High Blood Pressure & Anemia? - Anemia Message Board

tmh · 01-21-2008, 12:39 PM

Can anemia and or hormone imbalance contribute to high blood pressure?

FLFLOWERGIRL · 01-21-2008, 04:24 PM

I don't know for sure (about the BP), but when I was anemic my BP went a little high. As I got better it only went high at doctors appointments. I also had bad palpitations and tachycardia which is normal I know for anemia. I think that it's all related. I had diagnostic testing to make sure everything was okay. My BP has returned to normal now that my anemia is resolved. FLFLOWERGIRL

tmh · 01-21-2008, 04:41 PM

Thank you for responding Flower. I think I became low on iron around 4 years ago. At that time my only sypstom was I had a strange craving for eating ice. I didn't give it any thought for about a year or so but the craving got worse. I would make special trips to the store to buy ice. (My ice maker still isn't hocked up). Also, I had hormone imbalance. Every time my docs would try to put me on progestrone I would end up having heavy heavy bleeding. I had blood work done by the GYN but nothing said about low iron. Several months after having some blood work done I had called the GYN office and the nurse mentioned that my iron was low. That was about 18 months after I started craving ice. I spent some time online researching this ice craving thing. No way could that be normal. I found several websites that state craving ice was connected to low iron. I mentioned to my Internist and she had never heard of it. Anyone I went on iron and the craving for ice decreased. This last September-October I got a couple of weeks of heavy bleeding, back came the craving for ice. I just had a cbc and was told the iron was okay but I was low on folic acid. I just don't get it. My chief complaints are fatigue, little energy, lightheadedness, and mild depression. My GYN wants me to increase my effexor but I don't want to. I want to see how the iron pills and prenatal vitamins go first. I think I have a problem aborbing food/nutrients.

FLFLOWERGIRL · 01-21-2008, 06:21 PM

That's a good start to try supplements first before increasing the anti's as long as you feel you can handle it. They tried to prescribe these for me but I'm not depressed just anxiety from anemia. Depression is very common from anemia too.

Have you had your ferritin checked because that could also be a problem. That is the iron storage. I have a feeling from your post that you very well may be low.

Maybe lack of folic is causing this I don't know if that's possible. I think that it works with the B-12 but don't know that for sure, maybe you can do a search on folic. Is that why they have you on prenatals for folic acid? Your not pregnant are you? I'm asking because you can have problems with pregnancy if you are deficient in folic. FLFLOWERGIRL

tmh · 01-21-2008, 10:32 PM

No I am not pregnant. I am 53. Just about 30 minutes ago I felt the racing pounding heart followed up by an axiety attack. Dang. Walking upstairs I even get out of breath and fatiqued. I wonder if these symptoms are related.

The hardest part of having health issues is not having a doctor who will listen. The GYN said he would listen. The 3rd time I saw I noticed he wasn't listening, just telling me what he wants me to do. Because I followed his advise, I ended up having to take time off work. I can't afford to stay home.

I wish I could get a doctor willing to listen and not just want to throw pills at me.