Blood Pressure numbers

Hi everyone

Wondering what numbers you have been told are ok

Or what numbers you think are ok

I've been battling high blood pressure for over a year

I was placed on medication when my readings were hitting 150/70

Sometimes more usually they were in the 140/67

However now i am usually in the 125 to 127 systolic

Between 61 to 66 diastolic

Apparently this is not good enough for my GP

I am 71 and currently on candesartan and bisoprolol

Gp wants to add Doxazosin

I am just feeling fed up to be honest

I would have thought my new low numbers would be ok

They are 20 points down from when i was first diagnosed

Would like to hear thoughts on this

Take care , hoping everyone is coping well

[Madlegs1]

I would have thought your current readings to be ok.Depending on your lifestyle - smoker, adiposity etc ,they look ok.

Current thinking depends very much on who you talk to.

140 can be ok for over 60s, but 120 for youngster 30 to 50 yr olds.

How well do you feel?

[Hidden in reply to Madlegs1]

Hi Madlegs1

I feel fine to be honest , which i why i don't really want to add more meds

I thought my numbers would be fine ( after being 20 points lower than at first appoitment)and was shocked when the GP came back and said he wanted to add another pill

I am feeling really anxious and a little overwhelmed by the current situation

I guess i just need to pull my sox up and get on with it

But i am just so tired of it all

Take care and look after yourself

Regards and thank you for your reply

[Madlegs1 in reply to Hidden]

Just thinking.Before he gives you more medication at those readings, he really should give you a 24hr monitor test. Particularly to ascertain your night time reading.

It is a very simple little gadget that you will hardly be aware of.

I would certainly ask for such a test before anything more.

Good luck.

[Happyrosie]

you will find information about high blood pressure on the Blood Pressure UK website.

This should give you some insights and maybe there are some things you can do about your lifestyle and diet to help yourself - so that you know that YOU are in control.

the readings you give - were they taken at the surgery and if so did you have ten minutes rest beforehand?

If not, you might think about buying a blood pressure monitor and taking readings at home. You’d sit down quietly and after ten minutes start the machine, close your eyes and breathe slowly. You could well find that your pressures keep your doctor happy! Keep records for a week, taken three times (or four of the first one is a bit high) at roughly the same time each day. Present the findings to your doctor.

[Hidden]

Hi Happyrosie

I have bp monitor at home and the readings are taken at home

GP gives me a sheet to fill in for date time bp and pulse

I already eat healthy and am an average weight for my height

No problems there

I have never smoked and only have an occasional drink ( special occasions )

Not really a drinker so on birthdays etc i will have a glass of wine topped up with soda water

I don't eat fast food and don't drink carbonated drinks ( can't stand coke etc )

I walk daily as i have 2 dogs

Usually 45 minutes to an hour

Looking at my lifestyle etc i should not have high Bp but i do

Just at loss to know what i can change

Thank you for your reply

[monadepot]

my normal average is 135/80.. sometimes I go to 180/90… I take one 5 mg Amlodipine…I am good for at least 3 weeks .. against medical advice , I have figured out that I won’t take bp meds unless I have to

[SeaDog100]

Hi. This is a great question and one that I’ve been confused about for the last twenty years! I am 48 and was diagnosed with high blood pressure in my late twenties. I have been told mine is likely genetic as there are no other obvious reasons for it. I have had very varied responses from different health professionals over the years. Anything from a nurse freaking out in front of a waiting room full of people and demanding that the GP receptionist make me an appointment immediately (I think she was having a very bad day to be fair) to a doctor the other day saying that 180/127 was ‘a bit high’ (I was experiencing headaches and fatigue and they just told me to go to A & E if I felt chest pains etc.). When my blood pressure is around 130/140 over 90, the doctors seem quite happy with that and yet other people seem to be put on blood pressure medications starting with healthier readings than that. Are you able to see a different doctor and get a second opinion? It does seem a bit odd as 66 is actually low for a diastolic reading and 127 is almost bang on for systolic. I think it’s great that you are questioning things and wanting to feel more in control of your own treatment.

[shrock]

id say they're pretty decent numbers, slightly younger than you & my diastolic is in the 70s but gp is ok with that and I feel well. there's v little data that shows at our age the numbers should be lower. I'd challenge him.

[Hidden in reply to shrock]

Hi shrock

Yes i deffinately intend to challenge him

I have just had my repeat prescription and it is 2.5 mg bisoprolol

My cardiology letter and disharge letter from the hospital states 2.5 mg

However my doctor has been sending prescriptions for 1.25 mg

Obviously they have seen the mistake and now started me on 2.5 mg

I have had no information from doctor

I have had no information from the cardiologist , so it deffinately a mistake made by the doctor at the surgery

I no longer have any faith in them to be honest

Thank you for your reply

Regard

Take care and hope you doing well

[TheJazzSinger]

Those numbers look normal, especially for someone who is 71. My GP has said BP is allowed to be higher when you are in your 70s.

[katieoxo60]

Hello Dog_Lover_358, think you have hit the nail on the head each dr has their own target numbers. I think yours is very good. Even the first numbers you mentioned 150/70 are not bad for someone over 70 . Whats more important is your norm. EG mine is 159 /90 it has always been high recently at the DRs it was 164/80 and at the hospital it as been known even with two readings to be 220/90 . I take spirolactone but that does not reduce it just keeps it level. I get a few lower readings , I have been on BP treatment for many years so hope you find this info helpful , I am slightly older than you. Enjoy your day.

[Hidden in reply to katieoxo60]

Hi Katieoxo60

Thank you for your reply.

