Anyone suffering from high blood pressure?

R

Rose65

Well-known Member
Location
United Kingdom
I'm sure many here will be.

Now that I have it myself, I would just like more information. Mine is around 200/100 and cause not yet known. Immediate pills have been prescribed, tests so far show no obvious cause.

I know mine is at stroke or heart attack levels but I feel relaxed, hoping it can be resolved. I lead a quiet retired life and am sensible about diet and health. I will do exactly as told and have full faith in my doctor.

So how do others here deal with this and any advice very welcome please. I've never had this before - in fact mine was always very low.
 

I think half the world has high blood pressure.

Mine is definitely inherited. I have never smoked, done drugs, drank to excess, or been overweight.

I have been on BP meds since 2009? I fought going on them for quite a few years previously, but nothing I did helped. If it’s genetically driven, there is almost nothing one can do, except watch diet and STAY ACTIVE.

It took the doctor three tries before he found BP meds my system would tolerate.

When I was to the doctor last week for those bi-annual old people blood tests, my BP was 150/80. High but not critical path. He has added something to my current BP meds, but I don’t know what as I haven’t picked it up yet.

Your BP meds may have “HCT” included. That means a diuretic that will keep you moving to the bathroom more than you want, but it’s a necessary evil.

Drink a lot of water and ditch the soda, alcoholic beverages.

Do what the doctor says🤠🤠
 
I have the same situation, Rose. My BP is right up there like yours. I went to see the doctor just over 2 weeks ago, and he doubled my prescription of Lisinopril / HCTZ. Doing that has not produced any significant change. I will be contacting him this coming week and requesting that he take me off that drug and put me on Clonidine. It is a very old BP med, but it works for those who are resistant to today's medications. Careful monitoring is required. I used it about 8 years ago.
 

MACKTEXAS said:
I have the same situation, Rose. My BP is right up there like yours. I went to see the doctor just over 2 weeks ago, and he doubled my prescription of Lisinopril / HCTZ. Doing that has not produced any significant change. I will be contacting him this coming week and requesting that he take me off that drug and put me on Clonidine. It is a very old BP med, but it works for those who are resistant to today's medications. Careful monitoring is required. I used it about 8 years ago.
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That's interesting, @MACKTEXAS. When I was going through benzodiazepene withdrawal back in 2019 the ER prescribed Clonidine for the symptoms.

Thinking about it now, as I type, that makes sense given that severe rebound anxiety is one of the hallmarks of withdrawal.

My BP has been getting higher, too. It was low my entire life until just this past year. So far I have been trying to keep it low(er) through diet and exercise, but I would not be surprised if meds are in my future.
 
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Everyone has different meds needs. Controlling BP can be a challenge for many. The cause can help determining what meds to prescribe for the problem. I take three to keep mine under control. None of them are high dose and have stabilized my BP well.
 
Rose, start by buying an at-home BP monitor. Now that you’re stressed about your BP, it can go up when you’re having it taken in the doctor’s office; that’s known as White Coat Syndrome.

It may take a bit to find the right meds for you, that’s not uncommon.
 
I take one Lisonopril every morning, and twice a day a beta blocker which regulates my heartbeat and supposedly also helps with the blood pressure. It's been a chronic thing with me for many years. No symptoms, but the doctors are always watching out for it. In my case it goes up and down, apparently on its own.

It's different for every person.
 
I was diagnosed with high blood pressure at age 50 despite being in the best shape of my life. I was walking 6–8 miles a day very fast and hiking mountains on the weekend. I was lean and mean. However, it runs in my family and no one seems to escape it.

I ended up in the ER because it was 200/110 and I also had a too fast erratic heartbeat. They never did find the cause of the tachycardia, but they called in a cardiologist who, besides running a bunch of tests immediately started to lower my blood pressure chemically by IV.

I arrived by ambulance because when I called the hospital hotline nurse to ask if I should come to the hospital she called an ambulance thinking I was having a heart attack. I thought I was perfectly healthy and left with three diagnoses, including asthma. Originally, upon arrival, they thought I was having a heart attack.

My blood pressure medicine will work well for between 5–7 years and then it will stop working. This happened to my mom also. Then they put me on a different one. However, because of the tachycardia, it has to be a beta blocker. 21 years later, I have ended up, circling back to one of the original medications that they used.
 
I was told I have high BP while in the military, but I had a stressful job. I don’t see that my BP being was 138/68 was considered high. The norm is 120/80. I thought I was in range. I was given BP pills called Losartan.

Now that I am away from any stress, my BP has been in the area of 118-125/75-88. I no longer take pills. I don’t understand how they figure what’s high and what’s low. I monitor my BP on a weekly basis. I keep a chart and put on the cuff every Wednesday morning and mark the numbers on my chart.
 
Been There said:
I was told I have high BP while in the military, but I had a stressful job. I don’t see that my BP being was 138/68 was considered high. The norm is 120/80. I thought I was in range. I was given BP pills called Losartan.

Now that I am away from any stress, my BP has been in the area of 118-125/75-88. I no longer take pills. I don’t understand how they figure what’s high and what’s low. I monitor my BP on a weekly basis. I keep a chart and put on the cuff every Wednesday morning and mark the numbers on my chart.
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That looks to be a desirable range. I still check my BP with a Omron cuff at home, from time to time, particularly if my BP feels elevated.
 
KSav said:
That's interesting, @MACKTEXAS. When I was going through benzodiazepene withdrawal back in 2019 the ER prescribed Clonidine for the symptoms.

Thinking about it now, as I type, that makes sense given that severe rebound anxiety is one of the hallmarks of withdrawal.

My BP has been getting higher, too. It was low my entire life until just this past year. So far I have been trying to keep it low(er) through diet and exercise, but I would not be surprised if meds are in my future.
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I've read that Clonidine is prescribed for the reasons you gave, and it's prescribed for ADHD, blood pressure, etc. and was at it's peak usage in the 1960s, but is no longer recommended as a first choice expressly for blood pressure. It can cause dangerous and sudden drops, so has to be used with care.

My doctor said that for those over 65, he's okay with an average systolic reading of 140. I'm sure he will not at all be okay when he finds I'm still getting highs in the 170s on a regular basis, and my lowest reading has been 138. He's always receptive to my requests, and I think he'll support using Clonidine. If not, then he will have to choose something beside Lisinopril, because I'm telling him I'm done with it.

Trying to control BP with diet and exercise worked for awhile, but eventually I had to get on a prescription, which really isn't bad, as long as it works. I had no side effects.
 
I’ve been taking meds for 30+ years some cause terrible side effects till you get the right one that suits you

i take half of….40 mg olmesatran once a day ..at times my bp is a bit on the low side other days it’s up …to about
150/ 78 …however most Aussie doctors say 170 is fine for people our age group now days …nah ..I’m not happy with readings like that ….
 
Nathan said:
That looks to be a desirable range. I still check my BP with a Omron cuff at home, from time to time, particularly if my BP feels elevated.
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I use an Omron cuff also. I have had it since 2015. My doctor asked me to bring it along to the next visit to check it against the office’s BP machine. Mine was within a few numbers of their machine, which is acceptable, according to Doc.
 
Jules said:
Rose, start by buying an at-home BP monitor. Now that you’re stressed about your BP, it can go up when you’re having it taken in the doctor’s office; that’s known as White Coat Syndrome.

It may take a bit to find the right meds for you, that’s not uncommon.
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I have my own meter , which is how I found out how high my BP is. It was a big shock as I've never suffered it before - in fact mine was almost too low before. To have it shoot up is just so scary.
 
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