High blood pressure

Just been to doctors who says I have high blood pressure and suggests I take home their b.p. machine to enable her to see a weeks reading. Never had blood pressure problems before, I am only on Prednisolone and calcium/D tablets. New to pmr since beginning of January, is this normal?

[SnazzyD]

Yes it can be. Some people do react with an increase in BP. Are you taking vitamin K2 with your calcium? It protects against the calcium being deposited in unhelpful places like arteries and into the bone instead where you want it. Loosely related to blood pressure but on the subject of pressure, you also need to have your eye pressures checked every few months when on Pred.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Yes it is fairly normal, but doesn’t mean it will always be. Most people find their pressures reduce as they taper their Pred.

Don’t worry about it, as that will just make it worse.

If you have a manual monitor- just sit down for a few minutes before you take the reading and relax - and not just after you’ve done something physical (like showering, dressing, making the bed) which all increase BP naturally.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

One of pred's adverse effects can be to raise both heart rate and BP. In some people PMR/GCA raises BP because the inflamamtion narrows blood vessels and that raises BP - and in that case it falls after a while on pred.

Does your GP always check your BP when you go? How high was it - and was it after sitting quietly for a while?

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Thank you for your replies. First time in three months I had been given b.p.test. Don’t remember the reading. Yes taking K2 with calcium tablets.

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Hi, I have had high BP for years. Just thought I would link this as I like coloured charts. 😉

You can track it yourself. It's good to have a machine at home.. They are cheap theses days. I get terrible white coat readings and at the hospital I arrive early as its up a hill. 😓 So being able to keep on top of it when diagnosed for as low as £25 is great.

bloodpressureuk.org/BloodPr...

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Sounds like £25 well spent. Thanks for the link

[Gumnut]

Hi its Glyn.😊Sorry to hear about your higher BP reading. I am doing well on 5mg Prednisolone thanks to help here. Will reduce to 4mg in a month. If its any consolation my BP is low. GP tested it last week. Its,important to relax too to get a true reading. I am trying to lose midriff bulge though courtesy of steroids!,Does anyone have any experience with weight gain round the middle. I take Calc/Vit D, Vit B complex, and fish oils. Had no idea about the K2. Is it easily available? GG

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Gumnut]

My spare tyre disappeared slowly but steadily once I switched to a low carb diet - I didn't even notice at first until I unpacked the trousers I had with me for my daughter's wedding in the UK. Everything else was a thousand miles away! I had bought bright orange culottes and had an attack of "maybe not in England" so took out the black ones. Which promptly fell down! They had fitted fine only 4 weeks before.

The swim ring was followed by the hamster cheeks and buffalo hump. And when i eat carbs now - they go to the midfiff ...

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Talking weight, that’s the only thing I have been monitoring on doctors scales. Gone down from 66 to 61, that’s nearly a stone in old money. Right from the start of new year went low carb, selected fruit way and it is paying off. Mum was diabetic 2 and didn’t want to go down that road. Hope I can keep in check.

[PMRnewbie2017]

For the record, these days normal blood pressure readings are withing the range of

120-140/ 80-90. As we get older our blood pressure rises and there is a move towards treating BP's above 140/90. Your reading will vary throughout the day. Three readings should be taken once you have been sitting quietly for 2-3 minutes and the average of the 3 taken and recorded. It's an excellent idea to buy a home BP monitor as it is not unusual for readings taken in Drs surgerys to be elevated, giving a false reading.

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Got to go back to a Doctors Wednesday hoping to be calm and collected on return visit.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

👍🤞