Managing high blood pressure

Posted by revvirr @revvirr, May 4, 2016

Good Day! I just signed on with MCConnect...though I have been using the Mayo website for about a year now. The reason for my interest is my high blood pressure. Just over a year ago I went to a blood donor clinic...having given blood for over 30+ years and the young little nurse took my blood pressure and found it to be 206/92. By the horrified look on her face I could tell something was dreadfully wrong. She thought I was extremely scared/anxious about giving blood. I assured her I wasn't.

What troubles me the most is that I have been very active all my life (I am 51 years old), I am an avid runner and basketball player and I consider myself to be in relatively good shape. And my job though it is can be stressful at times it is not a crazy stressful.

Anyways, to make a long story short I am one year into this, I have had an ECG, blood work and regular doctor visits, I have been on the DASH diet and have even seen a chiropractor who insists that the answer is somewhere in my spine. My MD has me on Amlodipine and Candesartan. So I am interested in any threads of discussion related to Hypertension...High Blood Pressure...its causes and factors and anything that helps. I guess if I were to boil it down to two questions they would be...how long will this high blood pressure continue to be a problem? Will I ever get off the medication? Any discussion on these matters would be helpful. Thank you.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Heart & Blood Health Support Group.

@lagrange5

Try cutting down on your sodium intake. For example, don’t pick up the salt shaker, avoid condiments like mustard and ketchup, and stay away from salty soups. I agree that you might want to find another cardiologist. Keep in mind that cardiologists and nephrologists don’t always agree, and ultimately you have to make your own choices. With good medical advice, you can manage your condition.

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Agreed, get a "second opinion." Don't mess around with this as the cumulative effect of high BP are serious. Educate yourself! There is a lot of info on-line re: diet, exercise and the dangers of high BP.
I lost 15 pounds and started to walk/bike ride regularly (3-4x/week) also stay away from ANY processed food. Read the ingredients. Nothing should have more than 150mg. of sodium. This will exclude nearly all packaged food. Sort of a bummer, but cooking your own food helps you loose weight (if needed) and empowers you to take charge of your life (something we all need to feel right now!). Remember, when you eat out it is nearly impossible to eat a low salt diet, especially fast food.
Even with salads, the dressing will kill it. Try fresh lemon juice instead. Don't give up, you can do it!

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@darrelln99

My blood pressure went over 220 a couple of weeks ago sending me to the hospital. They run numerous tests which came out ok including EKG, MRI, Ultrasound, Bubble test, CT Scan and for a 73 year old man did pretty good. They sent me home with a bp of 170 and said it would come down. Two days later I was back in the ER with 200+ blood pressure and again sent home once it came down some. Got lots of blood pressure medicine I take but, for some reason in the morning my blood pressure shots up about 50 points and goes over 200. We load up on more bp medicine and relaxer pills and after a few hours it comes down to 130 - 150. I don't know why this is happening and the Cardiologist won't see me for another month. I just got my calcium score but he won't tell me what it is until our meeting. Can anyone give me any advice how to stop the spike in my blood pressure.

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your salvation is in some form of exercise, with intensity and regularity.

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@predictable

My off-the-top advice @darrelin99 is to find another cardiologist with a good reputation and get a second opinion. A third if you need it, perhaps with a nephrologist, who probably knows more about blood pressure than any cardiologist in the state.

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I was thinking the same thing. I just changed my heart doctor and love then new one. My nephrologist recommended him.

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@darrelln99

My blood pressure went over 220 a couple of weeks ago sending me to the hospital. They run numerous tests which came out ok including EKG, MRI, Ultrasound, Bubble test, CT Scan and for a 73 year old man did pretty good. They sent me home with a bp of 170 and said it would come down. Two days later I was back in the ER with 200+ blood pressure and again sent home once it came down some. Got lots of blood pressure medicine I take but, for some reason in the morning my blood pressure shots up about 50 points and goes over 200. We load up on more bp medicine and relaxer pills and after a few hours it comes down to 130 - 150. I don't know why this is happening and the Cardiologist won't see me for another month. I just got my calcium score but he won't tell me what it is until our meeting. Can anyone give me any advice how to stop the spike in my blood pressure.

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Have you considered taking BP medicine in two half doses twice a day? In other words, if you are prescribed, say, 100 mg of a medication, then take 50 mg in the morning and then 50 mg before bed. This works for me as I seem to metabolize the medication quickly so that it doesn't remain in my blood stream for 24 hours.
Are you staying hydrated during the night? There's information on the web about dehydration affecting your kidneys causing them to retain salt thus raising your BP.

