I need help understanding anxiety it can ride you blood pressure really high?Because I went to the ER last night and my blood pressure was 161-102
Blood pressure: I need help understanding... - Anxiety Support
Blood pressure
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Jax78
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Jax78, anxiety can push those numbers significantly high. The difference between high blood pressure due to anxiety is that it is temporary and doesn't cause any harm. It's a natural way for the body's response to stress. The dangerous high numbers are when people are chronically living with high blood pressure and don't even know it.
My blood pressure was 161/102 the Doctor gave me oxygen and a pill and something in my iv to bring it down..
I know this problem very well, but it is so hard to convince yourself of it going to be ok when you are in that attack mindset. When my BP spikes during an attack it feels horrible and and i cant seem to find the skill to get out of that panic mode, so my body just keeps pumping out more adrenaline. Any good trick to reminding yourself or getting your brain out of that "OMG my bp is going to cause me to have a stroke" thought process? This is my biggest issue with my panic attacks.
Hi hsojcon21, Breathe, breathe and then breathe again. Long, slow deep breathes and blowing out slowly will help reduce the anxiety and calm your mind and body. Calming your body down is not enough if your mind is going 100 miles per hour with irrational thoughts.
My blood pressure spikes when hit with anxiety. Even breaking through my medication. I accept that it's anxiety and I immediately start my deep breathing and within minutes can lower the numbers from 3 digits to a reasonable reading.
It takes practice every day when you are not stressed so that you are in automatic mode to quiet the adrenaline down when anxiety hits. It's the people in quiet high blood pressure that find themselves in trouble eventually. That's why it's called the 'silent heart attack'. There are people walking around who are oblivious to their blood pressure and living the good life. We on the other hand, are so vigilant to every symptom our body throws our way, that we are lucky to catch any abnormalities and immediately turn it around before it has a chance to do any damage.
The next time this happens hsojcon, stop...take a deep breathe and blow out slowly and accept that this is not harmful. It is just a momentary reminder of what anxiety can do to us.
Thank you so much for the response. You can just call me Josh.
Its hard to accept that its not harmful and trust me i do the deep breathing every single time. It just doesnt seem to work with in a couple of minutes for me personally. When my bp spikes i freak out and thats when i have my worst attacks. I know the breathing does help, but its just so chaotic and hard to remember. I have a breathing pacer that i use, but i feel like it takes me 30 minutes before i can feel it going down. Just typing about this i can feel it rising.
Josh, that might be the time to reach out to the forum for support and comfort. I'm glad you use breathing in getting the spikes down. I understand in just rehashing the experience in typing can bring about the emotional response.
Don't worry how long it takes to go down. If you anticipate it still being high, it will stay there. You are not alone. We are all here for each other.
• in reply tohsojcon21
Acceptance has been the key to my recovery. I know everyone says the same thing and I myself didn't believe it, but it's seriously made a huge difference the past two weeks.
hsojcon21• in reply to
What do you mean by acceptance exactly? what are we to accept? and how do you convince yourself to accept when something inside you just wont let you?
• in reply tohsojcon21
Well assuming you've been to the doctor's and everything has been cleared, you have to accept that all these physical symptoms are just part of our flight or fight being triggered by anxiety. Our body's are tricked into believing we are in immediate danger when we are not. If we are able to accept that our anxiety is playing tricks on us and that we are not in any real danger then our bodies will learn to relax. Easier said than done, I know, but with practice we can get there. I still struggle daily but I'm no where near as bad as I was last month.
hsojcon21• in reply to
Yes i have been to the doctor and everything has checked out. I know that it is anxiety tricking me, but I STILL always have that little "what if" thought in the back of my mind. Plus i think that since ive had so many attacks over the last decade that all these high blood pressure spikes has messed something up and one of these times something is going to pop. Plus being in the moment of panic its hard to focus on anything let alone the self actualization of oh this is just anxiety playing a trick on me. Its hard to think outside of the "OMG im going to die" part of the panic.
hsojcon21, oh, "what if" has been the trigger to many of our anxious moments as well as "OMG I'm going to die". We're all cut from the same fabric. I'll breathe mine away as you "marinate" yours away. Hey, whatever works. 
thats what im trying to say. My way doesnt work. Thats why im on here. Ive tried breathing and yes it totally helps. I just want it to work better and faster i guess, which is probably not a good thing.
hsojcon21, Unfortunately there is no fast way or magic cure to erase anxiety or high blood pressure spikes. The thing is to not allow it to take hold and that is what takes practice. Accepting that it is anxiety is helpful if and when you are in that frame of mind to truly accept it as not harmful thereby eliminating the adrenaline rush.
