I developed high blood pressure in February/March of this year and was advised by the GP to get a home monitor. My blood pressure is still above normal despite being on 5ml ramipril daily. I monitor it twice daily in case it jumps again as the GP has me on a 'check bp again in two years' requirement.
Does anyone know if blood pressure variety like mine is normal? I measure first thing in the morning after sitting quietly for 10 mins and in the evening before bedtime. My routines don't change from day to day. I don't have a stressful job. I take two readings each time, 5 minutes apart.
Here are my last 14 days of BP average for the day:
134/87
135/91
152/99
143/92
160/100
143/97
147/94
139/92
136/91
141/98
149/101
143/91
138/92
135/92
I've put in 7 days worth of results to the GP but as long as the seven day average is below 150/95ish they don't seem bothered.
I know a high diastolic reading is implicated for some people with hypothyroidism but my TSH, T4 and T3 are all in range currently (albeit all less than 50%) and the GP does not think this is the issue although I'm not so sure.
Thank you
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Souzy
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You probably have what’s called Labile Hypertension, basically it changes frequently. I do see a hypertension specialist and I don’t think he’d be happy with those results.
What were your latest blood results with ranges? I’m sure that improving thyroid replacement will improve bp!
I'm currently euthyroid at the moment, I am on no medication because of that. I do have high TPO antibodies and a goitre. My TSH is being monitored, I assume I have Hashimoto's (no one has officially confirmed this) and am being monitored until such time as I do need thyroid medication.
My latest thyroid tests were from medichecks because I wanted to look at T3 and despite my GP asking for it, the lab decided that as TSH was in range, T3 would not be tested.
Medichecks 15/08/22
Serum Free T4 level 14.6 pmol/L (range 12 to 22) 26% through range
Serum TSH level 1.21 mU/L (range 0.27 to 4.2) 24% through range (this has dropped from 86% through range in June 2021)
Free T3 4.07p/mol/L (range 3.1 to 6.8) 26% through range
I've put in some more blood test results in my response to Marz just now but I've had a ton of blood tests since June 2021 (I also have inexplicable low potassium - that's the main reason for the many investigations) so ask away if there any other results you think might be useful to know.
I will look up labile hypertension now - thank you so much 🙂
Yes, I would say they are probably too low for good health. But if you don't have a diagnosis of hypothyroidism it can be very difficult. Doctors just worry about TSH and yours is looking very "normal" just now (which doesn't mean much - the important thing to patients are the actual thyroid hormone levels).
If you optimise your nutrient levels your thyroid hormone levels might improve. Mine did. I wrote about it here :
If you need an iron supplement to improve ferritin levels (for example), if you stop taking iron once it is as close to optimal as you can get it your ferritin levels may just drop into your boots again and be back to being as bad as it was before supplementing. That was always what happened to me. I have had low iron pretty much my entire life. I'm now long past menopause but I still had to continue taking iron for years despite having a hysterectomy. You have to take a dose which maintains your levels as close to optimal as you can. It was only in the last year or two that my ferritin shot up and I had to stop taking iron after treating myself for about 7 or 8 years. Before that doctors would prescribe (very reluctantly) for a couple of months then would never retest or re-prescribe. I had more success doing it myself and it made a huge difference to my energy levels and to my quality of life.
Although I don't feel incredibly ill, I don't feel particularly well at the moment either, muscle weakness & aches, high blood pressure, worsening potassium loss from somewhere, hair loss, dry skin, acid reflux, well I could probably go on and on but a lot of the symptoms can mean hypothyroidism - even the outside of my eyebrows are thinning. I think, if there were no TSH blood test then based on symptoms they'd probably try me on thyroid medication and see if it helped.
I'm resigned to waiting and seeing re the thyroid though.
So in the meantime, it seems all I can do is try and optimise my vitamin levels. I have nothing to lose except some money and I might end up feeling better. It seems worth a try to me. 🙂
I've had two vit D blood tests in the last three months or so
GP: 20/07/22 68nmol (less than 25 deficient, less than 50 greater than 25 insufficient).
