high blood pressure

[Sixtychick]

I’ve been in hospital all day today. Woke at 6am with racing heart and ectopics. Took my blood pressure and it was 196/95. I felt really scared and rang 111 and they told me to go into A&E within the hour, so we did. I was diagnosed with severe hypertension and after loads of tests, ECG’s etc, I was given a blood pressure tablet, which brought my blood pressure down. All tests were ok, so they let me go home at 5pm.I have no idea why I suddenly got high blood pressure as I’ve never suffered with it before. Has anyone else had this happen to them. ? They’ve given me 5mg Amlodipine. Anyone taking these. ? Do you get on ok with them? I’m worried it might cause me to get dizzy if it puts my blood pressure down too much. Just need some reassurance. I just feel so worried now.

[Nantoone]

Hi. I’m so sorry you have been feeling unwell. My blood pressure would only normally go that high if I was having an af episode or I had a virus. I hope things settle quickly for you.

[Sixtychick in reply to Nantoone]

Thanks for your reply. Did you have to go to hospital when your blood pressure soared that high.?

[FraserB]

Amlodipine is a calcium channel blocker and is usually well tolerated being the first-line treatment for hypertension. I take Diltiazem also a calcium channel blocker to prevent flutter episodes which when I have flutter my blood pressure also soars high which aggravates the flutter more so Diltiazem helps enormously. Everyone will have different experiences with CCBs but 5mg Amlodipine is a starting dose for those just beginning the medication.

[Sixtychick in reply to FraserB]

Thanks for the information.

[BrotherThomas]

I took Amlodipine for several years without any problems at all.

[Sixtychick in reply to BrotherThomas]

Thanks. That’s good to hear.

[wilsond]

To be quite honest 111 comment' within the hour' was a little over the top. It is obviously not a good idea to ignore high readings of course.I am on hypertension tablets( Losartan ) but occasionally for no apartment reason, get high spikes.

Recently on holiday in Wales I had several readings such as yours( 195/100, 185/99 etc)

Not all were so high ( for 2 days I took 3 readings a day.) Highest bp time of day is mid day.

So I rang the local health centre in North Wales , had excellent service. Yes its a bit high they said and so, in short, my medication was increased and appointment made to see my GP at home later that week.

Amlodipine is a trusted and useful drug,my mother was on it for many years with no problems .

Try not to worry too much as that makes BP worse( easy to say I know)

Meantime keep calm and take the tablets! Xxx

[Sixtychick in reply to wilsond]

Thank you for your information. Apparently, if your blood pressure is that high, it can cause heart attacks and strokes and it’s best to get it sorted straight away. On the discharge letter, it said I had severe hypertension. I can’t fault the treatment I got at the hospital.

[wilsond in reply to Sixtychick]

Indeed needs investigating ASAP and yes in the ' high concern' bracket. Just within the hour...Hopefully you will settle down soon.

[Sixtychick in reply to wilsond]

My blood pressure seems fine now. I’m not taking the blood pressure tablets, as I’m giving it a few days, taking readings and then will try and get an appointment with the GP. I’m worried that if I take the blood pressure tablets when my blood pressure isn’t high, it’ll push it down to too low a level. Don’t know why it suddenly spiked like that for no reason, when I was in bed. I’ve never had high blood pressure before. It was a bit scary.

[Margareta3 in reply to Sixtychick]

It might be a sleep APNEA causing it

[Sixtychick in reply to Margareta3]

I did ask my husband if I made any snoring noises when I was asleep and he said he’d never heard me. He does get up in the night to go to the loo, so he would have heard me if I snored.

[Margareta3 in reply to Sixtychick]

It’s worth noting that it’s also possible to have sleep apnea without any snoring. "It is common for people with OSA to snore. However, the majority of people who snore do not have OSA, and not everyone with OSA snores," notes SleepApnea.org.

[Lovedogs1]

I couldn’t take Amlodipine, they made my feet swell so much I couldn’t get my shoes on.

[Sixtychick in reply to Lovedogs1]

Oh dear, that is one of the side effects it says. My blood pressure is completely normal today, so I’m not starting the tablets yet, I’m going to see how it goes for a couple of days , as I’m worried it would make my blood pressure to low.I will then try and consult with the GP, if I can get an appointment. I’ve never suffered from high blood pressure and have no idea why that sudden spike to that high blood pressure, happened and they didn’t seem to know why at the hospital either.

[wilsond in reply to Sixtychick]

As I said I occasionally get high spikes of around your numbers, but then it settles again.No one knows why for me too. They once wanted to put me on another bp med alongside my normal one,but when I showed them my careful records,they agreed .

I'm not advocating ignoring these odd spikes by any means,but with my experiences thought I'd say.

Weird

[Sixtychick in reply to wilsond]

Thanks for your reply.My blood pressure seems back to normal now. So glad to hear that someone else has suffered a spike like this, it was a bit scary. When I rang 111, they said I had to go to A&E in the next hour, so made me really anxious., as it was way too high. I am not going to take any medication for it yet, as I’m worried it’ll make my blood pressure too low. I’m taking my BP twice a day and logging it and then I’ll try and get an appointment with the GP to discuss it. I’ve never had high blood pressure. I’ve been given 5mg Amlodipine.

[wilsond in reply to Sixtychick]

That's OK. I was trying to say 111 have a protocol.to stick to. Definitely was too high ,but as you can see sometimes it's just a weird "thing" always check it out though.5mg should keep you ticking along. Careful records really do help. I take mine each day,so pattern,if any,can be seen.

Conversely,last week mine went to an all time low of 87/50 so I did ring GP. Dehydration in the heat althoug i thought I was drinking enough !

Lol!!!

[Sixtychick in reply to wilsond]

I’ve now taken my blood pressure readings for 2 days now and I’m not taking any medication and it’s been fine, so I shall keep on doing it for a few days more and then try and talk to the Doctor. If I take the blood pressure medication, I’m worried it will push my blood pressure too low.

[Sooz34 in reply to Lovedogs1]

I was the same with water retention and even on diuretics I still had swollen feet x

[Buzby62]

Have you been reducing your beta blocker following ablation? Beta blocker also lowers blood pressure. Mine was elevated a few days after stopping Bisoprolol but settled back down again to just a little higher than it was on bisoprolol. Just a thought.

Best wishes

PS if Amlodipine makes your ankles hold fluid then see your GP as there’s others they can try.

[Sixtychick in reply to Buzby62]

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I was trying to come off the Sotalol, several months after my ablation. I was down from 80 mg to 20 mg twice a day. I’d been stopping them very slowly over several months. I did wonder that myself, but they said Sotalol didn’t lower blood pressure and it’s strange how it just started out of the blue in the night like that.