Re: Starting Sertraline question
Originally Posted by
tom1984
My readings yesterday were mostly around 155/100 and 160/100 with 2 readings of 180/110.
I'd be very surprised if sertraline was raising your BP from a normal say 120/80 to 180/110. Its impact is usually much less than that.
I visited my gp and we increased the bisoprolol to control the fast heartbeat and bloodpressure more.
That sounds like a better option than quitting sertraline at the moment.
I have a call with my psychiologist at 11.30 today and will hear what she says.
A psychologist, or psychiatrist? Psychologists usually don't have medical training so unless she does I wouldn't be taking advice on BP and meds from her.
I feel completely nervous and jittery inside. I am also very worried about my blood pressure and high heart rate because they come out of nowhere.
Do you take your BP daily because you have health anxiety, or is there another reason?
It might be me being so nervous that is causing this all as well.
I barely slept last night because of my worries and it makes the nervousness so much worse.
Which points to your mental state being the main trigger for the elevated BP.
I was recently in hospital with a serious leg infection which wasn't responding to antibiotics and facing a real possibly of having it amputated. My BP shot up to around 170/120 for a while and that was definitely all down to stress because my BP is usually kept at a little below the normal range by medication because of a long term lung issue.
Sometimes I feel like giving up on meds because they make me feel so bad. If my blood pressure and heart rate was ok It would be much easier to cope for me.
Is cognitive, behavioural (CBT, REBT, etc), or mindfulness therapy an option. They can be as effective as ADs and create the same positive brain changes as the meds. However, the sooner you could start the better. If there are long waiting times I suggest you stick with ADs as your anxious state can also produce the issues you're having and is I suspect mostly responsible for your current situation than the sertraline.
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The opinions expressed above are based on my observations and, where applicable, interpretation of cited data and are general in nature. Consult your physician before acting on anything stated.