High blood pressure - advice please?

[HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend]

I’ve had consistency high blood pressure from end of August.

GP has advised to monitor.

For the last week it’s ranged between 151/96 to 145/98

This morning GP has advised to continue monitoring, would you be happy with this?

I've been on BP tablets for years and still have a BP of a similar level. I'm always just told to monitor it.

A couple of weeks ago it went through the roof (the top figure was 192).

I've now been put on additional tablets and it's dropped considerably.

Continue to monitor!!!!

Are you monitoring at home or are those readings in the doctor’s surgery?

@SheikhDjibouti both.

My GP has suggested for all for my blood.pressure high since July. My brother (almost same levels) got put on tablets straight away. It seems to be a gendered aspect of medicine.

Seems on the high side if you’re monitoring at home but borderline if it’s at the surgery?

Our local nurse suggested that to aim for below 140/90 if taken at the surgery and 135/85 if taken at home. I don’t know if this is applicable to all middle aged women though.

I was there on Friday @SheikhDjibouti and they’ve recorded my readings on the NHS app, this was this mornings.

It’s been consistently the same whether home or it’s been taken at the surgery.

Your home average should be less than 135 top number, <85 bottom number.

on the figures you have shared you have stage 1 hypertension.

It’s reasonable for your GP to be recommending life style changes (weight, salt, exercise, alcohol/ smoking) as this things- if you really do make any changes that can be made- can see you BP fall into normal range. There’s lots of info about lifestyle changes which can help lower BP on the nhs website.

If all of these things are optimal and no improvement, your GP should be discussing medication. As a baseline they should be doing bloods, checking urine for protein and a baseline ECG.

As you are young all the more reason not to slide into complacency (which you are not): the younger you are the longer there is for high blood pressure to damage the delicate lining of your arteries (which is what causes blood pressure related complications down the line). I wouldn’t be panicking immediately- treating blood pressure with these numbers is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s about your long term health risk.

You can always book to see another GP in the surgery to chat further about your numbers and concerns- or a clinical pharmacist if they have one.

I’ve just turned 40, I drink alcohol possibly once per week, I’ve never smoked, fairly physically active (gym 4 x per week) and a parent to 2 physically active boys, work full time etc..

We eat a fairly healthly diet 95% of the time it’s all home cooked food

GP hasn’t given any recommendations other than to keep monitoring.

no protein in urine, I am on the waiting list for a ECH 24 hour however that’s not due to BP (heart fluttering)

Maybe see another GP and outline your concerns?

We eat a fairly healthly diet 95% of the time it’s all home cooked food

I thought that too, until I started recording food on myfitnesspal app, and realised that, although home cooked, my diet was less healthy than I realised. This might be worth a look

That’s why I’ve asked @SheikhDjibouti

I’ve raised a formal complaint with my surgery as I’ve seen 3 different GP’s all of whom have have different diagnosis and contradicted each even saying the other GP’s are wrong and with holding medication that the others have prescribed and this is just another bullet point to this complaint.

However wanted to gage opinions if this was me being OTT.

Try eating beetroot regularly, provided you aren’t prone to kidney stones (beetroot is high in oxalates)

That sounds really rubbish @HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend

Re diet - have you tried cutting right down on salt?

I would have thought the GP, after this period of monitoring, would be talking to you about options. I was put on medication for numbers similar to yours but I am overweight and less active than you so probably at higher risk. My cousin who has high blood pressure but is thin and active wasn't put on tablets as her GP felt her risk of Cardio vascular disease was low. However her GP took time to explain her risks and different options.

My blood pressure was MUCH higher than this 9 months ago. No other symptoms so GP discussed options re lifestyle changes first or starting medication straight away. I thought I was already doing ok with healthy eating and regular exercise but opted to try without medication. I really looked at my diet and how much hidden salt there was - a few surprises here - increased exercise and paid more attention to how much I was eating. Since then I have lost over a stone in weight and for the past 4 months my blood pressure has been stable around 120/70. Like others my GP advised that me readings should be below 135/85 at home, 140/90 in surgery. So before complaining about medication being withheld, I would maybe review what lifestyle changes you have put into place and look if there os anything else you can do.