High Blood Pressure + Neck/Headaches Issues/Heart Rate Up!
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hi Family,
I've posted here and thought about doing it again. I'm extremely on edge and always thinking about this issue I have with the BP. If you go back to my post history you can read my start on some meds that I wasn't in agreement with. After my initial post about 7 months ago, I decided to change my doctor who was my primary care. I started to get into trying to solve the problem and getting everything done on me to see what was really wrong. Before my initial post to sum up what happen. I had a doctors appointment with my heart doctor. I was worked up the whole time driving out there which is 25 miles and I parked so far away, by the time I got to his office (walking) I was shot. I got hooked up with the EKG, all was well but my pressure was high and heart rate was high. I do have a history of anxiety and worry. He wrote me a script for Metropol Suricate 50mg. He also gave me a heart monitor for 4 days and that was about it. I went back and he told me after review, everything was good. I really do not believe that called for the med, but that is fine. As I said, I would go to the new GP and get through check of blood, etc. That always came back great. Off the bat, I was low on folic acid, vit D, and B12. Later, the B12 would come back higher after I started taking a prescription. From what I was told the blood work is all on the up and up. I just can't seem to get over this issue. On my last meeting with my GP, I told him the Metropol was not doing anything, so we decided to stop it. We started over to Lorstan 25MG, I was originally taking out night at 6pm, but switched to morning right when I head into work. I feel this has been better for me on the BP side. I check my pressure daily, which I start to over obsess over it, which is a problem, as I am thinking the worst and that shoots up my anxiety for worry. Any random pain I get is always a problem, but seems to go away like an hour later or when I feel calm again. I get random pains, not sure what to count them anymore. If they are heart burn or what but it really is annoying. I always think the worst! I think I do have heart burn which mimics a lot of the symptoms of chest pain since I am very sensitive to Advil and all that jazz. I just can't catch a break. Since about a week ago I went to go see a new heart doctor that my GP referred me too. I went in, they took my pressure which was a high (Haven't took Lorstan that day yet) and I was at 145/90 or 92, something like that. They wrote it down and we did our normal EKG, all was well. I met with the doctor, prior to that my old heart doctor sent me to do a calcium scoring test at a MRI lab, which came back a score of zero back in 2017. The new heart doctor was set back that they sent me for all these tests, as I am a 30 year male. He said the heart is strong, sure the BP is a little high, but we can treat the main problem for you is to loose weight. He said that is what we need to do, since that will treat other factors that I have. I am 5'6 and standing at 242lbs. I decided from that day to push hard and get active and lose weight. Earlier this week on Tuesday, I met with their nutoristist to go over a plan which was very basic and I will start my own to start to meal prep. I have started on my own to start cutting down on the bad items which started on Tuesday. They want me to get down to 150, but I told them baby steps. I am really shooting for 220, then to 200, and try to level out at 180. It will be a lot of weight to lose, but I will stay focused. I noticed when I stopped the Metropol, lately I am feeling increased heart rate. It can be anywhere from 85 to 110, etc..... I am not sure if this is my anxiety playing games, but it can be rather annoying. I'm trying to cut down on the caffeine and will start adding exercise into my daily life style. I just see the little things that bother me, like for example. I am building my house and notice where I am staying now, I am living at a house and my room is on the 3rd Floor. When I get to the top of 3rd, I notice my heart beating harder and faster for a few seconds and slowly calms down. It worries me but it all seems normal. I am not sure if I am giving this too much thought. And to finally add to the end of the story and sorry for going ALL over, I am not the best story teller. I am noticing when sleeping I am waking up with neck pain. I did have an MRI on my neck (I might open a new thread for that under neck issues) but I do have a herniated disc (I think 2) and they said I would need to do some physical therapy. I plan to do something about that, but I'm just getting hit all over the place with these issues! Please give me your thoughts, of maybe someone has the same issues or some like me.
To recap: I am a 30 year old male, 5'6, ~242lbs.
As of now I am on Lorstan 25MG and do have klonopin as needed. I did try PPIs for my stomach but had to stop due to headaches, so do take Zantac/2x a day, but not sure if this is contributing to my headaches?
Please help!
