Aa
What is wrong with me?
I am an 18 year old healthy male. Here is a breakdown of my symptoms:
End of April – I woke up in the middle of the night feeling chest pains throughout the chest. I went to the emergency room and nothing was found wrong with my heart except for really high blood pressure (ridiculously high, like 160/95). For the next few days, I noticed that when I lay down, the pain would feel better and that whenever I had any kind of physical exertion, the chest pain became terrible. The chest pain did not come and go. It was always there unless I would lie down (in which case it was still there, but less severe).
Beginning of May – After a few days of this terrible chest pain and constant high blood pressure, I decided to take a blood pressure medicine called Intuniv that I had gotten before from a psychiatrist but hadn’t consumed for months. I didn’t know much about the medicine, so I took a 2 mg tablet of the medicine every night for a few nights. One night, however, I woke up in the middle of the night feeling really terrible (I forget exactly how I felt, but it was bad enough for me to rush into my mom’s room and tell her I wanted to go to the ER). Soon afterwards, I fainted and woke up about 30 seconds later. Whatever I felt before I fainted was gone, but I did not know why I fainted and I had hit my left stomach as well as my face really hard. We went to the ER, who conducted an electrocardiogram on me as well as a blood test, both of which did not show any abnormalities. My blood pressure was pretty normal (115/65) despite the fact that I was panicking, and so we assumed that the medicine had worked “too well.”
Mid May – I had, of course, stopped taking the Intuniv, and resumed my normal activities. After I recovered from the scars, I felt completely normal again. My chest pain was completely gone and I did not feel any other symptoms. After about two weeks of feeling normal, we went to the cardiologist (who we had gone to before) for just a check up. I felt so great that I thought it would be my last visit to any doctor for a while. They checked my blood pressure, and it was even higher than before (170/100). This confused me as I didn’t have any chest pain and didn’t feel anxious or anything. At this point, the cardiologist decided to put me on a beta-blocker called Bystolic, which I started taking 5 mg of every night.
Mid May to Mid June – Almost immediately after taking the Bystolic, my blood pressure went down and stayed town for the entirety of my taking it (we have a blood pressure checker at home, and it was consistently around 115/70, no matter when I checked it). I did, however, develop some really weird symptoms almost immediately after taking the Bystolic. I would notice that I would feel really light headed and maybe even a little nauseous immediately after taking the Bystolic. Also, I developed a very weird feeling in my chest (not the entire chest like before, but only in the left side, around the heart). It is a hard feeling to describe, but it is more like a soreness, not a pain. My left arm also started to twitch at random intervals. The twitching was involuntary in that it would happen on its own whether I thought about it or not, but when I thought hard about it, I could stop it from happening (kind of like breathing). The lightheadedness would get severe at times, even if it was almost a day since I last took the Bystolic. I also felt bad joint pain and gained a significant amount of weight during the month I was on Bystolic (about 10 to 15 pounds). I researched Bystolic and found that all these symptoms occur in other people who take Bystolic, and so I decided to get off of it (with the permission of the other doctors). I gradually weaned off of the medicine over a period of a little over two weeks. I stopped taking it on June 16.
Now – I have been off the Bystolic since June 16, but all of the symptoms that developed when I started taking the Bystolic have not gone away yet, nor has my blood pressure risen. My current symptoms include: random light headedness, constant chest numbness/slight pain in the heart area specifically, still have the thigh itching, and the random left arm/shoulder twitching.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!!!!!!!!! The doctors can't find anything wrong :-( but this isn't normal for a healthy 18 year old.
End of April – I woke up in the middle of the night feeling chest pains throughout the chest. I went to the emergency room and nothing was found wrong with my heart except for really high blood pressure (ridiculously high, like 160/95). For the next few days, I noticed that when I lay down, the pain would feel better and that whenever I had any kind of physical exertion, the chest pain became terrible. The chest pain did not come and go. It was always there unless I would lie down (in which case it was still there, but less severe).
Beginning of May – After a few days of this terrible chest pain and constant high blood pressure, I decided to take a blood pressure medicine called Intuniv that I had gotten before from a psychiatrist but hadn’t consumed for months. I didn’t know much about the medicine, so I took a 2 mg tablet of the medicine every night for a few nights. One night, however, I woke up in the middle of the night feeling really terrible (I forget exactly how I felt, but it was bad enough for me to rush into my mom’s room and tell her I wanted to go to the ER). Soon afterwards, I fainted and woke up about 30 seconds later. Whatever I felt before I fainted was gone, but I did not know why I fainted and I had hit my left stomach as well as my face really hard. We went to the ER, who conducted an electrocardiogram on me as well as a blood test, both of which did not show any abnormalities. My blood pressure was pretty normal (115/65) despite the fact that I was panicking, and so we assumed that the medicine had worked “too well.”
Mid May – I had, of course, stopped taking the Intuniv, and resumed my normal activities. After I recovered from the scars, I felt completely normal again. My chest pain was completely gone and I did not feel any other symptoms. After about two weeks of feeling normal, we went to the cardiologist (who we had gone to before) for just a check up. I felt so great that I thought it would be my last visit to any doctor for a while. They checked my blood pressure, and it was even higher than before (170/100). This confused me as I didn’t have any chest pain and didn’t feel anxious or anything. At this point, the cardiologist decided to put me on a beta-blocker called Bystolic, which I started taking 5 mg of every night.
