bp 147/102 whilst on bp medication?

[cartblanche]

I have been on bp medication (losartan) for a year and can muddle along with normal readings for a while. But, if I do anything remotely stressful or am iN a remotely stressful situation I get a reading like 147/103. The stressful situation can be being in the car with the kids while they squabble, having someone over for a cup of coffee (and the tidying up I do ahead of it!) chatting with people I haven't met before etc.... so really day to day stuff that I should be able to deal with. I went to sleep tonight after feeling uptight and getting the aforementioned reading and then took my bp when I woke up three hours later - It was back to 124/82 nice and normal bUt my resting heart rate was 84 bpm - That' s bad isn't I t? I often wonder whether I should be on a longterm drug that doesn't actually deal with my spikes of high blood pressure - I often think I should be just given a pill that deals with my body when it freaks through real or imagined stress - anyone else have a similar experience?

You should probably be asking your doctor for advice. Sorry I cant help you.

My BP is around 100/60 so a complete contrast and I dont know what my resting heart rate is.

As you seem to have identified your stress triggers, you need to look at ways of how to reduce this. Do you do yoga or something similar where you can train your breathing. It does really make a difference. People often say "take a deep breath" and this is because it can have a calming effect. However, most of us need to be retrained on how to breathe deeply and what the benefits are.

You dont really want to be relying on drugs so alternative stress relievers are the key of what to investigate.

Good luck.

And if people visiting you causes you stress, dont let them visit for a while and explain, but in a way that they will help you rather than criticise you.

Are you stressing yourself out by taking a reading too often? I think even people with normal bp get temporary rises in situations like you've described.

Maybe ask the GP what's the best time to take a reading and do it at that time each day. But yes, go and see them if worried.

Thank you. I think some form of breathing/meditative exercises would be my preferred route. Have never felt comfortable doing yoga never got in the right frame of mind. Don't want to up my medication (yet).

Hi Cartblanche. I find yoga too much and really struggle with the breathing, but I am being pushed down breathing training at the moment, and I know it does help, but it is like having to relearn how to breathe.
But it does help

Iamseeingstars - Do you mind me asking how you are relearning to breathe? I went googling some months back on this subject and there were just so many options. Many were meditation orientated and, although I like the idea of meditation I am personally put off by the stuff surrounding it (mysticism/religion etc.) It's like I want to be taught a really no-nonsense technique without having to buy into an ideology.

There is some gadget you can buy that teaches you how to breathe more slowly and lower your heart rate/bp. I can't remember what its called, sorry, but remember seeing it during google sessions over my own slightly high BP!

It is normal to have spikes - and if you have 'labile' blood pressure, as I do, thats pretty much how its going to go. The important thing is that your resting BP is ok, and that your heart isn't working at that pressure all the time.

I would talk to GP again, but also look into relaxation techniques.

Elibean - I think I saw something like that when I was googling! I saw a clip of Dr Chris on This Morning demonstrating it. It's quite an expensive bit of kit and I went on ebay and saw that there were loads on sale there on a "Buy it Now" basis for about £100. There were some that had obviously been bought and not used or barely used and I just wondered whether that was because the seller had found they didn't work for them. I may revisit so thanks for reminding me!

I also ended up on sites for Acem (sp?) meditation that appealed for its non-religious aspect. Was developed in Norway but all the people doing it seemed very young - couldn't work out if it was a personal development thing or not. So many of these "meditation" techniques seem to meld into NLP/Personal Development and one (the name of which I can't remember now) sounded really promising until it started talking about reaching "Christ Consciousness" or something. I'm too much of a cynic and that doesn't help my blood pressure either!

£100? Really? Wow. yes, I do remember thinking they were a bit too pricey to buy unless I really was sure I needed it. But they had rave reviews

Definitely avoid meditation techniques that raise the blood pressure

Why don't you ask Liz at the Blood Pressure Association website - she is their resident nurse who you can either email or telephone for advice. She is very helpful.

I would say put away the bp monitor. Checking yourself when you know there will be spikes (and we all have them when dealing with stressfull situations) isnt going to help. The fact your BP after rest was lower is a good sign

Spikes in blood pressure are completely normal - no-one receives blood pressure medication just because their blood pressure spikes high readings from time to time, they get blood pressure medication because their blood pressure is always high, regardless of the amount of stress they are under or their levels of activity. The fact that your blood pressure is now normal most of the time is therefore a good sign that the medication is working, albeit it is worth going back to your GP to check, given that it is clearly worrying you. As for meditation, I know that a form of mindfulness meditation is often recommended (often alongside cognitive behavioural therapy), for people suffering from chronic pain, severe stress, terminal illness, severe anxiety, depression, OCD, addictions etc, to help them cope and reduce their symptoms, because it has been shown to work for some people, and I'm sure the religious element in it must have been largely expunged prior to its recommended use in this field. You could try looking up Jon Kabat-Zinn if you are interested in this?

Off to look up Jon Kabat-Zinn