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Young athlete trying to figure out why BP is so high

Posted , 9 users are following.

Shannonm
Shannonm

Hello my son was diganosed with high BP at the age of 16. He is an athelete and has been through various testing, such as kidney and other test to see if that's what was causing this. He has tried Lisinopril and now is on 40 mg of lisinopril and now they added 10 mg of norvasc. He is now in his early 20's and we are still trying to figure this out. I feel like there could be something causing this. His BP with 40 mg of Lisinopril is 152/93. Any advice whould be great. Has anyone heard of such a high BP in such a young healthy active kid and if so what did you or they do?

 

0 likes, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • mike92384
    mike92384 Shannonm

    Posted

    Shannonm...at the age of 16, it's mind-bloggling that this person would have such high bp..but elevated bp is usually caused by something going on in the body. I see that this has been going on for a few years now.

    It's the body's way of reacting. Stress certainly can elevate bp, as can diet. If his diet consists of processed foods which are high in sodium, that can be a cause. He's obviously getting his exercise, so that can't be a problem. Does he have a balanced diet? 

    The right thing has been done by seeing a doctor. I would suggest asking the Dr.for further testing, & suggestions as to how to get the bp lowered. I'm surprised this has gone on for this long.

    I dont know how long he's been on the 10mg of Norvasc. A very common side effect of Norvasc is feet/leg swelling. I was fine on 5mg..which lowered by bp temporarily.The Dr. increased the dosage to 10mg, which resulted in my feet/legs & ankles swelling. Of course, the Norvasc was discontinued. Watch for these side effects. Your son may not get them, but he may. 

    Keep tabs on what's going on, & by all means..keep consulting the Dr.

    Please let us know how you get on with this. 

    • Shannonm
      Shannonm mike92384

      Posted

      Thanks mike. Yes he is a colligiate athelete so exercise and diet can't be the issue. We will continue to see different doctors until this gets figured out. I am worried tho that 10mg of Novasc will be too much with the lisiniprol 40 mg.

       

    • mike92384
      mike92384 Shannonm

      Posted

      Shannonm...Good to know you'll see different doctors to get this mystery solved. Don't worry about the Norvasc being too much with the 40mg Lisinipril. They are two different classifications. The Norvasc is a Calcium Channel Blocker, while the Lisinipril is an A.C.E. Inhibitor. Here in Canada, it's quite safe to take a few medications as long as they're in

      a different class from one another. The exception is that an A.C.E. should not be taken with an ARB e.g. Valsartan. This ruling came down from Health Canada a few years ago. My doctor told me a few months back that they used to prescribe both at the same time, but do not anymore because they found the two were lowing bp too much.

      This is just a shot in the dark, but it may take something like adding a diuretic to the mix in order for your son's bp to lower with meds. You can find out if the Lisinipril comes with a diuretic & if so, ask the Dr. about your son taking this medication. If not, there is Coversyl Plus HD which is Perindopril. Some people take plain Perindopril while others take the Coversyl (there is some difference but I don't know what the difference is). Plain Coversyl is just Coversyl, but if taking Coversyl PLUS, then there's a diuretic in it.

      Again, try not to worry. I honestly believe that taking 10mg of Norvasc along with 40mg Lisinipril is just fine. I hardly think the Dr. would put your son on these dosages if he/she believed it would be too much. 

  • AlexandriaGizmo
    AlexandriaGizmo Shannonm

    Posted

    Hi shannonm, that would be considered above normal for a 16/20 year old but are all the readings surgery based or have you kept a home bp diary, also how high is his BP without meds??
  • BTJ
    BTJ Shannonm

    Posted

    I played sport to a very competitive level as a youth & would get pretty hyped before a game. I went into a state of high stress, fight or flight mode. My body would produce loads of adrenaline & my BP would spike. Now 60, I still get an adrenaline rush when I'm faced with stressful situations & I have tried to learn relaxation techniques as a coping mechanism. I firmly believe that stress is a major cause of high BP.

  • felix59554
    felix59554 Shannonm

    Posted

    Hello. I've had hbp since I was 16. I was also an athlete. Now in my early forties. Finally taking a med for it. Trying to keep it under control now. I'm 6"3, 236 now. I know I have to do something now. Eating, drinking right. Vitamin D, Potassium deficiency has to do alot with it. YouTube. Just keep an eye on your son, mam or sir.

  • steve89872
    steve89872 Shannonm

    Posted

    Did you do a 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring on him? If so, what was the result? 
  • darlene88042
    darlene88042 Shannonm

    Posted

    Hi Shannonm

    I was diagnosed with HBP in my 20's, I have familial HBP which is a genetic disorder that passes down genetically within families, has anyone ever tested for that? There are a lot of Heart Clinics that specialize in working with families with this disorder maybe it's something woth checking into?

    In the meantime have him drink Hibiscus tea daily 2 -4 glasses he can sweeten with 1/4 juice or pop if he find it too tart, it is a good natural HBP stabilizer 

    Best of luck

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