Pulse rate and BP

WandaVaughn
WandaVaughn Posts: 420 Member
edited November 27 in Health and Weight Loss
Is a consistent pulse rate of 42-49 bad when paired with a consistent bp of 150/70?

I'm a 50 year old female. 5'6 and 138ish pounds.

I usually run up to 10 miles during the week and I'm adding miles to my long runs on Saturdays. This past Saturday I ran 9 miles, walked about a mile to cool down, stretched for 10 minutes or so, then drove a couple miles to a pharmacy. The bp machine there registered 90/61 and a pulse rate of 82. I was tired but felt pretty good. During the week, though, I have been very sluggish with readings as stated above!

I was on bp meds last year while I was losing weight. Doctor ok'd me to start halving my pills because my bp started dipping too low. I went just over a month without any pills and just got my prescription filled again. Made the mistake of taking whole pills for my first 2 doses. Third morning I was running but had to stop. Thought I was dying. Got home and my home machine bp was 85/45. Felt rotten the rest of the day. Haven't taken any meds since.

I don't know what's going on. If this is just normal for someone who runs, I guess I can either just get used to it and keep on running, or find something else to do for exercise. But I hate quitting. I have a lab appt for doc on 8/14 and a physical on the 21st, but I'm torn what to do about things right now.

Anybody have advice?

Replies

  • vegaspack
    vegaspack Posts: 30 Member
    When you say your consistent BP of 150/70 does that mean consistently at home or at the doctor? I have white coat hypertension and my pressure is much higher when visiting the clinic.
  • Running_and_Coffee
    Running_and_Coffee Posts: 811 Member
    The pulse rate makes sense if you're a long distance runner. I have to basically sprint to get my HR above 140 while working out and also run. The BP thing sounds concerning--definitely go with what your doc recommends. My BP is very low.
  • WandaVaughn
    WandaVaughn Posts: 420 Member
    @vegaspack I check my bp at a local pharmacy, on their machine, so it's the same one all the time. And it doesn't seem to matter if it's after driving into town for work or stopping after work. It's always in the same general numbers.

    @Running_and_Coffee As far as being a long distance runner, I just started back running in June. Started half marathon training, but the longest run so far was 9 miles, so I'm not running crazy long distances. I'm not Olympic-fit or anything.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,261 Member
    WandaVaughn wrote: »
    @vegaspack I check my bp at a local pharmacy, on their machine, so it's the same one all the time. And it doesn't seem to matter if it's after driving into town for work or stopping after work. It's always in the same general numbers.

    @Running_and_Coffee As far as being a long distance runner, I just started back running in June. Started half marathon training, but the longest run so far was 9 miles, so I'm not running crazy long distances. I'm not Olympic-fit or anything.

    You don't need to be some kind of super elite athlete in order for your heart rate to drop significantly. It happens to regular-people recreational athletes who are consistent about their workouts. And to most (non-athlete-at-all) people, running 9 miles is utterly unimaginable. You're an athlete - perhaps a recreational one, but an athlete nonetheless.

    My RHR will go into the upper 40s, and I'm just a li'l ol' lady (age 62) recreational athlete, not some kind of super-charged performer. 42 is especially low, and 49 is pretty low for walking-around RHR (as opposed to first thing in AM RHR), but it's not implausible, especially if you happen to be a person who naturally runs a bit lower HR than average. OTOH, there are serious conditions that involve bradycardia.

    The BP issue seems like more of an outlier, especiallfy in someone who's had BP problems, been medicated, etc. . . . and you're feeling sluggish, besides.

    Really: Talk to your doctor, not to random idiots like me on the internet who aren't medical professionals, don't know your medical history, etc. If this were a clinic, it would have a big sign saying "Clinic of Dubious and Ill-Founded Medical Advice". Monkeys with typewriters have as good odds of accurate, well-founded diagnosis. ;)

    It could be no big problem, but it could be serious. Ask your doctor. Ask your doctor. Ask your doctor.
  • WandaVaughn
    WandaVaughn Posts: 420 Member
    Thank you all for your response. I suppose my biggest doctor-wise phobia is going with a problem and being told there's absolutely nothing wrong. (Just your imagination)
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    Have you noticed a trend in the heart rate as well? Some medications have an effect on both blood pressure and heart rate, so that may be a factor. This really is something to see your doctor about to determine appropriate dosing of medication, or possibly changing to a different medication. There are others that mainly influence pressure with no/minimal change to rate. The two are certainly linked. Typically when pressure goes down, rate will go up to compensate and keep enough blood and oxygen circulating.
  • Sairzie
    Sairzie Posts: 122 Member
    I’d suggest if possible take two readings (AM and PM) for 7 days and take it to your doctor. May mean purchasing a BP machine at home but it will give the doctor much more info to work on than individual readings. Try to do these at rest, after a 5 minute sit down to get a true reading.
  • kksmom1789
    kksmom1789 Posts: 281 Member
    WandaVaughn wrote: »
    Update: I had an EKG done today and it was abnormal. Am going for a stress test in a couple of weeks. I guess we'll see what comes from that...

    Good Luck on your upcoming stress test I have had 3 open heart surgeries so I basically don't work out I mean I can but I my anxiety makes it really hard. Stress Tests suck for me just because I have no stamina so I am done in like 3 minutes.
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