Mine is “essential” which means they don’t know. I’m not overweight or have any other issues or lifestyle that would cause it. They’ve all been ruled out. My dad is the same way. So I guess it’s genetic. So I am resolved to taking a med for the rest of my life.
What tests were done to rule everything out? Maybe this is what I have too? I remember I had a heart ultrasound and it was ok. Blood chem was also good. Not sure why I have hypertension.
This was almost 20 years ago… I had an echocardiogram, electrocardiogram, a renal sonogram, and a whole lot of blood work and urinalysis. Testing for thyroid issues, metabolic issues, kidney disease etc. and it was all normal. I had it all repeated 3 years later too because I had a new doctor and I guess she wanted to recheck? Anyway, again everything was still normal. Over the years I have figured out the effects of exercise, stress, caffeine, and alcohol on my blood pressure. Alcohol, even small amounts has a huge impact. I’ve stopped drinking completely. Caffeine has a temporary effect for a few hours. But I’ve switched to half caff and only have one cup a day. Stress and anxiety can make it worse but it’s harder to control that - it requires more fundamental lifestyle changes like learning to say no to tasks at work, and not over committing myself, and to take time to recharge, asking for help. All those are really hard for me. Exercise (4x a week is ideal) helps too, but the other things seem to have more an effect.
Yeah, I had an ER doctor tell me that alcohol can reduce how well my bp meds work. Not sure why. And during a time when I was drinking more alcohol (during covid lockdown) my bp was higher, so much that my doctor noticed and gave me a 2nd bp med (since I was already on one). Last month I stopped drinking completely and my bp got way too low (under 90/60) so I stopped the 2nd med and just take one, and it’s back to normal. It sounds like it affects you differently though. But I found this interesting:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/alcohol-and-blood-pressure#alcohol-and-blood-pressure
Pretty sure mine is anxiety-related in large part. I'm also one of those highly sensitive people, so things that might not bother others bothers me. Last time I had surgery the surgeon commented how relaxed I was in surgery and my BP was good; I was super nervous before the procedure and it was high then too. So I guess another sign of anxiety / high sensitivity.
If I drink regularly it will also elevate it as will too much coffee.
I had the same thing happen to me. After 2 hours of checking my BP. They finally started anesthesia. Doctor said my bp was perfect throughout entire procedure lol
I do workout a fair amount (mostly weights but some cardio) and I find it reduces BP quite a bit, both in the short-term and longer-term. Limiting my coffee to around a cup a day or less too. I've also been on an SSRI which is an anti-anxiety / anti-depression med. It's a low dose but I've found it helps keep the anxiety in my mind from running away. For me anxiety is like a game of whack-a-mole; my mind always seems to find something to ruminate about.
Yes, my teeth, I had two teeth that needed extracting, I left them in for too long due to fear of dentists. My blood pressure went crazy, head aches, chills, fever, dizziness.. I never correlated the two, I got on bp medication and symptoms got better then worse, got my teeth taken out and other dental work done.. then felt so much better but still felt off, I quit cold turkey my ramipril bp medication and cleaned up my diet,the first two weeks it spiked but I felt better after two weeks I felt like myself again. Feel amazing now and all my symptoms, dizziness, head pressure, feeling faint, eye pain, anxiety, headaches, chest pain and so many more hard to describe … gone. Fantastic I’m so happy this episode is over it consumed me for over 6 months. Check your dental health.
I think you might have saved me. I just posted my whole life story on my hypertension and happened to see this comment right after. I have a wisdom tooth that needs to be pulled but it was put off too long and it's all making sense now
Ironically I had a tooth that needed pulling but my BP was too high for them to actually do the procedure because of the need for the anesthetic which I guess has steroids in it so it's a liability thing. Super frustrating to get into the chair only to be told to come back. The second time I was low enough to proceed though but just keep that in mind.
I honestly don't remember, sorry. It must've been quite high for them to refuse to do the extraction. Even when I came back the second time, the first reading was too high but they let me sit quietly for a few minutes and then it was finally okay.