0 likes, 6 replies
melissa69855 mike9205700
Posted
i'll try to give a little insight since i've struggled with major anxiety my entire life. I'm a 40 year old female. I've been on blood pressure meds for 12 years. i'm 155, exercise 6 days a week, eat an okay diet. my blood pressure is hereditary. Both parents started medicating when they were in their teens and still struggle with it to this day. I've been thru an entire heart workup over the last two years. Started out with a trip to the ER one night when i felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. 2 day stay and everything came back "fairly" normal. Meaning i had an occassional weird something or other on my ekg. But echo, MRI and blood tests came back normal. i've worn a heart monitor for 30 days, had a second echo/ultra sound and everything keeps coming back normal. 3 months ago, out of nowhere, my blood pressure started dropping. my pressure without meds use to run 160/90 no matter what. Now all of the sudden my blood pressure was dropping and they had to take me off my meds. my blood pressure now runs around 110/60.....with zero explanation. My resting heart rate is 52. I've exercised my entire life. I've not lost any weight, i've not changed my routines, i've not changed my eating habits. Nothing has changed except my blood pressure. My gp and heart doctor both tell me that it's a wonderful thing and to stop worrying, but really? how does that happen. my blood test now also show that my potassium is higher than normal most of the time. Normal is below 5.2, mine frequently runs 5.5 - 5.8 and no one can figure out why. sometimes it's normal, so they try to chalk the high levels to a bad test......That many bad tests over two years doesn't make sense. So i'm trying to learn to live with this. I have some heart palpitations and that's how i can normally tell if my potassium is high, but they're not doing anything to help me so i suppose you have to quit worrying until something actually goes wrong. BTW - even though i run about 12 miles a week, lift weights and do yoga, i still get winded and get a high heart rate when i climb stairs or walk too far. Doesn't make sense to me either, but it happens. You're not alone. try some meditation and just accept that you might have a healthy heart and go to the ER if you feel something is urgently wrong.
mike9205700 melissa69855
Posted
Hey Melissa
Thanks so much for the concern. I think I will do the same just try to keep on the radar. My goal is to shed some weight and get active. Hopefully it helps itself naturally.
jx41870 mike9205700
Posted
@mike9205700, not sure if I've responded to you before, but by the sound of it you are already pretty well informed and on a good path. The weight loss would almost certainly help the BP. I know how hard it can be, but it is certainly the key to real improvement.
Beta blocker Metoprolol should not be stopped suddenly, it should be tapered off, or you are quite likely to see faster heart rates. You might try a smaller dose, that might both work and be more tolerable. As always, review this with your doctor, if you can.
Your BP numbers aren't horrible but of course could be better, especially at your age.
It's natural to get involved with all the aspects of what's going on and that by itself does not constitute "anxiety", it constitutes "good sense"! But sure, try to relax about it, it doesn't sound like you have any immediately critical problems.
Hope that helps.
jx41870 mike9205700
Posted
@mike9205700, not sure if I've responded to you before, but by the sound of it you are already pretty well informed and on a good path. The weight loss would almost certainly help the BP. I know how hard it can be, but it is certainly the key to real improvement.
Beta blocker Metoprolol should not be stopped suddenly, it should be tapered off, or you are quite likely to see faster heart rates. You might try a smaller dose, that might both work and be more tolerable. As always, review this with your doctor, if you can.
Your BP numbers aren't horrible but of course could be better, especially at your age.
It's natural to get involved with all the aspects of what's going on and that by itself does not constitute "anxiety", it constitutes "good sense"! But sure, try to relax about it, it doesn't sound like you have any immediately critical problems.
Hope that helps.
mike9205700 jx41870
Posted
Hey Jx,
Thank you!! As I said above, I will start going harder and harder on losing weight w/ real diet and add in exercise at a slow pace. I haven't done much in years, so I need to begin slow. I am active to go to work, but it is mostly computer work and some walking here and there... then some long driving.
As far as the Metoprolol. I was only on for 7-9 months, I can't recall. I did stop from what I remember, maybe 1 week to 2 weeks ago already. What are your ideas? I feel when my pulse is up as I can feel it, today has been OK for the most part. After meals, I feel it go up but I see it get to around 100-105. I am watching that. I do get pressure, I wouldn't call it pressure but more of a burning or maybe a muscle spasm that I feel radiates from my shoulder to my front chest. I just don't get it. I know people say it will feel like an elephant is sitting on their chest, I definitely can work and not be bothered by this pain. If I am so busy, I forget about it which makes it think to myself it is anxiety. I know my wife is getting sick of me always complaining, ha... ha.
Ideas?
jx41870 mike9205700
Posted
@mike9205700, pulse over 100 is marginal, I'd consider trying a small dose of the beta blocker, might help the other symptoms, too. If not enough, well, I've been trying something that may help. Couple of things. First, try a 81mg "baby" aspirin. Simple and quick. Another is try some nitric oxide (NO) foods - beets and arugula head that list, Google for details. A small arugula salad with breakfast and dinner may be responsible for some improvement in my symptoms recently, though it took some weeks. The ARB was not enough, apparently. Viagra-class drugs are also NO treatments, those might work, too, I'm going to ask my doctor about that next time, or if there are more mundane NO drugs available! Medicine is so much fun, huh.