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Why won't my diastolic pressure go down?

Posted , 7 users are following.

marina95523
marina95523

Hello,

I have been dealing with HBP for the last five months. I am a 53 year old healthy woman with no previous history of HBP. I have been trying to address the issue with diet and exercise and have seen some improvements.

Recent readings have been in the range of 135- 150. However, even at the lower end of the scale my diastolic number is never lower than a 100 ( apart from once when it was 99) Does anyone have any ideas why this may be?

Thanks in advance

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • jx41870
    jx41870 marina95523

    Posted

    The causes of an individual's high BP are seldom clear.

    Even systolic 135-150 is a bit high, y'know. If you almost never get a lower reading, then there's work to do. Entirely reasonable to try some meds.

    100 diastolic is too high, if that's as low as it gets, it's med time.

    But keep on with diet, exercise, and if weight is an issue, get on that too.

    • marina95523
      marina95523 jx41870

      Posted

      Thanks for the response. I'm working with my doctor to monitor it: daily home readings for the next couple of weeks and then if no improvement, medication.

      It's just baffling. I've completely changed my lifestyle - largely plant-based diet apart from the odd piece of salmon, minimal alcohol and lots of walking. As I said, this is the first real health concern I've faced and i feel very uneasy about taking medication for something for which there is no apparent cause.

    • VeeWat
      VeeWat marina95523

      Posted

      same happened with me....out of nowhere.

      im on lisinopril 10 mg

  • stanley_60767
    stanley_60767 marina95523

    Posted

    HI Marina,

    I have in the past had worse readings than yourself 160/110 on average. Although I started off with tablets, i am now medication free through a couple of measures. I started off with walking long distances; get the app called footstep. Each time i walked, I made sure i burnt 1300 calories. It was hard, but i lost about 10kg in 7 months or so. Immediately, the doctor reduced my medication from 12mg to 4mg. I then went on to totally eliminate salt and sugar, medication reduced to 2mg Candesartan. I also resorted to eating only fish and vegetables; i was asked to split my medication to 1mg. To crown it all, i went back to the gym and got myself a bicycle - this is the fifth month that i am on no medication. My BP has stayed at 120-28/78-80. The drs are happy. Before i forget, i also tried RESPERATE. medication should be last resort.

    • marina95523
      marina95523 stanley_60767

      Posted

      Thank you so much for this information Stanley; positive and inspiring. Well done for achieving what I know is such a difficult task. It certainly gives me hope.

      Just to say that when I was first diagnosed my average reading was about 170/110 with readings into the high 180's at the doctor's office. So I'm pleased that the systolic at least has dropped. Deep breathing has really helped to reduce my fear of taking readings and feeling calm generally.

      You say you cut out salt and sugar completely. I don't cook with any salt or oil but use maple syrup now and then, and have been eating dark chocolate daily to satisfy my sweet tooth. Did you cut out natural sweet foods like these too?

      I'm giving up chocolate for a while to see if that makes a difference. I've already lost almost a stone (14 pounds) to date and need to lose only a few more pounds until I'm at my optimam weight.

      Thanks again for sharing your inspiring story and long may your pill- free perfect blood pressure continue!

      Marina

  • aide77575
    aide77575 marina95523

    Posted

    Hi marina, do you have a family history of HBP by any chance? Sometimes it's genetic and there's really no known cause (essential hypertension). But a few things that can increase it include thyroid problems (have your TSH, t3, t4, TPO tested), adrenal issues like pheo (but BP tends to be more in the 200s/100s range with that plus there are other symptoms), sleep aonea. I didn't have any expected apnea symptoms whatsoever, but I turned out to have mild sleep apnea which was caught in a sleep study. Even mild sleep apnea can cause impact BP. If you're active and otherwise healthy, I'd recommend investigating this further. Doctors often assume essential hypertension and run with it.

    there's good info here:

    https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/secondary-hypertension/symptoms-causes/syc-20350679

    p.s. I would suggest magnesium supplements (with your doctor's approval) as magnesium deficiencies can also affect BP. It's good for the heart in general.

    • marina95523
      marina95523 aide77575

      Posted

      Hi aide,

      As far as I know, there's no family history of high blood pressure. My sleep has been off for a while which wasn't helped by a little too much red wine and late nights, both of which I have cut out in the last few months.

      Although I do try to go to bed by 10.30 I still find myself waking up at 5.30 am and could do with 1-2 hours more sleep per night.

      Thanks for the link I'll take a look.

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