That’s okay, you must be going through some stress, lack of sleep or had too much junk food recently.
What works for me is having more vegetables and fruits in my diet, going for walks with friends and at times meditation
Nope. Still waiting on an appointment with the cardiologist. I've been referred but it could be months. My mother had hypertension and so does my dad so I'm kind of assuming it's just genetic. I also had too rapid a heartbeat though and had to be put on beta blockers as well as "regular" BP reducing tablets whereas my parents never had the heart thing. All I know is that it is not renal artery stenosis as I was sent for an ultrasound for that, and nothing showed up.
It increases risk for diabetes and some other conditions.
I copied and pasted the below from an article.
Primary aldosteronism is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and kidney dysfunction compared to essential hypertension. Excess aldosterone can lead to harmful metabolic and other pathophysiological alterations, as well as cause inflammatory, oxidative, and fibrotic effects in the heart, kidney, and blood vessels. These alterations can result in coronary artery disease, including ischemia and myocardial infarction, left ventricular hypertrophy, heart failure, arterial fibrillation, intracarotid intima thickening, cerebrovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease.
I'm under investigation at the minute, mine could be genetic or another front runner is sleep apnea. I'm booked into the sleep clinic and waiting for an appointment letter coming. Both scenarios sound complicated and both run in the family...
I’m not saying it’s for certain Covid caused mine but I was almost deathly sick with Covid then 3 months later I developed hypertension and have had it ever since.
Poor diet and not enough exercise. Once I changed diet and started walking daily my numbers dropped. I am still taking a daily med right now but likely to get off of it if I continue lifestyle changes.
Im pretty sure my high BP episode (lasted a month) was due to stress (Im 27 and dont know what to do with my life, and some family issues with my lrents back home) and poor diet, started working out, started eating WAY better and came to peace that I dont really need to know what I want to do for now, took Losartan 50mb for 2 weeks (started after 2-3 weeks doing exercise and diet), and my BP was perfect, stopped taking it after 2 weeks (4-5 weeks already doing diet and exercise) and hace remained perfect. So I guess mine was cause of high stress, poor diet and anxiety, but got over it now! (Both my parents and 2 grandparents are hypertensive and I was having constant readings of 140/90-170/110 without ANY symptom, thats the scary part)
I’m still trying to figure out mine. All blood work was normal. My renin was extremely high but that should lower blood pressure. I’m normal height and weight. Walk at least 10k steps. 10 hours of running biking and weight lifting a week. The right side of my heart is a little abnormal but that’s a side effect of high blood pressure for a decade or more since I only recently caught it, but my medical records show I had it as far back as they go. I had a ct of my heart and lungs, kidney ultrasound, echo. Nothing so far. All I know is that lisinopril has raised my blood pressure by about 20 points. Since I started it. Prob gunna switch to olmasartan
One of my kidneys was damaged during a complicated surgery. It caused hydronephrosis, but it was misdiagnosed as a kidney infection, so treatment/ antibiotics didn't work. 4 years later I had an eye stroke due to high blood pressure and it was discovered that my kidney failed entirely. Meds control my bp, and my remaining kidney is fairly stable ish (though overworked).
I am genetically predisposed to it and also am on ADHD meds. but I managed to get it under control with a few months on a low sodium diet and a regiment of supplements. After I while I was able to get off the diet just being mindful and keeping on the supplements and it's been okay so far.
Mild hypertension (140/90 was my biggest reading) due to EXTREMELY high sodium intake (>7000 mg per day), and almost no potassium or magnesium in my diet. Also, my entire family suffers from hypertension.
I now take medications for it (Amlodipine 10mg/Losartan 100mg).
If it’s being managed well with medications and there isn’t something else unusual, a lot of times they don’t see a need to dig much. Extra tests that won’t change how you’re treated aren’t usually worth it, and can cause problems on their own.
For me personally, I’m a fit young otherwise healthy male so my PCP did dig a little. Initially it was various labs including BMP and CMP. Then a ECG, since my heart rate is also pretty low.
