blood pressure

[susysparkle]

i suffer with high blood pressure.. i take meds for this . but when i anxoius to the extent i have a panic attack. i take my blood prssure and it goes very high... sometimes need to take a half a lorazepam , as i think that if i dont calm down i will end up at having a stoke...do you think think that it is normal for your bllod pressure to go high when you have a panic attack

[Going home]

I also have raised blood pressure and take beta blockers for this, which seem to keep it more or less steady though some days it can still be higher than it should be. I would say its normal for it to be high when you're panicking and thats just what its supposed to do so don't worry about it. Its just your body getting you ready to run from danger and that includes speeding everything up...heart-rate, breathing and blood pressure, if not you'd never move quickly enough to get away from the attack! I also think its normal for your blood pressure to be quite high while you are taking it. Its the same as when you have it taken at the doctors. Do you only take it when you're having a panic attack? that would be a bit counter-productive as its going to be high every time...:)

Anna..xx

[MrsJaredLeto]

Yes!! High blood pressure and stress go hand in hand I'm afraid :( try relaxation techniques and deep breathing x

[susysparkle]

hi anna. i take my bp a cpu[;e of times a week.. i am also om betablockers, and calcium channel blockers, and a diuretic.. try and noy take a loarazepam, as i no they can be addictive, but it does help wiyj yje panic, and also bringd the bp down,

[Going home]

Susy, when you take your BP during a panic attack, remember that its normal for it to be high at this time, so i would say don't take any extra meds for this over and above what your doc has pescribed. By all means take anything that has been recomended to get you out of the panic but the high blood pressure at this time is normal, so if you wait to come down from the panic and then take the reading it could be much lower and not necessary to take the extra meds, if you see what i mean.

[susysparkle]

anna.. cam i ask how ypu cope when having a panic attack.. i am finding that i am getting a lot when i wake in the morning

[Going home]

Susy, my panic attacks fortunately are very few these days, and everybody has their own way of coping with them, but i do know that your nervous system reacts to your first thought when you wake up, and in this high state of anxiety I also know that the first thought you have is not a positive one hence the panicky feeling waking up. You have programmed yourself to think negatively and your body picks up on that believe me. I'm not blaming you at all because ive been there and know how it feels. In fact at the moment i'm in the middle of an ectopic 'episode' that I havent had for over a year and its not a good feeling to go to bed with, or to wake up with.

We each have to find our own way of coping with panic i'm afraid and there are no hard and fast solutions, we can only share our experiences and hope that they might help a bit.

Anna xxx