View Full Version : Anxiety blood pressure
Hi,
So I went to pick up my contraceptive pill today, and they always do a blood test before giving them out. Never had a problem. But today I got very anxious when she put the band on, like I could feel my heart racing. So it was high, and she tried about 5 times and was still too high. She says it was going down a little, but not enough to give me them.
Would my pressure go up if I was really anxious? Also, how am I going to stop myself panicking next time? They won't give me the pill unless my blood pressure is normal. But now I'm gonna worry next time they're doing it which will no doubt increase my heart rate/BP again?
I need the pill, not being on it is not an option.
---------- Post added at 15:08 ---------- Previous post was at 14:40 ----------
I didn't mean blood test meant BP reading
The answer to your question is "Yes", anxiety can cause your BP to go up. It's often called "white coat syndrome" as it coincides with check ups and doctor visits. Perhaps some deep breathing relaxation exercises or a good 'ol chill pill like Xanax may help before you go or a note from your doctor saying you're an anxiety sufferer may help?
Good luck and as always...
Positive thoughts
Weasley123
25-01-17, 15:19
This is my biggest fear as well. My bp was around 130/80 at Dr he said it was fine but I panicje c and bought a monitor. I would panic and get a sky high reading but 5 months later normal. This was 2 years ago about. I put it away for a year then dug it out again in September got a high reading. This started a spiral high then normal but I'd obsess and it would go higher. I finally smashed the monitor. I'm still on my bcp because I know it's anxiety. I'm 39 and not overweight so not young but not old. I have,to go back to dr for refill and I'm terrified
Try a glass of beetroot juice.not everyone likes the taste,
But it's well documented that it brings b/p down quickly.
Yeah Fishman I do think it's white coat. I had it so bad when my mum was in hospital that I started to run away when I saw them coming to talk us.
I'm trying not to run to I HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE just yet, but it's definitely creeping in. She said it was starting to come down, but just not enough to give me the pill. Would it be dropping if it was 'high'? I would have stayed longer and persisted with the 'lets try again ', but I'd been there like half an hour and felt pretty daft. I've made an appointment with my GP as she knows my history of anxiety and hoping she'll either calm me or at least prescribe me for a few months then retest. I'll try the beetroot too. I'm just panicking now incase I can't get my anxiety down for these BP tests. It was an instant heart rate increase when she put the band on, I could feel my heart racing. I dunno how to settle it down :(
Sphincterclench
25-01-17, 17:35
I can tell you White Coat Hypertension is real....I drive past a Dr office I spike. I too have a cuff at home as well that connects via blutooth to my phone for tracking purposes. at home Im normal as can be 115/75 and HR 75 get me in the parking lot of the Dr Office im 150/100 and hr 120.
My Dr just accepts it now that I can show them its only when I am there.
My blood pressure was all over place the week I went to ER. ER Doctor said they could t really go by it because of the panic I was in. It stayed all over the place for couple weeks after ER. Sometimes normal sometimes almost high blood pressure 1
Yeah, it's definitely anxiety. Well I hope anyway, I've had normal readings for two years, then suddenly my HA is back and it's spiked again when at the clinic, can't be coincidence?
I don't really want to fall out of the progress I'm making this week though. I've started training again and due to go to the gym in one hour but worried my BP might still be high? It was 6 hours since the high readings / panic attack. Should I go or just take it easy tonight?
Thanks for your replies
Mine stayed all over the place for 2 weeks or so after. How high is it running?
I have no idea she didn't tell me? I saw the bottom reading was 83, which I didn't think was particularly high
---------- Post added at 18:27 ---------- Previous post was at 18:22 ----------
I don't think it will still be high, I'm pretty relaxed now. If they stuck a cuff on my arm right now without me knowing I'm pretty certain it would show a normal reading. But now you've said that I'm not sure if I should just leave the gym tonight just to be safe
---------- Post added at 18:28 ---------- Previous post was at 18:27 ----------
She did say it was dropping the more relaxed I got, but like I said I'd been there so long I just said I'll just come back another day when I'm not freaking out
I just said I'll just come back another day when I'm not freaking out
That sounds like a plan :)
Positive thoughts
Yes it does. However... To gym or not to gym? That, is the question
Yes it does. However... To gym or not to gym? That, is the question
Definitely gym! It helps you physically and is an outlet for your anxiety!
Positive thoughts
Bottom number 83 is not bad. It's barely over normal but if you have anxiety or white coat syndrome it could be much higher. If bottom number gets to 110 go to the ER. That's a medical emergency.
When my anxiety was super high mine was running around 130's/85-90's. And I think around 100 pulse. It calmed down and went back down to around normal when I stopped panicking.
Weasley123
25-01-17, 21:13
83 isn't too bad. I had 160 over 95 at home that came down to 125/82. I can't Have the machine at home anymore cause I obsess but 140/90 or less is normal
83 isn't too bad. I had 160 over 95 at home that came down to 125/82. I can't Have the machine at home anymore cause I obsess but 140/90 or less is normal
I got to where I started checking it often too. I finally gave it to my brother and his wife. It's ok if you check it once a week anything over that unless you have high blood pressure is checking too much. Any little thing can affect your blood pressure. From stress/anxiety/what you drink or eat.
