I am a 22 year old male suffering from hypertension and I am really confused by it, doctors have not been much help as of yet and I am really quite scared.
My blood pressure is about 160/70, I measure it quite regularly on an at home monitor. For some reason my systolic is extremely high but my diastolic remains quite normal. I just don't understand why my body is doing this, I am just going to put details about me below and I am hoping that someone might be able to provide me with advice with respect to a possible underlying health condition or a way to help.
My lifestyle: I live what I think of as a very healthy life style, I exercise by lifting weights daily and I also go for runs occasionally, I am very fit and have low body fat. I eat a healthy high protein diet with lots of nutrients all though I do have a bit of a sweet tooth and eat a fair amount of chocolate. I barely drink (maybe a few beers a month on average), I don't smoke apart from maybe a few socially every few months.
My doctor put me on high blood pressure medication (Telmisartan 40mg daily) and I have not seen it have any effect on my blood pressure
Other health issues: I have a few other health issues that I have been having and I am unsure if they are effects of my blood pressure or causing it or completely unrelated. I am quite sleepy a lot of the time, I feel like I need a nap almost every afternoon but I don't let my self have them because if I do it will usually last for a couple of hours and I typically need 10-12 hours of sleep a night. I have also been having erection problems and I am so ashamed by them because I am so young, I am fairly new to sex and I am a really anxious person and I can't tell if the problems are psychological or physical but it is causing me so much stress.
Other risk factors: My father has high blood pressure (although still not as high as mine), but he is almost 60, has been a lifetime pack a day smoker, drinks regularly and was overweight for a lot of his life. My mother has perfect blood pressure but she does have thyroid disease and so do all her siblings as well as her mother, she treats it by taking thyroxin. When they test my thyroid hormone levels they have always come back as being in the normal range.
I really appreciate any advice, I am really scared and I just want to find out what is wrong with me, I don't want to die young and I don't want to be haunted by the other health issues that often come with high blood pressure.
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MyNameIsJack
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My first question is how long have you been on your medication? It can take a few weeks to stabilise. If you have been on them a while I suggest you go back to your GP. Dual therapy is quite common these days as two different actions can have a better overall effect. For instance I am on a low dose ACE Inhibitor and a low dose of a beta blocker. This has a better effect than a higher dose of the ACE Inhibitor alone.
As regards weight lifting weights are excellent for building for strength and endurance. However, pushing really high weights causes BP spikes - look how red Olympic weight lifters go.
Thanks for the reply, I have been on the ARB medication for a couple months now so I think it has well and truly stabilised. I always make sure I am in a state of rest when I measure my BP so I don't think the weight lifting would be affecting my numbers negatively - I think if anything it helps me since it is my way of releasing stress, but it would be interesting to measure immediately after weightlifting and see what the numbers are like
The only reason I am reluctant to try out other HPB medications is that the majority of them cause ED which I am already having issues with - I really can't discern whether it is from being a very stressed and anxious person or blood pressure related but it definitely is really crushing to have to deal with at my age. I feel like because I am so young and otherwise healthy, my blood pressure hopefully is just symptomatic of another health issue that could be cured, but my doctors have not had any luck in finding anything of that nature.
With dual (or even triple) therapy the overall dose tends to be lower because of the multiple actions so could actually benefit the issue you are concerned about.
With weight lifting I doubt it would affect your average BP. The problem is when you try really higher weights you can hit massive BP spikes. I knew someone of 16 stone who could lift 24 stone (336lb). He ended up with back problems and two hernias. It is your choice how much you lift but do think first!
Hi Jack. Michael has given you some good advice regarding the meds side of things, and I would never, ever immediately point a finger at mental health issues, because it drives me nuts when doctors do that, but you have said that you’re an anxious person. Anxiety in and of itself can cause hypertension, and even if it’s not the primary cause, it could be a contributing factor for your medication not necessarily having the impact you’d expect. Your issues with ED could also easily be a manifestation of anxiety/low mood. Have you ever spoken to a medic about your anxiety issues? Other than thyroid, what other blood tests have they run?
