We recently purchased an at home blood pressure reader. When I have tested in the evening it is high at around 150/90 which is worrying. I had to do an at home blood test this morning so held back on taking my thyroid medication. I took my blood pressure a few times within half an hour of getting up and it was around 128/88. I then retested after half an hour of taking my thyroid medication (115mcg levo and 5mcg T3) and it was around the same. I then retested an hour after taking my meds and it had shot up to 148/97! I am wondering if there is a connection or whether something else might be at play. I guess my next option would be to stop taking the T3 and see what happens blood pressure wise. I am just wondering if anybody has any experience or knowledge of this. Also if I stop the T3 should I stop gradually or just stop altogether. Obviously I will see a doctor if no change in the blood pressure but I don't want to be told to stop the medication (they think I am just on Levo) if unlikely to be a connection.
Is there a T3 and blood pressure connection? - Thyroid UK
Is there a T3 and blood pressure connection?
Heart function is directly affected by/ connected to thyroid hormone levels .
I collected some heart / thyroid related papers in this post, also a list of other papers added later, at the end of the replies : healthunlocked.com/thyroidu... thyroid-disease-effects-on-heart-and-cardiovascular-system
Thank you
In my experience it isn’t the T3 per se that’s raising your BP but taking T3 when you have high cortisol.
Have you had cortisol tested?
Yes, it came up as low on a Dutch test I had 2 years ago.
It wasn’t high then!
My comment referred to high Cortisol with T3. Low cortisol brings its own set of problems
I wonder if this is why I couldn't take full dose ndt too. I would literally be fizzing at times
What was your blood pressure like before you started taking T3?
It has been high normal when tested in the past so maybe 130/85 roughly. I decided to skip this afternoons dose of T3 and my blood pressure has stayed normal this evening so I am thinking there is a definite connection.
Do you sit upright with your legs uncrossed? Do you sit still for a few minutes before testing? Do you talk when testing? Do you do three tests within 5 minutes and average the results? Do you occasionally swap arms? All these have a huge bearing on the results, but yes, thyroid levels have a direct bearing on blood pressure, especially taking T3.
My mother who was an SRN, midwife, fever nurse, Sister and then Health Visitor regularly had to teach qualified nurses how to take an accurate blood pressure. It rubbed off on me. I can still hear her voice shouting "sit up straight, sit up properly"!
Yes I sit up straight without my legs crossed. Am I supposed to talk or not talk? I will start taking 3 and averaging the results, thanks
no talking, no moving ,no thinking ... breathing is allowed 
definitely do more than one and take an average
5 minutes sitting still i get:
1) 124/67 (pulse 73)
wait 5 minute more i get :
2) 115/74 (pulse 71)
but if i sit still for a good 20 minutes , i get
106/ 73 (pulse 70)
Do you occasionally swap arms?
Doesn't need to be done often, but totally agree. And, if you are doing it yourself, it doesn't add any extra effort beyond remembering. Though, if you wish, you can obviously do both arms at the very modest cost of taking a few minutes longer!
Dont worry if there is a small difference in different arms, but if the difference is more than 10mm of mercury, get to the GP soonish, as that can show heart problems and other stuff.
My readings at the GP with the full cuff and the forearm cuff were very different, with the forearm cuff showing much lower. This is not common but worth noting. Readings will also be higher if you are in a lot of pain.
Blood pressure has a circadian rhythm. Whether T3 makes the blood pressure circadian rhythm more pronounced or different in some way I don't know. But it is worth knowing about the normal BP changes throughout each 24 hours.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
Hmm...I came off of the keto diet after 9 weeks on it a week ago so that could possibly be having an effect too.
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