Weasley123
25-01-17, 22:32
Yes I got so I was checking 15 times a day. The last day I had a morning number that was lime 125/82. Then that evening I got a high number I panicked it kept rising u smashed the machine. My terror now us going to the Dr. I'm sure it's anxiety and thus it will be high but I can't have a home monitor cause I obsess. Aj add on my pulse doesn't always go up with high bp. I just have 2 remember the good readings I got. My feeling is,truly high bp would stay high
I'm trying to rationalise with that too, the fact it would stay high. She said it was dropping each time but I just knew I was in too much of a flap to get a normal reading. Hoping it was just anxiety
---------- Post added at 23:00 ---------- Previous post was at 22:59 ----------
Oh and I went to the gym, and ran there and back. No good can come of giving up on my bit of progress this week
Weasley123
25-01-17, 23:56
Exercise is a good way to lower bp
Do you guys think it's actually high blood pressure as a condition? Or just the product of a panic attack when she was doing it? I've never been nervous like that before when having it done, could feel my heart pounding.
I'm letting health anxiety sink and and making me think I actually have high blood pressure all the time. It did drop down after a few times.
C'mon LF.... You know better. Don't let the dragon take control.
Positive thoughts
Do you guys think it's actually high blood pressure as a condition? Or just the product of a panic attack when she was doing it? I've never been nervous like that before when having it done, could feel my heart pounding.
I'm letting health anxiety sink and and making me think I actually have high blood pressure all the time. It did drop down after a few times.
I think it's from anxiety and stress and as for your heart pounding. Mine pounded a lot last year when my stress and anxiety was really high. I even felt my heart pounding the other day at casino when I almost won $1000 on a slot machine. Excitement and stress and anxiety can all affect your blood pressure. Heck everything can. Move your arm and your heart rate will go up.
Thanks Fishman and Nzxt. The dragon is certainly loitering! I'm gonna try sleep and hopefully will feel more rational tomorrow.
As always feel better after venting it out on here. Thanks again x
Thanks Fishman and Nzxt. The dragon is certainly loitering! I'm gonna try sleep and hopefully will feel more rational tomorrow.
As always feel better after venting it out on here. Thanks again x
Your welcome.
White coat syndrome is real but high blood pressure as a result of anxiety isn't necessarily restricted to doctor visits. I know because I have had high blood pressure for a few years. My anxiety caused my blood pressure to be consistently high because I was consistently anxious. I have been on blood pressure meds for the last few years but I am in the process of coming off them.You can't just stop taking them though, you have to be weaned off them and that involves slowly reducing the dose. I would have blood pressure spikes even on meds. This would happen when I started focusing on certain symptoms. I could always feel that it was up. I had a great doctor though and he would get me to lie down in the surgery and calm down for 10 or 15 minutes then he would take it again. It would always drop by about 20 points in that time. It sounds like this is the kind of doctor you need but they aren't that easy to find. But maybe you could try it at the pharmacy. Ask them can you just sit and calm yourself before they take it. My doctor always had me think of pleasant things while we were waiting so you'll need to do that too.
Most the time if your worried about having high blood pressure you could take it same time every day or few days for few weeks or months and write it down they can average it out if average is above what it needs to be you might have high blood pressure and they will look at getting you on medication. Most the time pre hypertension and blood pressure type 1 they will still try not to throw you on blood pressure medication but have you eat better and excersice more to see if it can come down. Now if it's type 2-3 yeah you will need to be on meds for sure till you can get it under control. It all really depends on your doctor and I would go by their advice on it.
Yeah, I'm just thinking I have it taken every time I get my pill packets and it's always normal. But today I seemed to get myself into a right state about it and it was high, but she seemed to think it would be OK next time as it was starting to come down the less anxious I got. I have had periods of bad anxiety like this before and still my BP was normal. I'm hoping at my doctors she can keep me calm and I'll have a normal one again. I usually eat very well and train a lot, but due to an ankle injury two months ago during a netball match I had to stop a while. And low and behold health anxiety comes back.
So yeah, I'm gonna stick with it was a panic attack and I don't have high blood pressure haha or I'll be in a state.
Yeah keep thinking like that. Just remember that even if you do have to go on meds it is no big deal. You don't have to stay on them forever. If you can combat your fear of having to have meds then it will help keep you calm next time you get your BP taken.
Excersice and eating healthy will lower your blood pressure of you need pills. Those two things will get you off the pills most the time. Also I think 90% people in their lifetime has high blood pressure sometime within their life. Usually at a older age though.
Catherine S
26-01-17, 02:59
I have a home monitor, and ok, it's not recommended for people who obsess about their bp for obvious reasons, but because I also suffer from white coat syndrome, my bp is only raised in the doctors surgery...which he's aware of, and it then comes down at home where I'm more relaxed. So I use the machine for a few days before my appointment and write the readings down, to prove that my BP is normal when i'm not in the surgery.
Perhaps if you also did this, you could prove to your doctor that it's not a permanent condition and maybe she will give you the pill again.
ISB :)
Yeah, I'll see what the doctor says. I think it was probably a one off, it happened to my friend for a few months, she was getting high readings so they just gave her 3 months worth of pills and kept checking her BP and eventually it went down. They had to do a manual BP in the end for her, the noise of the auto one was stressing her. That was like me yesterday. It was making beeping noises which was making me even more panicked!
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