[cougarnurse]

Sounds interesting! U.S. docs tough on blood pressure - Yahoo! News

"Cat"

[Aaron C.]

I'm guessing it has something to do with the incentives from pharmaceutical companies.

I'm taking Lotrel and Diovan and my blood pressure is fantastic while taking them.

I've gotten in a bit better shape and am actually using my cpap at night so I was able to cut my diovan in half but that didn't save me any money.

Lotrel, as you all probably know is a Norvasc Lotensin combo which costs me 80 bucks a month WITH INSURANCE. I would imagine taking them seperate would probably run me 20 a month. In fact, I think I just talked myself into that. The diovan is 30 a month itself.

I can't imagine how people without good insurance make it in this country.

Sorry for getting off topic but I think it's due to the drug companies and their reps and the incentives for the docs to prescribe the drugs they're pushing.

I know there was some legislation (may have been state of Oklahoma legislation though, I can't remember) in the works to curb those incentives which go far beyond notepads and ink pens, but I'm not sure what happened with it.

[Mom-n-More]

I find it interesting that they've recently gotten even tougher on BP and the old 120/80 is now considered borderline high. The perfect pressure is now 110/70. I think there are billions of reasons for this and they're all green and they all have to do with drug companies.