Hypertension/Anxiety

[Lori2006]

My fiance just went to the dr. for anxiety and acid reflux. His concerns about anxiety were ignored and his blood pressure was high because he was terrified of the dr. I know, because I've seen him have panic attacks in the waiting room and then leave thinking he was going to die if he didn't get out of there. But he wanted some releif from the anxiety and trusted his dr. His anxiety discussion was ignored by the dr. who was more conserned about his high blood pressure. We were wondering if this fear and anxiety can cause high blood pressure. It was off the scale, but you should see him waiting for the dr. We also wondered if the high blood pressure could cause anxiety? I'm trying to get him to seek an other opinion ... but it was all I could do to get him to the first apt.

Meanwhile, he's on blood pressure medication and it's making him feel funny. Should we call the dr. again and see if they have something else, move on to an other dr. that will listen to us or just take the blood presure medicine as prescribed anyway? It's only been a couple of days. I tried to talk him into taking only half the pill because it's making him dizzy and I read that that means it's too much.

[bbeck]

Hi there,

My name is Rebecca and I have had anxiety for quite some time. I think that he should really be on anxiety medication instead. If in doubt I think you should always go for a second opinion.

[zionlion]

Hi. i have been dealing with anxiety for about 6 months now and It's hard to control. One important thing about the blood pressure is that it will kill you if you don't contol it. My husband was diagnosed with high blood pressure right after I was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder. The medication made him feel "funny" for a little while too but he is doing alot better now and heis blood pressure has gone down. I would suggest getting treatment for both, but he won't have to worry about the anxiety if he dies of a heat attack from the blood pressure. just something to think about.

[post]

i would suggest talking to your primary care doctor. i would not suggest adjusting his medication at all. call the office, ask for his nurse...the nurse is actually the best
go to person. they will listen to you and talk with the doc.- if he is on a Beta Blocker (atenolol or inderal) it will help with anxiety. if this doesn't work get another doc.

[allan]

hi, there I've been dealing with anxiety and hypertension for more than a year and I'm taking atenolol for my hypertension but the best medicine is a regular exercise and breathing exercises combined with good diet. For just a week i feel better and my blood pressure dropped to 110/70 from 150/90 and my anxiety is gone.

[Chris P]

We actually have an affiliated doctor who answers questions like this on our website. Check these 2 out, they may help:

Q: My blood pressure is way up due to a high level of anxiety. Can this device and counseling help me?

A: Anxiety is just one of many factors that cause high blood pressure. Regular use of the RESPeRATE has been clinically shown to lower blood pressure. It is the only device cleared by the FDA to treat hypertension and reduce stress. It does not have the side effects associated with medications to treat high blood pressure.

Q: Will RESPeRATE help control anxiety associated with having your blood pressure taken?

A: Many people suffer from “white coat hypertension”. With this condition, blood pressure readings are higher than normal when measured in a doctor’s office as compared to those taken at home. Use of the RESPeRATE has been shown to lower blood pressure readings taken in both the home and the office setting. The RESPeRATE uses calming music to guide you through the breathing exercises that lower your blood pressure. For individuals who fear blood pressure measurement, even when taken at home, remembering the RESPeRATE melody during readings may help you overcome your fear and get a more accurate measurement.

Chris P.

[randomness]

I recently went to the doctor and she noticed my blood pressure was lower than the last time, significantly lower, despite not that much of a time lapse between visits, and similar medications/diet in the course of both recordings. What she didn't facotr in was my use of Lidoderm patches (transdermal lidocaine) which acts as both a a local anaesthetic (handy for numbing the pain before shots) and also tends to lower your blood pressure and pulse. I would be quite, quite careful though in mixing lidocaine with another blood pressure drug, of course, but it may be an option to consider in consultation with your doctor, and yes we all know non-medical treatments are the best first-line approach (aka controlled breathing, meditation, that sort of thing), but for me, a long time sufferer of white coat hypertension, lidoderm really does the trick, you just put a piece of gauze-like patch on your skin 30-60 minutes before the visit and you should feel calm (this technique can however result in inaccurate blood pressure readings, since you are not at baseline, so thats an important thing to keep in mind).
Teddy

[mgl]

Stress and anxiety can raise blood pressure, but there are some other factors that may contribute to high blood pressure. It would be a good idea to monitor his blood pressure to know for sure if the increase is caused only by anxiety/stress.

[Peakateth]

I have been diagnosed as hypertensive since I was 21. I'm now 32. I have been on several medications and I don't see much improvements in my bp. I am currently on atenolol and norvasc (god knows why they are prescribing me 2 different meds). After taking these meds, at times I do find my bp drops to as low as 117/65. On average I am around the 130/80 range. However, recently I just gave birth and suddenly my bp has become quite unstable. This condition is worsen with the build up of anxiety. I have always been a nervous person, but this is nothing I have ever experienced before. I had my first anxiety attack 2 days ago - it was sudden heart race / palpatitions. Good thing I had xanax with me at the time (prescribed by doctor as I complained of my build-up anxiety) and took a pill. 5 mins later I was calmer but my blood pressure did not go down until hours after. I was worried what I exoerienced was a heart attack, but thank god it was not. My ECG is normal in spite of my bp taken at the clinic hitting the ceiling at 178/94!!! (did i mention that i have white-coat hypertension?). In my case, I might have been wrongly diagnosed as having hypertension when I was 21. I have always hated going to hospitals.. or seeing doctors or nurses and having my bp taken. All these will definitely make me nervous. But whenever I tell the doctors that it may be due to anxiety, they'd usually brush it off and concentrate on my high bp and keep prescribing me high doses of it. Unfortunately, they don't bring my bp down to the ultimate range, plus it also gives me side effects such as dizziness and vertigo.

Anyone with similar experience, do share... I am currently looking into trying homeopathic products.

[Peakateth]

I have been diagnosed as hypertensive since I was 21. I'm now 32. I have been on several medications and I don't see much improvements in my bp. I am currently on atenolol and norvasc (god knows why they are prescribing me 2 different meds). After taking these meds, at times I do find my bp drops to as low as 117/65. On average I am around the 130/80 range. However, recently I just gave birth and suddenly my bp has become quite unstable. This condition is worsen with the build up of anxiety. I have always been a nervous person, but this is nothing I have ever experienced before. I had my first anxiety attack 2 days ago - it was sudden heart race / palpatitions. Good thing I had xanax with me at the time (prescribed by doctor as I complained of my build-up anxiety) and took a pill. 5 mins later I was calmer but my blood pressure did not go down until hours after. I was worried what I experienced was a heart attack, but thank god it was not. My ECG is normal in spite of my bp taken at the clinic hitting the ceiling at 178/94!!! (did i mention that i have white-coat hypertension?). In my case, I might have been wrongly diagnosed as having hypertension when I was 21. I have always hated going to hospitals.. or seeing doctors or nurses and having my bp taken. All these will definitely make me nervous. But whenever I tell the doctors that it may be due to anxiety, they'd usually brush it off and concentrate on my high bp and keep prescribing me high doses of it. Unfortunately, they don't bring my bp down to the ultimate range, plus it also gives me side effects such as dizziness and vertigo.

Anyone with similar experience, do share... I am currently looking into trying homeopathic products.