blood pressure meds

[pilgrim37]

Hi all:

I've been doing well but blood pressure is a little high -- just over the line. PCP presribed Lisinopril. I asked if it was okay as a breast cancer survivor -- sure, he said. I've learned to do my own research so before I took it today I hit google. It turns out new research came out in April finding that breast cancer survivors who take Lisinopril & other ACE inhibitors have a 56% increased risk of recurrence. ARGH. I'm angry. Moving on, apparently breast cancer survivors taking beta blockers had a reduced risk of recurrence. Is anyone taking a beta blocker for high blood pressure, and if so, can you share the medicine name and dosage? Then I can ask my PCP about it. Many thanks!

P.S. if anyone is interested the study was done in UCLA & was published online in the peer-reviewed medical journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment (Apr. 10, 2011).

[Sheila]

I take Lisinopril, which is an ace inhibitor and Coreg, which is a beta blocker....small doses of each, more for heart strengthening due to low LVEF/Herceptin...maybe I balance out due to taking both! I have never heard that about Lisinopril...where did you find that or could you share the link? There are several of us on Lisinopril on this site.

[Hopeful]

Here is the article from Science Daily: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110420112339.htm

and here is the little they will let you see for free from the journal where the research was published:

http://www.springerlink.com/content/ym59k2860182j678/


Hopeful

PS - My internist said to also avoid ARB agents, as they are just like ACE inhibitors, but don't have the cough side effects.

[Jackie07]

It's interesting that they are going to work with the population in Denmark and Canada. According to a studay done in 2006 (of patients in Denmark), AHT medication use is 'unlikely related to breast cancer risk'. Notice the sample size of the 2006 study is more than 20 times bigger than the Kaiser study. Though one is focused on the recurrence rate and the other is focused on the 'occurrence' rate, I feel the sample size and the unique population being studied have influenced the outcome.

Breast Cancer Res Treat. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16791484#) 2006 Jun;97(3):231-6. Epub 2006 May 3.
A cohort study of antihypertensive medication use and breast cancer among Danish women.

Fryzek JP (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Fryzek%20JP%22%5BAuthor%5D), Poulsen AH (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Poulsen%20AH%22%5BAuthor%5D), Lipworth L (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Lipworth%20L%22%5BAuthor%5D), Pedersen L (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Pedersen%20L%22%5BAuthor%5D), Nørgaard M (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22N%C3%B8rgaard%20M%22%5BAuthor%5D), McLaughlin JK (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22McLaughlin%20JK%22%5BAuthor%5D), Friis S (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22Friis%20S%22%5BAuthor%5D).
Source

Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Comprehensive Cancer Center, Nashville, TN, USA. fryzek@ aol.com

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

It has been suggested that specific antihypertensive medications (AHT) may either increase or decrease breast cancer risk.
METHODS:

We studied breast cancer incidence among 49,950 women in North Jutland, Denmark in order to determine if breast cancer risk is associated with specific classes of AHT use. Poisson regression analyses were used to calculate rate ratios for ever or exclusive use of each class of AHT, number of prescriptions for AHT, and years of follow-up.
RESULTS:

There was no statistically significant association between ever use of any AHT overall (RR = 0.95; 95% CI = 0.81-1.10) or any specific class of AHT (diuretics, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers (CCBs), angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, and angiotensin II antagonists) and breast cancer.
CONCLUSIONS:

This study should offer further reassurance to women currently using AHT that their medication use is unlikely related to breast cancer risk.

[pie]

Pilgrim37,
Thanks so much for posting the information about ACE inhibitors. Recently, my cardiologist put me on lisinopril and after reading the study I called him and gave him the information. He read the material and took me off the drug. There is always something to learn on this website.

[tricia keegan]

I'm a little concerned to think our specialists need to be told this!!!!