high blood pressure

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Tony
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Post by Tony »

Lorenzo,
That seems strange to me as some of my highest readings are in the morning and lowest in the late evening.
Short duration exercise (15-20min) often raises my blood pressure and long duration (1+ hour) sharply reduces it.
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RonKiley
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Post by RonKiley »

Listen to what people have said. You didn't say what your pulse rate was but if that is high to you really need to do something about it. My BP was 160 over 80 and my pulse 105. I had a heart attack. I had Bypass surgery. Now I have eliminated as much salt as possible from my diet and also as much satured fat as possible. I lost over 40 pounds. I go to the gym at least 3 times a week and walk on a treadmill for 30 minutes and lift weights for another 20 minutes. I also take medication. My BP is now 116 over 60 and my pulse 70. A man came in for emergency bypass surgery the same day I had mine. He had 2 blockages over 90%. He was 47 years old, weighed 147 pounds and was a vegetarian. In most states there are clinics where you can get treatment and medication free. Please look into it.

Take care
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Lorenzo
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Post by Lorenzo »

Tony wrote:my highest readings are in the morning and lowest in the late evening.
There's probably a lot of variables, like one's sleeping hrs...night owls vs. early risers. Or, people who only get 4-5 hrs. sleep vs. those with normal patterns. Meds can come into the picture too.

Here's one possible explanation, taken from a British men's health organization. I don't know if this is THE explanation or not, but it sounds right. SOURCE.

"Why is my blood pressure so high in the mornings?"

Q. I am a hypertensive patient. My blood pressure goes very high in the mornings. On the average 160/102. I am on medication which brings my pressure to relatively normal during the day and sometimes till 10:00pm at night but as soon as I wake up around 7:00am, my pressure is high. No doctor has been able to tell me why? Can you please?


A. "Blood pressure has a circadian rhythm. In other words it changes according to the body clock just like many hormones. During the night it falls to a low level and hormones such as adrenaline, which influences heart rate and output, also fall. After about 4am there is a steady rise until at around 5am it is back to daytime levels. Adrenaline is also produced which speeds up the heart. This is important because you will soon be vertical after being horizontal for a long time. The heart must compensate by increasing the pressure so blood will reach the brain."

"Jumping straight out of bed and standing upright can often cause a faint for exactly this reason. Meanwhile the medication you took the day before has more or less worn off and your heart is maintaining a higher pressure. Once you take your medicine, which is probably a mixture of drugs, the blood pressure falls. Taking your medicine at night may be the answer but it carries the risk of a faint in the morning. It is also least effective during the time when you need it most - during the day. Do not change the way you take your medicines without first asking your doctor. Under no circumstances stop them suddenly."
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Post by Tony »

"....It is also least effective during the time when you need it most - during the day. Do not change the way you take your medicines without first asking your doctor. Under no circumstances stop them suddenly."

This may not be true for all cases...
I'm told most heart attacks and deaths due to heart failure occur in the early morning hours. My Doctor and Pharmacist both agree hypertension medicines take several hours to be absorbed into the bloodstream before the effects are noticed. Taking the medicine before bed maximizes their effect for those who have higher BP in the morning.

And yes.... don't stop suddenly... you may have to wean off even when changing to a different product.
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Post by rebl_rn »

Unless they changed it on me when I wasn't looking (a distinct possibility, mind you), a true diagnosis of hypertension can't be made until you have 3 high readings on 3 different days. But certainly, a BP like the one you have is cause for concern.

The suggestions everyone has made are good, although salt intake doesn't ALWAYS affect BP. While it can make a significant difference in some people, others it doesn't make a difference. Certainly doesn't hurt to cut down on it, however! Exercise is a great thing.

A word of caution about the machines at places like Wal-Mart - they are notoriously not always very accurate. They are not bad for monitoring a fairly stable BP, but it is best to have your BP checked by a professional. (By the way, most medical professionals don't take BP's properly - but that's another story). Home cuffs can be great, especially if you have white coat syndrome, but you have to be careful in the one you select for that too, because not all of them are accurate. Your doctor should be able to give you some suggestions. You might also want to check with your local public health department - many of them have programs in place for checking BP's, etc, (for free) or if they don't, they most likely know who does.

As to the WHY, like others have said, who knows? Some people are definitely genetically predisposed to high BP. It's the same with cholesterol levels - some people have high readings even with good dietary practices.

There are so many different medications and many are very inexpensive. There are also some great programs to help people who can't afford their medications. These are offered by the drug manufacturers and require filling out some forms with your doctor. The qualifications vary for different medications, but if you want more info on how to get free medications, there are a couple of great websites:

http://www.needymeds.com
http://www.helpingpatients.org

Beth
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Post by aderyn_du »

Yoga, Cran... I know it can't fix everything, but it sure does wonders for a multitude of things. :)

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Post by Tony »

I used to do yogurt every morning... oh wait you said yoga!

;-)
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aderyn_du
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Post by aderyn_du »

Yoga then yogurt, Tony! :thumbsup: :D

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spittin_in_the_wind
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Post by spittin_in_the_wind »

I was just wondering if this could be a side-effect of other medications or herbal supplements...anyone want to comment on that?