I, of course, was given no advice on how to boost these levels.
Medichecks 25/08/22 41nmols (same range). Advised by Medichecks to take a supplement and retest in 10 weeks.
GP also wants to test Vit D level again as my ALP levels are above range, so I'll be having that done in about 2 weeks when I have my regular potassium test done as I'm hypokalaemic without medication (3 weekly currently). I've organised a coeliac test too in about 5 weeks.
I've been taking the BetterYou D3000 and K2 spray since 9th September and I've just ordered some magnesium tablets to add in.
B12
I have had two serum B12 tests and one active B12 test in the last year.
Serum B12
GP 15/06/21 263ng/L (range 197.0 to 771.0) only 11% through range
GP 15/02/22 285ng/L (same range) improving but still low at 15% through range.
ActiveB12
Medichecks 25/08/22 94.3pmol/L (range 37.5 to 150) midway through range at 50%
I don't understand why the serum B12 is so low percentagewise compared to the active B12.
I am intending to add in B complex vitamin after I've taken the magnesium for a couple of weeks to see how I do on it. I was taking a multivit but stopped that in August when I decided to look at specifically where I was deficient or low and supplement as appropriate.
Ferritin
I have a history of low range but not deficient in iron for as long as I can remember, even as a child. I became vegetarian when I was 20, the iron levels stayed low in range. I did have to supplement for a short while after I was pregnant but the iron went back to my normal levels afterwards so the supplement was stopped. I also had very heavy periods and so was on the depo injection from early 30s and had no periods. I stopped having that injection at 51. I took a multi vitamin from late 40s until a few months ago. I am now post menopause. The iron has remained stubbornly in the low range through-out the whole of my life. Here's the last years results
GP 15/06/21 48.4ug/L (range 20 to 260) an unsurprising but disappointing 12% through range.
Medchecks 15/08/22 58.5ug/L (range 13 to 150) a slightly better 19% through range.
My intention is to add in iron supplementation after I've added in a B complex vitamin (which will be after the magnesium). I also intend to do a full iron panel before adding in iron.
Folate
Here are the GP tests
15/06/21 11.8ug/L (range 20 to 18.7) 59% through range
Serum B12 tests are testing both the unbound and the bound B12 in the blood. Active Test is testing only the B12 that is available to be transferred to the cells where it is needed. Alas it does not tell you the amount in the cells ! Can understand your confusion !
It is not definitive for Pernicious Anaemia. There is also an Intrinsic Factor antibodies test which also is not definitive - only being positive about 50% of the time in those with PA.
I haven't had the intrinsic factor test, do you think the B12 tests could indicate this is a problem? If so then I could try and get my GP to test for it. If not, then they probably won't agree.
Ah classic 😣 So how could I know if I have a problem? My interpretation is that although I have low total B12, a better than average portion of that is active aka usable. Whether or not it is actually being used is unknown though?
I'm afraid there are some mysteries in how B12 is managed and what tests actually mean.
Way beyond my understanding.
The only ways I know of assessing utilisation of B12 are methylmalonic acid and homocysteine tests. But they too are not always straightforward. And are expensive (relatively).
I started to suffer from sporadic tachycardia, no indication as to why despite some investigation, but I was prescribed Amlodipine for high BP, although always higher at the surgery than at home as I get white coat syndrome.
A couple of years down the line, after another episode of tachycardia, I was taken off Amlodipine and prescribed very low dose Bisoprolol. This has not only reduced heart rate it also reduces my BP better than the Amlodipine did.
Maybe your GP should try you on a different BP medication, there are lots to choose from.
I get terrible white coat syndrome. I don't feel stressed but my blood pressure is always sky high when a medical professional checks it.
The form for the 7 day blood pressure readings just has two spots on it for each am and pm reading and then you calculate the average. One nurse said do 3 readings but the next nurse got a bit cross about that because you can't fill the form in using the right spots if you do more than 2 readings so told me to do 2 readings only. If the first one is particularly high then I do discard it and do 2 more.