I didn't look at the other exact tests, I assume my doctor did all the general ones, I also did a urine test. The tests returned negative for most serious causes like diabetes but did return signs of low renal function.I had a feeling this was due to creatine supplementation which I take for workouts that increase serum creatinin levels. I got a renal ultrasound which returned normal function (but I did have something called renal duplication, but they said it is very unlikely to cause issues). Anyway I stopped taking creatine, returned a week later and function was back to normal. I have not spoken to my doctor yet about my ED as I find it really embarrassing. I don't really know how he would be able to help me other then prescribing medication which doesn't solve the root problem and I already have access to them if I need them.
But if the ED is anxiety related, and trust me on this when I say anxiety and stress cause a lot of us issues in that department, we just don’t talk about it, then if you get your anxiety under better control, then your erection issues may also spontaneously improve. It’s also a vicious cycle: struggle to maintain or even get one, start to worry about whether or not we’re going to be able to get one, find we can’t get one even when flying solo, aaaaaaand repeat. As an aside, viagra/cialis etc. are fine with many bp meds, but not all of them, so always check for interactions before taking absolutely anything whilst on prescribed medication.
I’m going to throw this out there for the sake of thoroughness, and I mean zero offence, it’s in no way an accusation, nor do I even expect you to acknowledge this part of my comment or reply to it in any way, but that you were supplementing creatinine shows you are clearly quite dedicated in looking to build muscle. Both hypertension and ED are extremely common and well known side effects of steroid use for muscle mass that can persist beyond coming off them. In someone that’s recently stopped taking steroids, anxiety and fatigue are also very common symptoms of withdrawal.
If that middle bit is not of any relevance, then I’d advise seeking help from your GP for your general anxiety alongside getting your bp under control. If you’ve not told them you’re anxious, they’re effectively missing a piece of the puzzle as to how to best treat and help you.
Thanks for the in depth response, I definitely relate to your description of the vicious cycle of ED. I never had an issue maintaining one until my first sexual experience which was quite recent (three months ago) since I avoided women due to anxiety for a very long time. After that experience, whenever I am getting sexual with my partner or even masturbating the only think on my mind is how my erection is going, it is really awful, and at the moment I really struggle to even get or keep hard while masturbating and the only reason I masturbate most of the time is to test if I can get hard, which leaves me feeling so useless and defeated. The thing that worries me is I also have HBP which I know can cause the issue and I don't know if it's a combination or one of the two issues it's just very stressful for me at the moment.
I have another strange problem that makes me think even my BP might be in some way related to stress. I measure my BP at home so it's not white coat syndrome, but my reading is always highest on the first test and I feel a bit strange breathing. I find if I meditate the number sometimes goes down by 30 to 40 points, but then it will go up again, sometimes it even goes up to 180. I'm so lost at the moment, I am so confused by everything and I don't know what health issues I have are real and what ones are in my head and doctors don't seem to be much help.
I am not offended by your question about steroids at all. I personally have never tried them and as much as I love building muscle, I have never been willing to take on the health risks or financial costs associated with them.
Thanks for taking the time to give me that response, it makes me feel a lot better just having someone to tell my problems to and I really appreciate all your inputs
I am really glad to hear you have given up creatinine supplements and have never taken steroids. Over the years I have known a few people that have taken both. One developed very high blood pressure which lead to kidney problems. He ended up at 40 on multiple BP medications and going into kidney failure. Last I heard he was awaiting a kidney transplant.