Robin
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Post by Tony »

....The suggestions everyone has made are good, although salt intake doesn't ALWAYS affect BP. While it can make a significant difference in some people, others it doesn't make a difference. Certainly doesn't hurt to cut down on it, however! Exercise is a great thing....
Agreed.
Unless you decide to carry food whenever you go out (not practical) it's nearly impossible to avoid sodium in restaruants. I can abstain from salt for a few weeks at a time but one trip to the all-u-can-eat Chinese Buffet changes all that. I'm guessing it takes week or two to reduce those levels.

Two points to consider if you rid your body of salt.
Table salt contains Iodine. You'll need a supplement.
Sodium assists in certain electro neuro functions.
Yes? ever try passing current through distilled water? You need SOME salt to make the engine run.
....A word of caution about the machines at places like Wal-Mart - they are notoriously not always very accurate....
True, I'm finding them 15-20 points higher than my doctors which is probably 5 points higher than mine.
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Post by Redwolf »

It's amazing how big a factor heredity can play in things like this. I've been a vegetarian for 16 years as of this past Easter (mostly vegan, actually...not one of those vegetarians who live on eggs and cheese). I'm relatively active. 10 months ago, I gave up smoking. Yet, at my last physical, just a few months ago, I was in worse shape than I've ever been in my life. Overweight. Insulin-resistant. Poor HDL/LDL ratio (to the point where they'd really like to put me on cholesterol-lowering drugs). And moderately high blood pressure, when I've NEVER registered higher than 120/70 in my life, other than a brief period when I was pregnant. I was utterly devastated. Do everything the doctors tell you to do, and still get a report like that? They want to put me on a diabetes diet now (and no salt!) which, frankly, I'm resisting. A no-salt diabetes diet for a vegetarian? It would be more pleasant to just say "to hell with it" and give up eating.

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Post by Tony »

spittin_in_the_wind wrote:I was just wondering if this could be a side-effect of other medications or herbal supplements...anyone want to comment on that?

Robin
I've tried antihypertensive tea. I was borderline hypertensive at the time not taking prescription medicine.
It had 2 side effects.
1) a horrible taste.
2) it didn't work.
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Lorenzo
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Post by Lorenzo »

The body's intelligence (in normal people) regulates how much salt is maintained and how much is eliminated. Don't get enough...the body is under orders to reabsorb sodium. Get too much, the body is under orders to dispose of some to keep the soidium/potassium ratio just right within the body. BTW, sodium isn't necessarily the problem associated with hypertention. It's sodium chlorinate. Sodium bicarbonate in know to be harmless. In fact, studies have been done, and it's debatable whether high sodium intake effect the blood pressure of normal people.
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Post by cowtime »

Cranberry,

One of my daughters was about 25 when her high blood pressure was diagnosed as a result of a routine check for something entirely different.
After many, many re-checks she was put on medication, then trial and error until a combination was found that kept the blood pressure down but did not zap her energy levels.

This daughter is a picture of health. She has a very healthy diet, has worked out at the gym a minimum of 3 times a week for years until she has sculpted herself into a body usually seen on magazine covers, does everything she should and she still has to take meds for the blood pressure. (unlike my other one who has tried just about every known method to self-destruct)

Her's has to be hereditary. Everyone in my husband's family has had high blood pressure. He was one that they used just about everything known before they found something that would work for him.

You MUST NOT ignore this. I worked with a great fellow who was a volunteer paramedic and firefighter. He was aware of his high blood pressure but never got any medication for the problem. He died at 37 from an aneurism(spelling?) in the brain .
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Post by Chuck_Clark »

spittin_in_the_wind wrote:I was just wondering if this could be a side-effect of other medications or herbal supplements...anyone want to comment on that?

Robin
In a word, yes. Herbal supplements are problematic because: 1) they have not usually been thoroughly studied and rely instead on home remedy folklore and anecdotal evidence for their efficacy and side effects, and 2) they are not well calibrated according to dosage and can vary widely from brand to brand and store to store. My brother-in-law is a veep of a company that markets herbal products. A couple of years ago, they gave me some samples of their weight loss product. Two doses and my BP went into orbit, DESPITE my already taking a witches brew of antihypertensive meds.

HBP should not be ignored under any circumstances. I have had it for my entire adult life (first diagnosed in my mid twenties). I'll admit I wasn't as careful as I should be. I figured that despite HBP and obesity I was in generally good to better shape, playing competitive racquetball, good tennis, not very good but enthusiastic basketball and cycling up to 4000 miles a year. My cholesterol NEVER exceeded 140. At 48 I had four heart attacks and a quad bypass. The cardiologist said that in my case it was because the years of HBP had stretched and weakened the arterial walls, allowing placque buildup despite my low cholesterol.

Bottom line: DON'T try to beat this on your own. See a doctor and TAKE the meds, no matter how much you distrust the FDA and AMA. As for cost, there are almost always inexpensive generic alternatives, you just have to make sure your doctor prescibes those rather than what is currently hot (and overpriced).
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