Dad and high blood pressure ....

[ringasiting]

My dad is 81
Everytime he goes to the gp he gets really anxious
Sweats ,goes bright red and his blood pressure is sky high.
Gets out and he is fine
This has gone on for over 15 years with the yearly check.
It's the same routine,he goes and they say high blood pressure come back in two weeks,he goes back all worked up and they say you need a portable monitor.
They give a monitor and the average readings are fine.
Last year they said well we want to give you a blood pressure medication
He took it and this year gone back and it's high just the same (even tho his on medication)
He explained he was nervous and went bright red.
They have said okay take two of your blood pressure tablets and come back in two weeks.

Basically they take no notice that it's happened for the last 15 years.
Would you increase the dose ?
Even tho you can bet your life when he isn't in that situation he is fine.

Medication he takes is amlodipine

White Coat syndrome is a thing. I would do home readings with him.

I would buy a home blood pressure machine, record it daily at home for a week and go back to the GP with the home readings and ask if he still needs to increase his meds based on those readings.

My DH is exactly the same "white coat syndrome". Depends how high is high! DH has been on ramipril for many years, now amlodipine as well, and his dose has been doubled from 5mg to 10mg.. they will get him to take his BP randomly daily for a mean average. A couple of years ago it was very high, they gave him a 48 hour monitor to wear.

My home Readings were 120/79 in the gp it went to 147/95. The machine was calibrated. As soon as I step into the surgery i start to sweat and shake.

Well over the years it's gone to 230/80 in the GP then the home monitor was 118/80
120/80 etc
Today was 170 over 80 I think or 75
Like I say this has been going on for 15 years.

Even things like going to the vets /debtist with his dog he gets so anxious
He will shake and go red etc

Also my Dad is 81 but no health issues except this.
He does his own shopping
Rides his bike/walks
Good social life etc
He at the minute needs no help from me with anything (touch wood )

My GP never takes any notice of my surgery readings,he's stopped doing them now, I do them at home before my appt . Get a monitor and do it at home with him OP.

@LoafofSellotape the nurses are normally the ones who tell him come back ,come back
The doctor is a lot more laid back as he knows the history etc
It was the nurse who told him to increase his dose
He refused

Does he have any evidence of end organ hypertensive damage? White coat hypertension is not completely innocent and does need a bit of thinking about.

It's really common. White coat syndrome.

@Greybeardy no nothing like that

The way to get round this is to turn up at his annual review appointment next year with a week's worth of home blood pressure readings and ask them to use those instead of the surgery readings. White coat syndrome is very common and they should be used to this.

It's mad because they worry about the blood pressure yet them asking him repeatedly to go back is causing it

Exactly this

This