white coat syndrome

[Run333]

I am really stressed about B/P issues. The last few years my BP has often been high in Dr. Offices … I have an anxiety disorder and I understand how anxiety can cause blood pressure to sharply increase … it’s become a real issue for me . I have a home BP cuff but have become so afraid to take my BP test that the cuff is hidden away. There are times my readings are 100/60 and times in Dr office it is 130/90 or even once 177/91. But other times 110/70 . A Dr I visited a few month ago where I had readings of 144/76. Prescribed blood pressure med and told me to take it … my cardiologist said no … but that it is hard to treat many women who have readings all over the place. I am a runner..50 years as a runner….I weigh 120 pounds … so I am not over weight. No other health concerns ( other than my anxious state) but I have become obsessed with my blood pressure readings. It is one my mind every waking minute. I am also very fearful of meds and don’t take anything. I don’t know what to do.

[Brookside3]

hello

I too suffer similar to you and put a post on here last week with some great advice in the replies so definitely worth a look.

[Gelamex]

White Coat Syndrome

Try getting a 24 hour BP monitoring carried out. I suffered like you but 24 hour monitor showed my BP was ok

[Happyrosie]

as has been said by posters replying to you, there have been other posts here recently on this subject which tells you, firstly that you are not alone and secondly some hints on how to take your pressure at home. Please do read them.

Specifically, have a go at the suggestion I made saying that you don’t look at the readings yourself but get a trusted friend or family member to write the readings down WITHOUT YOU SEEING THEM. If you do this at roughly the same time each day for a week (or once a week for a few weeks) and ask that person to write down the result and NOT tell you until you finish the experience, my guess is that the readings will go down to normal for your age. You can then, if you like, present your medical practitioner with the result.

[Lancashirelass07]

I am exactly the same right now , GP. Has me taking my bp. Twice a day for a week. I am really panicking every time listening to relaxation tapes ,deep breathing techniques everything,. Nothing seems to calm me down. Bp. Allover the place . The thought of taking it is making me more anxious. Can't get it below 141/70. Hope you can relax,. It is awful ,it helps a bit knowing I am not alone. Family are no help. But I do live by myself,. That doesn't help.. hope I can complete the week,. Its only day 2. Good luck. If you find.any solutions. Please let me know.

[Run333 in reply to Lancashirelass07]

how are you doing with your BP checks? I put my monitor away but I know I need to eventually get a reading daily for a couple weeks to determine where I am accurately reading. I hope things are going ok for you. Keep me posted on your progress.

[Run333]

Thanks for all the responses! I have often said that my very worst health issue is my anxiety… I am 67 years old and up until 2019 … I never through once about what my BP was …. Even if it was a bit elevated in Dr office … now I can’t think of anything but my blood pressure … and it is all over the place … even took my BP monitor which has a memory of my last 37 readings …. Added them all up and averaged the numbers … it cam out to 117/76 … I wish I could just leave it at that… but I am still anxious… and do not want to go near home BP monitor ever again!

[Hidden]

Hi! When I first started having repeatedly the measurements of 140/90, I calculated the percentage of the increase. If a "golden value" is 120/80, than the increase of systolic pressure is 15% and for the diastolic it is 12%. Worrying!? Not at all! A friend of mine, in the 50-ties, has really problems with the BP and lives with 180/120. He says that he feels fine with it and functions well.

THE ONLY SIGN, showing where you are with your health, is how you feel. I feel perfectly well with 150/100 (70 yo, male, without any medication). Another friend of mine, aged 69, takes obediently the BP medication and feels terrible. I believe that he takes a magic drug Bisoprolol, his HR is decreased, his blood flow-rate is decreased, not only causing vertigo, nausea and other issues, but long term promissing deterioration of his health because of prolonged poorer blood circulation. His tissues, including the sensitive nervous cells in the brain, are underfed, and will for certain have the consequences.

