My blood pressure is 152/94 and I don't know what to do

My husband has been on BP medication since a medical in his 30s revealed hypertension he's recently at 60 had to add a second tablet which the gp did say was quite common as we age. He's had no noticeable side effects in this time

I've been on blood pressure meds for about 10 years and I just take them without a second thought. No negative effects and they bring my blood pressure to acceptable levels.

As others have said, a home blood pressure machine is a good idea to work out if your readings are consistently high. If they are then you need the meds. Be thankful that they are available to you.

My BP can range from, 98 to 150 and my cardiologist says don't worry but just check it regularly.

DH has been on blood pressure medication for the last 40 years, without any side effects, DS has been on them for over 10 years. Unfortunately DH;s paternal bloodline is littered with people with high blood pressure, or, in earlier generations heart attacks and often death in their 50s.

Blood pressure rises as we get older naturally. Blood pressure varies immensely over the day with all of us. I was asked to take my blood pressure at home 3 times a day, 3 times each time, with a few minutes between each reading. The variation was between 110 - 150 and 65 - 90. And that could happen in one day.

I suspect that if you were to stop worrying and getting into a tizz about it. Stop everything you do over and above normal everyday things like walks and just relax that would do more to reduce your blood pressure than everything you are doing at the moment in your obsession with getting your blood pressure down naturally.

SallyL2

I'm 61. Just back from the GP and I don't know how to feel.
My reading was 152 over 94. She's given me two weeks to try and bring it down naturally before she "reaches for the prescription pad" as she put it. I've watched my mum take four different blood pressure tablets for the last 20 years and she's now a shell of who she was. I don't want that for me but I also don't want a stroke. I've been trying the natural stuff for months. Beetroot juice every morning. Garlic capsules. Cut out salt. Walking every day. Nothing has moved the needle.
I don't know if I'm scared or angry or both. Has anyone been in this position and figured a way through it? I feel like I'm being pushed onto tablets I don't want to take.

Any honest advice please.

Mum must be 80-ish? I'm not sure why you relate Mum's declining health to her BP medication?

I regard my longterm BP medication as a major contribution to my survival at 79.

I developed primary hypertension 50 years ago, have had it and taken daily medication ever since. (ACE inhibitor) . It took a few tries to find a branded medication that suits me; I still take the same one with no side effects.
and it has kept my BP safely within "high normal" range for half a century. I'm 79, enjoying a healthy active old age with no symptoms or restrictions.

www.gov.scot/news/home-blood-pressure-monitoring/

I'm on this BP home monitoring system , provided by NHS Scotland, with a free monitor. Once a month I get an email reminder to read my BP am and pm and I submit them online. ""Flo" instantly responds to the reading
( she has a scale of fixed responses, and instructions if she detects any abnormality) . She also submits the readings to my | GP who reviews them every 6 months and sends me a text (invariably, that my BP is well controlled) Once a year, the GP practice calls me in for a check up including bloods ( lipids, kidney and liver function).
The nurse always checks my BP and it is always a little higher for her, which we both know is "white coat syndrome " and perfectly normal.

Don't let you Mum's health status put you off taking this protective medication. She is not you. You have a different body, different genes, different life.

Hi Sally Can you learn to meditate? Buddhists run classes and Quakers do it every Sunday. Hibiscus tea and mistletoe tea can help. Good luck.

I just know that 1 Felodipine a day keeps my BP within acceptable limits. Seems sensible to me.

It can be genetic and well as caused by all sorts of things. I was diagnosed with high BP in my early 40s! Been on various Bp pills over the years at one point it was 156/? Over something for years.it’s only recently it has gone down a little …I’m 80 now.
Btw after taking Amlodopine happily for years it started giving me bloated legs/ ankles and is notorious for doing that after being on it for a long time. It’s a known side effect.

I've been on blood pressure pills for 20 odd years. I tried a couple before settling on a low dose of Candesartan which gives me no problems. I think they start you on the cheapest one first! It's important to give each one s few months before asking for a change. My first one gave me swollen ankles and the second one gave me a cough. I now take my blood pressure at home once a week just to keep an eye on it. Glad you're working with your GP on this.

There's an Ayurvedic remedy called Muktavati that is designed to help. However, there is a strong school of thought that would say your BP is fine for your age. It's supposed to rise as we get older and the drug companies have reduced the acceptable reading so they can get people on meds. High blood pressure (if it IS really high) is a SYMPTOM not a disease in itself. Where do I get my information? From an organisation called What Doctors Don't Tell You. It's a magazine plus website with loads of information for members, all based on proper scientific research that doesn't always make its way into the mainstream because no one profits from it. I hope you soon feel at ease - but one thing I'm sure of. Worrying about it and getting stressed is unlikely to bring BP down, and isn't good for you anyway. Relax - and good luck!

This is difficult. I have white coat syndrome and the reading is always high, so I have my own blood test monitor from boots which works well. Also very difficult, but reduce your stress levels by walking listening to music, or another gentle hobby. And don’t have a glass of alcohol before your blood pressure test.

