I am a 34 year old man recently diagnosed with HBP. My reading the first time I went into my doctor's office was 158/100. I drastically changed my lifestye (now I only eat fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats (fish, turkey, chicken), drink lots of water, and I'm exercising more). The second doctor's office visit registered my bp at 156/98. The third visit, 153/77. My BP is going down, yet my doctor is still prescribing meds. The first meds I took (hydrocholorothiazide) gave me a really adverse reaction, and I ended up being rushed to the hospital because of it. He's now suggesting calcium channel blockers. Whenever I mentioned lifestyle changes (i.e., diet & exercise), he was sort of flippant about it and said that its still important to take the meds NOW, and then maybe you'll get off of it later. I've heard that once you go on meds, you'll never get off. I'd like to try diet & exercise FIRST, and meds as a last resort.

Why are doctors so quick to prescribe meds instead of lifestyle changes FIRST?