Mid May to Mid June – Almost immediately after taking the Bystolic, my blood pressure went down and stayed town for the entirety of my taking it (we have a blood pressure checker at home, and it was consistently around 115/70, no matter when I checked it). I did, however, develop some really weird symptoms almost immediately after taking the Bystolic. I would notice that I would feel really light headed and maybe even a little nauseous immediately after taking the Bystolic. Also, I developed a very weird feeling in my chest (not the entire chest like before, but only in the left side, around the heart). It is a hard feeling to describe, but it is more like a soreness, not a pain. My left arm also started to twitch at random intervals. The twitching was involuntary in that it would happen on its own whether I thought about it or not, but when I thought hard about it, I could stop it from happening (kind of like breathing). The lightheadedness would get severe at times, even if it was almost a day since I last took the Bystolic. I also felt bad joint pain and gained a significant amount of weight during the month I was on Bystolic (about 10 to 15 pounds). I researched Bystolic and found that all these symptoms occur in other people who take Bystolic, and so I decided to get off of it (with the permission of the other doctors). I gradually weaned off of the medicine over a period of a little over two weeks. I stopped taking it on June 16.
Now – I have been off the Bystolic since June 16, but all of the symptoms that developed when I started taking the Bystolic have not gone away yet, nor has my blood pressure risen. My current symptoms include: random light headedness, constant chest numbness/slight pain in the heart area specifically, still have the thigh itching, and the random left arm/shoulder twitching.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!!!!!!!!! The doctors can't find anything wrong :-( but this isn't normal for a healthy 18 year old.
Best Answer
Most likely it is anxiety, I have generalized anxiety disorder my BP was in the 160s as well in the doctors office he did a thorough round of tests and determined i have white coat hypertension and anxiety i am on two anxiety medications and my BP is always normal at home. I am 20, and my doctor basically told me given my family history and such there was almost no way i actually had hypertension at my age.
yeah, it turns out they put me on Xanax and all my symptoms went away, including the high blood pressure. guess it really was just anxiety (or anxiety about anxiety). anyhow, i am greatly relieved, now i can go off to college and live my life normally again :-)
The thing I'm worried about is why my blood pressure is so high all of a sudden (it has gone back up again now, to 150/100). For most of my life during my semi-annual checkups at the doctor, my blood pressure was completely normal. What has caused this sudden increase? Should I be worried? I'm only 18 :/
It is more common than you think unfortunately.
It is unfortunate you have high blood pressure in an early age, but not only old people have it. Keep it under control. Listen to your doctor. If beta-blockers are not right with your body you should get something else as you had. Also bb is not right in that early age in my opinion when it is another option. Many HBP med out there, and a good doctor will find you the right one and the right dose that personally fit with your system. You don’t need to push that bp far down because then your pulse will go down as well and you can be light headed because of that. Don’t drive yourself crazy as we all did sometimes measuring it over again and again. Do it calmly and write it down calmly take the numbers to your doctor office next time visiting.
Be glad your heart is OK!!!! And remember your heart is OK!
You haven’t said what is your exercise looks like? You most do something, which is very important. That will help to get rid of unwanted pounds, that you are right could of have because of the pills, but in your age ,and in any age but an 18 years old body even more must eat right and healthy. Watch yourself what you do, how you doing it. Do not let stress get in to your system. You are well! This is what always must be in front of your eyes, and then it will get better! Do not forget many ways without or with side by side with the pills can be done that control high blood pressure. Unsalted food , magnesium rich food etc…That IS your only problem your high blood pressure, but it can be controlled very well if you get on the right ‘road ‘ Nothing else is wrong!
Good luck!
It is unfortunate you have high blood pressure in an early age, but not only old people have it. Keep it under control. Listen to your doctor. If beta-blockers are not right with your body you should get something else as you had. Also bb is not right in that early age in my opinion when it is another option. Many HBP med out there, and a good doctor will find you the right one and the right dose that personally fit with your system. You don’t need to push that bp far down because then your pulse will go down as well and you can be light headed because of that. Don’t drive yourself crazy as we all did sometimes measuring it over again and again. Do it calmly and write it down calmly take the numbers to your doctor office next time visiting.
Be glad your heart is OK!!!! And remember your heart is OK!
You haven’t said what is your exercise looks like? You most do something, which is very important. That will help to get rid of unwanted pounds, that you are right could of have because of the pills, but in your age ,and in any age but an 18 years old body even more must eat right and healthy. Watch yourself what you do, how you doing it. Do not let stress get in to your system. You are well! This is what always must be in front of your eyes, and then it will get better! Do not forget many ways without or with side by side with the pills can be done that control high blood pressure. Unsalted food , magnesium rich food etc…That IS your only problem your high blood pressure, but it can be controlled very well if you get on the right ‘road ‘ Nothing else is wrong!
Good luck!
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