The discussion seems unduly focused on lipids, whereas I would think that blood pressure would be a, if not the, primary concern.
Also for those who do take blood pressure medication: never quickly change the dosage, and especially never quit taking it w/o supervision!
I've seen several untimely deaths b/c someone ran out of their BP medication and could not get to a pharmacist quickly enough. Alternatively the person became irritated with the medication and simply stopped taking it.
Maybe part of starting BP medication should be the doctor giving you a "safety package" that includes a full month's worth of the drug and is to be put on a shelf somewhere where you can get to it should your usual prescription run out.
I was also surprised by that. It is relatively cheap to measure as you can just buy BP monitor and do it yourself at home. Considering that high BP is very often asymptomatic, I, for example, even feel better with high BP, many people walking around accumulating damage for years. Not to mention it also goes with a baggage of other side-effects like increased chances of a stroke and kidney failure.
For some reason it hits differently when you go eat something salty or drink coffee or get all stressed out for now reason and then see increased BP with your own eyes. That was what motivated me to stick to a better diet, cut caffeine and chill out.
Also for those who do take blood pressure medication: never quickly change the dosage, and especially never quit taking it w/o supervision!
I've seen several untimely deaths b/c someone ran out of their BP medication and could not get to a pharmacist quickly enough. Alternatively the person became irritated with the medication and simply stopped taking it.
Maybe part of starting BP medication should be the doctor giving you a "safety package" that includes a full month's worth of the drug and is to be put on a shelf somewhere where you can get to it should your usual prescription run out.