extreme anxious about hypertension
Posted , 23 users are following.
Hi Everyone,
I am looking for some help in dealing with my anxiety about hypertension.
I have really bad anxiety about my blood pressure. It all started 1 year back when I first diagnosed with hypertension. I started with 25mg Metoprolol Succ. and now down to 1/2 dose. At the beginning I was feeling very anxious about getting hypertension at relatively young age(31years). Eventually I was able to accept that but now I become very anxious about my blood pressure numbers.
Anytime I try to measure BP now, I feel super anxious and many times it drives my number higher and it makes me more anxious and I just keep thinking about that thing entire day.
Several times I have measured normal blood pressure numbers but still I get very nervous every single time when I try to measure my blood pressure. Somehow I have developed obsession to get my readings close to 120/80 which drives me nuts. many times I get numbers in 130-135/86-90 range and I get panic really bad which drives my number even higher. I know those numbers are not great but they are not that bad either but I start thinking about extreme worst.
I tried another approach as well by promising myself to measure BP only once a month but that also did not help. in 10-15 days I started thinking that what if my blood pressure is not normal, what if its too high and my panic triggered again.
This anxiety is killing me. I get all other weird feelings because of that.
Has anyone gone through similar phase? I will really really appreciate some tips to deal with this.
4 likes, 22 replies
joshuapryce1987 anxioussam
Edited
Address the triggers of your anxiety. Think about what makes you anxious and then confront them. If you resist the devil he flees, but if you do not he will always be around causing problems.
porsha16866 anxioussam
Posted
you are not alone! I am suffering from this and i cant break away from it.... sometimes i check my bp 10-15 times a day!!!! and now i have all of those nasty weird feelings
lauramay89 anxioussam
Posted
hey,
im exactly the same as you! plus im currently pregnant which is making it worse. i literally do my bp multiple times a day but if im anxious it shoots up which then makes me panic i have pre eclampsia.
i was like it before pregnancy.
its an absolute nightmare.
would be nice to have a chat with you
randy52297 anxioussam
Posted
The condition in which you are right now is really sad. My mom is suffering from diabetes and hypertension. I can understand your situation. But now my mother has succeeded in bringing back the glucose levels within range by eating fresh veggies that have low iron and less salty meals. Along with diabetes, her high blood pressure also came to normal levels by following a healthy lifestyle in which she started doing a brisk walk in the morning. The one more thing I want to mention here is that she had joined a wellness program by ginihealth under which they focus in altering your diet, daily exercise routines, managing your stress and sleep patterns.. I would say by making changes in your sedentary lifestyle and eating habits can really be an effective step for controlling your high blood pressure along with medication prescribed by your doctor and don't forget to check BP at regular intervals if you don't have any automated device.
jpmock anxioussam
Posted
I am 41 and have been dealing with this for about 8 years. My BP can swing quite a bit and even taking it at home I get bad anxiety. I am 5'11" 165lb so normal weight. I can run miles so I am pretty fit. I have had every single thing anyone can think of to check for causes for high bp and there is no rhyme or reason. Lab work is all exceptional.
My bp can go between 120's up to 170 over anywhere from 78 to 100 and everywhere in between. I think a lot of it is because of my anxiety when I take it. It doesn't matter if the doctor takes it or if I take it, I get bad anxiety and my heart rate will jump from my normal resting (60) up to around 100 in a matter of seconds due to the 'panic'. Avg BP I would say is 150/85-90. Its been this way for years and I am now coming to the point where I think I need to get on some serious meds to bring it down.
Also when I have had BP on my mind and am actively checking it, I also get all sorts of physiological type symptoms: Feeling heart pound, cold hands and feet, etc. If I go a few days, weeks, or months not thinking about it, all symptoms go away.
I know how you feel and can totally relate. Its very frustrating and I believe a lot of the higher readings are due to the anxiety. I have not been able to figure out how to control it while I take it. And when the cuff inflates more than once, forget it - the anxiety peaks.
I dont really get anxious about much else. Normal work stress at times, but typically if I am in dangerous situations I handle myself well. Even injections, other dr visit type tests, or even surgery, I am fine.
Something to look into (I havent yet) is a 24 hour ambulatory cuff.
Wouldn't it be so great if we could have a BP monitor that we weren't 'aware' of??? I think some companies are close to developing such a thing, but not quite there yet.
Mr38694 anxioussam
Posted
Did you ever make any progress?
I suffer from the same issue.
My normal resting heart rate of 76 jumps in the 80's when I pick up the cuff and 90's when the machine is done pumping up.
I think the only way to avoid this is get a 24-Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure test.
I think the readings would still make my heart race during the day,but obviously not while sleeping.