New medication affecting my shooting/sight picture

[LilIrishTemper]

I was recently diagnosed with hypertension, and the medication they have put me on is causing minor termors in my hands which is really effecting my sight picture when shooting. I had to qualify w/ the M4 recently and for the 1st time in my life I didnt even qualify. The second time I shot, I let the weapon sit on the ground and used the magazine like a bi-pod and had no problems then.

I went to the local range and shot & its 3 times worse now with a pistol, on the fbi/police target, I'm hitting in the black but, no grouping whatsoever because of the tremors. I use the standard military stance, and arms locked out since I use a Glock. I've tried other stances and it only gets worse.

Any suggestions to help, or has anyone else run into something similar and found a way to help themselves? This REALLY sucks. I've talked to the doc and the pros are outweighing the cons of the meds so he doesnt want me off them.

 

[Texas1911]

A heavier gun will dampen things down a bit. About all I can cook up at the moment.

 

[lalonguecarabine]

That's terrible. Have you talked to the doc about maybe adjusting the dosage?

 

[Greg_TX]

One of the side effects of BP medication it that sometimes it can make you dizzy. If you've just started taking it, maybe the shakiness will improve over time. I agree with the others that you should talk to the doc about the dosage, but if you've just started then it may be adjusted anyway based on what the doctor observes about your medical progress.

 

[LilIrishTemper]

Yes sir, he said once they get it under control then they can fine tune the dosage. The heavier pistol is a good idea may help with the shakes, and that way after I shoot and miss or knick them and piss them off, when I'm empty I can throw it at them and if I'm lucky, knock 'em out. A 1911 upside the head should give me plenty of a head start when I start running.

 

[skinman]

There are different medications to control hypertension. Tell your doctor what is going on and ask if there is a different drug that will work just as effectively without the side-effects.

I had a psychotic reaction to the beta blocker Atenolol after taking it for almost two years. The psychotic reaction grew so severe that I thought I was having a nervous breakdown. The mood swings were going from extreme depression to extreme anger and rage that was scarey and getting worse when I talked to my doctor. When he told me I might be having an adverse reaction to the Atenolol, I blew up on him and scared the crap out of him, then went to crying and apologizing all in less than 5 minutes. He told me I could not just stop because it could trigger a heart attack or stroke so they had to wean me off of them. Then he prescribed Accupril, an ACE inhibitor, and a couple of years later I had a severe allergic reaction to that one which made my tongue and throat swell and cut off my breathing resulting in a midnight trip to the ER and a couple of days in ICU. The steroid treatment to deal with the allergic reaction was another roller coaster ride. I now control my hypertension with Amlodipine Besylate with no problems so far.

 

[LilIrishTemper]

Holy crap really? Atenolol is what they put me on, all I knew is that it was a beta blocker. That's friggin scary that tiny white pill could do that. My dad died of a stroke at 55 so thats why theyre being so aggressive about it. Did you have hand tremors when you started taking it?

 

[robin303]

Get an automatic then just spray the target.

 

[Texas42]

What are you taking? A lot of the time many of those side effects go away with time, or at least become less of a problem. Hope you get better, but controlling your blood pressure is important. Good news is there is a lot of different medications out there.

 

[LilIrishTemper]

What are you taking? A lot of the time many of those side effects go away with time, or at least become less of a problem. Hope you get better, but controlling your blood pressure is important. Good news is there is a lot of different medications out there.

Atenolol 50mg once a day. Its a beta blocker.

 

[kyletxria1911a1]

I AM ON BP MEDS LINSPROL AND WHEN I first started taking it i had tremors but when you
get in your system you should settle down if not call the dock

 

[TxDad]

I take lisinopril also. No problems here. thank goodness. Hope you get it figured out. Your health is more important than recreational shooting so dont sweat it right now. I bet it will go away after your body gets used to it.