[peter999999999]

all true, has you age you need the extra bp,who wants pills just to bring bp down and feel ill everyday,its a bit higher as you age like grey hair, shall we all dye it back to what it was at 20 and think we look 20 again,

[Thatguynurse]

I had normal BP readings my entire life. I’ve been an athlete since elementary school. I became a nurse and developed “white coat syndrome” my BP sometimes went into the 200s/100s at doctors visits. I take it at home and it’s 120/80 or something close to that. So I know I don’t have hypertension. My PCP freaked out and wanted to call an ambulance to admit me. I refused and told him to keep taking it and it went all over the place. So he was convinced I had white coat. If you are not hypertensive, I would listen to your cardio and not take the meds. Try breathing exercises to calm yourself and take your BP. Temporary high BP is not that much of a danger, chronic high BP is. I just kept taking my BP over and over until I got over the fear and I started to get lower and lower readings. It was scary at first, but eventually it worked

[Brisk61]

have you tried medication for your anxiety? As it appears this is more of a concern than your B/P. There is lots of psychological therapies to help get to the root cause. Otherwise you appear very fit and eat well so try not to fixate on the B/P.🍀🍀

[Run333 in reply to Brisk61]

I have tried medication for anxiety… but so many side effects it’s awful… I have become a drug phob not wanting to take any thing… which is why my fear if blood pressure exists…. I don’t want to take meds. I have been a runner for 50 years… started in my first year of college so I could try to avoid my father’s high blood pressure. I have run over 120,000 miles and still run today. My heart is strong and my resting heart rate is under 50bpm… another reason I don’t want to rely on BP meds with such a low pulse …. For most if my life I had my BP taken at random Dr appointments every few years… it was always low or average. Then came retirement …. And increasing anxiety (my father had an anxiety disorder also) and after a BP check revealed a BP of 150/80 I become panicked… and it has been all over the place since then …. At an appointment in Feb it was 116/76…. Excellent right but I took it randomly this summer and it was 142/85 and during oral surgery in July it rise to 159/90….I became so anxious I could barely breath…. And here I go again down the BP hole!

[Brisk61 in reply to Run333]

I am sorry you have found yourself in such a difficult cycle to break. Retirement is supposed to relieve pressure/ stress, I enjoy Pilates & yoga with a focus on breathing techniques. I hope you find a solution soon . Worrying about things takes the control away from us. Lots of good wishes.

[Kingdom1]

Sorry to hear about your dilemma, I also have a problem with taking my blood pressure at the Dr's it's often 170/75 at home slightly lower why I don't know I was put on meds which didn't alter my readings and made me ill, however when I go on a 24 hour monitor its around 127/70 without meds, the Dr's still want to give me meds but I saw another Dr recently who said it was fine. Perhaps you could try the 24hr monitor, which could give you a true reading, I wish you all the best.

[Bladester in reply to Kingdom1]

theres nothing wrong with your pressure at those reading ,l wouldn't take meds if l were you

[Kingdom1 in reply to Bladester]

thanks for your reply, a year on and no meds

[Ukscorpio]

There’s loads of really good advice here so I won’t repeat it, but maybe this is slightly tangential and borne from experience

I’m 66 and like you have been through this feeling of anxiety but I know for sure I have come out the other side. Here’s why

All the advice we get is to take an average of 3 readings. In my experience the first is always an outlier so I ignore it and take 4

Now how many times have you been to the doctors and been offered 4 readings? For me it’s never except for the one time I got a low reading. The medic decided then to take a second reading ( higher of course) and that’s the one that went onto my record!

From that point on I resolved to take them at home. On my annual check now I take 7 days of readings at home beforehand and take those in.

I’m on daily meds of 2.5 of Ramipril and my readings are consistently at or around 140/75. I am happy with that it’s borderline for someone of my age

You write as someone who exercises and is not overweight. If I read this right your issue is a scatter graph of readings.

Ignore the scattergraph. Start to draw a straight line through the graph using averages. If you have to, take 5 readings and start to ignore the outliers. I think you will feel better if you do and you will settle down more often when you are at home taking your own readings getting more consistent results.

Good luck