Blood pressure shot up!

[Goingcrazy1220]

I had an interview for a job I really wanted and almost passed out during the interview!!! My blood pressure has always been normal with my medicine, but after the interview I went home and checked my blood pressure and it was 150/106, I thought I was going to have a stroke!! I took a valium and it went down to 118/81 after an hour and some relaxation. I am still not convinced that anxiety can cause a spike like that. my neck muscle are so sore today, so maybe I was having anxiety and didnt realize it, the symptoms that I was having was very tight neck muscles with a very tight band around head fast heartrate, and sweating, can someone please help me figure out what is going on, Thanks.

[Goingcrazy1220]

Thanks everyone!!! It helps to have friends on here with the same problems....I was scared because that maybe I had a blockage but my friend said that if I was a medical problem like a blockage then a valium would not have gotten rid of it. Sometimes us anxiety people get into our own lil world and it is hard to see the simple side of things, we always see the worse and will nott even believe when a doctor says that its simple, we tend to only believe our fellow anxiety and panic suffers, as we know you feel our pain. Thanks everyone...

[Alisonj29]

Mine use to spike every single panic attack. I would make it worse because I would take it again and again and each time I saw the number would stress more making it higher. It can for sure rise that high with an attack. Doesnt hurt to see your doctor and let them know what happened and they can atleast monitor it to ensure it stays in a good range.

[cj29]

BP can quite often spike really high if we are suffering a panic attack.  Heck mine can shoot higher than that when I am at the doctor's office.  But yours returned to normal which is a good thing, in my opinion.

I believe one of the best approaches you can take is through the help of a therapist.  In my experience with anxiety and panic, learning about it gives you the knowledge and tools to confront it and deal with it.  I know it can be very scary and confusing, but you can and will get through this and become a much better person for it....keep us posted!

[Jaybay]

You had a panic attack.  No fun are they?  My mother had terrible anxiety and experienced the same huge swings in blood pressure along with the same symptoms you describe.  Also like you, her blood pressure was well controlled with medication - until she had an anxiety attack.  You did everything right by taking your medication and working on relaxation.  

I know it's hard to do when you have an attack in dealing with a total stranger, but if you can remind yourself to slow and deepen your breathing your anxiety may not escalate into an all-out panic attack.  The minute you start feeling anxious, take a deep breath and slowly let it out.  Remind yourself to slow down your speech as well.  I've found it helpful in situations like yours to somewhat jokingly admit to being nervous.  It's not at all uncommon for an interviewee to be nervous and the person you speak to won't find such an admission unusual.

Speaking of blood pressure, it took years for my mom's doctor to finally find a medication that worked.  The majority of her hypertension was caused by anxiety so the typical alpha and beta blockers did nothing. Finally they tried tenex.  It an old medication that blocks adrenaline, which always skyrocketed when she was anxious.  If anyone else is in a similar situation, you might want to ask your doctor about this medication.