I think my numbers are fine too, maybe the diastolic is a bit low

You say you take Spirolocatone

The cardiologist actually wrote on my letter from echo result the doctor could change my candesartan and prescribe spirolocatone instead if i did not tolerate candesartan

In all my rummaging on here i had never heard of that drug

Anyway i'm deffinately going to stand my ground with the GP

The problem here in my UK surgery is you never see the same doctor twice

They even made a mistake on my repeat prescription

I was put on 2.5mg bisoprolol in hospital and my discharge note said 2.5 mg

However the doctors added bisoprolol 1.25 and that what i was taking

Then suddenly it says 1.25 stopped

Now 2.5 mg re:- letter from cardiologist

They have not received another letter from cardiologist other than the result of my ech and theyve then spotted they had the wrong dosage

So now i am expected to take 2.5 mg bisoprolol when i have perviousy been taking 1.25 mg because of their error

So i wont be adding any more drugs

Also the numbers in the 125/61 are when i am on 1.25 bisoprolol

I have just got my repeat sript for 2.5mg

My head is literally spinning with all this

Sorry for the long post

Regards

Hope you are doing ok take care

[katieoxo60 in reply to Hidden]

Hi there I understand you being all tensed up , if you have another cardiac condition its important to keep you blood pressure down. but when changing drugs it can take upto 6 months to get sorted . So every best wish it stays low now and you don't have to cxhange again in the near future. Have a happy christmas and healthy new year.

[Hidden in reply to katieoxo60]

Hi katieoxo60

Thank you so much for your reply i am hoping all goes well moving forward now.

Hoping i keep it at the level it is at now

I hope you are feeling well too and a very Merry Christmas to you and a happy and healthy New Year

Regard

[PecanSandie]

You must be in the US where BP numbers can never be too low for doctors! I was able to manage to record 120/80 for a few visits so now they kind of leave me alone when the pressure reading is a little on the high side. I do take a boatload of BP pills though. From reading the posts on this site, I notice that UK doctors are a little more forgiving when BP goes a little higher.

[Hidden in reply to PecanSandie]

Hi PecanSandie

I'm in the uk

My GP is deffinately trying to get me to a blood pressure level of an 18 year old i think

[PecanSandie]

😂😁🤣

[ChrissiG]

I can’t advise you what to do but I am 73 and took myself off my BP meds. They made very little difference and they kept putting the strength up - which still made no difference to the numbers but messed with my sodium levels and made me feel ill.

My BP is usually around 135/80 and I’m fine with that. I remember when I was young, doctors used to use the scale of 100 plus your age for the top number and anything under 100 for the bottom one. Only when you exceeded that did they put you on meds.

It seems like every few years they revise the numbers downwards so that now just about everyone over 60 is captured!

[Hidden in reply to ChrissiG]

Thank you ChrissiG

Yes your right. My husband was and is as fit as a fiddle

He ran marathons up to age 50 and he still walks a few miles every day at 73 years old

As soon as he turned 60 he was invited for a yearly wellness check ( which he had never had before by the way )

The result of that check was he walked out of that appointment with a prescription for Ramipril 10mg and Atorvastin 20mg

The statin was given even without a blood test

So i think you are absolutely spot on in your reply

I had my Bisoprolol changed back to 1.25gms but i intend to request i stop them as soon as i see my GP this month

My biggest problem is white coat syndrome

My readings now are between 115 and 118 systolic

My diastolic has now dropped to 55

Doctor said thats perfect

I just think how can that be perfect

I have read that low diastolic is not perfect in fact it cause all the same problems as high diastolic

Oops... sorry for the huge reply but thank you so much for your comments

Take care and Stay well

Regards

[ChrissiG in reply to Hidden]

Yes I would say that your BP is quite low now. Do you ever feel dizzy or off balance? You’re only on a low dosage of meds so I would think you could safely stop them and would still have normal BP.

I also have white coat syndrome. I take my BP at home and then take my readings in. I even photograph them with my phone so that they can see they’re genuine.

Both my partner and I were prescribed statins but both stopped taking them due to side effects. My cholesterol is just over 5 and I don’t think that warrants drugs that caused pain and weakness in my legs.

I think we are all over medicalised these days and it’s more for the benefit of the drugs companies than ours.

Modern life causes so many of our health issues. I’m trying to eat more healthily - less UPFs more ‘real’ food. Making sure I get enough Vit D and other nutrients. Taking some exercise and getting outside more.

Good luck with your doctor when you see him/her. Maybe suggest a trial period off the meds and then take in your readings? Take care x

[Hidden in reply to ChrissiG]

Good Morning ChrissiG

This morning my BP was 108/57

I think it is going too low now

I don't feel dizzy or off balance except sometimes when i move too quickly to get out of bed i then tend to feel a slight dizzy feeling

Nothing dramatic

I do think my BP was not lowering due to the worry it was causing when first diagnosed

Then i had the anxiety about the 24 hour holter monitor and then the Echocardiagram

However the cardiologist said monitor only showed slow heart rate due to bisoprolol

Echo was normal

However Cardiologist end notes stated that GP should keep control of my BP and if necessary change the Candesartan if it found it did not tolerate it

She said it could changed and prescribe Spironolactone

However i really would rather be off these meds

I hate taking them

Thanks for comments and Take care and stay well

Regards

[onadiet]

Your numbers are great. I am 83 & was told by Hospital G.P that 130/ 80 is great for my age & to aim for thatConsultant at Fraility Clinic at Hosp.also took me off all my meds.as I was passing out

Then shetold me to only take low dose meds if BP goes over 160

Monitor closely

Was able to stay off mefs.fpr 4 weeks

All side effects went.Could breath

Chest fine no pain

Less aches

Now back on lower doses

Less anxious now as I now know side effects are just that * not heart failure etc I'm less anxious now bout side effects