There's also some disagreement between prescribers on treatment. The nurse prescribers seem to want to bring my BP to a normal range but the GPs are happy with it currently even though it's still high. Unfortunately I had a GP last time so that's that unless my BP increases substantially enough to be meaningful to them.
I think I've probably got a systemic problem which is causing many of my symptoms but unfortunately, until I get a diagnosis, I'm caught in the trap of each symptom being treated individually and in isolation.
Thinking about it some more, I think I'll do as you suggest Susie and do 4 readings and see if there is any substantial difference discarding the first and an average of the next 3 readings compared to doing just the two readings.
If there is then really the surgery needs to think about changing their forms.
I'm working on it 😊 I do have a question about the B complex though. I have to have a blood test every three weeks currently, my GP uses the urea and electrolytes panel, to make sure my potassium level hasn't fallen below range again.
Is it ok to take a b complex or will I have to keep start and stopping it so I'd be two weeks on and a week off before my blood test?
You should also record your pulse, if your monitor measures this as blood pressure and pulse rate are linked. It’s also worth recording your weight. If at all overweight, losing weight will effectively lower your blood pressure. Have you only recently started measuring blood pressure? In me, raised upper bp reading is associated with thyroid over treatment. If both upper and lower bp readings are raised often I am undertreated and a raise in dose will lower bp.
Hi Aurealis, the machine gives my pulse too. It ranges between 65 and 80, I can give more exact readings if it's useful. I also have a fitbit which has shown my resting heart rate to go up and down, it was at 79 in February and then went down to 60 in June and now is around 68/69
I was told my BP was a little on the high side in December 2021 and when I explained it does rise when being taken by a health professional, the GP told me to get a machine. I didn't bother until I asked the phlebotomist to measure my BP in Feb. It was high - 180/108 so I was monitored for 24 hours and it was just below the rate they would normally medicate overall so I made a big effort to lose weight and lost 2 stone using diet and exercise. I'm still overweight though my BMI is more like 27 now. It made no impact on the high blood pressure which actually got a little bit worse and so I was put on medication.
I phoned NHS 111 on the 10/9/22 as I woke up with a headache which got worse. They were the ones that advised putting in my last 7 days bp readings into the surgery on the Monday. Here's my readings for that day
They phoned back about 1:30pm so my results were going back down and told me that if they rose to above 170 again - go to A&E (eta actually they probably phoned back more like 2.30pm because my BP was definitely going down by that time)
well done for losing the weight and for exercising.
I was going to ask about exercise. I also got a BP monitor and do notice that on days when I take more exercise - even just a long, but not fast, walk my BP is lower on both BP scores.
Unfortunately my exercise level has reduced in the last few months due to muscle aches and pains. I'm still walking the dog twice daily (which I was before) but I'm no longer doing half an hour on the exercise bike too. I'd like to get back to that but we'll see. I do average around 10K steps daily but a dog walk isn't just about the exercise for me, my lad likes a good sniff too 😛
My resting heart rate has definitely gone up since stopping the cardio. Aches and pains seem to have reduced though, especially the really bad back ache (lower and mid). Weight loss has also stalled. I haven't noticed a correlation between blood pressure though, it didn't go down when I started more cardio exercise though it just seems to jump up and down for no apparent reason that I can see.
I hardly do any cardio exercise even at the best of the times! It’s the amount of walking I’ve noticed a difference with. But if you are already doing 10k steps you don’t need any guidance on this.
Also I find that if I measure mine in the early evening it’s much lower than in the late eve. I don’t know if you want to measure when high or low!
Mine's a little on the high side which in general terms, I think means I'm undermedicated so I'd rather measure it on the high side.
In general mine tends to be much better in the evenings than first thing in the morning (same with many of my symptoms). I don't usually test during the day, I only did the other day because my headache wasn't getting better and my BP was higher than normal that morning. The GP told me to come back if I had headaches so I wanted to keep an eye on it through-out the day so hopefully that was an anomalous day.
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