In early October I was in a doctor’s office and when they took my blood pressure they said it was a little high. I figured it was a fluke until four days later when the esketamine attendant took my blood pressure and he also said my B.P. was a little high. Uh oh. (The story of how well my depression has responded to esketamine treatment is here. Esketamine is often called “ketamine” even though they’re very different.)
That day I found out that esketamine (my prescription is for Spravato) slightly raises your blood pressure, so for the two hours it’s in your system, your B.P. has to be closely watched. That explained why they take my blood pressure three times during the two hours I’m there every week.
If my blood pressure is too high, I can’t get the esketamine. I was extremely grateful for my blood pressure going down enough that day to get the esketamine (after giving myself 10 extra minutes to sit quietly), but I left feeling scared.
If that treatment stops, my depression will come back, probably within weeks. If it returns to the level it was when I started this treatment last winter, it will include suicidal ideation. I can’t go back to that.
Good herbs & spices can replace salt.
I anxiously researched ways to lower one’s blood pressure and found several. Some I can’t do anything about (I don’t drink or smoke and I can’t change my genetics), so I focused on one that’s completely within my control: sodium intake. Eating a lot of salt can elevate one’s blood pressure and what I consumed was full of sodium (processed foods, restaurant food, fast food, baked goods, candy, and the occasional soda).
My research found these facts:
Over 3,300 milligrams – The average amount of sodium an American eats each day.
2,300 mg. limit – Recommended by nutrition experts in the U.S.
2,000 mg. limit – Recommended by the American Heart Association.
1,500. mg. limit – Recommended by the American Heart Association as the ideal, especially for those with high blood pressure.
In early October I began my new low sodium life, aiming for no more than 1,500 mg of sodium a day. I keep a food log and track how much sodium everything has. Some days I’ve made the goal. Some days I haven’t, but I’ve mostly kept it below 2,000 mg. And sometimes I’ve completely blown my goal. So it goes.
Foods I was used to thinking of as healthier — such as popcorn, salsa and vegetable soup — are no longer healthy for me if they come in a bag, bottle or can. Too much salt has been added to them. I’ve learned that hot sauce has no calories or carbs — yay — but a large amount of sodium — boo. And I can tell you that Pepsi contains less sodium than Coke, which contains less sodium than Sprite, which contains less sodium than Orange Crush.
I’ve been reading processed food labels for decades, but before this I’d scan for calories, carbs or sugar levels. What’s new is ignoring all that and looking only at the sodium level. Salt is my focus right now.
I mix this with regular salt and use it very sparingly.
But it turns out lowering my sodium also lowers my carb and processed sugar intake because sugar and salt are so often paired. I total my sodium mg’s after every meal. By evening, if I don’t want that total to go any higher, I’m done eating for the day.
Since I began my low sodium life, I’ve had no problem with blood pressure and that’s excellent because I don’t want another prescription I have to wrangle out of insurance companies. Even better, it means my blood pressure isn’t keeping me from “the K.”
There really couldn’t be a better motivator for me to change. Does high blood pressure put me at risk of a heart attack? Whatever. Heart disease? So be it. But take away the esketamine? I turned my diet around very quickly when it was my mental health that was at risk.
RELATED: My Experience with Ketamine
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