Blood Pressure

[LightandAiry]

I am going through a stressful time

Blood pressure is high; just been to the chemist again to get it checked similar to last week at 151/88. I think it is temporary I have a lot going on.

I can fill in an E Consult for the GP. Does anybody have any experience of going on medication with a similar blood pressure reading?

No, but from experience of other family members, as the second figure is under 90, I think there's a good chance that the first response will be lifestyle changes and monitoring

Ideally your blood pressure should be less than 120/80.

Assuming you don't have any other health conditions that put you at higher risk, your GP will diagnose you will high blood pressure if it is consistently more than 140/90 -both numbers have to be below the target.

It's likely the first response will be to suggest more monitoring and if it isn't a one off, lifestyle changes - losing weight, being more active, stopping smoking, cutting down on salt and so on.

My gp would only prescribe meds once it was consistently over 160/90 they may ask you to do a 24hr monitoring

Absolutely, the first steps are to monitor over several days.

Having your blood pressure taken in a one off event is one of those things that cannot reliably be done without it impacting the reading. The worry that it might be too high sends it high.

The device that monitors over several days will give a much more reliable reading. Then your GP will know what's, if anything, to recommend.

Good luck.

Thanks for replies.....my lifestyle is fairly healthy but the stress can't be changed any time soon. I have to look at ways of managing stress my Dad died recently and it's been non stop

@LightandAiry

I am going through a stressful time

Blood pressure is high; just been to the chemist again to get it checked similar to last week at 151/88. I think it is temporary I have a lot going on.

I can fill in an E Consult for the GP. Does anybody have any experience of going on medication with a similar blood pressure reading?

If you have a lot going on you might want to calm stuff down first. When My mum was rushed to hospital with a heart attack I tested my blood pressure a few days later, it was 172/96, within a few weeks it was back to normal. Short bursts of high blood pressure as part of a stress response is not an issue that needs medicating, it will come back down as soon as the stress response calms down.

We medicate at consistant readings of either number over 140/90, best done at home. Buy your own machine, record at different times over several days then see your GP if still worried.