Talk to me about high blood pressure
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Anonymous
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Hi,
I’m looking for some perspective from those who’ve been diagnosed with high blood pressure and have either gone on medication and/or have made lifestyle changes to get their readings down. I am an early 40s female. Active and generally healthy and probably 10 lbs over my ideal weight. Diet is good but definitely room for improvement. I’ve been coming up with high blood pressure readings at doctor appointments for several years now. When I take my own reading at like a CVS, it’s fine, but haven’t done so since Covid. I definitely get anxious at the doctor up until the blood pressure is taken - then I relax. At my most recent appointment (reading at appointment was 150/100), doc suggested a 24 hour blood pressure monitor so we can get an accurate read on my actual blood pressure throughout the day. I’d never heard of this but it makes sense. I’m trying not to over analyze but I want to prepare myself for the possibility that the doc will recommend medication depending on the results. I haven’t done the 24 hour monitor yet. If you’ve been on meds, what are the downsides/side effects? Would you do everything in your power to avoid meds? Lose the 10 pounds, become more vigilant about diet, manage stress better (haha)? Or is it better to go on meds? I do have one parent on bp meds (they are active and healthy, and not at all overweight). So there could be a hereditary factor here. Thanks for the feedback. |
Anonymous
| I'm interested too. I've gotten my readings down from red/crisis to yellow/slightly elevated over the last few years just with lifestyle changes, but I was extremely overweight. I've lost around 100 pounds. Now that I'm within a normal weight I don't know what to do to get it down just a bit more. |
Anonymous
| I've been on bp meds since my 20's. It's purely genetic in my case. I'm 5'2" 120 lbs, exercise 5-6 days a week and have for decades. My diet is not perfect but it's fairly good. So for me there was no other option than meds. There really is no downside to them. It may take some experimenting to find the one that works best for you. I had one that made my ankles swell. Once we switched I have had absolutely no side effects. I'm 48 so I've been on meds for a good 20 years. |
Anonymous
PP - if I may ask, what medication are you currently on? I am in a similar situation, my hypertension is genetic. I’ve tried diuretics and an ACE inhibitor - even a potassium sparing diuretic caused my blood potassium levels to drop below normal levels, and the ACE inhibitor caused other side effects. |
Anonymous
Norvasc. 10 mg. I do get bloodwork done once a year to monitor kidney function but it's always been normal. |
Anonymous
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Last year, my BP showed elevated. My GP told me to go on a diet and lose 10 lbs. I did and my BP didn't change. At the time, I was doing Orangetheory 5x/week.
Fast forward to this year, my BP still hasn't dropped. I've gained back the 10 I lost, stopped going to the gym, and I'm drinking more. I suppose the good is that my BP is exactly where it was a year ago when I made the changes and was exercising. I started medication about a week ago. So far, the only side effect has been a lower BP. I'm on Norvasc. |
Anonymous
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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. |
Anonymous
| Early 50's female, my bp was always healthy and low. It hit the 143 over 93 ish range ' and i was put on a beta blocker last year, my 80 plus mother has few health issues but she too has higher bp. I am on 20 mg of metropolol once per day. Currently i am healthier than last year (working at home has reduced my stress a lot and i lost weight and work out) and i am due for my annual visit, maybe i can go off of it, we shall see. The bp standards were changed, lowered, a few years back so they are treating more aggressively and i believe.the risks of high bp are cumulative, they build up over decades. There us a genetic component as well. |
Anonymous
| 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! |
Anonymous
| Well, I can tell you my top number is about 20-35 points lower at home and my bottom number is between 5-10 points lower. I took my readings every day for a month to find that out. I still started meds because my evening blood pressure was in the 140/90 range while morning was normal. My doctor said she could go either way, but my weight is normal, eat a very healthy diet, and exercise daily. I just didn’t think I could realistically make improvements without going a little crazy. I’m sure I can lower my stress, but that’s not something that is going to happen in a month. I’m on the lowest dose of hydroxythiazide. It made me pee more than first but I feel like I adjusted (or it just doesn’t matter because I work from home). I like the fact I lost a pound or two of water weight and my belly is flatter, but my BP hasn’t really changed. I’m hoping that when I see my doctor that she switches the med instead of adding another. I’m 44 and female. |
Anonymous
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I've always had extreme "white coat hypertension," connected to extreme anxiety about doctors, so I'd always talked doctors out of taking my in-office readings too seriously. In my early 50s, I started with a new GP who a) didn't scare me as much and b) suggested home monitoring, not a wearable 24/7 monitor, but my own cuff to do regular checks. I brought it in and calibrated it against the one in her office before starting and it was close enough. (This one: amazon.com/gp/product/B07BWPG3YM/ ) I found I was consistently in the 130s over 80s, so prehypertensive, but that did not go down after I lost 15 lbs and kept it off.
I started lisinopril 10mg once a day two years ago and have had no side effects. My BP came down to the 115-120 over 70s range and has stayed that way. It was a weight off my mind finally to realize that my BP was not a matter of insufficient virtue or effort and I should just take the meds. |
Anonymous
| just fyi, my DH was on lisinopril and a known possible side effect is dry cough. Didn't bother him/us until covid- and then he changed, because it definitely isn't cool to be coughing esp. right now |
Anonymous
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. |
Anonymous
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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. |
Anonymous
This is me exactly, except I am 49. On meds for 20+ Years, healthy weight, etc. it took a little while to find the meds that work but I don’t experience side effects. |