Hi, I am a 31 year old female (previously healthy). I went to the doctor one week ago for a sore back neck and headache and my bp was 154/96. I had to wait 1 week to go back for a recheck and it was about the same. The doctor could hear a murmur and is sending me for an echo (I cannot get in for 3 weeks). An EKG was okay, my pulse rate was 122. I also have blood in my urine. My doctor thinks all my problems may be due to ibuprofen (I have taken 6-9/day for years) for my sore back. Any similar situations...

ibuprofin does bad things to the kidneys & liver, and its much worse if you drink

I hope you have quit taking the ibuprofin.

I have quit taking the ibuprofen and began monitoring my bp at home as the dr. recommened. My readings still average 150/90 though...

150/90 isnt that bad - it is on the high side but if you have no other problems & the test come out ok i would not take BP meds at this point

if you do have kidney & or liver damage from the ibuprofin your BP may improve as long as you dont use it

of course, if you dont see any improvement you might think about meds...

your doc will tell you 140/90 is hypertension, that is the "new" number, 155/95 used to be the standard (& still is for the FAA medical exam, which is all I care about)

thanks...I am hoping to avoid meds. The doctor is concerned b/c of my family history. Entire family has hbp, uncle died of heart attack at 42.

if you have a family history of BP problems you should watch it closely at these levels

of course, i have a family history of heart problems - most males on my dads side died of heart attacks - the youngest one was 72 & the oldest was in the upper 90's so im not real worried, by that time i may be ready to go anyway

150/90 isnt that bad - it is on the high side but if you have no other problems & the test come out ok i would not take BP meds at this pointI have to disagree here. While an occasional 150/90 reading isn't that bad, if your BP is consistently around that level, the problem should be addressed. And, meds are most likely going to be required.

Pal

Pal,

That is why I recommended monitoring it every couple of days for a month. Get an average reading. 150/90 isn't horrible at the doctor. Meds. should only be used a last resort.

If your home readings continue averaging 150/90, with a family history of heart problems, I would definitely go on BP meds if I were you. Not everyone has side-effects from them. I was on Lisinopril for five years and taking that gave me no more side effects than taking a vitamin pill. But people are different; some people can't tolerate Lisinopril. If the doctor prescribes something, read the list of side effects carefully to know what to watch for. If you start having problems which really bother, let the doctor know, as he can often switch you to another med you might tolerate better.

Don't feel that if you start taking a BP prescription, it is necessarily for the rest of your life, either. For most people it is. But if one can identify an underlying problem causing it and correct that, then the BP problem is often corrected, too.

Uffda, Bravo!!!!!!!

You might consider having your MD recommend you to a Neurosurgeon so your back can be checked out. If it can be fixed, then you may not need to take as much IB anymore.

whackedback

I'll give you an example of how you don't have to be on the meds. for life....

I'm 34, perfect weight 5' 11" 151. I stopped drinking almost 3 weeks ago.

On the meds.... Lotrel 5/20 & Atenolol 100 MGS. 1+ years ago I would average 126/75 or so most of the time.

For the past month at least my b/p has averaged 110/64 or a little lower. I think that now is the time to wean. I don't need to be on Atenolol, especially at that dose. I want to wean completely off of it & eventually off of Lotrel. My B/P has always been 135/74 or un-medicated. I would rather feel like a champ & have slightly elevated systolic then feel like I am 94. All of my blood tests and EKGS, chest xrays+ are perfect. The cause of my HBP was drinking more than 4 beers a night from 22-32. For the past couple of years I limit myself to a couple of glasses of wine a weekend when I do drink. The cause of my HBP is anxiety at the doctors office.

Thanks for all of the replies. I have not taken Ibuprofen for three days and my bp was 129/76 today...I don't know if this is a coincidence. I will keep you posted. I still have to go to the cardiologist for my echo as the doctor heard a "new" murmur, which has me a little nervous. Is it normal to have to wait 3 weeks to get an appt.? I guess I am not as important as I think I am.