Blood pressure

Obviously speak to your GP if you haven't already.

Cut down salt, keep exercising, maintain a healthy weight, eat healthily, lessen stress if possible.

Have you "averaged" your BP by taking a reading a couple of times a day for 5 days - then add them up and divide by 5. Your average may be quite a bit lower than 150/90.

But if after doing all the lifestyle things your GP thinks it is still too high then medication is probably a good idea. I've never found hypertensive medication to interfere with my sleeping or anything else.

I’ve been taking taking BP meds for a while no side effects at all. You should talk to your GP.

I too have similar readings to you. I don't drink/smoke have hardly any salt and not overweight I exercise most days and even drink beetroot juice which I hate! I now really don't know what else to try, I had a 24 hr monitor for my GP who says it was ok, but hopes I won't get any higher readings. Just hate the thought of medication and all the side effects
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWSTnrGPkgc

Some people have no side effects - then there's the unlucky ones. I tried all five types, with horrendous consequences, including splitting headaches, nausea, fainting, vomiting, very painful feet, insomnia - and dangerous intestinal anaphylaxis. I spent a whole year feeling ill.

Strangely, though, my bp is always in the normal range - when measured by the old fashioned manual machines (or wrist monitors) - and only 'high' when it's taken by an automatic monitor.

I just react badly to having my upper arm squeezed too much. I wonder just how many other people were prescribed lowering meds that they didn't actually need?

I've been on BP meds since pre eclampsia when I was 23,46 years ago.After a couple of attempts to get the right one I've neen on Ramipril ever since .No side effects.If I was you I'd speak to your GP about medication rather than stress about it ,it can be managed

Mine was 208/110 a few years ago and I'm still here to tell the tale.

What side effects? Not everyone has side effects, in fact I think most people do not have side effects from blood pressure lowering medication.

In addition there are numerous BP lowering drugs available and if you do have a negative reaction to one your GP can try another.

I have been on a plethora of drugs since having a TIA in January. I went from no medication to 5 pills a day in 24 hours, I haven't had any side effects from any of them - and I have had side effects, some quite serious, to other drugs. If you are offered medication take it, then if for any reason you do have side effects you can discontinue them. But I would rather take my pills than have a serious stroke or heart attack.

Hi. My bp shot up at just turned 50. The Dr said if I lost weight and did more exercise it would come down, it didn’t. I’ve been on Losartan now for about eight years with no side effects. Ask the Dr if you could be monitored for a few days, they’ll then take an average reading, and you might not need medication. But don’t be worried about it there’s many different ones to try. Good luck

I too take Losartan and have done so for over 20 years. Absolutely no side effects. I don’t sleep particularly well but don’t put that down to BP medication.

Thank you so much for replies . Got text from gp a few weeks ago to go and discuss . Intend to do so but I guess putting it off. Am within normal weight levels but have been a few stone higher at various times . I’m very sensitive to medications especially if there’s an insomnia side effect - sleep not great anyhow. Trying dietary means ( just this past week or two really) and will make appointment . Cholesterol also bad ie 7.7

This is very timely. My husband has had very high BP for decades. He is currently on 6 different medications and none bring it down and he suffers dreadful side effects.

Some give, him pounding headaches, others make his ankles swell up, his legs look normal colour but he says they feel like he has terrible sunburn and they itch like mad. One lot caused his breasts to swell up alarmingly. He gets very tired. We went away last weekend in glorious weather and whilst walking his face and arms went bright red. He never burns and always tans nicely. I pointed this out and he said “maybe its another side effect of those b****y pills” and sure enough the instruction leaflet said could cause hyper sensitivity to sunshine. He is on water tablets for his BP and this means even while we have breakfast he has to go 3 times!!!

He is not overweight, has never smoked, barely drinks, is very laid back, we add no salt to food so there is nothing he can do to lower his BP. A few months ago he was gowned up for back surgery, back marked, the lot and the surgeon and anaesthetist came in and said it was too dangerous to operate as his BP was dangerously high and he could have a stroke or heart attack during the op. His BP was up in the 200s.

They both said they were surprised he has never been referred to a cardiologist or renal specialist because there must be an underlying reason. So his surgery have finally started getting the ball rolling. They have been truly hopeless over all these years and we wrote them a stern letter telling them that the surgeon and anaesthetist were shocked that they have let his BP Continue like this for years without investigation.

I've been taking Ramipril for over 10 years for high blood pressure and had no side effects from it. I started taking Flecainide and Apixaban as I was diagnosed with Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation 2 years ago. Again no side effects.
If I need to take medication I always look at the side effects but still take the tablets . Every medication has a list of side effects not everyone gets them or gets mild ones. You need to way up are you willing to take the tablets and put up with side effects or face the consequences if you don't take them.

