a question about blood pressure?

Question

my husband is 33 and has high blood pressure, it wont come down lower than 168/118. hes been on pills from the docs for about 10 days but his BP has gone up. there is a history of anurisms in his family, his dad died only a few years ago from 1 and i am worried that this might be a contributing factor to this problem. doc want to see him again next week but i was just wondering if anyone out there of about the same age suffers from the same problem. any advise would be gratefully accepted. thanks every1 and have a happy new year xx

Answer 1

Ok, first of all he is at a huge risk walking around with a pressure that high and a bad family history.

If i had seen your husband (I am a cardiologist) I would not have let him leave with a trial of a medication. We do that when people do not have the risk factors he does. It would be wiser to admit him for 24 to 48 hours and bring the pressure down before he leaves the hospital.
Its true that it can take a while for the pressure to come down but the important thing is it doesnt have to be that way.

I dont want to imply anything bad about your MD, but alot of times docs will start a medication and see the patient back in a few weeks just because their schedule is too full or because the insurance will not cover two visits in a short period.

Not knowing much else about his health, other things being normal I would have started him on a beta blocker and an ACE-Inhibitor or an ARB agent with a mild diuretic.

Get your self a Good BP measuring device. I mean a good one as it looks like he will be needing it for a long time (frequent home checks) A and D Medical makes a good one. model number UA-767 plus BT. now that one has a blue tooth capibility, which you wont need so look to see if they also make one without the BT, or if its priced right just get it. Most of the good ones are around a hundred bucks. Dont get the wrist ones as they dont work well.

I hope this helped, if you have any questions just e mail me. good luck and make sure he see's someone right away

Answer 2

My bp spiked at 246/168. Drs had everyone worried, especially me. The cardiologist had me on small doses of 3 medications, and we stabilized in the neighborhood of 160/110. I had no energy, no will to do anything. Last spring I went to a different Dr for a second opinion. First thing she did was throw away one of the medications the cardiologist had put me on and put me on a 'water pill'. She also suggested trying daily doses of magnesium and omega 3 fish oil. She said a glass of red wine a day won't hurt either. I have my blood pressure back to normal, was 112/76 yesterday when I donated blood at the Red Cross, and I have been able to ween myself off all the other meds except the 'water pill', which my new Dr suggest I stick with to help repair any possible kidney damage from when my bp was so dangerously high. I'm not suggesting anyone to quit taking their meds, but it can't hurt to get a 2nd opinion! I feel GREAT these days!

Answer 3

I also have hypertension. If your husband was just diagnosed, they may have to try another medicine to get his BP down. I am quite concerned with the bottom number of his BP though.... Maybe he should call his doctor about that.

The anurism that your husbands father died from was likely caused by high blood pressure, not the other way around. Unless your husband gets his BP under control he too could suffer an anurism.

Oh, I am 35, and have been treated for hypertension for... about 7 years I guess.

Answer 4

3 years ago, I was diagnosed - hypertension with a reading of 160/100. I used to feel dizzy a lot, my legs had awful cramps, and levels were very low in my potassium, causing my fingers and toes to always cramp together. One day I started to feel really faint while I was driving with my daughter in the back seat and I passed out, hitting 3 cars and ending up in a ditch. That moment,I knew I had to do something because my meds weren't working. I heard about this diet from a friend and thought I'd give it a shot. The results have been remarkable. In just 21 days, I honestly can't remember feeling this good, my blood pressure went from 175/110 to 125/70.

Answer 5

My mom has had high blood pressure due to kidney problems for a while now. Finally lowered the pressure wtih Meds, and they have found 2 aneurysms in her brain. Both small, and easily repairable once they are large enough to repair. Over and above the meds, time to make some lifestyle changes. Has the cause of the high blood pressure been determined? (Primary Hypertension- blood pressure without cause, Secondary Hypertension- high blood pressure due to other system problems) All questions to ask. As stated above, cut out salt. Mrs. Dash makes wonderful salt free seasonings. Do not use substitute salt as this can have a bad reaction with many meds for the high blood pressure, go figure!!

Answer 6

He could request a brain scan (MRI) to check for aneurysms. If there are any, they will show up.

Very high blood pressure over a period of time would certainly increase the risk of weakening the walls of an aneurysm if it were present.

It may take some time and a combination of drugs to get your husband's blood pressure under control. Be patient and try to put in place all the lifestyle choices which will help too - diet, exercise, give up cigarettes, lose weight, eat plant esters and pinhead oatmeal etc.

Good luck. Just because there is a family history of aneurysms doesn't mean your husband has one.

Answer 7

Well, first off, as has been noted in some of the other answers, give the meds a chance to work, they don't always act right away (though you should see some change pretty quickly, to have no effect after 2 weeks suggests failure of that particular drug).
Secondly, high blood pressure is relatively uncommon in people as young as your husband, so it's probably worthwhile to talk to your doctor about working him up for secondary hypertension (sometimes, in about 5% of cases, we can find a definate cause for the high blood pressure, in which case the treatment is directed at the cause rather than just at the blood pressure itself).

Answer 8

My husband has high blood pressure. It took seven different combinations of drugs to bring it down. Some of the drugs affected his stomach and made him sick. In all it took 6 months to find the right medication.
We only found out by accident that he had high blood pressure, so goodness
knows how long he has had it. He now exersises every day, is on a low fat, low sugar diet - he has lost almost a stone which has helped enormously
His BP is now normal, but he will have to stay on the meds for the rest of his life. Invest in a monitor, they are worth their weight in gold.

Answer 9

I am 32 and suffer from hbp as well. I don't know how much your husband weighs, but if he is overwieght, as I am, the meds only help so much. I am currently using the South Beach Diet and exercising daily. This seems to be helping much more than the meds. My bp has dropped from 176/120 to 138/98 and is showing a downward trend with the more weight I lose and the better shape I get my body in. Hope this helps.

Answer 10

I have high blood pressure and have come to realise not all people take the same medication, i am on beta-blockers several of my friends are not. The main thing is diet e.g. eat fresh vegetables and fruit, keep off salt; even a tin of peas contains salt. Get him to go for walks nothing too strenuous to start but regularly every day, and he should be fine. Good luck and Happy New Year.