Has anyone dealt with glp-1 and peripheral arterial disease?

traveltech_sara said:

My reason for being on this is cardiovascular rather than cosmetic, which puts me in a small minority in most of these threads.

Positive "side effect" of cardiovascular risk: my blood pressure dropped so much that I'm now off losartan entirely! My cardiologist is thrilled.

If you're on BP meds and losing weight on a GLP-1, monitor your BP at home regularly. Hypotension symptoms (dizziness, lightheadedness when standing) mean your BP meds may need reduction. Don't wait for your next scheduled appointment — call your doctor.

Dr.SleepRoch said:

Positive "side effect" of cardiovascular risk: my blood pressure dropped so much that I'm now off losartan entirely!

I'm 58 years old and want to share my perspective on cardiovascular risk as an older member of this community.

My doctor was initially hesitant because of my age, but the SELECT trial included patients up to 72 and showed consistent benefit across age groups. We started at the lowest dose with closer monitoring.

11 months later: down 58 lbs, off atorvastatin, A1C from 7.6% to 5.3%. My cardiologist is thrilled. cardiovascular risk is absolutely relevant for older adults — don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

traveltech_sara said:

My reason for being on this is cardiovascular rather than cosmetic, which puts me in a small minority in most of these threads.

Second this. I had assumed I was the exception until I read this.

Adding the clinical framing, because it changes how the question reads.

CRP reduction on cardiovascular risk — this is the lab result that excites me most:

Baseline hsCRP: 7.0 mg/L (high cardiovascular risk)
Month 6 hsCRP: 2.5 mg/L (moderate risk)
Month 12 hsCRP: 0.6 mg/L (low risk)

This level of inflammatory marker reduction is comparable to what you'd see with statin therapy. Combined with the weight loss, my 10-year ASCVD risk score dropped from 14% to 5%. My cardiologist is genuinely impressed.