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

I take two different blood pressure tablets every day. My BP is kept at a normal level which I’m happy with.
I worked with stroke patients for years and I would rather take tablets than suffer a stroke .
The tablets have no detrimental effect on me at all . Why are you so worried about?

Mine was 180/120 in the mid 90s, I was 40 and going through an horrendously stressful time. GP put me on medication and I have remained on it. No obvious negative impact.

Might be worth googling about oestrogen and HBP - other than that if weight and 'lifestyle' OK you might have to 'swallow the pill'.

I’m 76 with the same level of bp. I also take aged garlic, high dose beetroot and drink hibiscus tea. I’m not overweight and active. I hate taking pills but I think I will have to go back to them but I think they sap my energy. Commiserations.

Harsh!

Theres no point in only changing what you eat. You might have to change your whole lifestyle as well. Regular aerobic exercise, good quality sleep, yoga or meditation for stress, limit alcohol, if you smoke try to stop, etc.
Also, you can’t just throw healthy stuff on top of what you already eat. Look at every single thing you eat from breakfast to bedtime and as far as possible chuck out everything that is ultra processed or high in cholesterol. Then replace it with unrefined healthy alternatives with plenty of fruit and vegetables

I have had high blood pressure since my first pregnancy in 1975. In my second pregnancy it went even higher. I am now 80 and have been on blood pressure medication for over 30 years, currently 40 mg of Lisinopril. I took my blood pressure an hour ago and it was 126/70. My mother also had high blood pressure since her pregnancies in her twenties and thirties. She died when she was 83.

I’m sorry your mum has deteriorated over the last 20 years. But why do you blame the BP medications?

.

Me too. I've been taking a 2.5 morning tablet of Amlodipine for 20-years.
Never give it a thought.

It's good to take precautions of course and think about what you do and what you eat - but don't 'go over the top' as for some only the tablets will make a difference.

However, do avoid -

# Grapefruit
# Grapefruit Juice
# St John's Wort
# Ibuprofen
# Limit alcohol

Take the tablet, make moderate life changes and maybe when you have your next checkup your dosage might be able to be lowered. Be sensible.

Good luck.
.

P.S.

I started taking the 2.5 BP. med' when in my early 40's. I was slim, fit, active and had never drank alcohol or smoked.

But my Mother and her Mother both had high BP so it was thought that it was probably my inheritance!.
I have had 6-monthly checks which have always been positive - as I've never forgotten to take my daily tablet. I've been kept on the same dosage for (c) 20-years now.
.

I've had high blood pressure for about 30 years and control it with medication without any adverse effects. Lifestyle changes help of course but they don't bring mine down enough so I keep taking the tablets to keep myself well.

SallyL2 - I've had hypertension for decades and been on bp meds for decades and still it doesn't remain static below 140/80. However, what I have found is that if I have just one glass of wine, it escalates (I've never smoked), and if I stray from a diet that excludes ultra processed foods there's not only no chance of it coming down, but there's every certainty that the aches in my joints will get worse. So, continue with the beetroot juice but where do you get it from? Is it commercially prepared with additives? If so ditch it and change to organic beetroot powder that you mix yourself with a little organic fruit juice and water. Treat your body well, eat lots of appropriate fruit containing water (not dried fruit), no deli meats or bacon or sausages, introduce lots of fresh garlic, do not cook in any oil, use water, and only use olive if you're making your own houmous or dips. Every single supermarket dip I have seen and every single prawn cocktail contains rapeseed oil - this is ultra processed as are all seed oils and as long as you put these things inside your body your blood pressure will not find a better position. And finally, learn how to 'box' breathe. I guarantee that if you just learn how to do that you will bring your bp down between subsequent readings. Good luck.

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'.

Just what I was going to suggest. When the doctor takes my bp it is usually a lot higher than at home. She always suggest that I take it when I am home, Get a monitor that goes around your arm and read instructions. Also because of your fear that would have pushed the reading up without question. So sorry you are so distressed. Try to relax, people, including myself, have been on bp medication for years. No side effects and probably saved my life.

Funny about grapefruit. Apparently it interferes with statins and I have been told never to have it. Not hard because I wasn’t mad on it anyway. I hadn’t heard about beetroot being good for you in that way ,must try it. These threads are very useful.
I actually looked up the olive oil thing and,yes, it has been proved to lower blood pressure. I could have made millions with my discovery ha ha

I would get your own bp gauge. The top figure will naturally change according to activity and other factors. The bottom is medically classed as high if over 100 and is probably the more ‘important’ one. You can see for yourself how much it all fluctuates over the day. It might help to alleviate the fear factor. Make sure you’re not a lot overweight. Supplements can help sometimes. Eat really healthily. And most importantly relax. It’s easier said than done and the more you try, the more stressful it can be! Review your life and consider what changes you can make to have a more laid back lifestyle. It can take months rather than weeks to bring things back into balance. Good luck.

PS Your gp giving you two weeks before she prescribes, sounds more like a threat to me than constructive comment. No wonder you feel upset by it. Personally I’d wait longer….but it’s up to you.

I discovered I have White Coat syndrome during my second pregnancy. My BP was high at a hospital antenatal visit and was admitted. Once I was settled in hospital my BP went down but I ended up having to stay there for 6 weeks until #2 son was born because his RN father had been granted compassionate leave to look after #1 son but would have had to return to his ship if I was discharged. As #1 son was only just over a year old the hospital wouldn't discharge me as I would have been on my own with him as we were living in Norfolk.

Has your GP suggested the practice loan you a ABPM ambulatory blood pressure monitor. You wear this on your arm for a comprehensive 24 hr monitoring. This provides a much better insight into what your blood pressure actually is doing, when combined with a diary for that period. Blood pressure tablets have come a long way in the last 20 yrs, so if you need the tablets give them a try, you might be surprised how much better you feel. I do wish you well