I am 63 and my latest readings were 250/160.

If I was borderline, I would try all the starting stuff like:

loose weight, don't use salt, become a vegitarian, etc...

IMHO, becoming a vegitarian/vegan is the best thing you can do for long term health.

Anyhow, I am on the NitricOxide bandwagon.  Look up "Nitric Oxide" and "High Blood Pressure".  It isn't hokum, three scientists won the 98 Nobel Prize in Medicine for the work they did on "Nitric Oxide".

Just a comment:  check out impedance cardiography, if your doctor has it and knows how to use it, he can identify how to treat your HBP without trying 20 different things until he comes up with the correct thing. 

See the artical, "Individulized the treatment of Hypertension"

at:

http://heartdisease.about.com/od/highbloodpressur/a/BPRX.htm