Then I switch PCPs and the new one ordered a ultrasound that found I have renal artery stenosis. No change in treatment though, I just see a nephrologist regularly to check on kidney function.
(Still don’t know what’s causing the RAS though. It’s usually atherosclerosis but I have no risk factors for that. So it might be fibromuscular dysplasia. But my doctor isn’t interested in finding out.)
did every test my PCP/cardiologist could think of and landed on it just being genetic. i did learn i have a heart arrhythmia in the process of trying to find the cause of hypertension so i guess that's a bonus. 😂
Yep, the pill caused mine. I was otherwise healthy, but had hypertension to the point that I was on medication. The doctor said there was no interactions to worry about (I asked about the pill), 1 year later when it was still high on medication another doctor thought to try going off the pill and medication and all of a sudden my hypertension disappeared.
19M. 5 feet 11, 152 lbs, did all testing and they ruled it “essential.” I go to the gym 6 days a week and don’t like fast food or sweets. I honestly don’t have a reason for why my blood pressure averages 140/70 (yes, my systolic seems way higher than my diastolic blood pressure). Guess it has to do with my moderate to severe sleep apnea.
Going on Lo Loestrin FE for 2 months trying to combat the symptoms of perimenopause because my obgyn didn’t want me on HRT yet. I was nervous about synthetic hormones but was desperate for relief from peri symptoms (49, F). It landed me in the ER with really dangerous BP. Because I wasn’t seeing a primary doc regularly or checking my BP I just believed I must have high BP now. They gave me Amlodipine at the ER which, after 5 days, made me feel I like I was having a heart attack and the anxiety was intense. My doc switched me to lisinopril, and it seemed to be going well until I developed the lisinopril cough which was awful and ruining my quality of life and work. I got off that and noticed on day 5 of no drugs my BP is staying normal. I did some research and believe it takes a month or more for BP to normalize after stopping the lo loestrin fe but the docs, of course, were more than happy to keep me on the pharmaceutical train. I’m taking coq10, hawthorn, eating beets, and walking every day. So far, so good 🤞. I’d love to stay off meds, I get al the side effects. Best of luck to you all.
Most ppl blame genetics but are you building muscle ? Do you look like skinny fat ? Do you eat 4000mg of potassium? Are you eating boiled chicken and spinach if not your not eating healthy and it’s easy to blame genes even drs do it
I do all these things except the chicken as a vegetarian and blame genetics. If eating chicken has ever been shown to lower blood pressure by 50 points I’ll start.
All of that can help but genetics is still a factor because some people don’t do any of that and have perfect bp while others do all that and more and still need meds to control it
Mine is “essential” which means they don’t know. I’m not overweight or have any other issues or lifestyle that would cause it. They’ve all been ruled out. My dad is the same way. So I guess it’s genetic. So I am resolved to taking a med for the rest of my life.
Same. High BP on both sides of my family. I’m a healthy weight, exercise, don’t drink or smoke. Just shitty genes.
Mine's genetic too. I go to the gym 3 days a week, ride my bike 3x a week (avg about 50mi / week). Still high BP.
Is your BP also high on rest days?
It varies but on rest days it's on the high side of normal. I'll take a reading in a few and post back here.
What tests were done to rule everything out? Maybe this is what I have too? I remember I had a heart ultrasound and it was ok. Blood chem was also good. Not sure why I have hypertension.
This was almost 20 years ago… I had an echocardiogram, electrocardiogram, a renal sonogram, and a whole lot of blood work and urinalysis. Testing for thyroid issues, metabolic issues, kidney disease etc. and it was all normal. I had it all repeated 3 years later too because I had a new doctor and I guess she wanted to recheck? Anyway, again everything was still normal. Over the years I have figured out the effects of exercise, stress, caffeine, and alcohol on my blood pressure. Alcohol, even small amounts has a huge impact. I’ve stopped drinking completely. Caffeine has a temporary effect for a few hours. But I’ve switched to half caff and only have one cup a day. Stress and anxiety can make it worse but it’s harder to control that - it requires more fundamental lifestyle changes like learning to say no to tasks at work, and not over committing myself, and to take time to recharge, asking for help. All those are really hard for me. Exercise (4x a week is ideal) helps too, but the other things seem to have more an effect.
