Stressing over Blood Pressure [Archive] - HealthBoards Message Boards

kivyt73

02-05-2009, 04:54 PM

Hi Everyone,
I have posted before because I am suddenly stressing over my blood pressure. I have developed white coat hypertension and that is carrying over to home monitoring. I had gotten better but now I am working it up again. My last ten readings were:
119/80
119/76
117/82
124/77
132/75
128/77
125/75
109/71
117/76
121/77
111/81
Today was the 111/81 and I don't like the 81. It is stressing me out. A few months ago I was stressing because I was getting low numbers 98/67. I just need some flat advice. Should I worry about these numbers? How often should I check it? I think I am overworrying and overchecking which is giving me anxiety and higher numbers. You guys seem to really know your stuff so I need to be set straight.
Thanks,
Ivy:)

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abergeron

02-05-2009, 05:06 PM

Your numbers look great to me. Have you added those up and averaged them?

I'm sure some people would love to see numbers like the ones you are considering to be "high." I would not be worrying if I was you, and I wouldn't be testing either.

kivyt73

02-05-2009, 05:24 PM

I did average the last 15 and the average was 119/76. See, I know that is fine, but when I get a "high" reading which to me is anything over 120/80 (today 111/81 hence my post) I get upset and then get into a tailspin. That is why I wanted to lay it out for you guys so you could give me some objective advice. My doctor said only check it once a month and that he is not worried about it but I am obsessing. I even had to get rid of my home monitor because I was checking too much, now I test when I go grocery shopping about once a week.

Flutterbye77

02-05-2009, 06:03 PM

you are far from stroke level and not even pre hypertension. Why so worried and stressed?

Reminds me of people who post on a weight watchers board and say they are 115 pounds and are sooooo fat. makes everyone else feel kinda bad. Your numbers are fine.

kivyt73

02-05-2009, 06:15 PM

tamuprof45

02-05-2009, 08:29 PM

I think I just get an obsessive fear in my mind and work on it...blood pressure is the topic of the last few months. I then get anxious when I take it and of course that makes it high. Sorry if I make anyone feel bad but to me this is worrisome, my mother has hbp and I thought I was in the clear...I exercise everyday, watch my diet etc. I have high cholesterol and I am on meds for that and I just thought hpb would be one thing I would not have to deal with. Hopefully it won't be, but then again I already am in my head huh? Self fulfilling prophecy maybe?
Thanks for the post.
Ivy

You probably ARE "in the clear," as this is coming from someone who has wrestled with BP driven anxiety for years. I have seen anxiety send mine from the 120s/70s to 170s/90s in minutes. White coat hypertension is very real, and you should NOT feel guilty at all for posting; with enough time, anxiety driven BP can become REAL BP, so getting a handle on that anxiety NOW is the key. Trust me.

You are also fortunate in that you are aware of BP issues BEFORE they become serious problems, and thus (with some of the sage advice of posters here + doctors) have an opportunity to head hypertension off at the pass. I think many on this board would be happy if they could contribute to someone out there actually avoiding HBP before the agony of it sets in.

FYI, studies show anxiety can raise one's BP 20-40mm on average, which should give you an idea of how potent it can be.

tamuprof45

Lourage

02-05-2009, 08:41 PM

Those are very good numbers! i too have white coat hypertension, and am actually taking beta blockers for it. I actually got so stressed out one time and anxious that i drove it to 150 something over 112 while in the hospital, and they kept me in there for 12 hours, and it stayed that high the whole time, me being in the hospital kept it that high and it was only after they let me go home that it went down. But that the beginning of this madness...

Since then the past year i have driven myself crazy! constantly checking it, stressing out. Even after doctors said i was fine, and after being told not to check it i would dwell on it over and over. It got to the point where me just thinking about it even at home would cause it to go up! You need to just not think about it or you will get worse and worse. ESPECIALLY if your like me and also suffer from extreme anxiety/hypochondria. Listen to your doctors and stop taking it, cause you will always wnat to check it when you Shouldn't IE during stressful times, when your exercising. It will make you develop OCD.

