Talk to me about high blood pressure

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't really understand the fear of medication.

I have high blood pressure. Diet has some effect, but 200/140 isn't going to be fixed by diet and weight loss. 30mg of Linisopril has me at the high end of normal. Yes, I am 15-20 lbs overweight and I exercise regularly. It helps but doesn't make much difference.

Fear of medication is that it comes with side effects. I think people should always try lifestyle changes first before popping pills. That said, if medication is NEEDED to manage the condition then of course one should take it. It's good to be well educated on the meds and monitoring.

Fear of high blood pressure is more sensible. High blood pressure, whatever the cause, damages all organs. It's dangerous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BUy your own blood pressure cuff and keep track. My doc likes it when I bring in my records.

Pay attention to the sodium content of everything you buy.

Before going on real medication you can also go on a diuretic and see if that helps. That's what I'm on.

Pay attention to how much caffeine you ingest. Caffeine raises blood pressure. Except for am coffee everything else is caffeine free.

Are you taking an over the counter diuretic, or prescribed by your doctor? My BP has been borderline high for a year or two and I think it's now creeping into the officially high range. I am healthy and in my late 30's with a strong family history of hypertension so it was pretty much a matter of time. I would be open to trying the diuretic first.

[Anonymous]

I took meds for about a year and they worked well. No side effects. Eventually, my blood pressure dropped on its own and I went off. I’m mid-40s and 10-15 lbs overweight, but I exercise regularly. I probably eat slightly better and have lower stress overall than when my BP was higher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't really understand the fear of medication.

I have high blood pressure. Diet has some effect, but 200/140 isn't going to be fixed by diet and weight loss. 30mg of Linisopril has me at the high end of normal. Yes, I am 15-20 lbs overweight and I exercise regularly. It helps but doesn't make much difference.

Fear of medication is that it comes with side effects. I think people should always try lifestyle changes first before popping pills. That said, if medication is NEEDED to manage the condition then of course one should take it. It's good to be well educated on the meds and monitoring.

Now I am a pill popper.

[Anonymous]

I started getting high BP readings at the doctor's office in my early 40s. After a few years of that my doctor put me on meds. A few months later, before it was completely under control because we were "tweaking" the meds, I had a heart attack. Literally almost died, but didn't, got a stent. In the hospital they totally changed the two meds I was on to two different ones and my BP went down to low normal.

That was over twenty years ago. Since then I have taken different BP meds. Stopped some due to side effects. I am currently on two, a beta blocker and Norvasc. Also on a statin. Hard to say what causes what side effects at this point, age also interferes.

BTW for those who take Norvasc. When I was on 10 mg I had really bad swelling of my feet an ankles. Turns out that is a common side effect of 10 mg of Norvasc. My doc lowered my dose to 5 (per day) and that side effect went away. BP was still in a good range.

I highly recommend getting your BP under control by whatever means, it is not that uncommon to have a heart attack brought on by high BP. They call it the silent killer for a reason.

[Anonymous]

DH has BMI of 26 at 5'9", so his weight is not bad. But he has been Lisinopril for high blood pressure since the relatively young age of 30. He's been on it 13 years with no side effects. He controls salt intake. If he eats a little salty one meal or the weekends, he'll eat way less salty the next meal or next few days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't really understand the fear of medication.

I have high blood pressure. Diet has some effect, but 200/140 isn't going to be fixed by diet and weight loss. 30mg of Linisopril has me at the high end of normal. Yes, I am 15-20 lbs overweight and I exercise regularly. It helps but doesn't make much difference.

My doctor won't prescribe them. I'm overweight but work out a lot and I've had higher than normal readings but she doesn't do anything. It worries me because I've been reading that what we consider normal is actually to generous. I do know if I drop salty foods - strictly drop the salt - it goes down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I started getting high BP readings at the doctor's office in my early 40s. After a few years of that my doctor put me on meds. A few months later, before it was completely under control because we were "tweaking" the meds, I had a heart attack. Literally almost died, but didn't, got a stent. In the hospital they totally changed the two meds I was on to two different ones and my BP went down to low normal.

That was over twenty years ago. Since then I have taken different BP meds. Stopped some due to side effects. I am currently on two, a beta blocker and Norvasc. Also on a statin. Hard to say what causes what side effects at this point, age also interferes.

BTW for those who take Norvasc. When I was on 10 mg I had really bad swelling of my feet an ankles. Turns out that is a common side effect of 10 mg of Norvasc. My doc lowered my dose to 5 (per day) and that side effect went away. BP was still in a good range.

I highly recommend getting your BP under control by whatever means, it is not that uncommon to have a heart attack brought on by high BP. They call it the silent killer for a reason.

Wow, that is scary!! How high were your readings? Any other conditions? I get very high readings when I am very stressed... normal or low otherwise, so am reluctant to go on meds.

