Headaches

[BearCarer]

Hi all. I've been suffering from bad headaches for the last 11 days and finally went to the pharmacy today for some advice, only to find out my BP was 180/100! I was fortunate enough to get an emergency GP appointment and was put on Amlodipine (5 mg) but I didn't get any real clarification as to whether my high blood pressure could be the likely cause of my headaches. Are headaches (a pressure type of feeling), a thing with very high BP? Many thanks!

[Happyrosie]

Whilst the websites we should all be using (such as British Heart Foundation and Blood Pressure UK) say that high blood pressure is symptomless, yes a headache can be a sign. So you need to be glad it’s been found and the issues are being addressed.

When a doc finds that a patient has high blood pressure he /she should be following the guidelines issued by NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) which says, amongst other things, to give guidance to the patient on lifestyle and diet. Trouble is, of course, docs are so busy nowadays they dole out the pills first before attempting to control things by diet etc etc. Whether that’s the case with you I don’t know, but your port of call is the website of Blood Pressure UK for full info and help.

[hyperten]

Yes - that's how mine was diagnosed (plus dizziness/feeling queasy and lightheaded)

Also might have blurry vision.

[Stainlessstevie]

I had headaches when my BP was high, after/with medication to control my BP I still have headaches, I know others do not suffer with them.

Bit of a lottery really.

Hope the Amlopodine 5mg works for you.

[rosyG]

yes I get headaches when my BP is high

I found taking amlopidine at night stopped my legs swelling too much

[Ukscorpio]

Could be. They can also be a side effect of BP tablets so don’t be too surprised if they don’t go away immediately. I’d rule out everything else obvious if I were you. Things like eye tests, neck strains / stiffness can cause that type of referred pain. Saying this because I went through a similar period, blaming the tablets when regular neck exercises cleared the headaches up

[Sideeffectssam]

High BP and headaches go hand in hand……invest in a BP monitor and continue to monitor your BP….