Check out my closed topic on the second page titled "anxiety and high blood pressure" if you want to see how crazy i was making myself lol.

Lourage

02-05-2009, 08:59 PM

Also not sure if you said, but are you on any BP medication? not sure how you feel about it, but if those are your numbers without any type of medication then thats GREAT! The beta blocker i take now Propranolol is also great for anxiety symptoms, and i love it so far. Unlike most of the people here who want off there BP meds i want to stay on this lol and i enjoy having it as a crutch.( i'm only 28 by the way, and no heart problems or any serious health problems, although my father does have high blood pressure, no strokes in the family though or heart attacks) have had no side effects from it and i'll see what my cardiologist says about if he wants me to stay on it when i see him in September. Like i said though i'm also on it for anxiety, so i like it keeping my heart rate slow and my Bp low. Although i think i was taking too high of a dose, so i started taking a lower dose today. In the long run though i think if i gain any weight or have bad side effects are worth it compared to having a constantly high heart rate and elevated blood pressure. Hopefully when i get my anxiety/stress ocd in check though then my BP spikes will even out and i wont need the beta blocker anymore.

marantz1935

02-06-2009, 05:56 AM

Hi,

Like everyone has said, the anxiety (I know how you feel), will drive those numbers up! But given your numbers as they are right now, they are actually quite good, given your stress.

On a home monitor, 135 over 85 or less, is acceptable.

Also, continue taking readings about 2 minutes apart until they settle and level out. The first reading will always be a little high.

Hang in there.

zekat

02-06-2009, 08:39 AM

>>You probably ARE "in the clear," as this is coming from someone who has wrestled with BP driven anxiety for years. I have seen anxiety send mine from the 120s/70s to 170s/90s in minutes.<<

I could have written that myself and I totally agree!

Just remember that blood pressure is supposed to move around. It will not always be below 120/80 (especially during exercise - our top number gets higher to help get oxygen everywhere it needs to go). So, naturally there are going to be times that you get readings over 120/80. That's perfectly fine :)

myring78

02-06-2009, 10:23 AM

kivyt73........You are worring over nothing....Your numbers are not high at all....When mine get stressed like you discribe I can zoom mine up too 200/129 with little effert. And have spent many days with my low the same as your high numbers near 120. Fig. out something else to worry about like eating better to give yourself overall better health.

kivyt73

02-06-2009, 11:13 AM

rudiraven

02-06-2009, 11:49 AM

Ivy,

Try not to pay attention to TV docs and everything you hear in the news. A lot of the info they spout is provided by the pharmaceutical companies in an effort to get everyone on some sort of medication. Go to the Cholesterol board and post your cholesterol numbers there and see if you should even be on those meds. This country has made us all into hypochondriacs and all we do is worry about what's going to kill us. Take care and stop worrying and enjoy your life :)

tamuprof45

02-06-2009, 01:01 PM

Thank you all for your posts. I just needed to be told straight... I have been making an issue out of this for a few months now and it is really too much. It started when I went off birth control pills after ten years. That caused my anxiety to go up and my bp to spike, then I became afraid of it. It doesn't help when you see Dr. Oz on Oprah saying 115/75 is optimal and anything higher is dangerous. Lourage -- those are numbers without medication so I know I should be glad. Thanks again everyone, you have be sooooo helpful.
Ivy:angel:

That statement from Dr. Oz is borderline absurd. If it were true, 90% of people in this country would be hypertensive and dropping like flies. No doubt the good doctor is trying to sell something...fear, among other things.

