Hypertension - Anyone Here Struggle with High Blood Pressure?

have been on lisinopril for a while, no real side effects. Keeps me in a similar 130/80 -ish range

 

@ima_drummer2k how much do you weigh?
Weight loss, reducing sodium intake (and increasing dietary potassium intake), and getting enough sleep can all positively impact your BP.

Also do you have a blood pressure cuff? Your blood pressure when you sleep or when you’ve been relaxed for a while (sometimes can take 30 minutes) is more reflective of your true blood pressure than what may be measured in the office.

I have white coat hypertension and my BP goes up when my heart rate goes up.

 

I have seen people who lost weight and had significant improvements in both their hypertension and type II diabetes to the point they came off medications.

 

This is not medical advice as I am just a Rockets fan.

 

130/80 is a really good reduction.

It’s all back to being healthy (read: not your typical American). You know what to do

60 is D-Day. I’ve observed so many people I know who are unhealthy fall off the health cliff once they’ve reached their early 60’s. If you don’t make it happen now, you’re going to be sitting in multiple doctor’s offices staving off death like the rest of the fatasses.

Great job getting it under control. It’s just the beginning. Don’t let other people in your life drag you down.

 

My family has a history of hypertension and last year when I was at the doctor mine was coming a bit high around the 140 - 100 range. The doctor wanted to consider taking medication but I wanted to try lifestyle. I had surgery on my shoulder a year and a half ago and had to greatly cut down on my workouts but have been coming back and since then my blood pressure is down to the 130 - 80 range.

 

Being a Rockets fan is not good for your blood pressure.

 

Glad to hear your BP is doing better. I am on losartan however I don't think its doing much. Ive controlled mine through weight loss. Its back up again at 140/90 and 25lbs later. My HR is ~65 on average, so I think I need to get that up.

Ive been reading glucose readings are a better measure, but thats hard to monitor w/out using one of those continuous glucose monitors. Essentially knowing which foods spike your blood sugar is important.

 

I am not judging you for your weight. It just sucks that modern living makes it too easy to gain.

Edit: Jesus Christ iPhone autocorrect.

 

I take a pill called Propranolol that helps with both anxiety and BP. Stuff has done wonders for me. My reading a few days ago was 118 over 82, when i was normally reading 140 over 98

 

damn sengunians

 

Sengun is the one who will bring joy to y'all's lives and bring your collective blood pressures down.

My father had horrible hypertension, was on very strong systemic meds for many years. At some point, they weren't working anymore, and he actually lost consciousness, his blood pressure values were off the charts.

Finally, some doctor had the sense to do an MRI of his adrenal glands, and it turns out he had a benign tumor that was the original cause of the high blood pressure (a rare condition called primary aldosteronism/Conn's syndrome). Could have spared him many years of suffering if that had been checked earlier. They removed the tumor and then his blood pressure was actually too low for the rest of his life.

My mother and I are still wondering if all these heavy medications might have somehow contributed to him developing Parkinson's which ultimately led to a lot of pain and suffering for him and our small family.

In any case, although rare, at least something to consider checking if regular BP medication isn't working properly.

 

Congrats on getting medical attention. I don't understand how you were able to sleep. What was your pulse rates?

 

Our BBS fam getting old

 

One thing I will say is that my blood pressure was also sometimes too high (I tested various blood pressure cuffs, like the Withings one). Out of professional interest, I played around with the Abbot Freestyle Libre for blood glucose and all kinds of other stuff. Cutting out carbs for 6 weeks (I'm normally a "carbs only" kind of guy...) not only made me lose like 30+ pounds in these few weeks (went from 235 lbs to 205 lbs, but I'm 6'6...now back up to 220 lbs), but I also tried to make another few changes, like doing more sports and trying to get more sleep (used Oura Ring, Withing sleep mat, etc.). WIth the weight coming down and the other stuff, the blood pressure came down also.

But I have a ton of travel and sometimes stress, lots of time zone changes, so it's kind of hard to keep up a consistent routine. And once I stopped measuring the glucose, I was also back to my bad nutritional habits.

It sounds like you are already taking the right steps. Takes discipline, but I believe you have a family, and you want to continue to be there for them. All the best.

 

It's a silent killer. If you're African American especially please be wary. Pretty much everyone in my family is taking something for it. I was rushed to the emergency room during a routine check up when I showed a 185/140 with a 120 pulse. I cut out the beer and vodka and 40 pounds lighter I'm doing much better. The meds they gave me made me constipated so I had to drink more water and increase my fiber so that didn't hurt either.

 

I’ve been on blood pressure meds for about ten years. I monitor my blood pressure at home regularly so I can tell the doctor what is normal for me at home. Long term hypertension damages the heart so its important to keep the blood pressure close to normal.

There are a number of different types of hypertension drugs. It may take some trial and error to dial in the right combination. Talk to your doctor about this.

If you have had high blood pressure for a long time, you may feel tired and lethargic when your blood pressure is lowered to a normal range with medications. For me, beta blockers(like Carvedilol) tend to make me feel out of breath when I do physical activities because it keeps my heart rate so low.