New diagnosis of high blood pressure

[snowlamb]

Hi,

Looking for a bit of support and comfort really. I'm still slightly realing from discovering I have ridiculously high blood pressure.

All my adult life my blood pressure has been normal, creeping to the top end of normal over the last few years but at my HRT check up on Tuesday it was 160/90. I was advised to buy a home monitor and keep a record but to go back to the doctor if it was consistently high - back on Weds cos the readings i got at home were in the area of 204/113. Saw a lovely doctor who talked me down, agreed that it was probably the high levels of stress i'm dealing with at the moment, reading in the surgery was back at 160/90. Got sent home to keep monitoring but with the instruction to come back if I was still getting high readings at home. Long story short back at the surgery this morning with levels over 200/100 so now on Amlopidine and trying to relax and not panic.

I'm a bit shocked to be honest. I'm a healthy BMI, right in the middle of my ideal weight range walk several miles a day and run 5k three times a week. I don't smoke, have a healthy diet, i do drink too much but not outragous. I actually feel quite tearful and silly about and just wanted to talk to other people to see what life is like on meds.

Any encouragment gratefully received.

Sharon

[smtate1120782]

hi I feel your pain...... myself am 35 last year found out I had very high blood pressure ......my advice to you would be with the tablets.... any nasty side effects speak to your doc theres so much they can do .... ......keep measuring your bp speak to your docs with any problems........ it is hard to get on the right dose at first .....when I found out It was a complete shock ......the hardest part for me is side effects I have blood pressure that is hard to control so I get quite frustrated as well .....for you once you have sorted out your stresses hopefully your bp will return to normal best of luck ....

[Lisahelen]

I would suggest you make an appt with the nurse. Take your own monitor in with you and do yours and theirs together. It could be that your new monitor is faulty. Or suggest that they arrange for you to have a 24 hour monitor to see how your readings are. To be honest im surprised that this wasnt the first thing your gp suggested. And of course the more hou worry about it the more it exacerbates the problem.

[snowlamb in reply to Lisahelen]

I did take my monitor in with me this morning as I thought the same as you. The GP was surprised when his monitor read pretty much the same as my £19.99 Lloyds chemist one 😂 and I think his priority was to get my bp down to a manageable level.

[Jennymary]

Hi Sharon, I too have recently been diagnosed with high blood pressure, had a monitor for 24 hrs which showed it's high, first lot of tablets aggravated my CFS, so now on another one, no probs so far but I need i blood test to make sure the tablets aren't affecting my kidneys and pressure check in the first week of January, but the practice are rearranging their appt system so I can't book up yet. For me it wasn't much of a shock as my mum has angina and a pacemaker, and I've had 2 yrs of hospital appts due to complications after cataract surgery.

[grace111]

Hi snowlamb. i got my monitor out of the same pharmacy as you and i'v had it a long time and its really good. what i did when i thought " oh no this cant be right," is, i took someone else;s blood pressure like my boyfriends as i know his is fine. Im also on Amlodapine 5mg and it took me ages to face up to the fact that i had high blood pressure as i was terrified as i'd heard so many bad things about side effects and things. also i was on HRT for 19 years due to a hysterectomy when i was 41 and i stopped the HRT at 60 although my blood pressure was quite high ten years ago and i had to wear a blood pressure monitor then for 24 hours but it came out at around 140/80 and that was not high enough for blood pressure tablets although iv been off the HRT for nearly 7 years now I have been ill and imobilised with one thing after another and had to wear another blood pressure monitor for 24 hours. i kept putting of going back to the doctor as i did not want to take those pills. however i asked myself if i wanted a stroke and the answer was no, anyway im now on the pills just over 6 weeks and for the first two weeks i had an annoying cough that would wake me during the night i was also sleeping round the clock. however most of that has worn of now as the side effects can get better after a few weeks. to tell the truth i feel much better for being on those tablets as i do get a decent sleep every night although i can loose my sleep routine at times due to me having no disciplin and not going to bed at a regular time as i have nothing to get up for really. I hardly had a decent sleep in the last 12 years i was waking up every 1hour and a 1/2 it was awful so the amlodopine has put and end to that nightmare. i also feel a less anxious too. my blood pressure reading have been as high as some of your highest ones but mostly around the 172/92 before i took the amlodapine. now when i was at the doctor around 2 weeks ago she took my blood pressre and the top part was 127 and i cant remember the bottom but the doctor said it was very very good and she was pleased. i took it yesterday and it was 124/79 so im pleased all round, not only that with getting those great sleeps that im getting i feel as if im able to do a lot more and have been working out and feeling quite strong. give yourself at least a month before you go back to the doctor to have them changed as the side effects can wear off, unless anything really bad happens and i hope that you have read the patient information leaflet as that is a good help, as i feel i now have no side effects what so ever. for the time being any way. wishing you well. love grace xoxoxo

[jim444]

hi snowlamb i had similar experiences re hpb 3yrs ago maybe it was my own fault as my doc prescribed a minium amount of pentrax daily 12 yrs ago and guess what i neglected taking them twice a week or once a week as a result i got a tia of mini stroke 3yrs ago i am now on 4bp tablets and a statin daily and after 2 stents as my areries were 85per cent blocked my advice avoid stressful situtations cut alcohol intake to once a week 2pints take magnesium capsule daily and coq10 100mg capsule daily if you look up magnesium and coq10 you will understand what i am on about every thing will work out if you follow the above it did for me regards eddie

[Pammy59]

Hi Snowlamb, I had a stroke (bleed on the brain) six months ago. Apparently my bp went through the roof, I cannot remember much but do know that my bp went down and stayed normal during my stay in hospital. Never thought anymore about it just focused on getting better then on my follow up appointment for my MRI scan, my bp was high again and the doctor advised me the get a monitor. Anyway, I was put onto Amlopidine 5mg after I had a fall six weeks ago and I feel so much better. It took a couple of weeks but no more mussy headedness, dizziness, nausea or weakness. Another plus I went back to work for the first time last week. Good luck.

[NM13]

Ah me too I been on amlodipine since last Feb after blood pressure up and down and anxiety

[Hbp200]

Sharon

Both my wife and l have had pressures over 200 my highest being 296/260. I have never had a normal reading. Hypertension since 13. Now 57. On 9 pressure pills and weekly IV Labetalol. My daughter's are 33 and 32 and both have hypertension. My 12 year old granddaughters pressure has been as high as 140.