It also reflects a warped tendency on the part of medical specialists to stress "ideal" numbers rather than realistic ones. To achieve consistent numbers at around 115/75, virtiually everyone over the age of 25 would have to be on 2-3 blood pressure drugs at least.

tamuprof45

kivyt73

02-06-2009, 01:37 PM

I totally agree with you both about the pharmaceutical companies being behind all of this. We have all been at our doctor's offices and seen them romanced by the reps. and that is just small time. My cholesterol was about 245 before I went on meds. I am 35 by the way, and my hdl and ratios were always good. I remember when cholesterol of 239 was borderline, suddenly they want us under 200 and I have heard they are going to try to reduce it to 170. I truly believe this is due to the pharmaceutical companies. I gave up though and I take only 5mgs of lipitor and my last cholesterol test was 161so fine whatever. All of these health stories on the news etc. will work you up though and they always remind us to work on our stress management after they scare us to death.
Thanks guys.
Ivy

joe86

02-10-2009, 10:51 AM

Arrrggghhh.... I shouldn't have opened this thread! My blood pressure is going up!

I get so mad about the public fear peddlers and the media that does their dirty work. It won't be long before everyone, no matter how healthy, is on statins full time and who knows what else.

In the U.K. news the medical "tzars" (fuehrers?) announced that they want every person from 40 upwards to be on statins, no matter how healthy they are. This is to combat some undefined, future possibility of heart attack.

There was a time when blood pressure over 140/90 was considered high and this was further mitigated by age. Then it went to 130/80 according to many authorities and now you hear things like that silly quack Dr. Oz saying you need 115/75 to be truly healthy.

Okay, maybe he said those figures are "ideal" but then the media picks it up and it becomes a medical guideline. So you can read all over the web now that we should strive to keep our bp below 115.

Granted, maybe we used to "give in" to the ravages of old age too easily and maybe we should now strive towards lower blood pressure, even as we get older. But where's the balance? Is bp of 120/80 worth a slew of drugs for a 75 year old? Should the same person be stressed about "high" blood pressure of 140/90?

I feel for kivyt73 because I had a period of "white-coat hypertension" too and it was in the comfort of my own home. You can get so worked up about whether your next reading will be higher than the last, etc. etc.

I finally overcame it and I hope you do too, kivyt, but our media and medical establishment doesn't help.

pittsburgh

02-14-2009, 12:37 PM

I've gone for the last two years with blood pressure in the 150/89 range. Recently I have lost my job, (bad job pressure) and cut out salt and caffine and living on fresh veggies only to get my blood pressure back to a 120/75 range. I have stress days like yesterday when I was very nauseated and it was 160/90. Today it was back to 110/76. I don't think your numbers are that bad? Is your heart damaged? are you on meds? did I miss something? Did you cut out the sodium and are you eating things like celery, garlic, things that lower your pressure? Are you excercising?

caz72me

02-14-2009, 12:55 PM

famnd

02-14-2009, 06:35 PM

There more than a few experts who think one's diastolic should be about 85 instead of the 60's that beta blockers put us in. It was just a few yrs ago when the "powers that be" wrote guidelines for the DR's saying not to let the diastolic go below 70 because of dangers to the heart.

When my b/p went up, I was hyperthyroid so that just compounded my stress related b/p. It did spill over into my at home b/p's. Don't go there!!! Eventually you will have high b/p.

Distract yourself with something new. Get out of the house. Research a new career whatever it takes. You don't want to be spending your money on Dr's etc when you are out of work.

I always find that making a plan helps in these situations. No matter how simple. It helps you feel in control when everything is out of control in your life.

Keep a journal (just a spiral notebook.) Write anything & everything. You don't have to worry about grammer etc. Just get it out.

These are the things that have helped me. I also took biofeedback but because of the beta blockers it didn't register on the machines.

Fam

flowergirl2day

02-14-2009, 10:17 PM

I agree with Fam regarding the low diastolic blood pressure not being desirable. Recent studies have shown that having a diastolic blood pressure fall below a certain level is detrimental to one's health in the long run and puts one at an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events. I"ll try to find the appropriate study and post it.

FG.

Lourage

02-15-2009, 02:49 AM

My disatolic has been in the high 50's early 60's since being on propranolol, and i can tell you both one thing, feels a HELL of alot better then it being in the 90's high 100's, on both my mind and my body. You guys think low diastolic is bad? what about the added anxiety, stress a high one causes in the long run?

