Dangerous Blood Pressure?

Question

I went to my doctor yesterday b/c my blood pressure was too high.I knew it was,i felt horrible all day..They took it,and it was 170/104.He gave me meds for it.I took it again this morning,early,and it was 153/102 resting...is this dangerously high?Should i call my doc back?Or does the meds take a few days to work?

I have high blood pressure.its hereditary,im afraid.

Answer 1

write down your numbers.

bring you monitor to your docs office to see it it's accurate.

your doctor should have given you more instructions. call his/her office and find out what they are.

you don't say much about your medical history. it would seem to me that you need to find out what the cause is, not just treat the symptoms. i suggest you be evaluated to see if you have a cardiac condition or perhaps a kidney problem causing this. good luck.

Answer 2

Hello,

153/102 is not 'dangerously' high in the short term. High blood pressure is a problem which in the long term, - over a number of years, - makes the heart and arteries wear out faster than they normally do.

First, the heart has to do all this extra work to produce the raised blood pressure, and as it gets stronger it gets bigger in the chest. Enlargement of the heart can be seen on an X-ray of the chest.

The arterial piping has to hold this extra pressure inside itself. This causes arterio-sclerosis or 'hardening of the arteries,' to happen at a younger age than normal, and there is an increased risk of coronary thrombosis, (blocking of a heart artery), or sometimes blockage or rupture of a brain artery, producing a stroke.

The kidneys are quite sensitive to raised blood pressure, and you can get protein in your urine as a result.

Nearly all of this can be avoided by controlling your blood pressure on a day-to-day basis.

I don't think there are likely to be any sudden effects, no. The blood pressure medication can take a day or two to work. Ideally your blood pressure should be less than about 130/85 on treatment.

Are you so sure that you know it's hereditary, that your doc doesn't need to do all the usual blood tests, X-rays and electrical heart tests? I should still let him do them, if I were you. :)

Hope this is of some help. Beliiger (retired UK GP)

Answer 3

It usually takes at least 2 weeks for blood pressure meds to really have an effect.
In the meantime, reduce caffeine and sodium consumption and, if you smoke, quit.
But also, BP is always high in the morning. Try taking it in the evening when you've had some time to wind down from the day.

Answer 4

Both comments above this one give excellent advice.

Your meds will certainly take a few days to work properly but it could also be that your doctor will change the combination of your medications, change the dose a little, or change to a different type of tablet.

There are a big range of possible blood pressure medications available and it can be a bit of trial and error at first for your doctor to find the combination that works best for you as an individual.