Why isn't my blood pressure coming down?

[KK123]

I think you have a very good point when you say "normal is how your body works rather than an average obtained from 99 other people" Every health marker is given a standard range, or a normal range, but each of us is unique. None of us is the same. What is normal for one is not normal for another. I have no idea how they calculate what is optimal for blood pressure, but somehow they have come up with a figure and applied it to everyone - male, female, young, old, in between. Men have different bodies to women, bigger with more circulating blood. How come their BP should be the same as a woman? Same when it comes to age.

Hi Bluetit, I very much agree. Don't get me wrong, I know there must be an absolute upper limit which if passed would be dangerous for an individual, but just being out of the so called 'normal range' does not really concern me and I am convinced my body compensates in other ways to counterbalance a higher blood pressure. Same with my cholesterol, it is 7.2 and I was referred to a Lipid consultant. Cut a long story short but my HDL is 2.45, trigs 0.5 and LDL 4.2. They did a DNA test, results just back and it showed I did NOT have FH, but the 12 other tests they do (which indicate whether the high LDL is genetic or not) came back as highly likely my high LDL was 'polygenic', ie GENES. Meaning eating fewer eggs (which my Dr suggested) has no effect whatsoever on my personal cholesterol levels. I think my HDL & trigs are dealing quite nicely with the LDL genes.

 

[hankjam]

By the by. Was in the surgery this morning for bloods, c1, lipids and PSA when I decided to test my BP. I made a mistake to the time, thinking it was 10:30 I arrived early to test.... to find it was really at 10:20. Still in time, so went and did BPs after.
1 98/60
2 102/49
3 93/50

Asked the receptionist if the device was fine. She did hers, it was high and she was "happy" the machine was fine.
They only have a help doc for when values are high.
They are to be recorded in my notes and I will be contacted if someone thinks there's a problem.

Lowest DIA I've recorded.

 

[Listlad]

By the by. Was in the surgery this morning for bloods, c1, lipids and PSA when I decided to test my BP. I made a mistake to the time, thinking it was 10:30 I arrived early to test.... to find it was really at 10:20. Still in time, so went and did BPs after.
1 98/60
2 102/49
3 93/50

Asked the receptionist if the device was fine. She did hers, it was high and she was "happy" the machine was fine.
They only have a help doc for when values are high.
They are to be recorded in my notes and I will be contacted if someone thinks there's a problem.

Lowest DIA I've recorded.

WOW. And with or without meds?

 

[hankjam]

WOW. And with or without meds?

my Perindolpril has been slashed from 8 mg to 4 mg last September, when it was noticed by my DB nurse that the BPs were low... though not as low as these were...

 

[Listlad]

my Perindolpril has been slashed from 8 mg to 4 mg last September, when it was noticed by my DB nurse that the BPs were low... though not as low as these were...

My BP is coming down but not that low. When I noticed it going down I asked to drop 1 out of 4 of the tablets I take and the GP agreed. Once it gets down a bit more again (says he hopefully) I will ask him the same again.

Edited for correction.

 

[andromache]

Yes. Same here. They just take mine now and record them.

So day in and day out there is no change for me but over a month there was.

Also I will be more active (I think) in the next few weeks. Change of job. So am hoping that will help.

Good luck with the new job!

 

[andromache]

Hi there, my blood pressure has always been around the same (all the way through 3 pregnancies) and I am now 58. I went privately for an ambulatory test where they attach a BP monitor to you 24/7 which takes your blood pressure every 30 minutes. Apart from not getting a wink of sleep (!), it actually showed that for the majority of the time it was perfectly normal and went quite low during the night. Have you had this done at all? If not for that I am sure someone may have decided on medication and if they had have done, I would have been worse off with low BP. As for my diet, I have always followed a (supposedly) healthy diet of veg/fruit/wholemeal etc without the rubbish carbs (sweets/pies/pastry etc) and only changed that on diagnosis to lower carb (not low carb). I do not think that BP in general is much to do with diet as such anyway. It has never been higher, just constant. They said to me 'We like a diabetic's to be less than 120/80 at all times', well I cannot achieve that without medication and as far as I am concerned that is just normal for me.(I do try and compensate for it though by being good, no smoking, no drinking, 5 mile a day run, active job, eat no rubbish).

Thank you for this. If my BP does creep up further, and meds are proposed, I will certainly ask about that ambulatory test.

 

[andromache]

Hi Bluetit, I very much agree. Don't get me wrong, I know there must be an absolute upper limit which if passed would be dangerous for an individual, but just being out of the so called 'normal range' does not really concern me and I am convinced my body compensates in other ways to counterbalance a higher blood pressure. Same with my cholesterol, it is 7.2 and I was referred to a Lipid consultant. Cut a long story short but my HDL is 2.45, trigs 0.5 and LDL 4.2. They did a DNA test, results just back and it showed I did NOT have FH, but the 12 other tests they do (which indicate whether the high LDL is genetic or not) came back as highly likely my high LDL was 'polygenic', ie GENES. Meaning eating fewer eggs (which my Dr suggested) has no effect whatsoever on my personal cholesterol levels. I think my HDL & trigs are dealing quite nicely with the LDL genes.

Blimey - I thought my HDL was good, but you have me well beaten there! Your total cholesterol/HDL ratio - my favourite measure - must be a prize-winner.