It's like being an alcoholic who needs AA as well as avoiding any drinks. Anxiety is a forever commitment as well in practicing what works for you so that you are always ready to stop the thought, the "what if", the "OMG"....
I had tried it all in the past and not becoming afraid of what anxiety may throw at you is the only way that works.
• in reply tohsojcon21
Are you on any medication? I took a beta blocker for a month and it helped a lot with my palpitations and high BP. The weird dreams and lethargy weren't worth it though. I'm also in therapy. That's where I've learned to just accept it. Believe me, every single day I have the "what ifs" and "this is the one that isn't anxiety" moments, but like I said, you have to keep pushing through it. Distraction never worked for me so I would just lay down and let it pass. Coming here and realizing that so many of us suffer the exact same symptoms also makes me realize that it is just anxiety. even if in the moment it feels so real, you have to just have to convince yourself that it's just anxiety.
So this past Halloween I had my first ever trip to the ER, ambulance ride and all. I've been dealing with anxiety for 10 years. Long story short, I just didn't feel right and never quite had this feeling before. Took my blood pressure at home and it was around 150/110, heart rate 120+. So I called 911 and my blood pressure got as high as 168/121 roughly and heart rate steady in the upper 130s. Ran two ecg's complete blood panel. After the 8-9 hours waiting it was chalked up to my anxiety. ER doctor was nice enough to give me a klonopin and send me onmy way. Next day checked in with my GP blood pressure was around 135/85 heart rate in the 80s. Psychiatrist day after that and I am now on 0.5mg of klonopin daily. So a long drawn out answer, stress anxiety and panic can do CRAZY things to your body in short to mid term time. Hopefully that helped in someway.
So what I had was anxiety panic attack last night I thought I was going to die
More than likely yes, did they run any tests? Usually they run tests to rule out anything physical. Throughout my anxiety life I have had 3-4 ecg's.
I has a ekg and chest xray and blood work done they said I was fine healthy heart..
I would try my best to not worry about it anymore then. Sounds like you had an episode just like I did. All my tests came back good and said my heart was fine as well. Anxiety and panic can do crazy things like I said before. Just try to stay positive and not worry
I will try my best thank you so much...the main thing I do worry about is the weird feelings I have in my body and the head pressure I get I get really scared.. My boyfriend tells me not to worry and think so much.. These episodes happen out of the blue when im not even thinking about anything but my boyfriend says my mind thinks about thing even when im not so I just need to relax and keep my self and my mind occupied on other things like play games on our PlayStation, go for a walk,listen to music..I have done all that and it worked for a while but all of this sudden here comes the anxiety panic attacks again..I read what you had said to my boyfriend and he said you see even she is telling you you'll be ok listen to her..
My episodes come random as it can be also, I have never figured out what my triggers are. But at the end of the day it is all in our heads, we just have to be strong enough to push past it and get back to our old selfs. It can be done, because I have done it before. And not that it matters but I'm a he lol. Loveydovey was a nickname I was given in high school because my last name is dove.
Ok thank you sir lol..
I appreciate all your advice thank you so much
Lol not a problem at all. If you ever need to talk about things you can message me anytime! I've been going through some struggles since Halloween, and it can be good to talk to others with similar experiences.
Ok if I need to talk to some one I will bee sure to message you..thank you
I too have had a life time of Anxiety - my last blood pressure was 187 - 90 ! Breathlessness , head pressure and pains in legs. This time Dr has prescribed 5mg Amlodipine for BP and Promethazine 25mg for Anxiety. Due to report back this week to see if there has been an improvement in BP but anxiety has improved a little so fingers crossed. Anyone else out there a 'leg shaker' don't realise I'm doing it, but whenever I sit - there it is !