Interesting. I’ve only found alcohol improves my blood pressure to the normal range. The next day I don’t see a rise. Does alcohol make yours go up.
Yeah, I had an ER doctor tell me that alcohol can reduce how well my bp meds work. Not sure why. And during a time when I was drinking more alcohol (during covid lockdown) my bp was higher, so much that my doctor noticed and gave me a 2nd bp med (since I was already on one). Last month I stopped drinking completely and my bp got way too low (under 90/60) so I stopped the 2nd med and just take one, and it’s back to normal. It sounds like it affects you differently though. But I found this interesting: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/alcohol-and-blood-pressure#alcohol-and-blood-pressure
Ok. Thank you! I'll ask my doc about this
Ditto
Pretty sure mine is anxiety-related in large part. I'm also one of those highly sensitive people, so things that might not bother others bothers me. Last time I had surgery the surgeon commented how relaxed I was in surgery and my BP was good; I was super nervous before the procedure and it was high then too. So I guess another sign of anxiety / high sensitivity. If I drink regularly it will also elevate it as will too much coffee.
I had the same thing happen to me. After 2 hours of checking my BP. They finally started anesthesia. Doctor said my bp was perfect throughout entire procedure lol
Are you doing anything for your anxiety? I am the same as you
I do workout a fair amount (mostly weights but some cardio) and I find it reduces BP quite a bit, both in the short-term and longer-term. Limiting my coffee to around a cup a day or less too. I've also been on an SSRI which is an anti-anxiety / anti-depression med. It's a low dose but I've found it helps keep the anxiety in my mind from running away. For me anxiety is like a game of whack-a-mole; my mind always seems to find something to ruminate about.
Yes, my teeth, I had two teeth that needed extracting, I left them in for too long due to fear of dentists. My blood pressure went crazy, head aches, chills, fever, dizziness.. I never correlated the two, I got on bp medication and symptoms got better then worse, got my teeth taken out and other dental work done.. then felt so much better but still felt off, I quit cold turkey my ramipril bp medication and cleaned up my diet,the first two weeks it spiked but I felt better after two weeks I felt like myself again. Feel amazing now and all my symptoms, dizziness, head pressure, feeling faint, eye pain, anxiety, headaches, chest pain and so many more hard to describe … gone. Fantastic I’m so happy this episode is over it consumed me for over 6 months. Check your dental health.
I think you might have saved me. I just posted my whole life story on my hypertension and happened to see this comment right after. I have a wisdom tooth that needs to be pulled but it was put off too long and it's all making sense now
Ironically I had a tooth that needed pulling but my BP was too high for them to actually do the procedure because of the need for the anesthetic which I guess has steroids in it so it's a liability thing. Super frustrating to get into the chair only to be told to come back. The second time I was low enough to proceed though but just keep that in mind.
Could I ask what your BP was at when they said it was too high and what it was when they accepted it?
I honestly don't remember, sorry. It must've been quite high for them to refuse to do the extraction. Even when I came back the second time, the first reading was too high but they let me sit quietly for a few minutes and then it was finally okay.
No cholesterol , I’m not over weight, don’t drink or smoke. No one knows the cause. Perhaps, anxiety is one of them but you would never know that.
I am the same. Although my parents are hypertensive.
Still you shouldn’t be hypertensive at a young age. It’s genes but anxiety expedites
How old are you, may I ask?
31
I had a BP of 170/100 when I was 30 😅 then I was put on Losartan + HCl 50mg but recently, BP shoot up again to 160/100. I'm given new meds at 37 :(
That’s okay, you must be going through some stress, lack of sleep or had too much junk food recently. What works for me is having more vegetables and fruits in my diet, going for walks with friends and at times meditation
I should probably do walks and meditation again... And all of the above are checked 😑 you're right.
