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Hypertension

Was recently diagnosed with high blood pressure and prescribed ace inhibitor - low dose due to readings ranging from 160/90 to 190/100. I took it has gospel that this was a completely good diagnosis but have found that religeously checking my own readings with an excellent quality monitor I continually return average readings of 120/70 with a heart rate average of 67. I was more than happy to see this but on return to hospital for checks blood pressure was elevated once more. Why?? Am worried that I am taking the drugs for no reason.
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Avatar universal
Yes, I think it may be inherited. I witnessed my own mothers' hospital anxiety. Due to an industrial accident in an amunitions factory during the second world war she lost an eye which at the age of fifteen was traumatic for her. Later life (ie 78) brought its health complications and her sight started to fail in the remaining eye. Anxious about this coupled with the abrupt and humiliating manner of the specialist who was "treating" her I watched her sit in the hospital waiting room in anticipation of the appointment and quite literally go into cardiac arrest. They rushed her to emergency and stabilised her but unfortunately ten days later she died of complications arising for the heart attack. Bedside manner has gone to hell in a basket, doctors,specialists and consultants do not undertake human qualification but instead opt for degrees in God Complex. I am now in touch with a consultant who is conducting a study into "White Coat Syndrome" who may give my condition and its symptoms some gravitas, i will keep you informed of progress if any. As a point of information six weeks ago I was in Canada and completed a 18km orientiering trek through the Athabasca valley and reached half way point 25 minutes before any of the others in the party, I made coffee, took my BP meds and admired the scenery. When the others arrived I waited  for them to start return trek and set off with them and finished 20 minutes before anyone else. I wish these doctors would not label people with illnesses that can effectually hinder their lives, physically and psychologically, if your not objective you can lose all sense of viability. Afterall how many people live doctor free lives, that doesn't mean they are never sick it just means they don't rely on doctors to cure them because doctors rarely do. They ain't cured you or me!! they can only summise on whats wrong and when confronted with possible answers (ie White Coat) poo poo the suggestion in favour of what only they understand.                                                 PS. Blood pressure spikes occur in everyone its just that everyone is not in question, everyones pressure spikes, rises, falls and plateaus as all life is based on frequency if it didn't there would be something wrong with you. Keep taking the pills Barbarella, nice to know I am not alone.
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Avatar universal
I told you wrong.  The Hypertension Specialist I saw ( I seeked out on my own, no referral) he understood about white coat syndrome, but he was the one who said its better if I go on BP meds because he thinks that people like us can have high BP spikes with other anxieties.

None of the other doctors including the Cardiologist I saw understood white coat syndrome.  They didn't say that they never heard of it, but like you said brushed it off like they didn't believe me or whatever.
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Avatar universal
You're right they do NOT understand white coat syndrome.  I've been laughed at, I was told "what are you afraid of"  "we are not going to bite you" I was told.  I felt humiliated and had enough.  I then took matters in my own hands.  I told the Cardiologist I had to see "I do not want to come to the doctor's office having a heart attack or a stroke (at one time my BP shut up to 255/160 due to severe anxiety) the Cardiologist agreed with me and told me to take my BP at home and bring in the readings.  I had to do it with him, and I do it now with all other doctors I have to see or will see in the future.  However, I do take the BP meds because of what they said (I told you in my post above)

I've been to therapy about this issue/phobia they too do NOT understand about white coat hypertension yet the Internet is full of articles, chat rooms etc about white coat hypertension.

We are not alone, there are thousands of people like you and me yet for some reasons it has not reached the doctors and therapists yet I wonder why.

It might inherited.  My grandmother had it, her BP sometimes went to 280.  She had this for 60 yrs, and died in her sleep at age 83.  She never took BP meds because that was before BP meds.
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Avatar universal
Thanks for the reply, sounds exactly the same scenario as myself. The consultant cardiologist I am tied to does not recognise White Coat Syndrome and passes it off as an medically unsubstantiated condition that he or his circle do not buy into. Exactly what you said he'd like to up my meds & add a beta blocker, because there is some family history of problems, but the history illustrates that relatives died from these conditions in late life(80`s). Is it me or them, there is this kind of history in everybody's family, show me a family without a heart attack or a cancer or any illness for that matter. I am 42 and have had no history of any illness in fact my medical records are blank form birth til this diagnosis and only found this because of immigration medical requirements which obviously meant anxiety due to a lot depending on the results. All other blood tests and examinations at the time and since return perfectly normal but these guys still keep poking around. I just wish there was some organisation or group of specialists that would understand this phobia and cannot immagine that in this day and age that supposedly intelligent doctors can be so narrow minded. I have done all that business with taking my own readings and averaging them out daily and have cross checked my monitor with another and get average results 120/72 with heart rate of 67 but they just ignore the evidence. I also tried increasing my dose before visiting the hospital but it made no difference, which bears out what you said but if I double them at home my BP drops dangerously low. This now makes me feel they are just trying to push the meds and keep me paying so I take them just to do as I am told, I feel no benefit and the only frustration and anxiety I have is with the white coats - they definitely make it worse.
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Avatar universal
That happens with me.  It sounds like you have "white coat hypertension" your BP goes up when visiting a doctor or a hospital, but stays on the low side when you take it at home.   I saw a Hypertension Specialist and he told me that when you have severe anxiety, anger or a phobia at this moment all your BP meds will not help you.  They help you to keep your BP in the normal range but once you get severe anxiety or severe anger (people react different, anger doesn't effect my BP at all, only anxiety/suspense) your BP meds wont do you no good at that moment.

I even was on Beta Blockers for awhile, they did not help once I had a doctor's appointment.  I took tranquelizers for awhile before going to the doctor, the beta blockers and tranquelizers (not together) were prescribed for that purpose to calm me down before my appointment, I took double doze before an appointment, did not calm me down.

The Hypertension Specialist also told me that some people feel fine, don't feel the anxiety but still have white coat hypertension.  

I'm the "what if" person.  Since I found out yrs ago that I react hypertensive when in suspense at a doctor's office especially for a test result I worked myself up every time before the appointment/event "what will my BP numbers be today, what if, what if".  

I was put on BP meds because the Cardiologist and Hypertension Specialist told me that people with white coat hypertension lots of times get BP spikes when having other anxieties/suspense or frustrations as stuck in traffic for a long time.

The jury is out on that with the doctors.  Some of them say that people with white coat hypertension do not need BP meds, but more say they do.  What the hell, I take mine for the last four yrs and have no side effects at all.

Next time you see your doctor bring in your readings from home.  You can also bring in your BP monitor to check against the doctor's monitor.  This way they will believe you that your BP monitor is working.
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