ADD & HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

[darcfreddie]

I have been trying to deal with ADD for 20yrs and now have high blood pressure, so what are my options when most meds say they may raise BP?

[Sandman2]

   Thats great to hear.  Its amazing what stress does to ones BP.  I find a good long jog does wonders for mine.  Best wishes.

[darcfreddie]

Thx for your reply! I have an appt with my dr soon. I will definitly talk to him about this. My stress lvl has taken a huge drop recently and my BP has droped from this. I am now normaly running 130/90 or a bit less.

[Sandman2]

   I think the question is how much do they raise the blood pressure?   And, then of course, is that elevation enough to be a concern?
   In a somewhat recent study (2006), they reported that, "A growing body of work exists about the short- and long-term effects of stimulant treatment on cardiovascular parameters in children, adolescents, and adults with ADHD who are receiving stimulants. These data, limited to healthy subjects without known preexisting cardiac anomalies, consistently demonstrate small, statistically significant, but not clinically meaningful increases in blood pressure and pulse as well as minimal changes during electrocardiography."
    They went on to say, " During the March 22, 2006, meeting of the FDA Pediatric Psychopharmacology Advisory Panel, investigators for the ongoing Multimodal Treatment of ADHD follow-up protocol reported (over 6 years of follow-up) no differences in blood pressure or pulse between those treated with medication and those not treated with medications. Short-term 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring has also shown similar findings.9,20 In both short and longer-term studies, there were low drop-out rates secondary to abnormal cardiovascular parameters and 90th percentile for age) or clinical symptoms referable to cardiovascular symptoms (eg, chest discomfort, syncope, palpitations). Studies of adults reflect those of children and adolescents, although, not surprisingly, higher rates of hypertension have been observed28,29 because blood pressure naturally increases with age.30"   This is from this study (I would advise you or your doctor to read it) -   http://www.pediatricsdigest.mobi/content/118/3/1215.full
     From reading this I get the feeling that you could start the meds with a small dose (standard practice), and check your BP periodically.  It should only go up a little.
     However, I have no idea how high your BP is and how much of a concern that is.
   There are non-stimulant meds.  But typically they are for ADHD and are meant to slow the person down as they are mainly antidepressants ( but will also lower blood pressure).  You can find a list of those here - http://www.leeheymd.com/charts/adhd_1.html   - about half way down the page.
     And, I guess it is always possible that if you have never used meds to treat your ADD - and your ADD is causing you anxiety - then the use of meds might cause your anxiety to go down and your BP to lower?
    I do hope that some of this helps.  Obviously, it is no easy answer.  I would love to know what you wind up doing!  Please keep us posted.  I am sorry I could not give you a more conclusive answer.  Best wishes.