I’ve been on BP tablets since the age of 52. Now 68. I monitor mine at home. It’s not a big deal and better than many illnesses because you can control it. I stopped drinking alcohol this Newcyear. I drank red wine every day but since stopping I’ve noticed a decrease in BP and I’ve cut down the dose to 2 mg Doxaslosin. However sometimes in cold weather BP can be raised up. If it continues to stay low over winter I’ll see if I can cut it even more ! Btw I do drink the occasional Prosecco . Sad about red wine but hey ho!

Some three years ago I had a similar reading to the OP at the surgery (my first GP appt in years) but I was quite anxious and worked up about it. She suggested I buy a BP monitor and gave me a chart to record it. Some of my readings at home were below the level for medication (140 I think) and knowing I didn't want to take medication she said monitor for a bit longer. I googled measures to reduce BP and found a lot of information - isometric exercises, stimulating the vagus nerve, deep breathing. My readings usually average out in the low 130s - sometimes much lower. I had my annual cholesterol and BP check at the surgery in March and both were fine. I was astounded that my BP was 132/90 at the surgery. So, no medication for BP although I take 20mg of atorvastatin daily. I'm 78 and am very active. Have a look online for suggestions for lowering BP.

Every time they take my BP at the surgery it’s too high. For me it’s “ white coat syndrome” I now send in several days of blood pressure readings , all of which are within normal limits. Buy yourself a home monitor and do the same. Take it before you get out of bed in the morning and when you’re in bed at night. Do two readings a few minutes apart and record the lowest to send in. Never had the medication conversation since. I’m 73.

I’ve been on medication to lower my blood pressure since my early thirties. I’m now in my mid sixties and feel grateful the tablets have prevented me from having a stroke all that time. They have not affected my quality of life and unlike your mother OP I am not ‘a shell of myself’ in any way! I am a healthy weight, eat healthily and exercise. I have never smoked and don’t drink alcohol so no obvious risk factors but some people just have or develop hypertension and it usually increases with age. I do whatever my GP recommends and try not to worry about it.

You ask what you should do.
Just get an appointment with your GP. I was averse to becoming medicated aged 77 four years ago but haven't had any problems on Amlodipine.

After my scare, my blood pressure came down steadily when I started taking clean (all natural – no bulking agents, etc) beetroot capsules from the Northern Ireland-based company I use for all my supplements. In fact, it was so effective that I stopped taking it after about 6 months.

MayBee70

It isn’t white coat syndrome is it? Do they only monitor your b/p at the surgery?

Indeed. The nurses at my surgery repeat the BP tests until a "normal" reading is achieved. What's the point?

I have been on medication for hypertension for over 40 years, needed to change tablets occasionally for various reasons. However, many years after the initial diagnosis I was diagnosed with kidney problems which can be a reason for high BP. If you are walking, watching salt content and your overall diet, cholesterol levels you are doing all the right things. Please ask for a full blood test to try and identify any underlying causes however hypertension can run in families/genetics. Hope you get it sorted soon to your satisfaction.

Cressida

You could get a blood pressure monitor to use at home and see what sort of readings you get away from the surgery in case you suffer from 'white coat syndrome'.

This is exactly what I’ve been doing for years. My BP is always sky high in the surgery. I’ve been taking medication for some years and at home I’m always within acceptable levels. 152/94 is not massively high.

I developed high bp during my first pregnancy - not very high, but enough. I'm now 71 and I've taken a small dose bp tablet every day since. I'm not a shell of myself. It hasn't affected me adversely at all. If you're anxious about it, they won't get a low reading for you. You can lose weight, cut out salt, UPFs, alcohol, whatever you like, and it won't make a bit of difference. Take the medication they recommend and be grateful that it cuts your risk of strokes.

For heaven’s sake, just take the tablets.

I’ve been on them for years now and no side effects.

You might have inherited family high BP.

If after taking them, you can then be monitored by your gp.

gracefulllama

I developed high bp during my first pregnancy - not very high, but enough. I'm now 71 and I've taken a small dose bp tablet every day since. I'm not a shell of myself. It hasn't affected me adversely at all. If you're anxious about it, they won't get a low reading for you. You can lose weight, cut out salt, UPFs, alcohol, whatever you like, and it won't make a bit of difference. Take the medication they recommend and be grateful that it cuts your risk of strokes.

That’s not actually the case for everybody gracefullama. Some people are able to control their blood pressure through diet and lifestyle changes alone, some people take the tablets for a short period whilst they change their diet and lifestyle, and unfortunately some people’s blood pressure can’t be controlled even with multiple medications. There is not one solution for everybody.

My blood pressure goes sky high at surgery. Paramedic I saw said close your eyes and breathe slowly it worked

My blood pressure is very high in the doctor’s surgery so I took my own readings for a week and the result was slightly high. Since then I have cut out salty food and use lo salt for cooking. I checked my blood pressure a couple of weeks ago and it was normal.