Blood Pressure Meds after BasicMed

[BPafterBasicMed]

Hello all, I have been a pilot since my teenage years and while I still think of myself as young and healthy, increasingly I am actually old and semi-healthy, much to my dismay.

My blood pressure has been trending higher for years, inching up through 130/75, then 135/75, and has lately bumped up to around 145/80, to the point where my doctor wants to start treatment with a blood pressure medication of some kind.

He assures me that while it's normal to feel down about this, it's not catastrophic and there's not much I can do about it other than eat more healthy, get more exercise, and lose more weight (all of which I am always trying to do, with some limited - but apparently not enough - success).

I transitioned to BasicMed about a year ago. Are there any drugs I need to avoid or hoops I need to jump through in order to maintain my BasicMed eligibility to fly? I did search, but mostly I found articles about considering BasicMed after discovery of this or that diagnosis, not getting the diagnosis after already having adopted BasicMed. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[OneCharlieTango]

The real answer is: whatever you and your BasicMed doctor think is safe. If I were you, I’d check the AOPA medication database just for reference.

 

[Daleandee]

He assures me that while it's normal to feel down about this, it's not catastrophic and there's not much I can do about it other than eat more healthy, get more exercise, and lose more weight (all of which I am always trying to do, with some limited - but apparently not enough - success).

Seems you have a negative approach to the diet & exercise routine. I was given this same advice a few years ago along with limiting sodium intake and staying more hydrated. Like you I at first approached it with a little of a hit or miss attitude.

I'm now quite focused on regular everyday workouts, watching my weight, drinking more water, and losing a few excess pounds. You may hear him sounding like Charlie Brown's teacher when he speaks but if you take his recommendations seriously you may be able to prevent the meds ... at least for a few more years. It does work!

 

[flyingron]

BP and Anticholesterol meds aren't even a big issue if you have an issued medical.

 

[danhagan]

I think the OP is shooting for what list of meds would be acceptable ... I saw the AOPA suggestion, but several articles "stop" and require memebership.

That said, these are the physician instructions from AOPA:

"While there is no list of specific medications that are prohibited for pilots flying under BasicMed rules, certain medications are not safe to be used at all while flying and others require a reasonable waiting period after use. Physicians should be mindful of prescription and over-the-counter drugs that may impact the safe operation of a motor vehicle, in this case a private recreational aircraft. This can include, but is not necessarily limited to, the use of sedatives, psychotropic drugs, antihistamines, narcotics or any other medication that can impair cognition if used while the pilot is operating an aircraft."

 

[PaulS]

OP, good for you for getting you BP under control. There are certain bp drugs that cannot be used by a pilot, but I doubt you would end up on them. I've been taking Lisinopril and Attenolol for decades, not an issue for my medicals. Hopefully a doc will say which ones are not allowed.