My ears pricked up at the mention of creatine ! I know of several people in my gym who react negatively to this supplement , you probably don’t need it there are adverse reactions and long term health issues associated to this including erectile disfunction , I’d knock it on the head and see how you feel ! I’d take it easy on the exercise as well as our body needs rest just as much as a workout , I’m not saying don’t do it but not as strenuous , I’d also recommend daily meditation to help manage your stress , this has really helped my anxiety and I feel a real sense of calm now most days ! Good luck with your journey
Hi Mate,
I was diagnosed with hypertension at 24 (was consistsntly 160/120). I was similar to you, exercised regularly, did weights etc, enjoyed a pint but not excessively etc. Was first put on a water tablet but didn't have an effect so was eventually on a water tablet, calcium channel blocker and an ace inhibitor which finally got it under control. As far as I remember it's literally a case of working with your GP to try various medication regimes till one works for you so don't be worried if it takes a while for yours to settle down.
The main thing is you know about it and are doing something about it. I was sent for a battery of tests but the cardiologists eventually said it was essential hypertension and I was one of those people who's 'thermostat' was set a too high. Lifestyle changes helped but it would remain high. I just take an ace inhibitor now which works along with a healthy lifestyle.
As I said, main thing is you're getting it sorted rather than ignoring it and hoping it will go away which is the best thing you can do.
I believe low testosterone can cause both anxiety and raised blood pressure. Do speak to your GP about your problems and ask for blood tests for hormone levels
A few things stand out. A high protein diet - are you actively body building? If you have a look at the drawbacks of this type of diet you will find plenty of comments regarding heart and specifically kidney problems developing as a result, as your system gets highly stressed. It is a diet which is specifically commented on by the British Heart Foundation as being 'Not Sustainable'.
Eat lots of chocolate/sweets - what are your sugar readings like? Do you eat these unhealthy, concentrated carbs to provide a sudden spike in energy as a substitute for wide variety of salad / vegetables / apples and other fruits, etc?
Have you considered changing your lifestyle around completely for a while by going off your current eating pattern and changing to a much more balanced diet to give you a good balance of nutrients, minerals and vitamins. The Mediterranean diet has about 80% green stuff, 10% protein and 10 % oils/fats.
Consider more regular running to get steady aerobic exercise and get your blood flowing and about 2.2 litres a day of water to flush your system through, with just 2 sessions of weight lifting a week maintain your body strength. If you find running boring try mixing it up with cycling to exercise a different group of muscles.
It is all a question of balancing energy in and energy out. As you run you can enjoy being out in open and your mood will improve as your body releases endorphins and your joints get lubricated by synovial fluid.
You need to find out what the underlying cause is to your high blood pressure the gp needs to put you in touch with a blood pressure specialist. Don’t let the gp dismiss that referral with the reason because you are too young. The specialist needs to find out what is causing the high blood pressure and treat the underlying cause.
Probably not, good news but keep an eye on it. I assume your weight is okay?
If I was you I would definitely look at much more diverse excercise. Some years ago I started working with a guy who was big into weights, great vdefinition. He discovered I played squash and offered to play. As fit as he was he struggled to play half a game, totally different type of excercise. If you were my age your ?BP might be acceptable, I'm 63. My BP this morning was 130/62. Don't be scared pushing your doc or asking for a second opinion, at your age that BP is starting to damage you.
From what I have read it would seem that you are suffering quite a bit with anxiety about various issues. This could definitely cause your BP to be a bit high.
At 22 most people are still feeling their way through life and small issues can become huge problems, I know I've been there myself and so have many others.
As you get older and more confident these feelings start to disappear and with it your BP will come down, but some people need more help than others.
There are many coping techniques which you should research, but assuming there is no obvious physiological cause, I would ask my GP about how to deal with your anxiety and learn to relax.
My dietician recommended a book called ‘how not to die’. I followed the advice in the high blood pressure chapter and my BP was down to normal within 2 weeks so def recommend it. I also suspect if you just eat a ton of vegetables with every meal it may work the same but didn’t have time to do that experiment. Good luck
Hi Jack sorry to hear about the problems you’ve been having. I think you are very brave particular young age to speak out about your ED. There are various treatments available for this (as you are aware) but until your blood pressure problem is sorted out I would definitely not recommend taking any of these. One of the posters mentioned something about checking for diabetes and this would certainly be very helpful. I would also like to offer you some other advice which I’ll send to you in a private message
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