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high blopd pressure panic

Hi. I am a 37 year old woman that has suffered from anxiety panic attacks and mood disorder for 13 years. I was on treatment for it but dumd me stopped it cause i felt fine. Well the anxiety panic attacks have come back full force i had to go to the hospital cause of it. My bp reading at the hospital was 153/100 the dr saw it and disnt even blinked. Fpr the last few days i have had readings of 137/90 and today 147/90 stupid me is starting to freak out and panic even more. Tomorrow is my follow up visit with the psychiatrist i am scared some plz talk to me and give me advise
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Avatar universal
What are you anxious about - can you update us? You have taken some tests lately that show you do not have a heart problem so I am wondering if you are still worrying that you do.
You mentioned before you do not know your diagnosis. I think it is important to find out what the diagnosis is, to ensure that you are working on the same issues as the person who prescribed the drugs thinks need addressing, so I would ask about that next time you see doc.
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Avatar universal
I feel so anxious today
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Avatar universal
Ok went to the pcp and he fpund everything to be allright ekg was perfect he just wants to run a few labs and stufd and for me to keep taking the bp meds and that they are already working cause the bp was lower than before he will see me in two weeks with the labs results and see if i needoreeds or just continue with the one am taking right now on the plus sode beta blockers tend to relaxe so thats a plus lol
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Avatar universal
I'm sorry you are going thru this....
I had struggled with this before, I used to make random stops at stores where I knew it would have a bp machine for me to use it. I even bought one to keep at home and BIG MISTAKE! Once I measured my bp more than 100 times in ONE day!!!! No jokes! The machine came with a space memory of 100 measurements, and I filled all of it in one day. I had bruises all over my arm. My bp was up, 150/95, 145/90....Went to the doctor embarrassed with all the bruising, he told me to put the machine away, like, for good. Guess what!? It was a really hard thing to do, but I did it. I had a deep physical check up 2 months ago, all good, and my bp was 118/75!

Today, I remember about my pb machine, since I'm in a battle with my GAD and muscle pain, used my machine but my bp was 110/69. Once you put your bp fear aside, it will get better. Just be careful, since we struggle with anxiety, your brain may choose another fear!

You are on the right track! Take the meds, therapy, talk to friends, deep breaths, you will overcome this!

God bless you.
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Avatar universal
Ok went to the psych and he wants ke to stay on zoloft and klonopin because they think it is was best for me at the moment he advised me to go to the pcp for my high blood pressure and anxious me ended up in the er there the dr told that even though it was a little bit high it wasnt for me to worry prescribed me loppresor 50mg twice a day for the blood pressure and cause my heart rate was 110 qhen i went to see him at the er. Already took my first dose and the bp is down and pulse is 70 have to follow up with a internist to continue medication and tomorrow another appt with the shrink god knows for what..... i think i am going crazy....
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Avatar universal
Ok. Try not to trust the walmart BP machines too much. They are sometimes not calibrated carefully and can give out false readings. My wife has perfect blood pressure and when she checked it at walmart it came up as 154/98. When we got home and used the bp machine, after jogging in place to mimic her walking fast at walmart, was 122/72.  
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480448 tn?1426948538
Try not to get into the habit of checking your BP too much.  Ask your doctor for recommendations on checking your BP.  Chances are, until your anxiety is a bit better managed, your doc won't want you to keep a close eye on it.  If you start taking it frequently, it will only serve to exacerbate your anxiety, especially if it remains a little elevated.

Definitely talk to your doctor about how best to proceed, and make sure he knows that you're very anxious about your BP.  Let us know how the appointment goes!
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Avatar universal
Yes i will do that i am getting ready to see the dr right now butthe thing i cant get out of my head is the blood pressure right now i feel so scared i might have a heart attack that i just want to go to walmart and measure my bp
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Avatar universal
You can just copy what you wrote here and print it off then you won't forget anything.
I presume you were diagnosed by the psychiatrist? I would ask tomorrow what your diagnosis was and see if they still think it is valid.
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480448 tn?1426948538
No need to apologize, I'm glad we're able to be here for you, and help you through this.  I DO really think that if your doc agrees to let you go up a bit slower on the Zoloft, you'll feel much better while you're transitioning again.  I would also restart any therapy you were doing.  If possible, ask for a therapist who is familiar with CBT, that would be very helpful for you.