• in reply toReculver
You need magnesium my friend !
Awesome. Im in the same boat as you guys. I have been to ER about 15 times in the last 10 years and its always the same thing. I have a panic attack and my blood pressure goes crazy high and then i get to hospital and they give me tranquilizers and it goes down. Then they send me home and it is all due to the panic attack.
I have had 7-8 EKGs, 2 24-hour Holter? monitors, 1 treadmill stress test and multiple other tests. Every time the doctors say that i am fine. I have actually been told that my heart is pretty good. Bottom line is that the panic and anxiety are the causes.
I am overweight and eat unhealthy, so im sure my blood pressure in general would go down if i fixed those things. EVery book and class that i have done all start with these things that are "fixable" that we can do ourselves. Diet, exercise, and proper sleep habits.
Just remember that high blood pressure spikes are tolerable by your body, so there is no reason to freak out over it. I have learned this the hard way. I still dont always believe it, but im still here today typing this to you. I have probably had over 2-300 panic attacks in the last 10-12 years and i am still standing. Your body is built for small periods of stress and high blood pressure is part of your fight or flight. Take comfort in the fact that YOUR BODY CAN HANDLE IT.
Just out of curiosity what are yalls ages if you don't mind me asking? I myself am 27.
I am going to be 39 the 30th of this month
Im 40
By all my anxiety and panic started when was about 30. I really had a hard time with my 30th birthday. Still dont know why. Had my midlife crisis a bit early i guess.
Yeah chances are usually at all of our ages our hearts are still in good health! There's also the possible incident, but 5 year olds as well as 95 year olds have heart trouble. You can't put and age or time on it. The less you think about it the best I believe.
That's not ridiculously high when I had mine it was 180 over 120. Anxiety and blood pressure go hand in hand the more anxious you get it pushes your blood pressure higher. The more you think your blood pressure goes up it triggers anxiety. The only thing for me that brings it down is a green tea small bowl of blueberries and and relaxing bath. It does work trust me. Anxiety is all in the head that's it. Your mind can be your best friend or your worst enemy
My blood pressure has hit those numbers when out of control anxiety hits. Fortunately, I know how to bring it down with deep breathing and meditation. I like your method of reducing stress, may try that. Thanks for sharing..
Does hypertension have anything to do with anxiety? Can anxiety cause hypertension.. Im taking high blood pressure medicine now I have to take it once a day but I.can feel it's Waring off I took it at 7:30am this morning..
Hi Jax78, I don't feel that hypertension promotes anxiety since there are a lot of people walking around w/o a clue to their numbers. On the other hand, anxiety does cause hypertension. The difference is the escalated numbers are usually for a shorter time. I too am on b/p meds. I don't feel it wear off, but again, I take it early morning (7am) when anxiety is at it's highest. By evening, I am more relaxed and tired and don't feel anxious.
How do the specialists know the difference between high bp when it occurs regularly, being due to anxiety only or something more serious? What if someone has a problem with high bp and is stressed about it? I had a suspected TIA after coming off a lot of meds, none for BP. The GP sent me urgently to the stroke clinic, where I had a panic attack, I'm worried this masked the symptoms of high bp because they saw me anxious thought that was what was causing it. Obviously, I believe them as that makes sense, but what about the times I'm not anxious and am sat relaxing and my bp is high. there were no tests on my heart carried out except the stethoscope and a vague stroke test. No offence to the lovely consultant but he seemed more bothered about my anxiety and called two nurses in. I calmed down after I managed to vent my frustrations with my life lately and the need for sleep. Then I said I had come about suspected TIA and did he think I had had one. He said he didn't think so, he thought it was a silent migraine with aura (which has stroke like symptoms) and the anxiety causing the bp raising and his prescription was to relax.
I'm feeling confused, I think I would feel more relieved if they X-rayed my heart or did some sort of conclusive test and showed me the results to put my mind at rest. I have a family history of heart problems, today my bp is even higher for the systolic than it was at the appointment on Monday (two days ago). Then it was 146/110 before the panic attack, just with the preliminary check with the nurse when she does height and weight. Today just sat down having heated chat with daughter about me talking too much it went up to 180/61, should I be reassured because the diastolic is only 61?
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