Today, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure.

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  • Deborah_Sinclair
    Deborah_Sinclair Posts: 3 Member
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    Make sure your weight is in the recommended range. Exercise daily for at least 30 minutes and keep sodium under 1,500mg per day.
  • cwirth11
    cwirth11 Posts: 1
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    I've been in the pre-hypertension range for several years and with just 5 weeks of eating healthier and walking 30 minutes a day, I'm back in the normal ranges. So it's not impossible, and you don't have to start training for a marathon or starving yourself to achieve this. Just commit to it for 12 weeks and check you blood pressure each week along the way. I expect you'll be pleasantly surprised.
  • Sambo232
    Sambo232 Posts: 3 Member
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    You should (if you haven't already had it) ask for ambulatory blood pressure check before starting meds as this is the gold standard to check it's not just 'white coat syndrome'
  • kkay3182
    kkay3182 Posts: 90 Member
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    My blood pressure use to be high, very high, one day in drs office it was 168/89 and usually between 140-150/80-93... Dr was adamant about meds, but I have always taken a holistic approach to my health, so she agreed to give me some time while she monitored me but told me at what levels I needed to run to the rmergency room, since then I have lost just over 30lbs and changed the way I prepare what I eat and I incorporated low impact aerobics and walking in my daily life, practise yoga and employed several breathing techniques from various middle eastern cultures to help calm me. I need to lose another 100-140 lbs, but my Dr is impressed, the last time I was there my BP was 117/65 and the highest I have gotten at home was on a day when I was out and frustrated all day and that was 131/68. I use to have irregular heart beat too, now unless I am exercising my heart beat is steady between 66-77. If your dr recommends medicine take it, the alternative is a stroke, kidney damage or worse, but start working on your diet and exercise and in a little while you may be able to at a minimum lower your dosage or stop completely. genetics etc plays a role as well but diet and exercise can make a real difference....
  • Aeramis13
    Aeramis13 Posts: 135 Member
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    At 28, I was officially told my blood pressure was too high. They took my off birth control (sooo not good) due to concerns with the combination of BC & the high blood pressure. They put me on the water pill, which was very successful while on it, but needed to be taken every day, which was the opposite of exciting to me. I was somewhere over 220 lbs. and felt pretty helpless.

    Eventually, for other reasons, I finally started watching my calorie intake and working out. I lost a bit over 50 lbs., did a vast amount of exercise to get my heart healthier, cut my sodium some (though not as much as they say to) and officially have what every doctor I meet says is perfect blood pressure. No meds. No stress. It totally can be done!

    (That being said, I'm lucky enough to not have any other health problems that cause high blood pressure. It is possible to have more complications that might make this task harder.)

    Good luck!
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
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    I take no pills and would do anything to avoid medication. I was creeping up on the BP and cholesterol was above normal. Radically changed my diet and added exercise. The result is I shed fifty five pounds and my my BP is normal. My cholesterol dropped 50 points and I look and feel great. Go all in and attack this, not half way. Its your choice.
  • love8383
    love8383 Posts: 169
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    Every day people are taken off their blood pressure and diabetes medication because they lost weight and got healthy you can too, not that there's anything wrong with taking meds if you need them, taking a pill every day may seem daunting, but most people take vitamins everyday,
  • BrotherBill913
    BrotherBill913 Posts: 661 Member
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    Every day people are taken off their blood pressure and diabetes medication because they lost weight and got healthy you can too, not that there's anything wrong with taking meds if you need them, taking a pill every day may seem daunting, but most people take vitamins everyday,

    This,^^^^^^^^ I was on them. Lost weight, DR took me off, it's truly like that...........
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    I have HBP, average around 135/89. All my GP told me was lose weight and do the DASH diet. Nothing has been said about meds. Track your sodium intake, lose some weight, and incorporate eating more fruits and veggies. It might work for you. :flowerforyou:
  • FitOldMomma
    FitOldMomma Posts: 790 Member
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    I was put on 10 mg Lisinopril in April of this year. I was NOT happy about it. I'd always had low to good BP even though I was a big girl and smoked!

    However time caught up with me. Since then I've lost weight, quit smoking and now swim 4 times a week. I'm curious to see if my doc will reevaluate the need for medicine when I see her in October.

    So, don't despair...lifestyle changes can sometimes do the trick. But if not, taking a pill or two everyday that can save your life is not a big deal.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    I am very sad. I just left my doctor's office, and I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. I am trying to not feel completely hopeless, but the thought of being on medication for the rest of my life is depressing. I've been trying to change my diet and exercise, and I'm afraid that just wont be enough.

    Has anyone here had any positive experiences with getting OFF of BP meds? Does anyone have any advice on how to manage BP with a healthy diet and exercise?

    :(

    Feel free to send me a friend request. On my profile, I explained how I got off the maximum dose of TWO B,P. meds. You likely can do it too. But it will mean that you are very strict with your diet and exercise at first. My B.P. runs about 115/75 most of the time now. :smile:
  • stephanieluvspb
    stephanieluvspb Posts: 997 Member
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    Last year I got a terrible headache, sharp pain that even OTC pain meds didn't help. Before calling my dr I had my coworker check my bp and it was 210/98. Dr put me on benicar. I understand your anxiety, I can't imagine anyone who wants to take meds and I was only 32!! So I quit smoking cold turkey, started exercising 4 days a week and eating better. I lose about .5 pound a week and in 12 weeks I dc my bp pills and I've been ok since. Of course some people will be on bp meds forever usually just due to genetics. I had a 26 year old patient that had a heart attack!!! Sometimes there is no controlling what happens. Good luck to you!!
  • Stella_Mayfair
    Stella_Mayfair Posts: 226 Member
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    My dr said I had High blood pressure. But since "I'm young and not fat." her words, she said she'd give me the summer to lower it before meds. I DID!!! I cut out all soda, unless diet. Quick smoking, starting swimming, and downing loads of water and less sodium and pow!!! I am good. Also try getting in u time to destress. Stress adds a lot to BP.Hope it works out
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    I got diagnosed in Nov, I decided to make a change and I went to the dr last month and he said "you have cured yourself" ... no more meds for me!!! if you chage the way you eat and exercise more you can get off these meds. I am living proof. Good luck OP

    It is good to be optimistic and it is good to do everything you possibly can from a dietary and exercise standpoint, to include losing weight to treat hypertension...as the benefits go far beyond that singular goal...but it is also important to realize that for a great many, their hypertension has nothing to do with their diets or exercise, it is simply a hereditary thing.

    The OP will not know until the work is done...but even if it doesn't cure him of this particular issue, there will be numerous additional benefits.

    I'm living proof that it's not always about diet and exercise...I eat extremely healthfully and exercise regularly...I generally log anywhere between 60 - 90 miles per week on my bike and lift weights and walk/hike a lot. My diet rocks and consists largely of 6-8 servings of veggies per day and 2-3 servings of fruit along with plenty of lean proteins and healthy fats and a smattering of whole grains...very little in the way of processed food or junk food.

    I'm not trying to be a downer here...like I said, optimism is a good thing...I just want the OP to realize that sometimes it's out of our control...but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be living healthfully anyway...numerous benefits of living healthfully.

    Yes, there certainly ARE people who are scrupulous in their diet and exercise and still their b.p. will not come down--for them, medication is a lifesaver. But, I expect that, for the vast majority of hypertensives, diet and exercise is the key to normalizing their b.p. I know many people who were put on medication and now are able to be off of it because of their diet and exercise programs.

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