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Symptom of high blood pressure?
Heart & Blood Health | Last Active: Jan 19 11:31pm | Replies (38)Comment receiving replies
Im on Amlodipine for my hypertension but my doctor said not to worry unless I develop chest pain and vision changesI've had slightly dull chest pain and it landed me in the er once because I thought I was having a heart attack. They told me it was anxiety.and I have a blind spot I notice sometimes but my BP is normally 116/83What's going on?She also said it's okay since I don't have consistent readings of consistently high (over 140/90 on several checks) or severe headachesI asked her about it and I'm waiting for a response
Replies to "Im on Amlodipine for my hypertension but my doctor said not to worry unless I develop..."
@ehdog I'm not sure what you mean by "symptoms of high blood pressure" because there are SELDOM true symptoms of elevated blood pressure. Undiagnosed or untreated high blood pressure has long been known as "the silent killer" because there are no symptoms until it has been excessively high for years, which causes damage to your heart and blood vessels. You are conscious of your slightly elevated BP, and are treating it - your readings are in the normal range, so you can breathe a sigh of relief.
So, the first time you had that "slightly dull chest pain" you were right to have it checked out. Now that you know anxiety is causing it, let's consider the issue of headaches.
Headaches can have MANY causes:
- dehydration is a big one - are you sure you are drinking enough water?
- excessive caffeine - coffee, energy drinks, sodas
- an irregular eating schedule, causing your blood sugar to rise and fall (this is NOT diabetes)
- poor diet resulting in eating too much sodium or sugar, not enough nutrients
- smoking or vaping
- too much screen time
- not enough exercise
- stress
- poor sleep or sleep habits
These are all things you can correct.
Oranges gave you some good information about your vision issues. If you are still concerned, maybe you can schedule an eye exam. Even if you don't already wear glasses, you should have your vision checked about every 5 years.
Please read this Mayo explanation about normal and elevated blood pressure and true hypertension:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/symptoms-causes/syc-20373410
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What’s happening is that these symptoms are not coming from high blood pressure. A reading around 116/83 is normal and hypertension causes damage only when blood pressure stays high over time WITHOUT treatment.
The chest pain you are describing fits anxiety, not heart disease or a blood pressure issue. Anxiety related chest pain is dull, tight, or aching, it can linger, it feels very real and frightening, and it does not line up with blood pressure readings.
The blind spot is also not a sign of blood pressure damage. Eye damage from hypertension happens with long term uncontrolled high blood pressure and causes persistent vision loss, not blind spots you only see sometimes. This sounds more like a visual aura, eye strain, or anxiety related visual processing changes.
Your blood pressure is controlled, your symptoms do not match hypertensive complications, and your emergency room evaluation ruled out heart related causes. Changing blood pressure medications would not help anxiety or migraine type symptoms, which is why you do not need an adjustment on your blood pressure medication when the numbers are already good.
Bottom line, you are not damaging your heart or organs. Your blood pressure is doing what it is supposed to do. The symptoms are real but they are not being caused by hypertension. Anxiety can convincingly mimic heart and vision symptoms.
Waiting for your doctor’s/NP's response is reasonable, but based on everything you have shared, there is no sign of missed hypertension danger. Continue taking amlodipine daily, use propranolol as needed, and focus on decompressing.