White-coat syndrome

[Dinny]

I think I've got this - keep getting so stressed when having BP measured. GP thinks I have high BP but I am sure it's cos I am so scared. Any tips on chilling out and getting a low reading? I get sweating palms and feel my heart is jumping out of chest when he takes it! ARGH!!

I get this (always treatably high) if I have BP measured at GP's.
We've reached a compromise that I have it read at the surgery at work. It's never high there !
Strange, isn't it.

Buy a home monitor- an electrical one and take the reading at home. Some surgeries lend them out as well.

Dinny I used to get this too when preg. If midwife took it BP was normal and if GP took it was high sorry no tips!

Called White Coat hypertension and it is common in pregnancy and when not pregnant. If they are worried, get them to do a 24 recording of your BP, as you will calm down with time and the reading will become more accurate.

Getting the Practice nurse or midwife to do it may also lower the BP.

I am so stressed about it (won't help) was 140/94 last time!!!! I am quite thin/ns/don't drink much/gym six times a week. have had blood tests and all ok (except low potassium). Stupid Gp says I may have to go on medication - NO WAY!! I know in myself it is stress - and getting worse! May ask for the 24 hour thing. can't believe Gp suggested medication without that first! Am v angry and upset!!

our posts crossed, hmb. the nurse did it the other day and it was up - I start having a racing heart the moment anyone straps it on my arm. is racgin now just thinking about it. just don't know how I will ever get a normal reading.

Not all practices have them, but you can ask. They are more acurate all round. Try relaxation techniques? Breathing as per labour?? Try not to get upset, easier said than done I know. As Jimjams says a home monitor might help.

Don't they say that the bottom figure isn't affected by emtotion (well, GP said that). Surely it must be?

May buy home monitor - to get used to the feeling. Are they pricey, do you know?

It tends not to be affected by emotion, and it is the lower figure that treatment seeks to reduce to around 140/85 (present UK guidelines). You can get systolic hypertension without diastolic, but this is more common in the elderly and isolated systolic hypertension is not treated AFAICR (I'm not a Doc BTW, but I used to work in the medical department for a company that makes antihypertensives)

Thanks, Hmb, do you know if low potassium can affect bp? I am being treated for low levels - wonder if it may help...?

No work experience for this but a quick google found this

content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/320/18/1177

NEJM is a very reputable medical journal, so it would seem that the answer may be yes, at least over the short term.

HTH, discuss it with your GP

Dinny, if you do decide to buy a monitor to use at home, the ones you strap on your arm are supposed to be much better than the wrist ones (dh bought a wrist one and found the readings were a bit erratic, then a GP friend of ours told us the other type are much better, so we have both now - and we do get better readings from the arm one).

Thanks! Just been to gym and got the instructor to do my BP - was fine until band went round it then just broke out into manic sweat/heart raced. Instructor thinks I am mental. Even higher than previous readings. I'm at my wits end.

Dinny - there is a good chance here that you do actually have high blood pressure. We had monitors that were bought from a well known company (BOOTS) that were found not to read accurately. Don't panic Dinny - you may actually need some medication. If you would like to make sure it is not just a reaction to your blood pressure being taken, you should ask for it to be assessed by the practce nurse when you are at home, or have consecutive readings.
A friend of mine has high blood pressure that was detected at the gym but she feels so much better now that she is on medication to control it. Tell your GP how you feel and that you want more extensive monitoring before medication is prescribed.

But, Mears, I can't go on medication - I am too young aren't I (30)? How old is your friend? Plus, what about all the side-effects? What about having another baby?

dinny, i'm 28 & have been on medication for high blood pressure for about 6 years. i've got a 21 month old ds & we're thinking about the next one. most of the bp drugs AREN'T suitable to take when you're pg, but one of them, methyldopa, is fine. all they do is swap you over when you start thinking about ttc. it really isn't a big deal, just one or two tablets a day. hope this is reassuring you rather than scaring you

but that's so young, Hoxtonchick- thought it was older people that got it.

do you have side-effects?

well, i have diabetes too, so i get lots of poking & prodding around..... no side effects that i'm aware of, but then i've been on them so long that i can't really remember. i don't think about it much, but when i do, i figure it's better to know about potential problems & do something effective to prevent them than not know & get a nasty surprise. i too think that my bp goes up when the dr takes it, but still reckon it's better to be safe rather than sorry. oh dear, now i sound all doom & gloom & it really isn't!

which sort are you on? do you know why you may have it? cos of diabetes? sorry for all the questions. I just can't understand WHY I have it, if I do.

ps. did you feel better when you went on medication? I'm not aware that I feel ill. just stressed out.

when i'm not ttc/pg, i take lisinopril (an ace inhibitor) & atenolol (beta blocker). i'm on methyldopa at the moment (ttc), & think i was on labetalol when breastfeeding. the ace inhibitors are particularly good if you have diabetes as they protect your kidneys, so this wouldn't apply to you.

no, never had an answer to why i have it. if you have diabetes you are at greater risk of having high blood pressure, but that's generally type 2 diabetes (the type that older people tend to get) & i have a different type. my gp recently ran some blood tests but couldn't find anything unusual. sorry, this is turning into a bit of a medical lecture.

you probably will feel better taking medication. psychologically, i feel better knowing that i'm doing something to cope with the problem, if that makes sense. can't think what else to say that's reassuring, but i'm sure you'll be fine.

Thanks, Hoxtonchick. I am so anti the idea of any medication. Don't even take the pill. but I suppose there may not be a choice...

Can I ask you how high your BP was when they decided you should go on med?

really sorry, dinny, but it was ages ago & i can't remember. but with the diabetes (i sound like a stuck record) they tend to start medication at lower readings than if you don't have it 'cos it matters more about keeping it under control. it was 120/82 when i had it checked a few weeks ago though, i was very proud! actually, i find that just taking a couple of pills a day to keep my blood pressure under control is infinitely better than sticking needles into myself every time i want to eat something . they're really little & easy to swallow, honest .

My friend was 39 and her blood pressure was 176/120. Really high. She fely tired all the time and the medication has made a difference.
If you have high blood pressure that goes untreated you are at risk of heart disease and stroke. Many women have babies whilst on medication for blood pressure. You may not need medication Dinny - you might just need a proper assessment of your blood pressure over a period of time. We have women come to the hospital whose blood pressuer appears to be up, but when you check it every 15 mins on an automatic blood pressuer machine it settles as they relax more. Talk to your doctor about your concerns regarding medication and that you want a full assessment first.

Poor you, Hoxtonchick. I find it hard to handle the thought of taking drugs for the rest of my life. I am in shock that I may have to. Thought I was really healthy.

sorry you feel so shocked, dinny, it's a horrid thing to find out. i just want to reasssure you that it doesn't affect my life at all & once you get used to popping the pills, hopefully you won't notice. e-mail me if you want to talk more.