I could see it being bad if you are severely obese and your body isn't pumping enough blood to your organs. But i know for a fact most thin runners have low diastolic BP as well as extremely low HR. I'm sure the thinner you are the lower diastolic wouldn't be a problem.

lol but damn, now you got me worried again. here are a few numbers recently. Think they too low?

108/60 pulse 64
114/69 pulse 74
127/66 pulse 75
113/ 66 pulse 78
116/57 pulse 80
105/66 pulse 74

as long as i feel ok should i be worried? I don't see my cardiologist until september, but i was put on propranolol, and from what i read it can cause a heart block at high doses and even require the need for a pace maker. Is 40 mg twice a day considered high? I heard you should be monitored while taking it and get ekg's every few months. LOL it never ends.

flowergirl2day

02-16-2009, 01:13 AM

Come on, given your age and health status you probably have nothing to worry about! ;) I am glad you feel great with lower blood pressure! It is only when one becomes symptomatic with excessively low blood pressure that it can become a concern. Many people have naturally low blood pressure all their lives.
Yes, low diastolic blood pressure can be bad in certain groups of people and puts them at a higher cardiovascular risk. This has been clearly documented in certain studies and primary, secondary and post-hock analyses of the said studies. Some examples include a secondary analysis of the INVEST study, published in 2006 by Dr. Franz Messerli; a recent French study published in 2007; SHEP study, Syst-Eur study and a post-hock analysis of Syst-Eur study. There are others.
The increased risk with low diastolic pressure does not seem to be much of an issue in people who do not have CHD, CAD or other heart disease and in those younger than 50. After the age of 50, low diastolic puts one at an increased cardiovascular risk. In the patients who have heart disease, there is a clear evidence of harm at lower diastolic pressures. At 70mmHg diastolic, the mortality doubles, at 60 mmHg or less diastolic, it quadruples. The increased risk of cardiovascular and coronary artery disease is at least partly attributed to coronary perfusion during diastole, when the blood pressure is low. This risk may be exacerbated by antihypertensive therapy if the diastolic gets very low. The low-on treatment diastolic blood pressure is not associated with an increased risk in people without heart disease.
Low diastolic can also be a concern in older people with isolated systolic hypertension. Non-compliant aorta (stiffened by aging) is less able to stretch, so even a normal stroke-volume is met with higher systolic pressure. As a consequence, more of the stroke volume is forced into the periphery during systole. This leaves less blood in the arterial tree during diastole and results in a lower diastolic blood pressure. What does not help much is an aggressive antihypertensive therapy to lower the high systolic pressure, which often results in an excessive lowering of the diastolic blood pressure.
A lot of information is available on these and similar issues - it's nothing new.

flowergirl

Lourage

02-16-2009, 02:01 AM

Thanks for the explanation flowergirl!
LOL well you and famd last two posts made me lower my dose today lol and i have felt stressed the whole day, lol even though i been taking my BP it's been fine, just me taking a lower dose makes me stress out and think i'm not getting the full benefit of the medication.

Also i ended up looking up propranolol on a video site and the first hit was some crazy psychiatrist talking about it! thats where i got the whole heartblock and that 40mg is too high of a dose at once, especially for someone who has anxiety and only slightly elevated blood pressure.

Doesn't 20 mg 3 times a day sound better than 40 mg twice a day though? or should i just stick with my regular dose of 40? LOL i keep changing my dose when i get scared. :dizzy:

mod-anon

02-16-2009, 08:36 AM

Please check with your doctor for a dosage recommendation. No one here can recommend a dosage for you.

Flutterbye77

02-16-2009, 05:52 PM

Your readings seem ok, my diastolic has not come down below 105 in about 6 months and it is taking months for them to sort me out on some meds for it so they are obviously not in any rush even with it being over 100

Thats scary! But after I gave birth my diastolic was between 100/110. they didnt so much either and it was like that for a month or so