Erratic blood pressure

Derek

"If mine never went above 153/86 (that is just over my average ) I would be happy."

Snap!  After a really good week last week and feeling excited that my BP was the lowest it has ever been, last night it hit 203/91.  Have had one helluva nosebleed this morning and am wondering if it's acting as a release valve for the high BP last night - anyone with any views on that? 

Alexandra, sorry to jump in on your thread.  Have you had a 24 hour BP monitor fitted - that could perhaps give you a better idea of what is happening.  I'm not a medic but am wondering if it could just be your body adjusting to the increase in one med and reduction in the other?  If that is the case, it can take up to 6 weeks for things to stabilise.  Your morning reading is excellent, and your evening one isn't that bad, depending on your age, of course.

I hear of people having nose bleeds and burst blood vessels in their eyes put down to hyperension but glad to say I have not had that. I have sometimes had a muzzy head and tightness in my chest when my BP has been OTT. 

Derek, just wondering whether the sudden cold snap can affect blood pressure.  Apparently blood flows more easily in the warmer months so blood pressure can be lower then.  It's been warmer here today so perhaps my reading this evening will be better, everything crossed.  

Surely not that cold yet? What you say is true and people with angina suffer more in the winter.

Were it not for insurance I'd spend winter outside Europe.

Does not always work as last time we went to Florida in January the temp dropped so much that fish were dying in the sea and Iguanas were falling out of trees due to hypothermia and citrus fruits were freezing on the trees.

I'm a cold morsel, Derek, so it's a good job I live in the southern part of the country rather than the north.  The hot water bottle is already having an airing

I often dream about spending the worst of our winter months in warmer climes.  How disappointing to have that holiday experience with the weather in Florida of all places.  The weather seems to spring its surprises all over the world these days - I've just been out to lunch with a friend who tells me that they're experiencing dreadful weather in Greece at the moment.

Thanks Jane and to everyone else for interesting responses.  My initial reading on diagnosis?  Can't remember precisely but I do know that the top figure was over 180 and, given that I had a heart attack in May, it was somewhat worrying. What dose of Ramipril were you on and why did you transfer to Losartan? No, a 24 hour monitor hasn't been suggested as yet.  I've only been on these meds since May and was doing fine on 2.5 of Rampril until a few weeks ago when blood pressure jumped up, hence the Ramipril dosage was doubled and I was put back on bisoprolol, admittedly a low dose but enough to make me lethargic.  The really irritating thing is that, prior to the heart attack I was leading a perfectly healthy lifestylewhereas now I need at least 10 hours sleep per night, it takes me ages to get going and it's an enormous effort to even go for a walk.  The doc says that my body will adjust to the meds in due course but it hasn't happened yet and, like clockwork, my blood pressure goes up every evening.   Just taken it and it's 158/78 - I'd expect it to be lower on the medication I'm taking.  Will discuss with my GP when I see him next week.  How much is a ditsy dose? Maybe I too should get a dog.  Will check out the man who must not be mentioned.  Keep walking.

Alex

Alexandra, if you are having follow-up consultations following you heart attack in May, then perhaps you can seek the advice of one of the consultants regarding your blood pressure.  I would be surprised if they didn't suggest fitting you with a 24 hour ambulatory BP monitor, as I suggested in my earlier post.  But your Dr makes sense in saying that your body will adjust to the meds in due course - as you said it's only a few weeks since they adjusted the doses of both pills.  However, if you feel that one of the pills is contributing to you feeling unwell, then there are many other BP pills on the market that can be tried.  I didn't feel at all well on Ramipril butthat is likely to be because I am sensitive to many of the BP meds as I know a lot of people who take it without any problem.  I'm on Losartan Potassium 50mg which is regarded as one of the least likely to cause side effects but it is not sufficiently controlling my BP on its own.  The latest preference is to put people on a couple of different pills of low doses rather than one pill at a higher dose.  My hubby was on Amlodipine and had problems when they increased the dose, so they put him back to the original dose and added in low dose Ramipril, and he is fine.  I hope your GP can help and reassure you next week. 

Oh dear,I'm sorry to hear about your heart attack, i can imagine how worried you must be. And BP of over 180 systolic is high so did need medication.

Just my opinion but I wouldn't have thought Ramipril would have made you lethargic. Bisoprolol is an Alpha or Beta blocker I believe. My son in law took one of those and he went from being very fit and active to tiring very easily. He said that is what these blockers do, they slow your heart down. Having had a heart attack were you put on a statin? 

 I forget the dosage of Ramipril I was initially on but it was the very lowest dose. I think it's normal for drs to start you on the very lowest then raise the dose after a month or so and perhaps add another type of pill at the same time. I think the idea is to get the body accustomed to the drug gradually. I developed a nasty cough with the higher dose of Ramipril and the dr changed me to an equivalent dose of Losartan [50 mg] which I believe is fairly normal.I took that for about ten months before my dr lowered the dose to 25mg as I had consistently low readings. I went on holiday and found the BP was all over the place when I came home. Maybe it had something to do with the vast quantity of wine i drank!!  I did consider making a trip to the surgery to get it checked before asking for a new prescription but suddenly it appeared to settle down.. Next time I have a check up I would like to ask whether had I not adopted various life style changes [walking, cutting out salt and hardly any alcohol - except on holiday and losing weight] the BP would not have dropped and I would have had to take additional meds.Who knows.

Hypertension is a silent killer and, like you, before I was diagnosed I had always thought of myself as very healthy. Mostly it is what they call 'essential hypertension' ie no known cause. I was given all sorts of tests as a result of the NHS check and all were fine.  Maybe you could ask for a full blood check.

I'm glad to see they did finally 'pass' my earlier posting, there is a lot of useful info if you google hypertension. Best of luck

Thanks Mrs O.  It's very reassuring having you all out there! I saw my consultant in early September. Everything including blood pressure was normal.  She told me I had made a very good recovery and she didn't need to see me again!  I was delighted as she also reduced my medication.  I had a very good 2 weeks on no beta blockers and then my blood pressure zoomed up. I'll see what the GP says next week but I might ask him if he can refer me back to the hospital.  It's interesting what you say about being on a couple of different pills - I think I'm probably on the wrong combination.  Anyway thanks again for all your comments. Most helpful.

Hi Jane

Definitely the Bisoprolol which makes me lethargic and has messed up my sleep routine completely. It's a beta blocker which lowers pulse rate and is also supposed to contribute to lowering blood pressure.   I get up very late and am up half the night!  Yes and I was put on a statin too but have recently had the dose reduced from 40 to 20.  Never had blood pressure or cholesterol problems before May and went from taking no medication to the whole gamut of stuff they put you on after a heart attack mainly as a precaution.  Am having regular blood checks and results have been fine.  I also attended the hospital gym for a 6 week course of cardio rehab and had blood pressure and pulse taken before and after exercise and that was fine too so wasn't expecting current bp problem.  Good that your bp settled down. Guess I'll see what happens.  Good to chat!