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I had this every time I saw a doctor. We would take it again after relaxing a few minutes taking deep breaths and it was always better.
However, my doctor told me studies show that this spiking of blood pressure takes years off your life and that it may be spiking when I am not aware of it. She said it is best to go on a low dose medication to keep it stable. So I gave it a try after years of trying to avoid taking medication. My blood pressure is usually within a good range now when at a doctors office.
I too have WCS and I'm to the point where I don't ask and I don't care what my BP is. The only doctor that does not run up my blood pressure is my gyne and I would think that check up is so intrusive and embarassing that it should run my BP sky high. I think the reason for that is the nurse waits until I'm dressed and almost ready to check out. She takes my BP the very last thing and I've had perfect readings at that doctor's office every time. I think I'm going to start refusing to allow a nurse to check my BP at the beginning. If they would just wait until I had a chance to talk to the doctor and see what he or she is going to do, everything would be fine. I check my BP at home periodically at different times of day and it's always good. If the doctor gets my home BP too low, then I'm passing out and tripping and falling and that's not good either. Plus the JNC 8 just established new guidelines for BP and it goes back to the old days. If your BP is less than 150/90 and you are 60 or less with no comorbidities like chronic kidney disease or diabetes, then that's the new norm. If you are over 60 and with no other illnesses, then 160/90 is considered normal. I think too many people were passing out and getting injuries from being treated too aggressively for hypertension or even just white coat syndrome. A couple of years ago a doctor told me that doctors were treaing WCS because it always led to chronic hypertension. That's when I was started on beta blockers. Half the time I didn't even take the medication if my BP was normal when I took it at home.
I have a blood pressure cuff that I use at home, which stores my readings. I bring it to my appointments so I can show that my blood pressure is not that high when I'm not at the doctor's office. It's better to bring the cuff than just a list of readings, because they'll insist that my cuff isn't accurate unless I use it in front of them and get the same reading they just got.
I've had problems in the past with them insisting that I needed blood pressure meds because of high readings at the doctor's office. I took the meds like they wanted me to, and had problems with dizziness and feeling faint whenever I was outdoors in the heat. I stopped taking HCTZ for that reason...I can't exercise if I get too dizzy to stand up every time I break a sweat. After I fainted on the bike trail and my BP was 65/48 (had the cuff in my bike basket), I quit taking the very low dose of lisinopril that I was still on.
I just had my BP checked twice for a health assessment by an employer. My first was 174/100. My second was 176/90. I take my BP at home all the time. It's NEVER that high. I came back home right after the visit and , after sitting quietly for 5 minutes my BP was 136/68. Very frustrating situation to overcome. Health insurance carriers and some job assessments measure your BP and they get the wrong impression.
I just had my BP checked twice for a health assessment by an employer. My first was 174/100. My second was 176/90. I take my BP at home all the time. It's NEVER that high. I came back home right after the visit and , after sitting quietly for 5 minutes my BP was 136/68. Very frustrating situation to overcome. Health insurance carriers and some job assessments measure your BP and they get the wrong impression.
Are you sure your home machine is working? I would go to a pharmacy for a third reading.
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I have a blood pressure cuff that I use at home, which stores my readings. I bring it to my appointments so I can show that my blood pressure is not that high when I'm not at the doctor's office. It's better to bring the cuff than just a list of readings, because they'll insist that my cuff isn't accurate unless I use it in front of them and get the same reading they just got.
I've had problems in the past with them insisting that I needed blood pressure meds because of high readings at the doctor's office. I took the meds like they wanted me to, and had problems with dizziness and feeling faint whenever I was outdoors in the heat. I stopped taking HCTZ for that reason...I can't exercise if I get too dizzy to stand up every time I break a sweat. After I fainted on the bike trail and my BP was 65/48 (had the cuff in my bike basket), I quit taking the very low dose of lisinopril that I was still on.
I have had hypertension for yrs anyway and take medication which for the most part keeps it under control. But before that I always had "white coat syndrome", even as a young woman. My last primary care doc always commented that if someone's blood pressure was high in a doctor's office due to the stress of being there, there were other locations where his/her blood pressure would shoot up as well. So he didn't buy it that my blood pressure only went up in his office.
But docs are aware that this happens, and over the years they've asked me to check my pressure at home, keep records and bring in those records when I visit their office- they've put them in my medical records. They've also asked me to bring in the blood pressure meter I use, so its readings can be compared with the ones they get with their equipment.
You mention the diuretic hydochlorothiazide (HCTZ), which often comes in combination with other hypertension medications, and it seems the docs prescribe the stuff like it's candy and too often, it seems, without a thought about the effects this may have on the person or whether or not they actually need a diuretic. I took a combination of Diovan-HCTZ, then Lozartan-HCTZ for years, and after an episode of atrial fibrillation last fall, the cardiologist ( added to the doctor menagerie because they said I needed a cardiologist), took me off the HCTZ as he said my electrolytes had been off and I didn't need a diuretic. And it seems I don't.
We have a friend who collapsed recently with a low heartrate and other issues, seems he was extremely dehydrated and hadn't even realized it. He was taking some new blood pressure meds including HCTZ, and it's likely this drug contributed to his dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. I just wonder how often this happens.
I too have white coat EVERY time I go to doc's office. I only go once a year now. I test at home and also been taking HCTZ for years, just recently cut it in half and added hawthorne extract but still taking the 2 BP meds. And I take extra potassium daily as I believe the HCTZ pulls the potassium from bodies. I'm sure SO MANY are on BP meds due to the white coat dx... Celery is a great natural diuretic, I use it a lot...try mostly organic celery.
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