Be sure to write down any questions or concerns you have ahead of time for the doc, that way you don't forget to discuss anything.

Be sure to update us after your appt.  Hoping you feel somewhat relieved after you see the doc!
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Avatar universal
thank you so much for that answer. so i just explain everything to the shrink tomorrow right? and yes i feel anxious at every single minute of the day cause my mind starts telling me im gonna die of a heart attack i have been on zoloft for four days and i also was given klonopin wich relaxes me perfectly but if i take it to see the dr i am afraid it will be a false bp reading sorry if i seem to ramble is just that i dont have anyone to talk to about this
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480448 tn?1426948538
Thanks for the additional information.  Did you feel anxious when you were taking your BP at Wal-Mart?  

As for the Zoloft, so if I understand correctly, you were restarted on 100mg after being completely off the Zoloft for 6 months?  If so, I would clarify that dose with your doc tomorrow.  You were off the Zoloft long enough where jumping right back on a dose like that could be very difficult to tolerate.  I would personally recommend asking about starting out at a lower dose, and being tapered back up to the 100mg, gradually.

Are you on any other medications?  It goes without saying that it's very important to keep up with your mental health treatment.  It's important to stay in touch with your doc/therapist, even if it is just from time to time.  

Also, if you didn't, you should always discuss the discontinuation of any medication with the prescribing doctor, so it can be d/c'ed properly.  Did you stop the Zoloft abruptly, or did you taper?  You may have saved yourself a lot of grief with this latest recurrence of anxiety had you approached your care a bit different.  It's very easy for us to get stuck in the mindset of thinking we're doing very well, hence we feel we don't "need" the medications anymore.  Too many times, we end up finding out that we probably WERE doing well partly BECAUSE of the medication.  I've found myself in that situation more than once.

There's nothing wrong with having the desire to want to give life a try without a medication, and with trying to cope on your own, but like I said, it's still important to remain in contact with your mental health team, and stay vigilant about how you're feeling.  That way things like this don't sneak up on you so drastically.  You can't just completely stop all efforts at managing a chronic condition like a mood disorder or anxiety disorder, and expect that it will just be gone. If you have to, think of it like managing something like diabetes, or a thyroid condition.  Even if your diabetes or thyroid condition were being very well managed, you would still have to have the occasional check up, and stay alert, looking for any possible changes in your condition.  Same thing would apply to a mental illness.

I'll be anxious to hear how it goes with your doc.  Hang in there, glad you found us!
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Avatar universal
i have been off zoloft for six months and yes the lowest dose i get as always 100 mg
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Avatar universal
i take my bp readings at the walmart blood machine and i dont rest i just sit down and do it
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480448 tn?1426948538
How long have you been off the Zoloft?  Did they resume the Zoloft at the last dose you were taking?  If so, what was the dose?
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Avatar universal
i sincerely dont remember wich mood disorder it is. i stopped taking the meds because i felt fine and wasnt having panic attacks last week they came back out of nowhere and in full force i didnt have refills but in the er they knew my meds and prescribed me what i always used zoloft the dr and nurse at the er saw the 153/100 reading and told me it wAS OK IM confused tomorrow is my appointment with the shrink
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480448 tn?1426948538
How are you taking your BP at home, and how frequently?  Were the readings you listed in your post taken when you were having a lot of anxiety?  It's a completely normal physiological response for your BP and pulse to be elevated (sometimes significantly) during times of severe anxiety or panic.  That's probably why your doctor wasn't all that concerned.

It's something definitely important to follow up with your doctor about, but again, if your high readings were taken during or shortly after a panic/anxiety attack, that would be a normal finding.  

Let us know what your doc says!
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Avatar universal
What mood disorder were you diagnosed with?
. is your family doc aware of the readings?
When did you stop taking the meds?
You said you were prescribed your usual, so does that mean you have a script you can fill? I don't get the first part where you say you stopped but now you say you were prescribed Zoloft.
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Avatar universal
i was prescribed my usual med zoloft it has always worked fine and no i dont take bp meds
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Avatar universal
Did you ask doc lately to put you back on the meds? What meds did you take? What mood disorder were you diagnosed with?
Do you take bp medicine? I don't know anything about bp, but if those readings are high, is your family doc aware of them?
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