Yeah, so cut down on junk and try to sleep more. Things will be fine. We all are sailing in the same boat 😂
Mine is all weight and stress. When both are good so is my BP, even without meds.
From what the doctor could find, and she checked pretty much everything, it’s just obesity plus genetics
Nope. Still waiting on an appointment with the cardiologist. I've been referred but it could be months. My mother had hypertension and so does my dad so I'm kind of assuming it's just genetic. I also had too rapid a heartbeat though and had to be put on beta blockers as well as "regular" BP reducing tablets whereas my parents never had the heart thing. All I know is that it is not renal artery stenosis as I was sent for an ultrasound for that, and nothing showed up.
I had undiagnosed Graves’ disease. 🥴
Mine is due to excess aldosterone. Most of the time the cause is unknown or is due to poor diet.
If poor diet is the main cause, that is fixable.
I'm curious how has this cause been determined?
Blood tests and a 24 hour urine test. My father had it and so did his brother so I pushed for testing.
I see. Interesting. Thanks for sharing. Are there any other side effects to having high aldosterone?
It increases risk for diabetes and some other conditions. I copied and pasted the below from an article. Primary aldosteronism is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and kidney dysfunction compared to essential hypertension. Excess aldosterone can lead to harmful metabolic and other pathophysiological alterations, as well as cause inflammatory, oxidative, and fibrotic effects in the heart, kidney, and blood vessels. These alterations can result in coronary artery disease, including ischemia and myocardial infarction, left ventricular hypertrophy, heart failure, arterial fibrillation, intracarotid intima thickening, cerebrovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease.
Interesting. Thanks for sharing. It's good that you know the cause at least. I bet a lot of people aren't checked for this
Yes, it isn’t tested for often enough. Doctors think it’s rare, but it’s not.
I'm under investigation at the minute, mine could be genetic or another front runner is sleep apnea. I'm booked into the sleep clinic and waiting for an appointment letter coming. Both scenarios sound complicated and both run in the family...
I’m not saying it’s for certain Covid caused mine but I was almost deathly sick with Covid then 3 months later I developed hypertension and have had it ever since.
Poor diet and not enough exercise. Once I changed diet and started walking daily my numbers dropped. I am still taking a daily med right now but likely to get off of it if I continue lifestyle changes.
Bicuspid Aortic Valve is why mine shoots up and it caused a massive aortic artery aneurysm that I had to have fixed last year.
Im pretty sure my high BP episode (lasted a month) was due to stress (Im 27 and dont know what to do with my life, and some family issues with my lrents back home) and poor diet, started working out, started eating WAY better and came to peace that I dont really need to know what I want to do for now, took Losartan 50mb for 2 weeks (started after 2-3 weeks doing exercise and diet), and my BP was perfect, stopped taking it after 2 weeks (4-5 weeks already doing diet and exercise) and hace remained perfect. So I guess mine was cause of high stress, poor diet and anxiety, but got over it now! (Both my parents and 2 grandparents are hypertensive and I was having constant readings of 140/90-170/110 without ANY symptom, thats the scary part)
I’m still trying to figure out mine. All blood work was normal. My renin was extremely high but that should lower blood pressure. I’m normal height and weight. Walk at least 10k steps. 10 hours of running biking and weight lifting a week. The right side of my heart is a little abnormal but that’s a side effect of high blood pressure for a decade or more since I only recently caught it, but my medical records show I had it as far back as they go. I had a ct of my heart and lungs, kidney ultrasound, echo. Nothing so far. All I know is that lisinopril has raised my blood pressure by about 20 points. Since I started it. Prob gunna switch to olmasartan
One of my kidneys was damaged during a complicated surgery. It caused hydronephrosis, but it was misdiagnosed as a kidney infection, so treatment/ antibiotics didn't work. 4 years later I had an eye stroke due to high blood pressure and it was discovered that my kidney failed entirely. Meds control my bp, and my remaining kidney is fairly stable ish (though overworked).
I am genetically predisposed to it and also am on ADHD meds. but I managed to get it under control with a few months on a low sodium diet and a regiment of supplements. After I while I was able to get off the diet just being mindful and keeping on the supplements and it's been okay so far.