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@kerrvu

Have you considered taking BP medicine in two half doses twice a day? In other words, if you are prescribed, say, 100 mg of a medication, then take 50 mg in the morning and then 50 mg before bed. This works for me as I seem to metabolize the medication quickly so that it doesn't remain in my blood stream for 24 hours.
Are you staying hydrated during the night? There's information on the web about dehydration affecting your kidneys causing them to retain salt thus raising your BP.

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Welcome @kerrvu and @rbb1938 to Mayo Clinic Connect. Would you care to share a bit more about yourselves?

@kerrvu, besides medication, what are other approaches that you use to manage high blood pressure?

@rbb1938, what exercise or physical activity do you prefer? Have you also made dietary changes to help manage high blood pressure?

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@darrelln99

My blood pressure went over 220 a couple of weeks ago sending me to the hospital. They run numerous tests which came out ok including EKG, MRI, Ultrasound, Bubble test, CT Scan and for a 73 year old man did pretty good. They sent me home with a bp of 170 and said it would come down. Two days later I was back in the ER with 200+ blood pressure and again sent home once it came down some. Got lots of blood pressure medicine I take but, for some reason in the morning my blood pressure shots up about 50 points and goes over 200. We load up on more bp medicine and relaxer pills and after a few hours it comes down to 130 - 150. I don't know why this is happening and the Cardiologist won't see me for another month. I just got my calcium score but he won't tell me what it is until our meeting. Can anyone give me any advice how to stop the spike in my blood pressure.

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Hi Everyone, My husband (age 76) has great blood pressure during the day 120/70/60 and at 7pm. However, by 10 pm it's 160 and at 11 when he is about to go to bed, it's 180 or 200. His cardiologist is trying different meds but the only one that helps is clonidine. It seems like what you are going through. He just had a pacemaker put in and I was wondering if it could be related. Our cardiologist wants him to stay on his new meds (carvediol and amlodiine and still lisinopril) for 2 more weeks and see if they kick in. He is to monitor his BP and take the clonidine when it goes above 155 (systolic). He had emergency pacemaker surgery 4 weeks ago so we are in touch with both cardiologists. The pacemaker is working well as they just tested it and he has a machine that sends the information to the office. It's very scary. Thanks for all your help and or comments.

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Is using Calis to normalize my blood pressure instead of prescribed medication, OK?

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@rufus2752

Is using Calis to normalize my blood pressure instead of prescribed medication, OK?

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@rufus2752 Welcome to Connect. This a place where we can share our experiences, but like you, we are patients, and only a medical professional can determine what is right for you. Blood pressure can become a serious issue if it goes on too long, so you really need a doctor's advice on that. It is too important to experiment with, but what you can do is to buy an automatic blood pressure monitor and periodically check your blood pressure and write it down with date and time. That will give your doctor good information to help you. Blood pressure is affected by stress, and some patients are stressed seeing a doctor about it, so the doctor gets high readings, but the patient gets lower readings at home. Blood pressure is also variable and your body has to compensate for when you stand up and all the blood starts to drain toward your feet or during exercise when your body is asking for more oxygen carried by the blood. You can lower blood pressure with relaxation listening to soothing music and taking deep slow breaths.

It is always a good idea to discuss any medication you wish to discontinue with your provider who prescribed it. Sometimes there are other medications that can work just as well, so if you are having side effects from a medication, you can always ask your doctor or a pharmacist about it. If you want to avoid medications, you may want to consult a functional medicine doctor ( or an environmental medicine doctor) because their focus is to prevent problems rather than treat problems that happen.

Would you like to search for a functional specialist? If so, you may use this link and the provider search button is at the top right.

https://www.aaemonline.org/
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@rufus2752

Is using Calis to normalize my blood pressure instead of prescribed medication, OK?

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Hi @rufus2752, I would like to add my welcome to Connect along with @jenniferhunter. There is also another older discussion that you may find helpful -- Managing high blood pressure: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/good-day-i-just-signed-on-with-mcconnect-though-i-have-been-using/

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@rufus2752

Is using Calis to normalize my blood pressure instead of prescribed medication, OK?

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By Calis, are you referring to a supplement? Or something else?
As Jennifer said, if you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure (also called hypertension) it is important to keep it well-controlled, whether by medication or by lifestyle, diet & exercise changes. Uncontrolled it can lead to many very bad health issues - heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Until it is very high, it doesn't have symptoms, so monitoring is very important.
Have you seen a doctor and been prescribed medication?
Sue

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