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Anxiety and high blood pressure

Posted , 40 users are following.

mark45877
mark45877

Hi I was wondering how may people have high blood pressure with anxiety. When I'm relaxed my bp is normally 130/78. If I'm anxious it can easily go up to 180/90 it's pretty scary! If I can relax it takes about 2 mins to go back to around 140/80.

With my anxiety this worries me the most I'm on BP medication which keeps it check most of the time with some awful side effects.

I've had all the tests done over the years which have all been good. My GP assures me my anxiety does this to me and it's nothing to worry about. Unfortunately when all this started 5 years ago I googled high BP and over 180 is an hypertensive crisis and you should immediately go to the hospital.

When I had my first panic attack 5 years ago which started this madness my BP was 230/110/150 it was the worst day of my life.

Over the years my anxiety has sometimes just vanished and at one stage went for about 8 months. Lately it has come back. I can handle everything about it the pain/ palpitations dizziness feeling awful. Buts it the high blood pressure that worries me. I had a complete medical as recent as 3 weeks ago which was fine for my age 57.

Do other people have Blood pressure issues with their anxiety?

4 likes, 59 replies

59 Replies

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  • paul20990
    paul20990 mark45877

    Edited

    Hello,

    I know that I am a little late to the party, but it is nice to hear of people with the same problems that I am having, and have been having for a few years now. I have suffered from anxiety disorder for almost my entire life. I am 43 now, and started when I was 12. There have been a couple years here and there where it wasn't so bad, or just did not affect me at all, but over the last few years it has affected my blood pressure as well. Just today while I was at work I checked it and it had shot up to 168/98. All of this was because I stressed out. My GP has me on a very low dose Beta blocker, but I find myself terrified of taking it because I am afraid that with my luck, I will be that 0.02% who has a severe allergic reaction to it, and my throat will close up. That is probably just my anxiety talking though. I am so sorry that you all are going through this too, I wouldn't wish this on my worse enemy. I wish you all a speedy recovery, and all the best.

    Thanks,

    Paul

  • alison0512
    alison0512 mark45877

    Edited

    I am so terrified of my BP and the thought of it being taken sends my anxiety through the roof.i stupidly took my bp at home and it was high 170/100 and now I have got myself so anxious I am crying and shaking unable to think of anything else.i am on Ramapril 2.5mg and not due a review only took it out of curiosity but the minute the cuff starts to inflate I just panic and the reading goes higher.

    if you know a way to calm down I can when I am relaxed which takes a while get it at around 135/85 so I think that's more " normal " for me.any advice welcome but its nice to know I am not on my own in my fear and health anxiety.

  • catapam
    catapam mark45877

    Edited

    Hi Mark,

    I am so glad that I found your post

    I am also 57

    I had a BP measurement yesterday in doctor office and I went to 163/100 than I did not believe and requested another one and this time went to 183/103

    Unfortunately during the doctor talking with my wife about Corona and the vaccine and other things that change my mood.

    In 2019 my blood pressure was on average 123/79 but in 2020 143/90 and all this was negative impact of Corona

    Now coming home I wanted to check my BP again. My hear bounding, my pulse went to 100 from normal 72-73 and again 174/101

    I went on FB in order to find some comfort but there one guy told me a story about my heart exploding because of systolic and never rest because of diastolic more than 90 so my anxiety went up quite fast.

    Now the problem is no longer medical because BP pills will help lowering BP but anxiety, the trigger, will stay there.

    So yes I will read all the advices and I will try to find a way to get rid of anxiety in order not to get depressed.

    I already get depression because fear of disease some years ago and I know how bad can be.

    What I need is to change my mood.

    I will also not take BP for a while.

    Here is a trade, will be always people saying

    • run to the doctor
    • you will become very ill or you are at risk of dying

      Those people do not have bad intention for people that do not have anxiety disorders, but for us is like throwing a bomb

    All the best

  • saj73821
    saj73821 mark45877

    Posted

    Hi Mark, I'm 34. On Wednesday I was rushed to the hospital thinking I was getting an heart attack.

    My blood pressure was above 200+ my heart started beating like crazy,I felt dizzy, the taste in my mouth changed, I had pin and needle feeling in my brain & also burred vision.

    I have been given Amlodipine to relax my heart & to he honest. I don't feel any different. I feels like I automatically stopped breathing.

    I know it's anxiety which is increasing my BP, its been 3 weeks since Ive changed my diet & my salt intake is less then 4g per day, however my BP is still around 160-180.

    I pray you get well, I know for me it's more psychological. I am working on breathing exercises and walking which really helps me.

  • chris16418
    chris16418 mark45877

    Posted

    actually today I was in the drs office and my blood pressure went up to 161/110 at one point. I have had prostatitis issues and I'm scared the dr will find a terminal disease. Are you on any meds?

  • valerie24561
    valerie24561 mark45877

    Posted

    I definitely have seen a change in what used to be quite normal BP change as my anxiety went up. At random times my BP will spike especially at Dr appointments.

  • ivyke83
    ivyke83 mark45877

    Posted

    I have very bad anxiety AND high BP. Been on bisoprolol since November but feel like I haven't gotten better - if anything, I sometimes feel worse than I did prior to taking the med. My readings are 110-130/70-80 when I'm totally calm but they can spike and I often get readings that are around 140-145/90-95 (even though I'm on medication now). My BP readings were much worse before the doc put me on biso - 180/200-100 when I was super anxious. I guess I should be happy because biso seems to be working BUT I still feel the same physically - I am dizzy, light headed, get leg weakness and pain, back/neck pain... I've developed agoraphobia because of all these symptoms! I, too, am not sure whether it's my anxiety or the medication causing all this.

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