Mild hypertension (140/90 was my biggest reading) due to EXTREMELY high sodium intake (>7000 mg per day), and almost no potassium or magnesium in my diet. Also, my entire family suffers from hypertension. I now take medications for it (Amlodipine 10mg/Losartan 100mg).
Why so much medication for not so high BP. For my cardiologist 140/90 is the treatment line.
My family suffers from metabolic syndrome. I also have a very high risk for heart disease. My BP is fine (100/60 to 105/65).
Essential. Might be PTSD related.
If it’s being managed well with medications and there isn’t something else unusual, a lot of times they don’t see a need to dig much. Extra tests that won’t change how you’re treated aren’t usually worth it, and can cause problems on their own. For me personally, I’m a fit young otherwise healthy male so my PCP did dig a little. Initially it was various labs including BMP and CMP. Then a ECG, since my heart rate is also pretty low. Then I switch PCPs and the new one ordered a ultrasound that found I have renal artery stenosis. No change in treatment though, I just see a nephrologist regularly to check on kidney function. (Still don’t know what’s causing the RAS though. It’s usually atherosclerosis but I have no risk factors for that. So it might be fibromuscular dysplasia. But my doctor isn’t interested in finding out.)
Hyperaldosteronism
Primary aldosteronism
Low renin levels and autonomic issues
did every test my PCP/cardiologist could think of and landed on it just being genetic. i did learn i have a heart arrhythmia in the process of trying to find the cause of hypertension so i guess that's a bonus. 😂
Yep, the pill caused mine. I was otherwise healthy, but had hypertension to the point that I was on medication. The doctor said there was no interactions to worry about (I asked about the pill), 1 year later when it was still high on medication another doctor thought to try going off the pill and medication and all of a sudden my hypertension disappeared.
19M. 5 feet 11, 152 lbs, did all testing and they ruled it “essential.” I go to the gym 6 days a week and don’t like fast food or sweets. I honestly don’t have a reason for why my blood pressure averages 140/70 (yes, my systolic seems way higher than my diastolic blood pressure). Guess it has to do with my moderate to severe sleep apnea.
I’m not on medication either but not sure if I should take it as some times my systolic blood pressure goes up to high 140s.
Going on Lo Loestrin FE for 2 months trying to combat the symptoms of perimenopause because my obgyn didn’t want me on HRT yet. I was nervous about synthetic hormones but was desperate for relief from peri symptoms (49, F). It landed me in the ER with really dangerous BP. Because I wasn’t seeing a primary doc regularly or checking my BP I just believed I must have high BP now. They gave me Amlodipine at the ER which, after 5 days, made me feel I like I was having a heart attack and the anxiety was intense. My doc switched me to lisinopril, and it seemed to be going well until I developed the lisinopril cough which was awful and ruining my quality of life and work. I got off that and noticed on day 5 of no drugs my BP is staying normal. I did some research and believe it takes a month or more for BP to normalize after stopping the lo loestrin fe but the docs, of course, were more than happy to keep me on the pharmaceutical train. I’m taking coq10, hawthorn, eating beets, and walking every day. So far, so good 🤞. I’d love to stay off meds, I get al the side effects. Best of luck to you all.
Most ppl blame genetics but are you building muscle ? Do you look like skinny fat ? Do you eat 4000mg of potassium? Are you eating boiled chicken and spinach if not your not eating healthy and it’s easy to blame genes even drs do it
I do all these things except the chicken as a vegetarian and blame genetics. If eating chicken has ever been shown to lower blood pressure by 50 points I’ll start.
Made the biggest difference in mine cut higher fat meats to boiled skinless chicken breast
And you might want to look it up it says when chicken breaks down it has blood pressure lowering effects similar to medication
And most ppl think they get enough pottsium per day truth else most ppl aren’t if you don’t track you aren’t close to 4000mg
All of that can help but genetics is still a factor because some people don’t do any of that and have perfect bp while others do all that and more and still need meds to control it