Help! BP only goes down when resting..

I'm a 35 yr old female.. have had HBP since I was 25.  I was taking Atenolol (sp?) 25 mg once a day and Lotensin HCT(sp?)  20/25 once a day.  My doctor ( a new one) switched me from Atenolol to Inderal LA  because my blood pressure was slightly higher than he wanted it to be.  So I have been on the Inderal LA for almost a month and my blood pressure is higher than it has ever been.. 150/105 average.  It only goes down when I sit down for and extended period of time.  I went back to the doctor yesterday and saw a different one.. she put me back on Atenolol.  I am taking the Inderal for 2 more days at a lower dose and she told me to take 2 of my Lotensin HCT's a day until I start back on the Atenolol.  My blood pressure today was still 150/105 all day even after taking 2 of the Lotensin.  Does any of this sound right?  I'm not sure what doc to believe now.  And how long will it take for my bp to get back to normal?  Thanks in advance!  This is stressing me out!

[Barbarella]

"Stressing you out" can give you high readings even on BP meds.  Tell your doctor exactly what you told us.  

[slarew]

from what I understand about blood pressure, it is supposed to go down after sitting and relaxing for a while because your heart doesn't need to pump so hard to get all the oxygen out to your cells...that part sounds normal. I'm not sure about the medicine part though. Good luck

[Artaud]

Hi,

I am not sure that the comparison is entirely valid, but I had taken Inderal LA at 240 mg per day for about 4 years. My Doctor (An Internist, prescribing the medication for PVCs and Migraine) used to marvel that my pulse stayed as high as it did with such a dose. Eventually I left the area and sought out a new Doctor. This one, a Cardiologist, wanted to know why I was on Inderal LA, he said that no one uses this medication anymore (he said, I didn't). Well, I started with Atenolol 50mg per day, and my pulse was so slow I was initially concerned. This effect has continued to this day from several years ago. With Atenolol, my resting pulse is about 60 Beats per minute. My point is that for me, even with 240 mg Inderal LA, my pulse was not this low. I reacted favorably to the Atenolol.

I believe that Atenolol is an effective medication for many people. I would give Atenolol at good try. Perhaps the Doctor will eventually increase the Dose of the Atenolol, as I believe that 25 mg is a low dose. I have talked with others at work that also are successful with Atenolol. One man, concerned about a “pounding heart beat”, consulted his Doctor. He was prescribed Atenolol 50 mg once a day. This man was convinced that the Atenolol was making him tired, so he weaned himself off of the Atenolol. Guess what, the “pounding heart beat” returned, and he ended up visiting the Emergency Room. Nothing was found, but he suggested to the ER Doctor that “maybe his discontinuation of Atenolol was causing this problem”. The ER Doctor agreed. After consulting with his Doctor (who he failed to consult with prior to discontinuing Atenolol), it was agreed that he would take 25 mg per day.

Myself, I take 50 mg in the morning and 25 mg at night (with the Doctors consent),  mostly to help reduce the frequency of PVCs that I have been having as of late. Otherwise, I took 25 mg in the morning and 25 mg at night. I don’t drink coffee and I take other prescription drugs. I cannot say I am unduly tired from the Atenolol.

Best regards.

[HeatherR400]

Thanks guys... I have been on 50 mg of Atenolol along with 40mg of Lotensin w a  25 mg diuretic.  My blood pressure has gone way down.  At the doc Wed morning it was 120/79.  She said to continue this dosage.  The bottom number still gets high when I am up running around.... but she said I should never take my blood pressure unless I have been resting for 5 to min.  I am feeling much better!