major stroke.

So given the risks for a stroke, the possible outcome if he did have another stroke he or you or both of you along with consulting with his doctor can make an informed decision.

Even persons with dementia living in nursing homes have the legal right to refuse meds, believe it or not. Your dad cannot be ordered by his doctor to take any medication he is not happy about. Doctors are trained to prescribe medicine and encouraged by big pharma to prescribe and prescribe more and more. And most drugs have side effects that require--you got it--even more meds! And more doctors' visits.

Docs tend to follow guidelines. Guidelines say after a stroke/AMI, a statin/blood-thinner should be prescribed. These drugs are not a panacea and come with side effects, but, says Big Pharma research, the drugs' benefits outweigh the risk and they prescribe. Low bp can be a fall risk...

Your dad still has his agency and nothing says your dad HAS TO take medication that is prescribed. I'd let your dad decide.

I had the same issue with my dad's Dr. I think they are just taught and brainwashed to subscribe meds.
I worked with a nurse (at his facility) to slowly get him off any cholesterol drug and we found he only require a little something for BP. Not as much as they had him on!
If his Dr. refuses, find another! He could go unconscious with that low of BP
(my mom had episodes of that).
Your dad may not require anything....

All the best!!

He needs a cardiologist not a GP since he has Afib. He could live many more years yet. The 124 total cholesterol is very low and a good range. So I don’t understand getting a statin for that unless his LDL stats were high. Or perhaps there is a reason with the Afib. A specialist is important.

That is WAY too low...what happens if he doesn't take it, how high does it go...sounds like he doesn't need to be on them.