Even vitamin tablets can give you side effects.

When you talk to your GP mention your worries. But with high BP and high cholesterol they may want you to take BP tablets and alter your diet to reduce your cholesterol and retest in a few months.

My high blood pressure was first discovered some twenty years ago when I was having a pre-op assessment,

GP had me on a medication ending with piril. Caused the most horrendous coughing bouts, Consultant athospital correctly diagnosed theereasn for this cough tothese tablets and ordered my GP to change them.

It took several months to find a combination of two medications which keep my BP at good level and, as far as I am concerned, has no side effects whatsoever.

Do see your GP and do not expect an immediate result. It may take some months and experimenting to find the correct combination to keep your BP at a gooBPd level and NOT to have any side effects.

Do remember that High BP is called the silent killer. Do not ignore it or try to treat it yourself.

Thanks for input and advice ; that sounds hard for your husband Primrose, all those side effects , hard to know what to do I’m sure . I tend to get side effects easily from any medication which is why I’m hesitating . Will make appointment though, a case of weighing things up . I take aspirin 75mg to hopefully help prevent things

Thanks for the YouTube exercise hypertension video mrsba ! I don’t take beetroot juice , tried a little beetroot the other night but hated it. Have started hibiscus tea which is quite nice

Chrysanth

Thanks for input and advice ; that sounds hard for your husband Primrose, all those side effects , hard to know what to do I’m sure . I tend to get side effects easily from any medication which is why I’m hesitating . Will make appointment though, a case of weighing things up . I take aspirin 75mg to hopefully help prevent things

Thanks Chrysanth. What we can’t understand is why they just keep introducing new meds but keeping him on the old ones too. The only ones they took him off were the ones that caused him to grow a breast! The breast clinic were concerned he had breast cancer because he carries the BRACA gene. 6 different tablets a day that do no good and don’t bring down his BP seems mad to me.

I have been taking Atenolol (a beta blocker) for over 25 years, my GP kept trying to change it to another type but every time it was changed my BP shot up. I have never had any side effects to Atenolol. A couple of months ago my BP was becoming a bit high so they gave me a small dose of Amlodipine as well as the Atenolol.
Since then as @Primrose53 husband my feet and calves have swollen, they feel as though they are sunburnt and very itchy. My face is very red and the other day even with factor 50 I burnt. I also often feel dizzy.
My GP said the tablets are working so I have to put up with it but side effects may ease over time.

My blood pressure started when I briefly went on the pill at twenty two the then mini pill. It caused no end of problems so I came off it. When I was pregnant with my son at thirty the whole time I was on an antenatal ward with pre eclampsia and blood pressure.

I went on blood pressure meds in my mid thirties many different ones. I had a few side effects but eventually the doctor prescribed the two I have been on for fifteen years.

See a doctor don’t try and evaluate your own health unless you are qualified. A good doctor will listen to your concerns and check your blood pressure by getting you to chart the results.

Just reading this thread is making me feel my (higher than it should be) BP rising up to scary levels. I can feel it happen.

I have read half of the thread and the panic around the subject is terrible for me.
I know this is wimpy.
I no longer let anyone but me take readings.
What IS a true (ordinary) reading even when I feel like this?

Same here NotSpaghetti. Whenever people even TALK about blood pressure, I panic. I can't even take my own BP. As soon as I get the machine out, I start to shake. I have to carry on with my meds and hope for the best.

NotSpaghetti
I sympathise.
I can’t let a medical practitioner take my blood pressure, I don’t know why I’m so freaked out by it, but even the thought of it sends it through the roof.
I’m meant to keep an eye on it at home, but even getting the monitor out of the cupboard makes me panic.
Crazy and stupid I know, but I can’t control it at all.

That's at least three of us then!

I take my own BP. Got bullied by a GP in my previous practice into taking blood pressure pills as a preventative measure because of the heart history on my fathers side of the family. It made me feel so ill that I stopped taking it and went back to see another GP in the practice. They arranged for me to wear a 24 hour monitor ad the readings were ok and I’m still not on medication. I definitely have white coat syndrome when it’s taken at appointments.

I send in a weeks readings every so often and it’s still fine. I do take a statin and have no side effects from them

High BP can be genetic. There is nothing we can do to change our genes.
I was diagnosed with highish BP 10 years ago, couldn't understand why? I don't fit the normal risk factors but my Dad had high BP. I was told it can run in families.
Trust your GP if the meds don't agree with you, there are lots on the market see what suits you, if you have any issues get back to the GP, they will sort it.