High Blood Pressure flare ups

Posted by bcoressel @bcoressel, Jan 18, 2023

I was diagnosed with hypertension in July 2021. For the most part, my BP is pretty normal with a low dose of meds. But then I get major flare ups where it goes to almost 200/100 and I’m taking way more pills than I ever do. I have major vibration shaking, headaches, weakness, and chills. It lasts about 24 to 48 hours. All of my blood work comes back normal or close to normal. I have hashimotos hypothyroidism. My labs went from .29 to 9.26 in 3 months The doctors seem to think I’m nuts, but I can’t function and hold down a full time job because I never know when they will hit. I think it’s either my thyroid or my adrenal glands. Anyone have similar issues?

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Are you taking any thyroid medications? If you're saying your TSH is around 9 that's very high, meaning that your thyroid is probably pumping out tons of hormones, if it's working. Eventually with hashimoto's it won't work well anymore and you need medication.

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Hello @bcoressel, I would like to add my welcome to Connect along with @olivesn. I also have high blood pressure due to hypertension. I was on different meds until I participated in a Mayo heart study and was diagnosed with primary aldosteronism and my meds were changed to 25 mg hydrochlorathyazide and 25 mg spironolactone which did a better job of regulating my BP.

Here are a couple of articles that may shed some light on what is going on with your high blood pressure flare ups.

"Secondary high blood pressure (secondary hypertension) is high blood pressure that's caused by another medical condition. It can be caused by conditions that affect the kidneys, arteries, heart or endocrine system."
-- Secondary hypertension - Symptoms & causes: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/secondary-hypertension/symptoms-causes/syc-20350679.

"Hypothyroidism can affect the heart and circulatory system in a number of ways. Insufficient thyroid hormone slows your heart rate. Because it also makes the arteries less elastic, blood pressure rises in order to circulate blood around the body. "
-- Thyroid hormone: How it affects your heart: https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/thyroid-hormone-how-it-affects-your-heart.

Have you ever done a medication review with your doctor or pharmacist?

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Thank you for the information. I did go to an endocrinologist a year ago and they checked my aldosterone level. It was within “normal” range. But salt and sugar affect me greatly. They wanted to do a salt loading test, but if I took salt pills for 3 days, I would be in the ER with severely high BP. So I refused that one. I see a kidney doctor next month and I’m trying to get back in to the endocrinologist. I believe it’s my thyroid or adrenals for sure.

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@olivesn

Are you taking any thyroid medications? If you're saying your TSH is around 9 that's very high, meaning that your thyroid is probably pumping out tons of hormones, if it's working. Eventually with hashimoto's it won't work well anymore and you need medication.

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I am on 75 of Synthroid and they just upped it to 88. My flares ups are usually 24 to 48 hours. I’ve now been this way for 4 days. It’s fine for a few hours then overnight or later in the day my BP goes way up and I’m back down again to where I can barely function.

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Have you noticed a very strong tightness in your neck and shoulder muscles during these flare-ups. I have been fighting high BP for many years and have many flare-ups, especially when I'm on my computer for several hours. My neck and shoulder muscles get so tight that I cannot turn my head, When this happens my BP explodes as yours does. So high that I've had to be hospitalized. I've been told that when this happens my heart cannnot pump enough blood to my brain so my BP flies off the charts very fast.
I wish you the best of luck in finding the answer....Bill

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@willie23

Have you noticed a very strong tightness in your neck and shoulder muscles during these flare-ups. I have been fighting high BP for many years and have many flare-ups, especially when I'm on my computer for several hours. My neck and shoulder muscles get so tight that I cannot turn my head, When this happens my BP explodes as yours does. So high that I've had to be hospitalized. I've been told that when this happens my heart cannnot pump enough blood to my brain so my BP flies off the charts very fast.
I wish you the best of luck in finding the answer....Bill

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Yes, lately the sides of my neck hurt really bad and get stiffer feeling when my BP goes up. I usually have major pain in the middle of my back below my right shoulder blade. The doctors don’t know what to think about it. Going to pain management and a kidney doctor in the next 2 weeks. Let’s see if they find anything.

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@bcoressel

Yes, lately the sides of my neck hurt really bad and get stiffer feeling when my BP goes up. I usually have major pain in the middle of my back below my right shoulder blade. The doctors don’t know what to think about it. Going to pain management and a kidney doctor in the next 2 weeks. Let’s see if they find anything.

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Here are a few more things to consider before your next appointment. It is a possibility that your pain or at least some of it could be coming from a misalignment in your body. Without going in to detail in this short message, I will tell you the name of what has caused me considerable pain and agony over the last 31 years with MG and you can look them up at your convenience.
Forward Head Posture - this is when your head extends outward past your shoulders and chest which places extreme pressure on your shoulder and neck muscles trying to pull your head back in alignment. The average adult head weighs between 10 and 12 pounds. I've been told that when this happens your neck muscles become so tight that the blood veins running through those muscles become so tight that they become pinched which lessens the blood flow to your brain, very dangerous. Forward Head Posture usually occurs in people who spend a lot of time leaning and reaching in to thier keyboards on thier computers.
Also, look into your gait as you walk. Misalignment and many, many disorders in your body START IN YOUR FEET.
One last thing...many people who have auto-immune diseases will eventually have something called Drop Foot. I have for several years. Please look that one up also...Good luck my friend...Bill

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@willie23

Here are a few more things to consider before your next appointment. It is a possibility that your pain or at least some of it could be coming from a misalignment in your body. Without going in to detail in this short message, I will tell you the name of what has caused me considerable pain and agony over the last 31 years with MG and you can look them up at your convenience.
Forward Head Posture - this is when your head extends outward past your shoulders and chest which places extreme pressure on your shoulder and neck muscles trying to pull your head back in alignment. The average adult head weighs between 10 and 12 pounds. I've been told that when this happens your neck muscles become so tight that the blood veins running through those muscles become so tight that they become pinched which lessens the blood flow to your brain, very dangerous. Forward Head Posture usually occurs in people who spend a lot of time leaning and reaching in to thier keyboards on thier computers.
Also, look into your gait as you walk. Misalignment and many, many disorders in your body START IN YOUR FEET.
One last thing...many people who have auto-immune diseases will eventually have something called Drop Foot. I have for several years. Please look that one up also...Good luck my friend...Bill

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Please dis-regard the last statement of my last reply. That was meant for another forum, sorry about that.
Have a great day...Bill

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