 

[andromache]

My BP is coming down but not that low. When I noticed it going down I asked to drop 3 out of 4 of the tablets I take and the GP agreed. Once it gets down a bit more again (says he hopefully) I will ask him the same again.

That must be a good feeling, getting off all those meds. In terms of confirming that you are doing the right thing for your health, that's pretty darned good, isn't it?

 

[Listlad]

That must be a good feeling, getting off all those meds. In terms of confirming that you are doing the right thing for your health, that's pretty darned good, isn't it?

I see it as an indicator along with the others. I am pleased and hoping I can dispense with all BP meds. But...I am not sure if that is possible. I shall see how it goes.

Actually I just spotted a typo. It should have said 1 out of 4. Sorry.

 

[hankjam]

I see it as an indicator along with the others. I am pleased and hoping I can dispense with all BP meds. But...I am not sure if that is possible. I shall see how it goes.

Actually I just spotted a typo. It should have said 1 out of 4. Sorry.

Work is in progress!!

 

[andromache]

I see it as an indicator along with the others. I am pleased and hoping I can dispense with all BP meds. But...I am not sure if that is possible. I shall see how it goes.

Actually I just spotted a typo. It should have said 1 out of 4. Sorry.

Anything that is going in the right direction is good

 

[Dexterdobe]

I went LCHF about a year ago to improve metabolic profile and (I hoped) managed my BP down naturally in the process. It's not dramatically high, but usually stuck on the wrong side of the pre-hypertensive range and I'm at an age (55+) when these things tend to get worse rather than better. I am not (yet) on any hypertension meds or anything else known to affect BP.

The diet (and exercise and other lifestyle changes) are doing the trick on the fat and glucose metabolism, no question: total cholesterol/HDL ratio, HbA1C etc are now pretty much where I want them, so I'm very pleased. I'm a healthy weight. And I'm feeling massively better in myself, too. But no change to the blood pressure: it clearly hasn't got the memo that says better insulin sensitivity = healthy blood pressure! Do I just need to give it more time? Any other ideas, please? I keep reading on here about people getting fabulous improvements in their BP readings after going low-carb, at the same time as improving their other metabolic markers, and would love to know the secret! Thanks for any ideas, folks.

My BP came down pretty quickly once I got on a LCHF diet, but it took over a year to get my early morning BG levels down. We are all different. I don't think your BP is too bad. You have to balance the slight risk it presents against the side effects from the medication. Only you can make that decision.

 

[andromache]

My BP came down pretty quickly once I got on a LCHF diet, but it took over a year to get my early morning BG levels down. We are all different. I don't think your BP is too bad. You have to balance the slight risk it presents against the side effects from the medication. Only you can make that decision.

Thank you, and yes, I completely agree. I don't think it's too bad either - it's technically in the hypertensive range much of the time these days, but not by much. As so often with these things, the trajectory is probably more important than the bare number. If that starts heading even slightly in the right direction, I'll be happy.

 

[andromache]

I would like to thank you all for the thoughtful and informative replies to my query about blood pressure. This is such a good forum!

 

[Olufisayo]

I went LCHF about a year ago to improve metabolic profile and (I hoped) managed my BP down naturally in the process. It's not dramatically high, but usually stuck on the wrong side of the pre-hypertensive range and I'm at an age (55+) when these things tend to get worse rather than better. I am not (yet) on any hypertension meds or anything else known to affect BP.

The diet (and exercise and other lifestyle changes) are doing the trick on the fat and glucose metabolism, no question: total cholesterol/HDL ratio, HbA1C etc are now pretty much where I want them, so I'm very pleased. I'm a healthy weight. And I'm feeling massively better in myself, too. But no change to the blood pressure: it clearly hasn't got the memo that says better insulin sensitivity = healthy blood pressure! Do I just need to give it more time? Any other ideas, please? I keep reading on here about people getting fabulous improvements in their BP readings after going low-carb, at the same time as improving their other metabolic markers, and would love to know the secret! Thanks for any ideas, folks.

Good that you’re trying but what’s your bp reading? At times mine is on 140\86.

 

[andromache]

Good that you’re trying but what’s your bp reading? At times mine is on 140\86.

Pretty similar to yours, in fact! TBH, systolic is typically a bit higher than yours, but it usually still starts with a 4, if only just.

 

[andromache]

Pretty similar to yours, in fact! TBH, systolic is typically a bit higher than yours, but it usually still starts with a 4, if only just.

Unless I'm in the GP surgery, of course, in which case they sometimes have to get to me sit quietly in a corner until they can get a reading that permits them, with a good conscience, to let me leave the premises. I think they call it 'white coat syndrome'.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Unless I'm in the GP surgery, of course, in which case they sometimes have to get to me sit quietly in a corner until they can get a reading that permits them, with a good conscience, to let me leave the premises. I think they call it 'white coat syndrome'.

My GP once told me she always mentally knocks 10 off the result because of white coat syndrome. She can't record her mentally adjusted figure of course.

 

[Listlad]

Unless I'm in the GP surgery, of course, in which case they sometimes have to get to me sit quietly in a corner until they can get a reading that permits them, with a good conscience, to let me leave the premises. I think they call it 'white coat syndrome'.

Not sure if I said it before but a BP monitor is very useful. A decent one is about £30. I got mine from Amazon. Ormron do a good one. Ormron 3. I had it cross checked at the local pharmacy for accuracy.