 

[Greg_TX]

FWIW, I've been taking Benicar (20 mg daily) for almost 10 years with no ill effects that I know of. Still have to work on my cholesterol though - doc gave me 6 months to show him I can get it down with diet and exercise, otherwise that will be another dang pill.

 

[308nato]

I have been on ENALAPRIL for high blood pressure for years now and never had any
side affects other than I'am still growing old.
hope you find something that works for you.

 

[LilIrishTemper]

Thanks for all the responses guys. Now I don't feel like the only one. I'm going to shoot today before taking my pill, its been almost 24 hours since I took my last one, the tremors seem at a low. I guess "shoot first, take pill after" will be my motto for awhile. May have to do this for awhile until they get it me tuned in and getting my shooting confidence back up to par.

 

[TxDad]

If its worse after you take the pill, maybe try taking it at night so it has the day to get into your system. Then by the afternoon maybe its level will be low in your system.

 

[crabbys44]

Thanks for all the responses guys. Now I don't feel like the only one. I'm going to shoot today before taking my pill, its been almost 24 hours since I took my last one, the tremors seem at a low. I guess "shoot first, take pill after" will be my motto for awhile. May have to do this for awhile until they get it me tuned in and getting my shooting confidence back up to par.

I would talk to the Doc until he really understood what the tremors were doing to your work performance. Mine were so bad I couldn't type, so we experimented with different meds and finally settled on a 2 med combination, a pill (I forget which one) and a a clonidine transdermal patch; 1 patch, once a week. After a few years the VA started carrying Amlodipine Besylate (AKA Norvasc). That worked great until the bean counters decided the patches cost too much. The put me on the pill form of clonidine now with the Amlodipine Besylate. My BP is under control (117/70 last week) so I put up with the minor tremors the pills cause.

It's a long winded way of saying talk to your doctor until he understands how the side effects are affecting your livelihood. A combination of 2 drugs without side effects is worth the hassle of trying to cope with the side effects. YMMV

 

[CanTex]

Wow, Lots of excellent advice and support shown here (again why I like this Forum).

Not sure if it will help but what about moving the gun in a circle and trying to ride with the motion vice trying to fight it. Years past they taught making small circles around the target and shooting at the same "point" on your circle every time to assist in getting better accuracy. I am sure that this will tweak someones memory and possibly they can explain it better than I.

Regardless, I hope you are able to resolve the issue to get through till the doc and you can work out the long term solution that keeps you healthy and able to continue doing what you like.

 

[LilIrishTemper]

It was better today, I was at least grouping my shots (not tightly) but there was improvement. On a side note after I got home and took my meds about an hour later the shaking got worse so its gotta be the medicine. I will be talking to the doc this week and try to find a happy medium for both of us. The circle idea sounds like a good idea to try out. Can't hurt.

Thanks again everyone. I do appreiciate the help. Eric

 

[skinman]

Holy crap really? Atenolol is what they put me on, all I knew is that it was a beta blocker. That's friggin scary that tiny white pill could do that. My dad died of a stroke at 55 so thats why theyre being so aggressive about it. Did you have hand tremors when you started taking it?

My father also suffered a massive heart attack before he was 50 and died a few years later and that is the reason the treatment for my hypertension was aggressive as well.

I have always had a steady hand and I do not recall if the beta blocker caused any problems there. My allergic reaction all started out with increased frustration and inability to deal with any stressful situation, no matter how minor, without getting angry and acting out. I was the general manager of an aviation service shop which is stressful by nature, but I had been working in avionics and managing for over 20 years and dealing with all levels of work related stress was no problem until the BP started creeping up as I moved into my 50s and the doc put me on the Atenolol. Within a year I was growing more agitated at ridiculously minor issues and it rapidly went downhill from there. I scared a few customers and employees with my Jekyll-Hyde behavior. There were even a few who told me that something was going on with me.

I am a middle school special education teacher now...another high stress occupation...and I am back to my laid-back relaxed self. The BP is under control but I need to work on the cholesterol.