[Anonymous]

I've taken meds for almost ten years. No side effects; my BP is now controlled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I started getting high BP readings at the doctor's office in my early 40s. After a few years of that my doctor put me on meds. A few months later, before it was completely under control because we were "tweaking" the meds, I had a heart attack. Literally almost died, but didn't, got a stent. In the hospital they totally changed the two meds I was on to two different ones and my BP went down to low normal.

That was over twenty years ago. Since then I have taken different BP meds. Stopped some due to side effects. I am currently on two, a beta blocker and Norvasc. Also on a statin. Hard to say what causes what side effects at this point, age also interferes.

BTW for those who take Norvasc. When I was on 10 mg I had really bad swelling of my feet an ankles. Turns out that is a common side effect of 10 mg of Norvasc. My doc lowered my dose to 5 (per day) and that side effect went away. BP was still in a good range.

I highly recommend getting your BP under control by whatever means, it is not that uncommon to have a heart attack brought on by high BP. They call it the silent killer for a reason.

Wow, that is scary!! How high were your readings? Any other conditions? I get very high readings when I am very stressed... normal or low otherwise, so am reluctant to go on meds.

When I was first diagnosed my readings were not crazy high. Maybe like 160/95 and the first meds got it down to like 145/90, but that was still too high.

If you sometimes get high readings I think you should get a cuff and take your own BP regularly at home when you aren't stressed to see what it normally is. I got this one and use it to check myself : https://www.amazon.com/Pressure-Tonometer-Automatic-Household-Easy-Wrap/dp/B081SPC1KL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I started getting high BP readings at the doctor's office in my early 40s. After a few years of that my doctor put me on meds. A few months later, before it was completely under control because we were "tweaking" the meds, I had a heart attack. Literally almost died, but didn't, got a stent. In the hospital they totally changed the two meds I was on to two different ones and my BP went down to low normal.

That was over twenty years ago. Since then I have taken different BP meds. Stopped some due to side effects. I am currently on two, a beta blocker and Norvasc. Also on a statin. Hard to say what causes what side effects at this point, age also interferes.

BTW for those who take Norvasc. When I was on 10 mg I had really bad swelling of my feet an ankles. Turns out that is a common side effect of 10 mg of Norvasc. My doc lowered my dose to 5 (per day) and that side effect went away. BP was still in a good range.

I highly recommend getting your BP under control by whatever means, it is not that uncommon to have a heart attack brought on by high BP. They call it the silent killer for a reason.

Wow, that is scary!! How high were your readings? Any other conditions? I get very high readings when I am very stressed... normal or low otherwise, so am reluctant to go on meds.

When I was first diagnosed my readings were not crazy high. Maybe like 160/95 and the first meds got it down to like 145/90, but that was still too high.

If you sometimes get high readings I think you should get a cuff and take your own BP regularly at home when you aren't stressed to see what it normally is. I got this one and use it to check myself : https://www.amazon.com/Pressure-Tonometer-Automatic-Household-Easy-Wrap/dp/B081SPC1KL

Thanks! I've always had white coat hypertension, and am taking my pressures at home for that reason. Hmm, yikes - that doesn't even seem that high! 160/95 is about what I reach when I am very stressed (it's never been anywhere anywhere *that* high at the doc)- and high BP can last while the acute stress lasts (hours). It's not too frequent, however. My normal is 100-115/70s, but gets down to 90/60 - so worried about how low it would go with meds. I've been worried about getting a stroke if something really bad were to happen (like a death in the family or such)... Glad you got your BP under control!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always had normal bp until age 49. Then it shot up. I upped my exercise to four-five days a week and lost 15 lbs, bringing me from upper end of normal bmi to lower end. Bp didn’t budge so I started meds. It took me a few months to cycle through 3 of them and now have found a med and right dosage to lower my bp to a normal level. I really didn’t want to take meds but now having found one that seems effective, it’s not a big deal at all. You should get a home monitor so you can start measuring everyday. GL!

Are you at 120/80 with your current meds?

[Anonymous]

It’s the not the extra 10lbs that gives you high blood pressure. It’s your stress and anxiety.

[Anonymous]

I have white coat hypertension. I monitor my bp at home...it's around 110/70 in the morning, and in the 120s/80s in the evening. So, I will continue to watch it over the years (mid 40s female) but don't underestimate white coat.

[Anonymous]

I also have white coat - it gets to 140s / 90s occasionally at the doc, always normal elsewhere. But Ive been having bad anxiety flares due to COVID etc where heart races etc (am on anxiety meds), which makes me nervous. Then I get nervous that going to the doc will make it even higher. Etc etc.

Also early 40s, exercise a ton but could eat better and drink less. Seems there are a lot of us!